Serving Whitman County since 1877
Serving Whitman County since 1877
Sorted by date Results 1238 - 1262 of 3750
"Country roads, take me home, To the place I belong, West Virginia, mountain mama, Take me home, country roads." If John Denver were to write that song these days, its lyrics might become "Trump country roads." After all, Donald Trump won West Virginia by a margin of more than 42 percentage points over Hillary Clinton. And West Virginia Sen. Joe Manchin's "mountain mama" didn't raise no fool. Sen. Manchin is fighting for his political life, doing whatever he can to make sure the state's voters don't take him home from Washington, D.C., and...
Democrats suffered a stinging loss in the fight over Brett Kavanaugh's confirmation, and have concluded that the constitutional system is to blame. You see, if only the Founders hadn't forged the Great Compromise between large states and small states at the Constitutional Convention in 1787, giving each state equal representation in the U.S. Senate, they would have defeated Brett Kavanaugh handily. It's only because smaller red states have two senators just like larger blue states that the judge got confirmed. For the left, the U.S. Senate is n...
Pet Peeves Hunters who shoot over the neighbors house over pasture with cows in it and at your house. Okeydokes No dogs in the local grocery store!!...
I support Robert Rembert for Whitman County District Court Judge and this is why. Rob’s integrity, intelligence, and fairness are unmatched. I have had the privilege of working with Rob for over 20 years. During that time, I have had the opportunity to observe Rob in his dealings with clients, attorneys, judges, employees, and the public. Rob has always conducted himself with the utmost integrity and intelligence. Rob’s experience in state and federal courts gives him a breadth of experience that the other candidate lacks. Rob has my vote. --K...
Having served in the Washington State Legislature with both Cathy McMorris-Rogers and Lisa Brown for eight years, I would like to share some observations. First, they share many good qualities. They are both intelligent and articulate, they both listen well and are welcoming and respectful. They also share a deep sense of loyalty. That loyalty is what differentiates the two candidates. Lisa is a loyal Democrat, and Cathy is a loyal Republican. I worked more closely with Cathy on issues important to eastern Washington. Some of those included:...
Two Pullman lawyers are running for Whitman County District Court Judge. John Hart, a public defender and part-time Municipal Court Judge in Colfax, and Rob Rembert, who’s been practicing law here since 1996. John Hart may have more time on the bench, but the breadth of Rob Rembert’s legal experience, especially in civil disputes, is far more extensive. Rob has more experience in landlord-tenant law, more experience in premises liability and product liability law, more experience in construction law, personal injury law, employment law, col...
On November 6th the voters of Fire District #11, which is the rural area around Colfax and Albion and the communities of Diamond and Steptoe, will be asked to raise the levy lid. The commissioners have not asked for a special levy since 1991 and the amount of tax they collect each year stays the same regardless of the increase in property tax valuation. They have acted fiscally responsible over the years, building stations and replacing trucks, within the yearly budget. However, new safety and radio equipment as well as trucks and pumps have...
Last week’s Gazette provided an interesting juxtaposition of ideas. Page 8A’s editorial by Gordon Forgey, “12 years left,” faced page 9A’s column, “Carbon Fee Hurts Business and Families,” by Don Brunell. The editorial depicted accurately the latest UN report on the urgency of climate change. It also observed that this information was not really new, that the underlying science had been known since 1957. I’d like to correct that. A century earlier, in August 1856, a scientist named Eunice Foote “in two brisk pages … anticipated the rev...
I have known Michael Largent for 15 plus years, dating back to before he first ran for county commissioner. The job was demanding and had a pretty steep learning curve as he expressed to me. I don't think it's time to remove someone from office that not only has excellent educational background and training, but also has all the crucial experience that his prior terms as commissioner affords him. The three commissioners holding office now work very well together; that's not always the case. Whether you are a Republican or Democrat, let's not...
When I send in my ballot early next month, I will be pleased to vote for Sandy Jamison for Whitman County Auditor. She will bring impressive credentials to the job. She's a CPA with a lot of fiscal management experience–as a director of finance for local businesses, as a budget analyst and consultant at WSU, a college accounting instructor, and managing accountant for two family farming enterprises. Sandy has been active in the Garfield and Palouse communities in civic and school endeavors. She has a good way with people and a track record o...
Sandy Jamison is the most qualified candidate to serve as Whitman County Auditor. Jamison earned her MBA and also is a CPA with over 30 years of accounting, management and auditing experience. In addition to acting as the financial manager for her family farm for over 27 years, she has been a financial controller for several companies. Jamison has an excellent work ethic and will be the best steward of Whitman County taxpayers dollars while ensuring a transparent office. I support the Whitman County Association of Realtors formal endorsement...
So many issues clamoring for attention as we prepare to vote for town, county, state and national leaders. For me, it’s come down to the planet’s future, or lack thereof. I’m not going to consider any candidate or party that denies climate change. No candidate that thinks climate change is a future problem rather than one we’re in the middle of right now. The UN’s Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change report that came out this week as Hurricane Michael barrels down on Florida is just another reminder. It’s not that our children and grandchi...
There has been a lot of discussion revolving around law lately: the Supreme Court/Kavanaugh debacle, assaults on the rule of law, concerns about law enforcement (profiling, militarization, use of deadly force, etc.), as well as the ongoing dysfunction of our primary lawmaking body, the Congress. Hardly ever mentioned, though, is the paramount Law that largely governs all of humanity, our institutions, and each of our individual lives as well. This Law is: …….wait for it…..wait for it…..the Law of Unintended Consequences. --Dick Warwick...
Time is running out. And, it is running out fast. That is the crux of the new United Nations climate report. According to the report, dramatic changes in the output of carbon gases will need to be achieved by 2030. Unless enough is done to curtail climate warming by that time, the world will be faced with a crisis by 2040. Many of the consequences of a failure to achieve the goals will be dire. The report places the rising average temperatures as guideposts. In the past, it was considered disastrous if average global temperatures rose two...
Pet Peeves My rights! No dogs in the local grocery store! For heavens sakes, please go back to the two section format....
So now we know what Donald Trump will do for a living when he leaves office, whenever that is. He will be busy: In addition to continuing his television career by doing commercials for products that you can get by calling a 1-800 number, he'll also be touring as a stand-up comedian. Obviously he's got a knack for it. Look no further than the success Trump had when he brought the house down at the United Nations nightclub in New York. Actually, it was the General Assembly, and it was a really tough crowd who couldn't help but laugh at the Trump...
It's time for "To Kill a Mockingbird" to give up its treasured place in American culture. The 1960 novel by Harper Lee was published to instant acclaim, has sold more than 30 million copies and is ubiquitous in high school curricula. The 1962 movie version, starring Gregory Peck, is a classic in itself and won three Academy Awards. But nothing is forever, even for a book commonly called "timeless." Lee's novel is deeply out of sympathy with a moment when on college campuses, and in the culture more broadly, due process isn't what it used to...
SHE SAID that the most hurtful part of the sexual assault was the sound of the laughter of the two young men assaulting her. HE SAID he didn't do it, but was not willing to talk with investigators. He claimed that she was a part of a conspiracy to keep him from being appointed to the Supreme Court. THEY SAID they believed him without proof. HE WROTE that he was sorry for his angry outburst, spouting about a conspiracy, and lack of judicial temperament while testifying before the committee. THEY PLOWED AHEAD with preparations for a vote, while...
I applaud Publisher Gordon Forgey for his editorial “Climate refugees.” In it he describes a phenomenon – the flood of refugees into our country from climate change – as likely to be “slower in coming,” yet longer-lasting than Dust Bowl dislocations during the Great Depression. That editorial was based on research published in Nature Climate Change last month. The study focused on social costs of carbon (SCC) in each of the earth’s nearly 200 countries. The SCC measures economic harm from carbon dioxide emissions. Previous research focu...
Let’s just put aside the juvenile name calling by Cathy McMorris Rodgers and VP Mike Pence of Lisa Brown as Liberal, for the moment. What has Cathy McMorris Rodgers done that is consistent with Conservative Republican values? As far as I know, Conservative Republican values includes limited government, balanced budgets and reducing government debt. In the last omnibus budget, she inserted a provision that props up the price Medicare pays for a handful of medications that includes support for a west side company called Omeros, costing t...
If you want Nancy Pelosi to be speaker of the house, then vote for Lisa Brown. I support Cathy. --David Stueckle, LaCrosse...
Give Gov. Jay Inslee and backers of Initiative 1631 credit. They are persistent in their quest to invoke a fee on carbon emissions. Voters will decide its fate on Nov.6. Since Inslee was first elected, he pushed to reduce CO2 discharges---a laudable goal. Two years ago, carbon initiative backers drafted a “revenue neutral” ballot measure which voters rejected by a 59-41 percent margin. Today’s Initiative 1631 simply adds a new fee without cutting any state fee or tax, particularly on gasol...
'Tis the season. We have four seasons in Eastern Washington: basketball season, dry season, fire season, and political season. We are slowly making it through the season for politics. As bad as it seems, it could be worse. We could be in a presidential election year. National politics are depressing. Issues don’t seem to matter. Am I the only one who is tired of having my favorite TV program interrupted by candidates bashing each other? If this continues into Dancing With the Stars, I am going to scream. How many good people are we willing t...
Last week, Senator Jeff Flake of Arizona declared that more time and an FBI investigation were needed to decide on the nomination of Brett Kavanaugh for the Supreme Court. New allegations against Kavanaugh had clouded the hearings devoted to his nomination. Democratic senators on the Judiciary Committee wanted a fuller investigation as well. The Republicans accused them of trying to delay the vote. The Republicans wanted the vote and the matter closed quickly. Neither party was willing to bend from their stance. Then, Flake, a Republican,...
It happens several times a game: I'll announce to the world, "The entire season rests on this pitch (shot/play/whatever)." My friends long ago learned simply to ignore my sarcasm, which makes it difficult when I'm being serious. Such as when I announce, "The fate of the nation might rest on the upcoming election." For real. Even though Donald Trump is not on the ballot, the midterms will determine if Congress can take a role in restraining his worst impulses. It should be obvious to those horrified by his presidency that they must install an...
