Serving Whitman County since 1877
Serving Whitman County since 1877
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May was Older American’s month. The focus of Older American’s Month is normally the contribution seniors have made and continue to make to our communities and the needs of older American’s going forward. I represent Whitman County on Aging and Long-Term Care of Eastern Washington’s board and represent the Counties in Washington State on the Washington State Council on Aging. We hear a lot about the capabilities and the needs of seniors. However, I believe right now the biggest challenge seniors face isn’t some bill going through Congress...
Many people have asked-whether directly or secondhand-about the page count at the Gazette since the virus hit. It all boils down to business practices, the bottom line and trying to keep our heads above water during what the economists have officially deemed a recession. In newspapers there is ad hole and news hole. For the majority of newspapers, the size of the news hole--the space we get to fill with stories, features, records, etc.-is determined by the ad hole-how much space is taken up by...
I sincerely hope I misread or misunderstood Nancy Street’s letter to the editor last week. She used three underlying premisses that hopefully she didn’t intend, or if she did, to which I strongly object. The first is that people “of European ancestry” (her term not mine) can’t or don’t feel enough outrage at the murder of George Floyd. Every one I have talked to about this murder is over the top outraged, regardless of “ancestry”. I think that charge is akin to someone saying that if you don’t live in New York you can’t feel enough outrage...
Fight, Flight, and Freeze are the three biological responses to danger. There doesn't even have to be a real danger. If your nose smells danger, then your body is going to come out fighting, fleeing, or freezing. Body's choice. The survival instinct takes over the mind and the body. Even after extensive training, professionals can still find their bodies reacting differently than planned. Fight, Flight, or Freeze, do not reflect moral values. That's just biology, that's all it is. Moral values are displayed in what you do afterward, when...
Solar power is getting a lot of attention these days as our country strives to reduce greenhouse gases. Sunny cities like Honolulu, Los Angeles and San Antonio have ramped-up solar power production; however, in cloudy coastal municipalities such as Seattle, investments in “sun power” have been lagging. One reason is Washington is blessed with an abundance of low-cost and carbon-free hydropower which accounts for three-fourths of our electricity generation. Electricity from the Columbia Riv...
No agriculture producer likes to see their work go to waste. Whether it is a crop, milk or livestock, no one involved in agriculture wants their products to go anywhere other than to consumers. That is what makes the COVID-19 crisis particularly difficult for agriculture – food continues to be produced but, in many cases, it is not reaching its intended destination. In April, the president of Tyson meats warned of a nationwide meat shortage. Milk producers are working to find the middle g...
It is understandable that many Americans, especially those of European ancestry, express minimal outrage at the George Floyd killing in Minnesota. Their family or “their people” are not much affected They don’t worry much if they encounter the police. When racial atrocities occur and there is little concern by the majority, we may encounter an “us versus them” phenomenon. This can lead to name-calling and eventual genocide, according to Dr. James Waller, author and former Whitworth faculty member. In fact, white people should realize that when...
During the 2019 flu season, 61,000 Americans died; over 1,000 of them were from Washington State. The loss of life was tragic for those who lost loved ones, but it was not cause for panic. The coronavirus has claimed just over 100,000 Americans, 1,100 from Washington. COVID-19 is a severe flu epidemic, but it is not cause to panic. I am not trying to belittle the impact of the disease, but the numbers don’t justify the world-wide fear that put forty-one million Americans put of work. Mass hysteria is nothing new. Fear results from the s...
Pullman – Our thoughts and prayers are with the family and friends Mr. George Floyd, whose tragic death this week shocked and horrified our nation. Every officer in our police depart- ment, and throughout the country, should be disgusted by what has oc- curred in Minneapolis. Not only are we disgusted by the actions of the officer directly responsible for the death of Mr. Floyd, but also by the lack of interven- tion by the other officers who, by sim- ply standing by, were complicit in his d...
Solar power is getting a lot of attention these days as our country strives to reduce greenhouse gases. Sunny cities like Honolulu, Los Angeles and San Antonio have ramped-up solar power production; however, in cloudy coastal municipalities such as Seattle, investments in “sun power” have been lagging. One reason is Washington is blessed with an abundance of low-cost and carbon-free hydropower which accounts for three-fourths of our electricity generation. Electricity from the Columbia Riv...
While chatting with a high school chum, I asked him about the outbreak in his neck of the woods. He lives in an East Coast city which has received national news coverage for its COVID-19 infection and response. I was surprised by the comments he made throughout the conversation: "There have been a lot of deaths and hospitalizations but compared to the population still very low... So among people I know I haven't heard of anyone even getting sick." "To me there is no real visible crisis at all- j...
I have been watching news reports of the efforts to curb the virus and more recently the efforts to ease restrictions to reopen the economy. Initially, I sensed a wave of nationalism that united all of us against the growing pandemic. This unity lasted for about three days after the first cases were discovered in a Seattle nursing home. Our Governor began to blame the Trump administration for lack of preparedness. As the outbreak spread to ravish New York, Governor Inslee found an ally and both Governors blamed the federal government for all...
Pet Peeves: No little flags on gravestones at cemetery. Rain. Okeydokes: Rain!...
If you listen to a person long enough, you gain a better understanding of them and can facilitate stronger camaraderie among all parties. That's not to say they will agree any more or less with each other, but allowing people to speak and listening to them seems to make things better all around. There is a story of two women who shared a house. There was one orange and they both wanted it. Thinking it was fair, they cut the orange in half and went their ways. Had they taken the time to talk and...
In recent years, papermakers in Pacific Northwest have been losing ground. However, today there is a ray of hope. Surprisingly, that optimism results from the COVID-19 pandemic. In the first days of the pandemic, grocers couldn’t keep toilet paper on store shelves even though paper mills were running 20 percent higher than normal capacity. Cardboard plants also were operating full bore making shipping boxes for medical supplies and personal protective gear. As Amazon and online sales ramp up bec...
Roger Harnack, Publisher, To communicate effectively, a speaker or writer needs to know his/her audience. I believe the new Publisher does not understand his Whitman County reader audience. This county, north to south, east to west has one of the most highly educated populations in the United States. I have seen research this county’s rank may be as high as #2, with only the Los Alamos, NM area more highly educated, on average. We are interested in editorials that define a concern, problem, opportunity, etc., and then provide the pro’s and con...
As Whitman County begins the now-expedited process of re-opening, I believe the next tension will exist between those who chose to wear a mask and those who don’t wear one. I am not extremely interested in debating whether or not you chose to; however, I believe people shouldn’t make a big deal about each other’s decision. For some reason, the face mask is now a symbol. The COVID-19 pandemic has been enlightening for a number of reasons, and one thing I’ve noticed is that it has created binary positions. You either believe one way or you don...
Dear Mr. Harnack: I write to deplore the attitude expressed in your editorial of May 14th, which I would summarize as an objection to the measures contemplated by Washington State Government in its attempt to manage a return to the social and economic norms we all yearn for, actions that of necessity thrust government into the everyday life of individuals. The cornerstones of public health versus infectious disease are: restriction of contact between infected and uninfected individuals, minimization of the risk inherent in such contacts when...
Adele Ferguson used to write wonderful opinion pieces for the WHITMAN COUNTY GAZETTE. She really had an inside track on Washington state politics. I would love to hear her take on Governor Inslee’s response to the coronavirus if you can coax her out of retirement for this special purpose. Carleton B. “Barney” Waldrop, Clarkston...
Pet Peeves: Whitman County Gazette? What is this? Not a newspaper. Children in charge? The state of the Pampa Pond bathrooms Trashy yards in town. Okeydokes: A kind customer of Rosauer’s who made all the staff very cool, quality masks with fruit anD vegetables on them! !#@* Thanks to the generous library patron who noticed it cost $2.15 to receive her library book in the mail. She donated $50 to the library to continue funding this valuable service. The new editor of the Gazette doing a great job. !#@* Nicely kept parks in Colfax that w...
Several years ago in a previous life, I was the commander of a military base. It was a fairly large installation responsible for sensitive missions and hardware. Our chief of security was named George. George had been a specialist for some time and was very good at what he did. He was totally focused on the security of the base. He would have been very happy if we had locked down the entire perimeter and patrolled it with dogs and armed guards. George was so focused that he lived within a bubble that excluded all considerations other than...
Voluntary must have a different meaning inside state government offices. On Tuesday, Gov. Jay Inslee and other participants in his coronavirus press conference said participation in a statewide contact tracing program would be voluntary. Under the program, anyone who tests positive for coronavirus would be contacted by the Washington National Guard, state Department of Licensing employees or other so-called “health professionals” to determine an infected person’s whereabouts and ascertain their...
