Serving Whitman County since 1877
Serving Whitman County since 1877
Sorted by date Results 641 - 665 of 3750
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...
Next week the fair board will make its recommendation and then the county commissioners will decide whether or not there will be a Palouse Empire Fair. The outcome will basically be one of three options: business as normal, cancel or continued in an altered form. Regardless of the outcome, the community needs to support the people making this decision. Absolutely no one on either board wants to cancel anything. Not a single person agreed to sit on the fair board thinking they would ever be...
Suddenly, we have hope. Doctors are now able to treat severe cases of Covid, with no ventilators, in most cases, and no deaths so far, with the new method. (Report by NBC4 of Los Angeles area, May 6, 2020.) "I am 100 percent convinced that if we follow these protocols, we can prevent patients from needing mechanical ventilation and going on respirators," said Dr. Tom Yadegar, MD, a pulmonologist and medical director of the intensive care unit at Providence Cedars-Sinai Tarzana Medical Center, and the protocol report's principal author. They...
It is with great sadness that we learn of the passing of our longtime friend Ken Hames. For many years Ken and his lovely wife Veva Jean hosted the John Wayne Wagons and Riders on our stop in Rosalia celebrating Battle Days. They allowed us to camp at their grounds across the street from the Rodeo Grounds. We were able to camp, with all of our horses on their beautifully manicured lawn field. The parking was tight, but Ken and Veva Jean furnished such hospitality. Ken was so proud of the Veterans Park and his community. One of our long time...
In the mid 80s I had great health care for my young family. I worked in construction and as long as there was work, I had wonderful health care because I was in a strong union. During a slow period when work dried up, I used COBRA to buy health care by the month but it seemed very expensive and I eventually had to stop making payments and lost our insurance. Luckily we had no major health needs during this period but I was worried. Now with lots of people losing their jobs due to the COVID-19 pandemic I imagine lots of people have trouble...
Pet Peeves The May 7 Gazette front page. You are taking a good county paper and making it look like a throw-away shopper. Why did Colton cut down the trees going into town? They used to provide shade when we watched baseball/softball games. Soaked up all that water. Too bad. Okeydokes The new publishing of the district court filings. Those who did the graduate banners on Main Street! What a special way to recognize our Seniors of 2020 in such a difficult time....
For anyone familiar with geocaching, the May 5 lifting of the ban on outdoor recreation is like a late anniversary gift as it was May 3, 2000, when the original geocache was placed in Beavercreek, Ore. Now this union of treasure hunt and great outdoors has grown to include more than one million caches worldwide – some even in the towns and country roads of Whitman County. With the right devise and coordinates, anyone can turn a walk into a treasure hunt, whether they are hiking Kamiak Butte o...
America’s unemployment rate is suddenly approaching historic levels. Since the COVID-19 pandemic began almost two months ago, roughly 30.3 million people have filed for jobless benefits. “That is more people than live in the New York and Chicago metropolitan areas combined, and it’s by far the worst string of layoffs on record. It adds up to more than one-in-six American workers,” Associated Press writer Christopher Rugaber reported at the end of April. However, the Economic Policy Institute (EP...
