Serving Whitman County since 1877
Serving Whitman County since 1877
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Why are there power shortages, rolling brownouts and blackouts in the Pacific Northwest? One regional utility alone – Avista – had brownouts that affected 15,307 ratepayers on June 28, then 6,793 the next day, and another 602 on June 30. Other utilities had brownouts too. I know we’ve had a day or two of record-setting high temperatures. But that’s not an excuse to shut down power to residents and businesses here in Eastern Washington. Columbia River basin dams generate roughly 44% of the electricity in the entire United States. Our dams pr...
What if you worked for a local company that requires you to have a commercial driver’s license (CDL) and hazmat endorsement on your driver’s license? Job requirements – handle all kinds of hazardous chemicals, do any mechanical that comes up, rebuild pumps and sprayers, run a sandblaster, do all the painting, keep paper records, know all the tractors, worked 5-15 years … and don’t make the same as a new employee at Zip’s....
As I’ve been listening to the discussions around gay pride month, the argument I’ve heard that troubles me the most is the notion that we need to celebrate the LGBTQ lifestyle as a way to show love and inclusion to those who practice that lifestyle. However, is it really showing love to these individuals to celebrate a lifestyle that causes harm to themselves? Statistics have shown that homosexuality significantly increases the risk of venereal disease. As one example, 69% of new HIV diagnoses in the U.S. in 2018 were “gay and bisexual men,” ac...
This Sunday, our nation celebrates Independence Day. And on this 245th birthday of our United States, it’s important to take time to remember why we mark July 4. Sure we celebrate the holiday with barbecues and fireworks, parades, and apple pie. But that’s not what it is about. Independence Day is about freedom from tyranny. It’s about being able to own property, speak your mind, worship how you want, gather together, be protected from government corruption and overreach and, when necessary, def...
Where did the mainstream media report the major atrocities taking place in Israel and occupied Gaza? Of course, we heard about the bombing and destruction of the building housing Associated Press and Al-Jazeera and the numbers killed, but we haven’t heard much about the “roof knocking,” the killing of Palestinian doctors, the destruction of the COVID testing lab in Gaza, the “squatting” of non-Arab Israelis in Arab-Israeli homes in Jerusalem, and other human rights violations. One heart-wrenching story reported that every night an entire Pa...
America's research and development institutions have long been the envy of our competitors, flourishing at the top of global rankings. But our state-of-the-art innovation capabilities – responsible for bringing COVID-19 vaccines and countless other breakthroughs to market – haven't flourished here by happenstance. They have been nurtured over decades of smart policies, and those policies are now at risk. Current misguided efforts are unwittingly pushing the very ecosystem that lays our gol...
Over the past year, there has been a methodical and systemic assault on free speech across all media platforms. It's considered a great sport to accuse anyone who disagrees with the "expert" media narrative of supporting "conspiracy theories" and wearing "tinfoil hats." Many on the left thought this mockery was very amusing. But last week, new scientific evidence was released on three important issues-hydroxychloroquine, Ivermectin, and the origin of the COVID virus. In a recent episode of "The...
As climate change concerns grow, researchers are turning to small tree farmers for help. Actually, they have been helping for nearly a century, but their efforts have largely gone unrecognized. For decades, the American tree farm program has emphasized sustainability and managing lands for water quality, wildlife, wood and recreation. Now, it is adding climate change. According to the American Forest Foundation, families and individuals collectively care for the largest portion of forests in the...
Congress is trying to chart a path forward on health reform. Several congressional Democrats just announced plans to draft a bill that would create a public health insurance option. That's bad news, given that a public option could destroy the private insurance market and deprive the majority of Americans of the employer-sponsored coverage they like. According to polling data, two-thirds of Americans with employer-sponsored coverage are satisfied with their current plan. Public option proponents...
Thank goodness! America’s leading scientist, Dr. Fauci, let us know this week that science is always evolving. We often hear phrases like “the science is settled,” so it was nice to hear Dr. Fauci confirm that what we learned in science class really is true: science always evolves. You don’t know what you don’t know, so there’s always room in the scientific method to adjust for new data. This week, new data and Dr. Fauci’s recently released emails reveal we have now gathered a significant amount...
There’s a lot of talk about endangered species. But the most important endangered species in America may not be a plant or a wild animal. The most endangered species may be in your home or a friend’s home or next door. The endangered species I’m talking about is the American Dad. This coming Sunday is Father’s Day, the one day set aside each year to honor the American Dad. Honoring and thanking the fathers in your life should be your highest priority this weekend. Fathers typically don’t a...
Does your favorite restaurant or bar have a liquor license? If it serves alcoholic drinks, it does. A good restaurant is often the heart of a small community, bringing families and friends together for food and fellowship. That’s true in our community, and it’s true in communities all across Washington. Do you wonder why your favorite eatery went along with the governor’s emergency orders and shutdowns? Why it complied with policies that were clearly destroying their business, hurting employees, and isolating vulnerable community membe...
I give a special thanks to all those who maintain Colfax Cemetery, and do such remarkable work in preparing it for celebrating Memorial Day. We honor not only those who served in uniform on that day, but also our family and friends who have preceded us in death. The special work of all the fine people who maintain the cemetery grounds is a source of great pride for me, and so many in our community. Jim Repp, Colfax...
The decline of American culture can be seen clearly in the self-absorbed characters in daytime soap operas and the outlandishly excitable contestants in daytime game shows. The 50-60 year runs of shows like “General Hospital,” “Days of Our Lives,” and “The Young and the Restless” play-out in glittering color the general outline of our own nation’s slide after World War II. Shows like “The Price is Right,” and “Let’s Make a Deal” reveal more than prices and prizes, as well. We are experiencing a holocaust in learning in our schools, a debt con...
Former President Donald Trump’s Operation Warp Speed succeeded. He brought us today’s miracle vaccines. He wants you all to get it. He said, “I hope everyone remembers when they’re getting the COVID-19 vaccine, that if I wasn’t president, you wouldn’t be getting that beautiful ‘shot’ for five years, at best, and probably wouldn’t be getting it at all.” It was developed so fast, can it be safe? The mRNA technology was in development for longer than a quarter of a century. One technological breakthrough after another made it ready. In Operation...
"Medicare for All" just won't die. More than 100 House Democrats have signed onto new legislation that would outlaw all private insurance and put all Americans on a federally-run insurance plan within two years. The bill's chief sponsor, Rep. Pramila Jayapal, D-Wash., says "Medicare for All:" is the "solution" to the COVID-19 crisis and will improve access to quality care in the long run. She could hardly be more wrong. A complete government takeover of the U.S. health insurance system would...
With Liz Cheney’s ouster from her US House Leadership position, some news outlets are trying to tell you that the Republican Party is divided and in disarray. Nothing could be further from the truth. I sat down to write with the idea of “It’s Trump’s Party Now”. But that wouldn’t be true. It’s not President Trump’s party. President Trump is the courageous leader we rally behind, but it’s not his party. It’s OUR party. He answers to us. Today’s Republican Party is a revitalized coalition...
In Nancy Churchill’s “Dangerous Rhetoric – Testing Ground” she states vote-by-mail is a bad idea started about 20 years ago by Democrat-leaning politicians and voices her concerns that vote-by-mail leads to voter fraud. That indeed is dangerous rhetoric since it is based on misinformation and an apparent lack of understanding of the history, purpose, and integrity of vote-by-mail in Washington State. Vote-by-mail’s history goes back to 1971 when Republican Ralph Munro was Secretary of State for Washington. His concern to make voting accessibl...
In 10th century England, those found guilty of debasing the currency had one hand chopped off. If we re-instated this law, we would either have sane monetary policy in this country or a lot of one-handed politicians....
New COVID workplace restrictions, issued by Washington State Labor and Industries (L&I) on May 21, require employers to check employee vaccine documents before allowing relaxation of social distancing and mask requirements in the workplace. The new state rules require an employer to confirm, and have employees prove their vaccine medical status. The process used to verify vaccination, and the medical status of the employee's vaccination record, including the employee medical information must be...
Sports are important for more than entertainment. For our young student-athletes, it helps them be healthy, learn the importance of teamwork, how hard work can pay off with success, and how to cope when it doesn't. In a normal year, the work it takes to organize and coordinate high school students, coaches, and teams is huge and daunting. Canceling a season is emotionally hard. Putting on an abbreviated sports season that ends before the seniors graduate is extremely difficult. This "winter"...
Masks are coming off. Most residents wanting a coronavirus vaccination have gotten one. Sports are on and students are back in the classroom. It’s not a coronavirus emergency that’s keeping Washingtonians from going back to work. Over the past several weeks, I’ve had numerous conversations with owners and managers trying to get their small businesses back on solid financial ground. Given residents’ frustration of being pent up for more than 14 months, you’d think that would be easy. But it’s not...
