Serving Whitman County since 1877
Serving Whitman County since 1877
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Progress. Sustainability. Resiliency. Growth. Recovery. Those were among the buzz words tossed about Tuesday morning during the Live Local Palouse Program at The Center in downtown Colfax. The program brought together a handful of business leaders, non-profit organization volunteers and employees and representatives of the state Department of Commerce and other organizations to discuss what the future of Colfax looks like. It was a good program that too many local business and community leaders...
Many of you are aware that public safety in our state took a major hit last year when Democrats in the Legislature passed a “police reform” law that prevented law enforcement officers from pursuing criminal suspects in most situations. Since this bad law went into effect, police and other law enforcement officers typically have had to watch suspects drive off, sometimes in vehicles that they had stolen, instead of giving chase in hopes of apprehending and arresting them. One of the Senate Dem...
Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell let the unbridled monster out of the barn and may never get him back in. Early in Barack Obama’s presidency, McConnell announced his most important achievement would be to make Obama a one-term president. Ever since, McConnell has opposed anything Obama and Democrats have introduced, even if originally Republican-proposed (Mitt Romney’s Massachusetts health plan predating Obamacare). This includes blocking legislation Obama and subsequent Democrats continually put forward to rescue the lower and mid...
Since 2017, Sound Transit’s full system expansion went from costing taxpayers $92 billion to an incredible $142 billion, and project completion was stretched from 2041 to 2046. That’s $50 billion in unanticipated expenses to deliver a project later than expected. For perspective, that’s like adding a second Sound Transit 3 (ST3) tax to the plan. In 2016, voters were told ST3 would cost $54 billion but now it has become clear that the actual costs are far greater. Anticipated tax revenue (which includes sales and use tax, motor vehicle excise ta...
Before the COVID-19 pandemic rocked the world, factory workers were humming along assembling products just after components were delivered. It was called “just-in-time” production. It was efficient, predictable and cost effective. Today, companies are scrambling just to find parts, lock in purchases (and hopefully prices) and work around estimated delivery schedules. It is a vastly different world. For example, three years ago people touring the Boeing 737 plant in Renton saw 737s creeping down long assembly lines where wings, engines and tai...
Gov. Jay Inslee and Senator Patty Murray have their priorities backward when it comes to rebuilding Snake River salmon and steelhead runs. Instead of focusing on ripping out dams with fish passages and navigation locks, they should find ways to reopen traditional spawning areas up river which are blocked by dams without fish ladders. Breaching Ice Harbor, Lower Monumental, Little Goose and Lower Granite dams is costly and counterproductive. Over the last 30 years, northwest electric ratepayers...
As a young lady in her infancy of writing news here in Colfax, and who is in the process of enlisting in the U.S. Army, my experience while flying with the Thunderbirds last Thursday in advance of Skyfest was unimaginable. A caravan of press arrived at Fairchild Air Force Base on Thursday, May 12. The 0700 - that's 7 a.m. in military time - arrival riddled me with excitement, despite the lack of coffee fueling my usual caffeine addiction. I shook with excitement and chill as the wind blew past a...
Last year, the NCAA approved student-athletes being able to earn money for their name, image and likeness or NIL. I think that a lot of fans thought it was a good idea since colleges and the NCAA were making huge amounts of money from the big time athletes showing off their talent in playing arenas and stadiums. So, if an athlete makes a few bucks doing a commercial, good for them. With the transfer portal in place — certainly an offshoot of the COVID-19 pandemic — there have been a fair amo...
Thinning public woodlands to remove millions of dead trees is a way to generate much-needed cash to reduce wildfire risks, improve forest health, and protect rural homeowners and farms. It is money the U.S. Forest Service and Washington’s Dept. of Natural Resources don’t have because the bulk of their funds are tied up fighting fires. Our state’s wildfire severity has worsened in recent years. The 2020 fire season was particularly destructive. Over 1,250 square miles burned in more than 1,600 fires, killing an infant, and destroying 298 homes...
Proponents of the unconstitutional capital gains income tax are working overtime to prevent voters from weighing in. First, there was the game last year with the emergency clause to prevent a referendum. Now capital gains income tax supporters are gearing up to counter a potential I-1929 signature gathering campaign by setting up a surveillance system to report any ballot petition signing locations. As reported by the Everett Herald: “Should I-1929 petitions get circulated, opponents won’t be...
I’ve never been a fan of the new ban on plastic bags and straws in our state. Subconsciously, I always knew it was a designed scheme to get more money out of people shopping in stores or having a beverage at a gas station or fast food stop. As you know, the politicos in Seattle and Olympia said that wasn’t the case. They said it was necessary to help eliminate the number of plastic straws and bags along our roadways, ending up in our streams and plaguing our landfills. They said future bags wou...
Wood buildings are making a comeback in the Pacific Northwest thanks to new laminated timber products. Even very large buildings are now constructed with laminated beams and are successfully competing with steel and concrete building materials. For example, the University of British Columbia, Vancouver, is home to one of the world’s tallest “cross laminated timber” buildings. Brock Commons, a student residence, is 174 feet high. The 18-story dorm houses more than 400 students. Cross-laminated ti...
In recent years, environmentalists have targeted natural gas, even though it is an affordable energy source for so many. Their efforts have failed in the Legislature. But, apparently, Gov. Inslee and his environmental allies found another way to restrict natural gas use. Last Friday, the State Building Code Council, whose members are appointed by the governor, voted 11-3 to change state energy rules by requiring new businesses and apartments to mostly use heat pumps to warm air and water...
Why haven’t we read or heard more about the immuno-compromised who are dealing with the decision to remove mask mandates by a newly-appointed 33-year-old Florida U.S. District judge deemed unqualified by the American Bar Association? The unyielding power of one person in our country, seen over and over, is a defect in our Constitution needing correction (consider Sen. Joe Manchin). In fact, an individual’s health situation may not always be evident. There are veterans, who signed up to protect our freedoms, who may not be able to take adv...
There is an old saying: “You don’t know what you’ve got ‘til it’s gone.” W hen it comes to the Undeberg Invitational you could say you don’t know what you’ve got until it’s back — and back it came last Saturday in Ritzville. With 28 teams and Tekoa-Rosalia, among many others — and about 500 athletes, this great track meet was a breath of fresh air starting with a little rain before the meet started and mild temperatures throughout the day with a slight breeze. The last Undeberg Invite was in 201...
Most politicians could only dream of a scenario in which a flood of extra tax revenues suddenly lets them cut taxes in an election year. But clearly Washington state leaders think differently. While other states move to cut taxes in these tough times, hardliners in the Washington state Legislature have decided to keep the extra money for their own spending priorities and offer no general relief. It's not that they don't have the cash. The state expects to take in more than $10 billion in extra...
Seattle’s 1962 World’s Fair was awe-inspiring. It previewed developments that would improve our daily lives in the next millennium. While “Century 21” memories have faded, three of its landmarks remain as reminders of the innovations it inspired: The Seattle Center, Space Needle and the monorail. One thing many remember is “The Bubble-ator,” a glass ball-shaped elevator in the coliseum (now Climate Pledge Arena), which gradually climbed to the middle of a contoured map of the Puget Sound regio...
Through multiple initiatives, the Biden Administration is promoting harmful lies. In a direct, panicked response to states across the country successfully passing bills that protect women's sports, the morally corrupt U.S. Department of Education is amending Title IX rules for college sports, making it illegal to discriminate against athletes on the basis of "gender identity" and sexual orientation. In other words, biological men will be able to compete against women. Schools will be forced to...
The news that President Biden plans to resume leasing of federal land for oil exploration maybe good five years from now, but that action alone won’t bring down record gas prices at the pump in the months ahead. According to American Automobile Association (AAA), the national average for a gallon of regular gasoline was $4.07 on Good Friday (April 15); down from $4.31 a gallon a month ago. That’s still 70 percent higher than when he took office. The Interior Department announced it will put up...
The state Board of Health unanimously passed a motion to accept the recommendation from a technical advisory group (TAG) against a COVID-19 immunization requirement for school entry. Board members did reiterate support for the COVID-19 vaccines and hoped for voluntary vaccination of school children. The vote against a vaccine mandate for school children came after an hour-and-a-half of public comment and thousands of emails over the past months opposing such a requirement. (My public comment is...
Several days ago, The Wall Street Journal ran an extended interview with Fred Smith, the founder and CEO of FedEx. (here) After serving two tours of duty as a Marine in Viet Nam, Smith began a parcel delivery service using small aircraft and limited scheduling. Under his leadership, FedEx has grown into the largest parcel delivery system in the world. The company currently employs 560,000 people in 220 countries. Smith's economic philosophy, and guiding principle, is really quite simple....
The state wolf population saw a significant increase, growing by 16% in 2021 according to the state Department of Fish and Wildlife. The number of packs grew to 23 from 29 in 2020, and the number of breeding pairs increased from 16 to 19. The consistent growth of the wolf population is good news and is the result of hard work of staff, the Wolf Advisory Group and Northeast Washington ranchers, who have taken steps to reduce wolf attacks. These good numbers contradict the rhetoric from some...
