Serving Whitman County since 1877
Serving Whitman County since 1877
Sorted by date Results 2435 - 2459 of 3750
Three TSA guards on airport security duty stood in a tight group and talked to each other for more than an hour. One had a dog and was on K9 duty. The dog was more attentive than the humans. Presumably, these guards were there for more than just socializing. Now, security breaches at the White House are being revealed. Bullets have hit the White House, and the secret service did not know it until maintenance personnel discovered the bullet holes. The incident had been previously discounted by those on duty who assumed the rifle shots were only... Full story
Remember the rhyme of the Ancient Mariner: “Water, water everywhere, but not a drop to drink?” Even though water covers 70 percent of the Earth’s surface, less than two percent is freshwater. Therein lies the problem. As the world’s population grows, demand for water is increasing; in periods of drought it becomes a crisis. California has been in the grip of a severe drought this year. As summer ends, we are beginning to see the economic impact and it is staggering. The University of California at Davis estimates the statewide economic cost of... Full story
What’s wrong For more than 25 years my sister and I have returned to Colfax and Moscow in the late summer to decorate the graves of our loved ones. Never, however, have we found the Colfax Cemetery in worse shape than this past August. The grass was bone dry, weeds engulfed the tombstones, and shade trees were half cut down and not replaced. Contrast this with the Moscow Cemetery, lush green grass, not a weed in sight, all neatly trimmed, with trees beautifully pruned. Of course the question arises: Why? Why, when a cemetery is in a taxed d...
We have as close to a national consensus as possible in the war against ISIS. Polls show the public wants strong measures. Practically everyone on the political spectrum says the terror group should be destroyed, even Elizabeth Warren and Rand Paul. President Barack Obama has given a prime-time speech committing the country to a yearslong war. And yet Congress can’t bring itself to vote to authorize military action. President Obama doesn’t want to ask for an authorization, and Congress doesn’t want to be asked. Who says that no one can get a...
The question wasn’t really as comprehensive as it could have been, but the Washington Post-ABC news poll was nevertheless startling: A majority of those responding, 52 percent of them, described Barack Obama’s presidency as a “failure.” Even one in four Democrats agreed to that word: “failure.” We can debate whether that’s all that significant, or whether polls reflect more than just an instant of collective opinion, whether the methodology was all that it should have been. We also should never forget how news coverage usually is superficial a...
Tragedy struck recently on 195. Twenty-year-old Sam Thompson died when the car he was driving hit a semi-truck head on. Thompson was traveling north, and the semi was going south. Thompson crossed the center line. The investigation into the collision revealed that Thompson was texting at the time. Jim Thompson, Sam’s father, said that he hopes something good will come out of his son’s death. He said he wants this to be a lesson that texting and driving are a deadly combination. Texting not only takes one’s attention from the task of drivi...
What if we could peer into the future and see the consequences of the decisions we make today? In a way, we can. According to Washington state economists, a carbon tax high enough to achieve Gov. Inslee’s stated climate change goals would increase gasoline prices almost 60 percent over time and raise natural gas prices — currently our most affordable energy — nearly 35 percent. The carbon tax is only one part of Inslee’s climate change agenda. How much will the rest of it cost Washington families? At this point, we don’t know precisely... Full story
President Barack Obama’s stated goal in the fight against the Islamic State, aka ISIS, is to reduce it to a “manageable problem.” What this means, he hasn’t spelled out in great specificity. Presumably fewer beheadings. A slower pace of Western recruiting. Fewer genocidal threats against embattled minorities. A downgrading of the caliphate to a mini-state, or merely a large swath of territory in Syria and Iraq. The evil of ISIS has stirred nearly everyone around President Obama to ringing statements of resolve. Vice President Joe Biden says, ...
I wrote a snarky take a few weeks ago on the ongoing corruption trial of former Virginia Gov. Bob McDonnell and his first lady while he was in office, wife Maureen. Instead of taking the easy way out and copping a plea, the two went to trial. To convince a jury they were guilty of no crime in taking $177,000 in goodies from a businessman in exchange for favorable treatment, they put on the most bizarre defense: Their marriage was too broken for them to participate in any scheme together. Day after day, we were treated to gory details of their... Full story
The debate continues over what America should do to combat the terrorist group ISIS. (Islamic State in Iraq and Syria). Even though President Barack Obama has declared that there will be no American “boots on the ground,” the contingent of Americans in Iraq has grown in response to the military successes of ISIS, and it may keep growing. In the meantime, the president is trying to create a coalition to help fight the threat without going it alone. Several countries have pledged air support, supplies and training assistance to the embattled Ira...
Today the right to vote is in danger across the country. That is because the Voting Rights Act can no longer protect Americans from discrimination at the ballot box. However, our representative in Congress, Congresswoman Cathy McMorris Rodgers, when she was asked about it at multiple town halls in her district, would not fully support protecting the right to vote. The Voting Rights Act was passed in 1965 to stop state and local governments from passing laws or policies that deny American citizens the equal right to vote based on their race.... Full story
Backs Pakootas At a recent “Conversations With Cathy,” our Representative, Cathy McMorris Rodgers, expressed concern about President Obama’s intention to use executive action to move immigration reform forward. (Republicans in the House refuse to let the immigration bill passed by the Senate go to the floor for a vote.) The Leadership, which includes our Congresswoman, knows that the bill would pass with bi-partisan support. The irony of the situation is obvious. The Republican Representatives can’t do their job but can take the time and spe...
There are no words for the horror of Rotherham. More than 1,400 young girls have been raped and brutally exploited in the northern England town of roughly 250,000 over the past 16 years, while nearly everyone in authority did all he or she could to look the other way. A newly released independent investigation says: “It is hard to describe the appalling nature of the abuse that child victims suffered. They were raped by multiple perpetrators, trafficked to other towns and cities in the north of England, abducted, beaten and intimidated.” In...
Well, that might be the last time he wears a tan suit in public. President Barack Obama, who had called a news conference to discuss incredibly weighty questions about American military reaction to out-of-control Islamic State militants, wore a lightweight, tan summer suit. He sure regretted it. Of all the vital and controversial issues he discussed, it was the reaction to the tan suit that exploded across social media, not the debate over whether to bomb the murderous extremists sweeping Iraq from across the border in Syria and not his...
Once again Illia Dunes is closed. Illia Dunes is that wide stretch of beach on the Garfield County side of the Snake River downstream from Lower Granite Dam. It is a popular gathering place for college students. It is also popular with boaters and families. Two years ago the beach was closed because of debris left after about 3,000 college-aged partyers congregated there. Now, the Illia Dunes is closed again. The closure this time is for much the same reason: It was trashed over the weekend by a crowd of about 1,800. Despite the availability...
It’s about time to replace Air Force One, the president’s plane; however, the new version may not be a Boeing 747. It may be a 777. President Obama’ s 2014 budget allocated $1.14 billion through 2018 for the research and development of a new presidential jet. The total includes one replacement aircraft which could be purchased in 2017. While the Pentagon prefers the four-engine 747, there are a couple of other important factors to consider. There is no question that the safety and security of the president are paramount, but increasingly cost i... Full story
ISIS is a force for evil that poses an imminent security threat to the United States, but please, let us get back to you on whether we are determined to defeat it. That is the posture of the Obama administration toward the terror group that proudly demonstrated its malevolence by beheading American journalist James Foley in a propaganda video. For the administration, ISIS isn’t merely a dire enemy, it is a dilemma. President Barack Obama must respond to a group that — with its resources, apocalyptic vision and Western recruits — is clearly a th...
Is it any wonder that with all the grindingly oppressive news these days, matters that are tragic and vital, the first item I seek out when I pick up the paper is about the relatively frivolous disintegration of a high-level marriage. In case you don’t pay attention to trash news, here’s what you’ve been missing: Former Virginia Gov. Robert McDonnell and his wife, Maureen, are accused of doing official favors for businessman Jonnie Williams, who was promoting his supplement created from tobacco. Williams was making large loans to the McDon... Full story
It is the start of the new school year, and a new national conversation has started. It is being argued that schools in most areas start too early in the morning and that students need more sleep. It is said, students, especially teens, should not have to struggle to get up at such hours to make it to class. It may strike some as strange, especially those who had to do chores, deliver morning newspapers or help younger siblings get ready. It may also sound a little indulgent not waking the kids to meet their responsibilities. Yet, those...
Every day, birds flying near a certain spot on the California-Nevada border are incinerated in midair. They’re called “streamers” for the puff of smoke that appears as they ignite and plummet to the ground. Federal wildlife investigators estimate there’s one “streamer” every two minutes. What’s causing this? The birds are falling victim to a massive solar energy installation in California’s Mojave Desert. Launched last year, the $2.2 billion facility is the world’s largest plant to employ power towers. It sits on 4,000 acres of public land th...
Editor’s Note: The following column was originally published in 2009. When I was younger, I used to love sitting in Santa’s lap at the shopping mall — and was sad when I finally outgrew it at age 30. Last year, I was at a charity holiday theme party where Santa was scheduled to appear, only, as it turned out, the theme was “Santa Won’t Be Here Because His Car Was Repossessed.” This is hard to explain to a room full of first-graders who are already grumpy because they’ve spent the afternoon helping to wrap presents for other “less fortuna...
Colfax Good deed Today while driving down to the store I noticed that the traffic was stopped at the corner of The Courtyard and Arby’s. I noticed several elderly ladies (one with a walker) carefully making their way across the street. Best, though, was the fact that they were using the bright orange flags to signal a pedestrian stop. Thanks to a young man, Mr. Hart I believe, a recent graduate of Colfax High School and his senior project. He really did a good deed. Jack McBride, Cheese I appreciated the recent story/article about Prof. NS G...
It tells you much about the laughable indictment of Texas Gov. Rick Perry that it has made him a figure of bipartisan sympathy. Perry was indicted for the offense of vetoing an appropriations bill. Not vetoing an appropriations bill in exchange for a bribe. Not vetoing an appropriations bill as a favor to a donor. Not vetoing an appropriations bill in excess of his lawful authority. But simply vetoing an appropriations bill. That Perry could, in theory, face more than 100 years in prison stemming from this veto is so mind-bogglingly stupid...
Let’s take a little trip down memory lane, which in this day of high tech and low retention means anything that happened more than five minutes ago. Still let’s hearken waaaay back to 2008 and that primary campaign ad for Hillary Clinton, the one that started, “It’s 3:00 in the morning at the White House” and then went on to ask who would answer when the phone rings and some crisis comes a-callin’. The idea was that Hillary had the necessary experience to deal with the matter, while neophyte Barack Obama did not. We all know how well that w...
Inversion is the practice of companies moving their headquarters out of the United States to save on taxes. At present, the corporate tax in America is the highest in the world for industrial states. Since the announcement that Burger King was merging with a Canadian donut chain, tax inversion has become a hot topic. That is because Burger King has plans to locate the new combined corporate headquarters to Canada to save on corporate taxes, renouncing its corporate citizenship. Some critics have called for a boycott of Burger King, one asking...
