Serving Whitman County since 1877
Serving Whitman County since 1877
Sorted by date Results 1641 - 1665 of 3750
I remember an ad on TV several years ago showing a teacher grading papers on her kitchen table late at night. That ad was instrumental in my becoming a teacher after I retired from the Air Force. I wanted to share the feeling of dedication that I felt in that hard working, underpaid teacher. That stereotypical servant is still alive and well in the small schools in Eastern Washington but is being replaced in some places by the angry image of union activists. My first school was a one room country school that housed over forty students ruled by... Full story
On a recent Saturday afternoon in Portland, a young woman stepped onto the playing field at the beginning of the University of Montana vs Portland State football game and started singing our national anthem. She immediately drew a blank on the words and briefly stopped, but as she started apologizing, the fans spontaneously took up the singing. By the time, the Stars Spangled Banner ended everyone in the packed stadium was singing in harmony. After the song ended, they gave her a huge ovation---clapping and cheering. For a moment, they were not... Full story
Gun statistics Those who oppose any gun regulation say that those who favor gun control laws are trying to divide the country. Let’s get away from politics and look at statistics. The U.S. has approximately four percent of the world’s population but more than 40 percent of guns in civilian hands. The U.S. has almost 30 homicides by firearms per million people, four times more than any other developed country. States with a higher percentage of households with guns have a higher number of gun deaths. Duh. States with tighter gun control law... Full story
The mind boggles at the horror of Las Vegas, where Stephen Paddock perched himself in the 32nd floor of the Mandalay Bay hotel and sprayed bullets into a crowd of outdoor concertgoers in the worst mass shooting in American history. If this slaughter of innocents were an act perpetrated by a foreign power, the U.S. military retaliation would begin immediately, and rightly so. The impulse to act to stop the domestic massacres that have become a heartbreakingly metronomic feature of American life is laudable and understandable. "It's time," as...
I've never heard President Donald Trump sing, and that's certainly a good thing. Day after day, he shows just how amazingly tone-deaf he is. He frequently brags about how he is personally compelled to "punch back" whenever anyone takes him on. No matter how gentle the criticism, it spurs an all-out verbal assault from him. It also doesn't matter how desperate the critic is, if those crying out, for instance, are in mortal danger; if they cross Donald Trump, they can expect a nuclear Twitter barrage. So it is with the 3 million or so U.S....
Recently, Roger Ailes, CEO of Fox News, was ousted for his alleged inappropriate behavior with women on his staff. Bill O’Reilly, the top rated commentator on Fox, was fired for his indiscretions with women. Now Harvey Weinstein, founder of The Weinstein Company and producer for many of America’s favorite movies, is accused of predatory actions against women stretching over decades. He is one of the most powerful people in Hollywood and a friend of many national politicians and liberal causes. For years, his behavior has been, it is rep...
There is a new machine being tested in Montana which could decontaminate toxic mine tailings while recovering valuable precious minerals for everyday use. Gold, silver and other metals are essential for our cellphones, computers and electronic devices and their sale could offset the processor’s purchase and operational costs. If pilot tests are successful, the inventors envision building them in the United States. The potential market is worldwide because there are over 3,500 tailing ponds awaiting treatment. For now, it is a South Africa c...
Different view I read Nicolas Kiessling's statements against Coach Leach last week, and I must state a different view. If what Kiessling says about what Leach said, is accurate, (and I have no reason to believe that it is not) then I must applaud Coach Leach. I think it is ridiculous for millionaires and multi-millionaires to take-a-knee and somehow claim that the USA is oppressing them because of the color of their skin. Are they so ill-educated that they can knowingly and purposefully disrespect the flag that approximately 650,000 Union...
To listen to the commentary, Donald Trump used an inappropriate term at the U.N. -- not just "Rocket Man," but "sovereignty." It wasn't surprising that liberal analysts freaked out over his nickname for Kim Jong Un and his warning that we'd "totally destroy" Kim's country should it become necessary. These lines were calculated to get a reaction, and they did. More interesting was the allergy to Trump's defense of sovereign nations. Brian Williams of MSNBC wondered whether the repeated use of the word "sovereignty" was a "dog whistle." CNN's... Full story
Quick! What does Kim Jong Un have in common with Hillary Clinton, Ted Cruz, Marco Rubio, most journalists and so many Americans who have somehow crossed President Donald Trump? You already know the answer: Kim is now a Donald Trump Trash Talk Target. "Rocket Man" Kim now joins "Crooked Hillary," "Lyin' Ted," "Little Marco" and the "Fake News Media," along with a slew of others who have crossed Donald Trump and become nicknamed recipients of Donnie's Antagonistic Childish Attacks, better known as DACA. (You thought DACA stood for something...
Thousands of concertgoers celebrated the end of a country music festival in Las Vegas. Not only were they drawn by the music, they were drawn by all the attractions of Las Vegas itself. About 22,000 of them crowded in the shadows of several enormous hotels. It was a time for some fun. Suddenly, what sounded like automatic gunfire broke out. Many concertgoers at first thought the noise came from fireworks. The lead singer continued singing until he realized what was happening. Gradually, too, the crowd became aware of the shooting. The gunfire...
President Trump is working with Democratic congressional leaders much to the chagrin of his own party. The Republicans have no reason to be surprised. He advertised himself to be non-political. He doesn’t play politics, and he doesn’t even try to be diplomatic. His recent speech to the United Nations should have made that point clear. He does, however, have an agenda. He believes his own campaign promises. He promised immigration reform, but he did not promise to deport those young people protected by DACA. To the best of my knowledge, the fir...
In Washington, the legislative stalemate over permitting new household wells and the state’s construction budget has not only delayed needed funding for public projects, but triggered yet another salvo in the wider conflict over future supplies of fresh water for people, fish and farms. At immediate risk is $4.2 billion in state funding for local water and sewer projects, school construction, mental-health facilities, colleges and universities, and, other construction. While there is general agreement between Democrats controlling the House a...
What planet? Our poor Coach Leach is baffled about why hundreds, if not thousands, of NBA, NFL, and college sports players are expressing themselves by taking the knee during the National Anthem, or locking arms, or just staying off the field during the anthem (WSU and UW players do this as a matter of course). Leach said in a televised interview yesterday, “I haven’t gotten a real clear articulation of what’s being protested or what’s being objected to.” What planet is he living on? Or is he just reflecting ultra right-wing obliviousness to th...
Donald Trump, much to his chagrin, never won an Emmy for "The Apprentice," but he can now take indirect credit for a clutch of the awards. The Hulu series "The Handmaid's Tale" just won eight Emmys, a sweep fueled, in part, by the widely accepted belief in liberal America that the show tells us something about the Trump era. Based on the 1985 novel by Margaret Atwood, the series depicts a misogynist dystopia. Christian fundamentalists have established a theocracy that -- after an environmental debacle craters the birth rate -- forces fertile... Full story
It shouldn't be necessary to say this, but apparently it is: You can't drain the Washington "swamp" by dumping human waste all over it. That only makes the swamp more of a cesspool, which it already has been for a long, long time. Not that this is necessarily a profound thought, although most put it a bit more elegantly. Many others contend that Donald Trump, who made the "Drain the Swamp" mantra part of his campaign patter, has in fact made it deeper and sloppier. The Washington swamp is populated by creepy-crawly politicians, lobbyists,...
Colin Kaepernick has gotten almost everything he wanted, except for a job. The protest he started last year has ballooned into widespread protests in the National Football League and is gaining momentum throughout the country. He started his one-man challenge of the status quo by not standing when the national anthem was played before games. Gradually, others joined him. Now, the entire NFL is embroiled in a controversy over the protest and how to respond to it. His goal was to bring attention to police violence, prejudice and discrimination in...
The Spokane County Sheriff has informed us that he may not be able to find enough qualified applicants to fill vacant positions. The standards are very high. Less than one out of five applicants meet the minimum criteria. The police accept only the best of the best. Despite the stringent criteria, there have always been enough applicants who make the cut. That is no longer the case, and it is not a local problem. Police departments across the country are finding it increasingly difficult to attract new officers. Large cities like Seattle and... Full story
Key tax policies emanating from the east and west coasts are like passenger trains passing one another heading in opposite directions. One train is loaded with elected officials proposing changes to reduce taxes while the other is packed with those pushing for new and higher taxes. The cumulative effect of those modifications will impact all of us and our economy, jobs and ability to compete as a state and nation. The adjustments will determine whether we grow, limp along or wither away. Make no mistake, they will impact our pocketbooks and...
Lucky to have them Lucky to have them It made me sad to read last week’s “Pet Peeve” about the so-called “conflict” between the mayor and unified executive director. While I have only lived in Colfax a year, I have continually been impressed with how well these two competent and highly-motivated people work together to get things done. Differences of opinion can be healthy, especially if each party treats each other with respect. Clearly both the mayor and the unified executive director respect each other, and for that I am grateful. We are lu...
Donald Trump is the first president in U.S. history to have been baited into undermining his own negotiating position by negative TV coverage. Less than 12 hours after Attorney General Jeff Sessions explained that the administration is ending DACA -- Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals -- because it's unconstitutional, Trump tweeted that he might revive the program if Congress doesn't act. This was an implicit admission that he's bluffing on DACA, which gives Democrats every incentive not to trade anything meaningful for a codification of th...
I did it! I made it through Sunday without watching an NFL game! Perhaps I didn't mention it, but I've decided to boycott the National Football League. It's not an easy decision for me. I played football. Come to think of it, that might explain my mental acuity (or lack thereof). But I've had a lifetime attachment to the game. Until now. At least I won't be watching the pros play on TV, and certainly not in person. That's become way too expensive. The reason for my shunning the NFL can be explained in two words. You can probably guess them....
It has been a long time coming. Whitman County received word about its latest state audit, and the news was good. Over the years the county has been plagued with unsatisfactory audit reports and even audits that couldn’t be completed because of faulty and missing records. The problems have stretched the confidence of county leaders as well as the public. From those dark times to now, the results have dramatically changed. The state auditors have recommended procedural changes that will further advance the improvements of the county’s financial...
At last count firefighters were battling 82 major wildfires in 10 western states. The fires have already scorched 2,300 square miles of forests and range lands, dislocated thousands of people, and burned hundreds of homes and buildings. This has been the third worst forest fire season on record, prompting western congressional members to add billions to emergency hurricane relief legislation It isn’t over yet. The cost of fighting fires already broke this year’s U.S. Forest Service budget. It is part of a disturbing trend in which com...
Bewildered I was very much bewildered when, on Sept. 6, I attended the Regular Meeting of the Board of Commissioners of the Public Hospital District No. A-1 of Whitman County (Pullman Regional Hospital) regarding gender reassignment surgery. It seemed obvious that the board went through the necessary process to appear as if they had debated and studied this issue, but really they only went through the process because it was required. It appeared to me that collectively they already had their decision made before they started the process. The...
