Serving Whitman County since 1877
Serving Whitman County since 1877
Sorted by date Results 2577 - 2601 of 3750
Another new layer of uncertainty in Washington state's new legalized marijuana law surfaced two weeks ago when State Attorney General Bob Ferguson, in response to a request from the Washington State Liquor Control Board, issued an opinion that says counties and towns can opt out of allowing marijuana sales inside their jurisdictions. The AG's opinion noted the state's constitution generally empowers cities and counties the option of excluding themselves from accommodating new state laws unless the new laws specifically take away the local... Full story
Editor’s Note: The following column was originally published in 2009. Despite my mother’s countless assurances to the contrary, I was not really “such a good boy.” I wasn’t even a marginally good boy. Apparently she has forgotten the almost daily ritual of sending me to my bedroom to “contemplate” my bad behavior before I was “ready” for my spanking. (When I was in my room getting ready for my spanking, I wasn’t contemplating, I was putting on underpants. When I finally emerged, I was a skinny kid with a rear end like the Pillsbury Doughboy.... Full story
Improving Highway 167 could help change the face of global commerce and the future of Washington state. Really. Traffic congestion is causing bottlenecks at our ports, creating costly delays for the shippers that use Puget Sound ports. Failing to eliminate that congestion will make our ports less competitive, costing us jobs, business and tax revenues. That is true now more than ever. This legislative session, the transportation improvements to be voted on by legislators in Olympia are linked to world trade and events in Panama, 3,600 miles... Full story
To my knowledge, this memo has not been sent, but it should: From: Top Republican Officials To: Party 2014 Candidates People: Don’t do or say anything stupid. That is all. And from the same guy, a note to the GOP members of the House and Senate seeking re-election: A “do-nothing Congress” is a good thing. Or as one of them, Rep. Charlie Dent, told The New York Times: “It’s pretty clear to me in the House, we don’t want to make ourselves the issue.” Unless they make themselves the issue by going crazy doing something like forcing the nation in...
At the end of Sunday’s NFC Championship game, Seattle cornerback Richard Sherman’s antics exposed him to the nation as the classless loudmouth he was already known to be in the northwest. But he’s also smart. He went to Stanford, where football coach David Shaw adamantly says the school does not lower entrance standards for athletes. He wasn’t the head coach then but there’s no reason to think Stanford’s policy was different just a few years ago than it is now. What Sherman was right about was that 49ers quarterback Colin Kaepernick... Full story
Editor’s Note: The following column was originally published in 2009. In an effort to stimulate the American economy, I bought a bunch of products from China. I really did want to single handedly jump start U.S. consumer spending and maybe be awarded a medal or a free trip to Camp David or something. But I don’t have a lot of spare cash because, just like the AIG executives, I didn’t do anything to deserve a huge bonus this year — but, unlike the AIG executives, I didn’t receive one. Probably the best thing I could do for my country would be... Full story
Best possible service Whitman County is asking voters to approve a levy lid lift of $0.22 cents per $1,000 of assessed valuation at the February 11 election. The County is authorized to levy $1.80 per $1,000 of assessed valuation, but this amount has deteriorated down to $1.38 per $1,000 of assessed valuation and potentially will decline down to $1.27 per $1,000 of assessed valuation in 2015. The levy lift being voted on would restore the County levy to $1.60 per $1,000 of assessed valuation. This would amount to an increase in property taxes...
Our country is awash in the politics of envy these days. America has always been the land of opportunity for anyone willing to work hard and seek a better life for their families. But today, their success is demonized. The presumption is, if you’re rich, you didn’t earn it and you don’t deserve it. But as a rule, most successful Americans weren’t born wealthy. They built their treasure the hard way and employ people. Thankfully, America doesn’t have a class system. People take risks and move up and down the economic ladder every day. In fact, m...
Let’s face it, I am one boring person and, as you’ll soon discover, a bit preachy sometimes. I don’t drink, and I’ve only tried weed twice in my entire life. The only reaction I had was to get thirsty. And I certainly don’t need pot to get the munchies. Right now, you are probably asking yourself, “Why bother even telling you this?” Here’s why: A lot of commentators who are musing about the spectacle of Colorado’s decriminalization of recreational marijuana find it necessary to begin their reflection by fondly reminiscing about their own mellow... Full story
Editor’s Note: The following column was originally published in 2009. Recently I found myself arguing with a British friend of mine over which tastes better: English cooking or dirt. According to a Feb. 10 report by news agency Reuters, the issue has been settled once and for all. It’s dirt. That’s not what the article actually says — what it says is that according to Dr. Graham Clayton, a researcher at Leeds University, British potato chips combine the aromas of “butterscotch, onion, cheese and ... ironing boards.” If you’ve ever had thes... Full story
Spend $7 more On Feb. 11th local voters will be asked to reset Whitman County Library’s levy rate to fifty cents per $1000 of assessed valuation, the rate we all approved in 1984 and the rate that was in effect until 2002. Since then the rate has gradually declined due to a statewide initiative. This increase would amount to $7 for a home whose assessed value is $100,000. Whitman County Library serves nearly 15,000 residents with fourteen branch locations. It was open 8525 hours last year, more than twice the average for libraries of a s...
Amidst all the confusion, broken promises, false starts, delays, changes and mounting costs, 2014 is the year the president and Congress must rethink the Affordable Care Act, aka Obamacare. Millions of people have lost their individual coverage and the administration has predicted that tens of millions more will lose their employer-sponsored coverage when the postponed employer mandate is triggered in 2015. Millions more are experiencing sticker shock because of higher premiums and deductibles. Now, as we enter 2014, the Obamacare taxes and...
All things considered, it was a year without shame. It was the year that Miley Cyrus French-kissed a sledgehammer in the music video for her song “Wrecking Ball,” and cavorted naked on said wrecking ball. The former Disney star popularized the act of twerking in a performance at the MTV Video Music Awards that was so luridly infantile, it wasn’t outrageous so much as pathetic. Yet it worked. Cyrus made us yearn for the good taste and restraint of the era of Lady Gaga, not to mention the golden age of classic Britney Spears. It was the year...
The northern plains, midwest and east are being savaged by cold. Millions of Americans are suffering through subzero temperatures. Wind chills have been reported as low as minus 60 degrees. The weather is playing havoc with transportation. Thousands of scheduled flights have been cancelled. Some travellers stranded last weekend say they cannot get a flight until early next week. Others tried to avoid the chaotic airports by taking a train. More than 500 passengers were stranded overnight on Amtrak trains in the frigid weather near Chicago.... Full story
Rosalia Proven I would like to say that when Jim Kaufman left as Country Prosecutor I had doubts that anyone could give us, the citizens of Whitman County, the same protection and services which Jim had afforded us. I can tell you those concerns were entirely unfounded. Denis Tracy has proven that he can fill those shoes of our good friend Jim Kaufman. His dedication to justice being served has been inspirational to me and my constituents in Precinct 152. Kelley Messinger,...
The New Year is traditionally a time for reflection and renewal. A shiny new year lies ahead, full of promise. The New Year is a time when people pledge to change their lives: lose weight, stop smoking, be a better parent, work harder, work less. Regardless of your situation, the New Year holds the opportunity for a fresh start. Our nation needs a fresh start. We are now entering the fifth year of the economic “recovery,” the slowest on record since the Great Depression. While there have been sporadic fits and starts of improved numbers, eco... Full story
There’s a possibility that just a few people are discussing, and it’s that the “Duck Dynasty” family and maybe A&E network have just pulled off a public-relations coup. Granted, my evidence is strictly anecdotal, based on the personal experience of ... well ... me. I had never watched the show before now, but the moment father duck Phil Robertson made his comments to GQ about gays and blacks that are so ridiculous they could only be meant as farce, I made it a point to watch. Folks, it is very funny. Obviously it’s a parody, one that mocks red... Full story
The current Time Magazine has an amazing photograph. It is of a Great White shark breaching out of the water in an attempt to catch a small seal. The shark’s mouth is wide open and its teeth are extended. The seal is not in the shark’s mouth as one might expect, but stretched across its snout as if doing a circus act on a big ball. The little seal evaded the shark’s teeth only to ride its nose high into the air. Many Americans over the last four years have been in a position like that little seal—trying desperately to save their lives in the...
During the holidays, our thoughts naturally turn to giving — not just giving gifts but donating our time and money to charities and community programs. This time of year, we’re reminded that, with all our frailties, we human beings are a pretty generous lot. According to the Center on Philanthropy at Indiana University, 88 percent of American households donate to charity. In 2012, Americans donated more than $316 billion to nonprofit organizations. As it turns out, philanthropy is as old as civilization itself. One of the earliest recorded don...
Gen. George Washington’s army retreated from New York in ignominy in November 1776. As it moved through New Jersey, Lt. James Monroe, the future president, stood by the road and counted the troops: 3,000 left from an original force of 30,000. In December 1776, the future of America hung on the fate of a bedraggled army barely a step ahead of annihilation. The Americans confronted about two-thirds of the strength of the British army, and half its navy, not to mention thousands of German mercenaries. The defense of New York was barely worthy of t...
Over a hundred years ago, a young girl wanted to know if Santa really existed. Her friends were telling her not to believe. So, she wrote her newspaper to get the truth. This is the famous reply from the editor, Francis Church. Virginia, your little friends are wrong. They have been afflicted by skepticism in a skeptical age. They do not believe except they see. They think that nothing can be which is not comprehensible by their little minds. All minds, Virginia, whether they be men’s or children’s are little. In this great universe of our... Full story
Make sense? China is rapidly increasing the size and power of its military; we play softball with Iran; Putin adds the Ukraine to his muscle. Meanwhile the shadow cast by the U.S. military is shrinking as is our credibility and deterrence that depends on it. U.S. military spending on defense, adjusted for inflation, is higher than at the height of Reagan’s administration. It has been producing less than half of the forces and capabilities of those years. We had a 600-ship Navy then and now we have a 280-ship Navy. Reagan had a 20 division Army...
This summer, the nation sweltered in a deadly heat wave. High temperatures hovered near 100 degrees, the heat buckled highways in several states, and firefighters in Indianapolis evacuated 300 people from a senior living community when the air conditioning failed. Cities from New York to Seattle set up cooling centers as demand for electricity hit all-time highs. This fall, the nation froze in near-record cold. Temperatures in the upper Midwest recently plummeted to -31 degrees. Freezing temperatures and ice storms snarled air traffic across th... Full story
President Barack Obama has his answer to Lyndon Johnson’s “War on Poverty.” It is a war on inequality. The president’s formal declaration of hostilities came in a speech this month at the Center for American Progress, predictably praised as brilliant by his journalistic cheerleaders and touted by the White House as setting out the cause that will define the rest of his presidency. While LBJ’s war on poverty is nothing to emulate — it costs $900 billion a year, yet has manifestly failed in the stated goal of uplifting the poor — at least it h... Full story
It is the week before Christmas—a perfect time for somebody to win the giant Mega Millions lottery. And, somebody did. In fact, two tickets had the winning numbers. One in Georgia and one in California. The jackpot was $636 million and may be more at the final tally. That is roughly two dollars for everyone in America, including all those we don’t know are here and all those just passing through. It is a tremendous amount of money and another blow to income equality, although it will not put the winners on the America’s most wealthy list.... Full story
