Serving Whitman County since 1877
Serving Whitman County since 1877
Sorted by date Results 3096 - 3120 of 3750
My Afternoon Nap W. Bruce Cameron I believe that every living creature has a purpose, a reason for being, and that mine is to take a nap. I am descended from warrior-class nappers. My father, for example, has basically been napping since he retired in 1993. He wakes up for lunch and to complain that he has lost the TV remote, then falls asleep in his chair. (We’re pretty sure if he stood up he’d find the remote because he’s sitting on it.) So I know when a nap is coming: I can sense it the way animals can sense an impending earthquake or teena... Full story
Long experience County residents and the Port of Whitman will benefit from the long experience Tom Kammerzell has had in the public arena, both in city government and working for the school district. He has already passed one of the most difficult learning curves for a public official, he knows what good government can do and, just as importantly, what it can’t do. This is an important distinction in setting priorities and focusing efforts where they matter. When I was employed by the City of Colfax, I had the pleasure of working with Tom d...
Will America still aspire to space greatness? In today’s era of $14 trillion budget deficits, $18 billion seems like chump change. But with every penny of federal spending on the chopping block, that amount is eye-catching. NASA needs that money over the next five years to build its new space launch system - a behemoth rocket that would eventually carry our astronauts to Mars. The rocket will be topped with a space capsule similar to Apollo, which carried Americans to the moon and back 40 years ago. The new rocket will be tested in an unmanned...
There are few things more inescapable in American life than the TV screen. Sitting at the lounge at the airport, there is CNN Headline News overhead, invariably blaring. In the back of New York City cabs, there is a little screen playing stale TV news clips. In waiting rooms, in elevators, in the back of people’s cars and in practically every room in the American home, there it is — insistent, noisy, the background track to our lives. Television is the most ubiquitous and insidious force in everyday American life. If it were a drug, it’d be ill...
The “Occupy Wall Street” protest is sweeping the nation. Most major cities have had their own version of it. About 27 percent of Americans agree with the protests. Another 19 percent disagree with them. Not surprisingly, 54 percent are unsure about them. That may be because no focus has surfaced in the protests. These are not single purpose protests such as those for civil rights or those against the Vietnam War. In part, the protests are about the big banks and the rich running Capitol Hill. In part they are about the disparity of wealth and...
Code Word for Health Care: Stat Good news for doctors! Under federal mandate, they will no longer be forced to pick from 18,000 numerical claim codes when filing an insurance claim for an office visit. Now, the number of claim codes will be 140,000. That’s a 678 percent increase in codes, which right there should end our unemployment problems in this country — every able-bodied person will be spending all their time looking up code numbers. As a result of these refined codes, there will also be a 678 percent increase in the quality of med...
MARRIAGE LICENSES Jacob M. Willey, 27, and Ruthanna E. Kure, 26, both Pullman, Oct. 3. Zhe Zhang, 25, and Jing Ke, 27, both Pullman, Oct. 3. Ross D. Jones, 26, Warden, and Monika J. Watson, 23, Moses Lake, Sept. 30. Adam L. Ferry, 27, and Miranda R. Brewer, 27, both Pullman, Sept. 29. COLFAX BUILDING PERMITS Robert Mason, 24 X 24 pole building, N 1808 Oak Street, $11,000, Sept. 28. Eli Gibler, replace roof structure on house, N. 601 Perkins, $17,000, Sept. 28. Gail Webster, install gas boiler at 1801 N. Oak, $8,400, Sept. 29. REAL ESTATE SALES...
Colfax Best interests We are writing to express our support for the re-election of Brian Becker and Rob Smith to the Colfax School Board. Both Brian and Rob have the best interests of our students and the school at heart. They have worked tirelessly for our students and have formed an effective working team with the rest of the current board members. We find them both to be thoughtful, open-minded, honest, and ethical as they meet the challenges and make the decisions that ensure our students obtain the best education possible. Kent and Diane...
The reality of world competition In today’s dog-eat-dog world, change is constant and accelerating. Other countries are stealing our factories and jobs and are hungry for more. That is the new reality. For example, in the 1990s, a California-based company called FormFactor developed a new and faster way to test semiconductors, the heart of today’s computers. Chipmakers needed assurance their products operate efficiently, consistently and have long-term durability. FormFactor was founded by a Ukrainian immigrant named Igor Khandros, who was an...
ITEM - Tacoma teachers ended their strike of a couple weeks by winning most of their demands. Despite being among the highest paid teachers in the state, they will be protected from the 1.9 percent pay cut imposed statewide by the Legislature by being paid out of reserves. They had to give back a training day for which they were paid extra but will get it later on in the new contract. COMMENT - Too bad for the taxpayers that a chicken judge was involved in this case. When striking teachers were ordered back and they refused to obey, fines...
#!*! Garbage collectors who leave cans in the street, blocking the driveway and mail carriers. ++++ Citizens of Palouse for a spectacular Palouse Days which shows how a small town can be energized by hard times to pull together. ++++ Colfax farmers market vendors and volunteers for making good locally grown produce available in town. Send your Pet Peeves and Okeydokes to the Gazette P.O. Box 770 Colfax, Wa 99111 Pet Peeves and Okeydokes must be short. One sentence is usually enough. Please sign longer submissions so they can be run as letters... Full story
The first Boeing 787 Dreamliner has been delivered. It was flown to Japan and will go into service in November for All Nippon Airways. The takeoff was a few minutes late. The delivery of the first 787 was about three years late, and development of the plane was billions over original estimates. Nevertheless, completion of the 787 was a masterful achievement. It is lighter and more fuel efficient, using perhaps 20 percent less fuel than other similarly sized planes. It also offers greater creature comforts for the traveler. More than 800 of the...
Car-Buying Trauma W. BRUCE CAMERON Alert readers of this column are aware that I’ve recently been advised by my trusty mechanic, Marvin Walletdrainer, that my car is ready to cross the rainbow bridge. I asked him if he thought I could drive it for a few more weeks, and he said, “I wouldn’t.” I said, “How about just until I find a replacement?” and he said, “I wouldn’t.” I asked him what he would do, and he said, “Run away.” So now I find myself shopping for a car for the first time in many years. (Most of the wrecks I’ve been driving lat...
Hullabaloo support October 7 and 8 will be our annual Autumn Harvest Hullabaloo. It has been growing every year and we want to invite and encourage all to come to the event this year. Many people and organizations have worked hard and volunteered their time to make this a great weekend with something for everyone. It starts Friday afternoon and runs through Saturday. Colfax Chamber and the Hullabaloo Committee Colfax Chamber President Support incumbents The Colfax School District has been described to me several times over the years in several...
Withdrawing new EPA rule is a good start Recently, President Obama ordered the Environmental Protection Agency to delay implementation of a new rule that further reduces industrial ozone emissions (smog) under the Clean Air Act (CAA). The announcement came on the same day new employment figures showed the economy had created no new jobs in August. With unemployment stuck above 9 percent and the economy teetering on the brink of a double-dip recession, President Obama decided the suggested benefits of the new rule were not worth the damage to... Full story
The Big Hoss You could tell Rick Perry was going to be a big problem for Mitt Romney as soon as the Texas governor started blowing him kisses. Asked a question on his first campaign leg about a Romney talking point, Perry brushed it off with a smooch and said, “Send him my love.” It was classic Perry — audacious, a little gauche and entertaining as hell. Surely, Romney didn’t get blown many “right back atcha” kisses in the offices of Bain Capital or during his time as Massachusetts governor. The message was that Romney was about to get a challe... Full story
#!*! Religious bias cropping up in local races. #!*! “Short” trees at our local grocery store that allow people to see their sign, but block the traffic sightlines of exiting customers turning south on Main ∞∞∞∞∞∞∞∞∞∞ School administrator for writing the $90,000 grant to repair the JES roof. Send your Pet Peeves and Okeydokes to the Gazette P.O. Box 770 Colfax, Wa 99111 Pet Peeves and Okeydokes must be short. One sentence is usually enough. Please sign longer submissions so they can be run as letters to the editor. Comments pertaining to... Full story
Hullabaloo, Colfax’s annual fall event, kicks off in a week. Activities will take place up and down Main Street Friday and Saturday, October 7 and 8. This year there will be more than the official events to enjoy. Some positive changes are taking place on Main Street. They are the result of new local, private investment and faith in the local economy. This is a good time to check them out. Events on Main opened last week, serving coffees, baked goods from Sage Bakery and other goodies in the morning and sandwiches and soups for lunch until 2 p...
Recently my husband, Rick, wrote about how much First Wind did not want Roger Whitten to present his case in court. The letter was prophetic. Lo and behold, we read in last week’s Gazette that Mr. Whitten is “planning to drop his appeal and move to rural Spokane County” and that the County Prosecutor says “the move to continue the hearing was made so both sides could finalize an out-of-court settlement.” hmmmm...I guess Rick’s letter stating “could his (Whitten’s) arguments be legitimate” and “they don’t want them to see the light of day” mus...
With all the complaints about taxes and government I wanted to send a note about how much I appreciate our local government services providers. My big thanks goes to our county road crews. I know it takes hard work to keep the roads in the Palouse open and in good shape. I appreciate the county crews who respond quickly and effectively to any problems. I also appreciate the teachers in our area who provide a quality education for our children. My kids are all out of school, but that doesn’t mean I’m not happy to support the teachers tra...
I own an automobile built by one of the better N.D. (Now Defunct) car companies. I’m worried that parts will become harder and harder to come by, so I take my faithful car into my mechanic, Melvin Walletdrainer. “I want you to give it a complete checkup,” I tell him. “I’m hoping to get at least another 50,000 miles out of it.” “Man, are you funny,” Melvin replies. He has hair, fingernails and shirt stains that are all the same shade of black. “You could do Vegas, you’re funnier than that guy, what’s his name, been there forever.” “Don Rickle... Full story
The 1896 Yukon gold rush triggered a boom for Seattle as prospectors flocked to ships bound for Alaska. In 1968, ARCO found black gold - oil - on the state’s North Slope around Prudhoe Bay, triggering a boom for Tacoma’s port where equipment was loaded onto ships and barges bound for our 49th state. Today, Alaska Gov. Sean Parnell (R) is launching a campaign to bring more business to his state. Parnell, who served as Sarah Palin's lieutenant governor, has been traveling the country telling people that Alaska is open for business. He says his...
THERE’S BEEN another one of those sleep studies warning us once again that millions of Americans are sleep-deprived, thus making us vulnerable to heart attacks and strokes, dumbed down students and drowsy drivers. The latest is according to a study presented at the American Academy of Sleep’s annual meeting in June in Minneapolis and reported in USA Today last month. It shouldn’t surprise you to be told that men tend to be night owls, wanting to go to bed later and get up later, while women are more often morning people. I happen to be a morni... Full story
A note came into the Gazette that complained about the Pet Peeves in the paper. The complaint said that the paper should not allow such negative thoughts to be printed and that they are harmful. Pet Peeves, the letter said, should be eliminated, but it would be okay to continue with Okeydokes because they are positive. Actually, some of the “negative” pet peeves have had a positive effect. As such, both the positive and negative are acceptable. That is the point. Even so, not all make it to the page. Some are eliminated because they are sim... Full story
To-do or Not To-do W. BRUCE CAMERON The Internet and computers have made me so efficient I no longer can accomplish anything. I even have a computerized to-do list so that I can manage my tasks electronically by printing the list. The list runs several pages and really bores me. Who can do tasks, anymore? By the time I’ve checked e-mail, read my Twitter tweets and looked into what my friends on Facebook are doing, it’s time to check my e-mail again. In fact, the only tasks I can cross off the list are the ones I add after I’ve already done...
