Serving Whitman County since 1877
Serving Whitman County since 1877
Sorted by date Results 436 - 460 of 3750
As much as we would love to see an end to impaired driving and with it, the need to keep sponsoring DUI legislation, we unfortunately know there is still much work to be done. Last week the Senate Law and Justice Committee heard testimony on Senate Bill 5054, a measure I introduced with the support of Sen. David Frockt, D-Seattle, to strengthen the state’s felony-DUI law and reduce the number of people who become victims of impaired drivers. Washington law now makes the fourth DUI conviction a...
It is my opinion that Chris Skidmore remain as our county health director. He already knows what is required to fill the position; no training needed. And most importantly, he knows the needs of this community. He will continue to do an upstanding job as health director. Kelley Messinger, Rosalia...
I understand the need for ethical policing but I must agree with policy director James McMahan - the bill is very vaguely written and does not acknowledge officer safety. This bill restricts the use of necessary tools our officers have to work with to de-escalate situations and keep themselves and the community safe. Across the board, whether it is the use of a S.W.A.T vehicle, a police K9 or other defensive tactics - our officers need the options and the time and distance to utilize them in order to do their job efficiently and ethically. If...
British historian Thomas Macaulay famously said, “The best government is one that desires to make the people happy, and knows how to make them happy.” That standard is clearly not what people are experiencing in Washington state. For years, leaders in state government have been increasing the tax burden and imposing ever-tighter regulations that limit personal opportunity, lower household incomes and fall hardest on working people, middle-class families and small business owners. On top of tha...
As I sit here in my home in Spokane, hoping for a timely return to school and activities, it’s hard to maintain a positive attitude about where we have been and where we are going as a state. Businesses such as restaurants and gyms have been shut down, most schools are in virtual learning mode, and the extracurricular programs attached to the schools are on hold. The Washington Interscholastic Activities Association has been working incredibly hard trying to paint a positive picture of season revisions that are supposed to take place, s...
The COVID-19 crisis and related economic shutdown has highlighted a number of failures of the state Employment Security Department. These failures in unemployment systems and department procedures resulted in managers being unable to meet basic levels of service and failing to pay benefits in a timely fashion when the number of claims increased. ESD systems were overwhelmed, allowing Nigerian scammers and other individuals to steal at least $350 million in benefits from state taxpayers....
There’s an old story about Elizabeth Willing Powel, the wife of a Philadelphia mayor, asking Benjamin Franklin, as he left the Constitutional Convention, “Doctor, what have we got? A republic or a monarchy?” To which Ben Franklin supposedly answered: “A republic, if you can keep it.” This legislative session, which started Jan. 11, will require you as a resident to work harder than ever to keep our representative democracy…well…representative. Access to democracy is a major topic at the start...
I read with dismay about Rep. Cathy McMorris Rogers’ flip flop on challenging the certification of the Electoral College. But apparently the protest on Jan. 6 made her change her mind. I’m sorry, but that is (using the biblical phrase from the Apostle Paul) “barnyard refuse.” If a representative was “concerned” that there was fraud or other illegitimate factors regarding an election in any state, then, by their oath to the Constitution they are obligated to object. There is no nexus to the protest and the legitimacy of the election. I...
On Tuesday, Whitman County commissioners agreed to send to a letter to Gov. Jay Inslee calling on him to rescind the newest of his phased-in, coronavirus reopening plans. We strongly support the move. Our commissioners are joining leaders in Franklin and Yakima counties who, too, are pushing for the “Healthy Washington-Roadmap to Recovery” to be abandoned. Like Inslee’s other phased-in reopening schemes, this plan offers another false carrot, but a very real stick — especially in rural areas. This new plan essentially replaces local health...
The riots around our nation’s Capitol were instigated by a president who — in imitation of the great dictators of Europe such as Mussolini, Hitler and Franco — could convince, without a stitch of evidence, millions of Americans that the election was stolen from him. He has to face reality. He sponsored some 60 lawsuits to challenge the elections in six different states. All were thrown out by judges of one or the other party. The conservative Republican Attorney General of the United States, William Barr, stated there was no evidence of foul...
With COVID-19 vaccines being widely dispensed, will an end to this pandemic halt “work from home?” Will workers return to downtown offices at pre-pandemic levels? However, it is not an either/or question, said Stanford Professor Nicholas Bloom, who is co-director of the National Bureau of Economic Research’s productivity, innovation and entrepreneurship program. “Working from home will be very much a part of our post-COVID economy,” he added, “so, the sooner policymakers and business (e...
Protests are nothing new in Olympia. Each year, thousands of protesters converge on legislative sessions to rally for special causes, object to government activities and generally just remind lawmakers who they work for. I cannot recall a time that the Capitol Building, other legislative office buildings and the state library weren’t available for public access. Indeed, each year I wander the Capitol campus during session to personally deliver a newspaper to those who represent us in Olympia, a simple reminder that we’re here, and that con...
Now that vaccines are available, we hope our lives will return to the way they were before the coronavirus pandemic blanketed the globe. That is not likely to occur. Last March our booming economy was clobbered by COVID-19. A worldwide pandemic ensued. There was no vaccine to counter it and even though vaccines were developed at “warp speed” lots of things changed and have become imbedded in our daily lives. Futurist Bernard Marr, columnist in Forbes, believes employers quickly adapted to a rem...
Despite the budget being balanced, billions in reserve and projected revenue growth of 7.2%, Gov. Jay Inslee is yet again proposing an income tax on capital gains in his new budget. The governor, however, claims that this type of tax isn’t an income tax. What does he know that the IRS and every other state across the country doesn’t? IRS: “You ask whether tax on capital gains is considered an excise tax or an income tax? It is an income tax. More specifically, capital gains are treated as incom...
Two weeks ago, a reader not only attacked Publisher Roger Harnack, but also insulted those of us who agreed with his comments and were actually encouraged by them. During prohibition, speakeasies were where Americans went for their alcoholic beverages. Lucky for many of us, the freedom to enjoy the drink of our choice was restored after 13 years of the so-called evil speakeasies. The double standard has once again shown his ugly face. Riots, violence and protests were recently praised and encouraged by the same people who now chastise us for...
Publisher Roger Harnack’s Dec. 17 column has some insight: America loves prohibitions — 1915, drug prohibition; 1919, alcohol prohibition; and 2020, prohibition against spreading the new cold virus. Some features of prohibition, “speakeasies” and drug houses, pop up all over the place. Tommy guns, Mac 9s and throw-away guns make the streets loud with murder as merchants compete. Poisoned alcohol killed many thousands, and poisoned street drugs kill hundreds of thousands. Large industries, promoted in secret whispers, chew on the country...
Thanks to Onecho Bible Church in Colfax, we ended 2020 with the best gift ever in the mailbox. “The Chosen” is a must see, but even more so after a very emotional and tension filled 2020. More than anything, COVID-19 should remind everyone that there is so much out of our control. The president of our country or governor of our state will never be able to solve all our problems. Accept these realities and we will have more peace and happiness in our lives. Onecho Church had the correct response to a difficult 2020. Please take the time to wat...
Since the moment our founders signed their names to the bottom of the Declaration of Independence on July 4, 1776, the U.S. has been organized by a successful moral and ethical code. We were a nation formed by protestant immigrants and a smattering of Catholics that broke free of England under a new Constitution and Bill of Rights. Over time, Catholics, American Indian, blacks, Hispanics, Asians and other new Americans, to include Jews, Muslims, Buddhists, Hindus, and atheists, have...
