Serving Whitman County since 1877
Serving Whitman County since 1877
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Who are you? What is your identity or what do you want your identity to be? When your great-grandchildren hear stories about you, see the old pictures and write your biography, what chapters do you want included? That can be hard. Some chapters we want and are never written, others we don’t want and end up being a part of anyway. Some chapters are long, some are short. They all accumulate into the book of one’s life, for better or worse. If we are lucky, we can write some chapter that mat...
The state Department of Fish and Wildlife already manages about a million acres of publicly owned lands statewide. Now, the agency is trying to use recent wildfires as an excuse to regulate more land use, and potentially increase its land holdings. Last week, the agency called for sage-grouse to be listed as an “endangered” species. It will be collecting public comment on the idea through Dec. 30. According to agency South-Central Regional Director Mike Livingston, this year’s fires have destroy...
For several years before broadcasting my weekly radio show, The Brief Congressional Update, on KYRS Thin Air Community Radio (92.3 and 81.1 fm), I believed that the political party to which one belongs really doesn’t make a big difference – just vote for the person who is honest, has integrity, and is friendly. Preparing for the radio show by studying local, state, and national politics, however, I learned so much, and changed my mind entirely. I realized that the political party to which the candidates belongs makes a HUGE difference. Wha...
This may be my last and most important election. I’ll be ninety-nine December 8th. I’ve seen a lot in my lifetime. I grew up on a small farm in South Dakota, lived through the depression, waited for my husband to return from combat in WWII, raised six children, and moved to the Territory of Alaska in the winter of 1946 arriving in my best dress, nylons, and open toe heels. Dressed like that, Alaska’s winter climate will kill you, and it was obvious change was necessary to survive. I believe the nasty political and social climate created by Pr...
It is encouraging to see a competitive race for Whitman County Commissioner, District 2 with two candidates I respect and admire. However, we are in unpresented times with the challenges presented by Covid-19 and it’s accompanying economic challenges for both small businesses and our county. Dean Kinzer has acted as a steady hand at the helm for the eight years I have served with him. I have no doubt that Tom Handy, his challenger, could grow into the position with time. However, Commissioner Kinzer, with eight years of experience, is the p...
“Save the Ta-Tas.” I really do not like that saying. I’m not a big fan of pink décor being strung everywhere, either. Not just because I feel so much pink in an affront to the eyes. In past year, the trumpeting of “Breast Cancer Awareness” feels like the trumpets are slightly out of tune. It has felt like, to me, everyone just wanted an excuse to raise awareness about breasts and were sexualizing and making light of a serious issue. Late one night in October of 2006, I stopped at my grandparen...
We’re only about three weeks until our ballots arrive in the mail for the Nov. 3 all-mail-in election. So far, the focus has been on the presidential race between Republican President Trump and Democrat challenger former president Joe Biden. Here, much of the focus has also been on the gubernatorial race between incumbent Gov. Jay Inslee, a Democrat from Bainbridge Island, and Eastern Washington’s own Republican challenger Loren Culp, who leads the Republic Police Department. There has even been some discussion on other candidates. But loo...
Okeydokes The wonderful photo contest display in the Library Center. Pet Peeves Spokane says don’t drink & drive, but steal all the cars you want....
It should have sent chills along the spine of any American when Donald Trump claimed that his inauguration crowd was the biggest ever. That statement was and is demonstrably, patently and obviously untrue. To have his derangement on full display on the very first day of his administration was a harbinger of much more, and much worse, to come. Tens of thousands of documented lies later, we now hear him claiming that the election results will be fraudulent unless he is the winner. And, believe it or not, there are citizens right here in Whitman C...
It’s hard to find words to thank Kristie Kirkpatrick for her many years of public service to Whitman County Library. As library director, she led the way for many improvements county-wide while keeping service to all library customers her No. 1 priority. She led by example while setting high standards for staff and board to improve service throughout the library system, worked tirelessly to make improvements in technology and Wi-Fi throughout the county, facilitated more youth and adult library programs, partnered with cities and o...
Three parts of government were established to provide checks and balances to ensure there is never a take-over of our democracy. We know the Republican lead Congress has ceded all of its power to Donald Trump. We see that Donald Trump has almost complete power over the Presidency. With no checks by the Republicans to stop him, Trump is now attempting to bring the third body of government, the Supreme Court, under his control by packing it with justices who will do his will, not the will of the people. With Republican leaders assistance, such...
“Save the Ta-Tas.” I really do not like that saying. I’m not a big fan of pink décor being strung everywhere, either. Not just because I feel so much pink in an affront to the eyes. In past year, the trumpeting of “Breast Cancer Awareness” feels like the trumpets are slightly out of tune. It has felt like, to me, everyone just wanted an excuse to raise awareness about breasts and were sexualizing and making light of a serious issue. Late one night in October of 2006, I stopped at my grandparents’ home. I had just returned after a long trip an...
If you don’t have a plan in case of emergencies, now is the time to do so. Like, right now. Why wait? Because it can’t happen to you? Because fire will never reach your doorstep? Because no one in your family will ever have a heart attack? Because freak accidents don’t happen to you like power tool batteries blowing up in the back of your car, starting a fire? Well, those things do happen. When people think of preparedness kits, they get too focused on the big things—the earthquakes, flood, fire...
Picture this. All 208,916 people in Spokane GONE! Over 200,000 fellow pilgrims have already died from Covid 19. Trump’s national plan appears to be “herd mentality”. I think he means “herd immunity via catch it and become immune or die”. Trump gives himself an A+ in dealing with the virus while he holds superspreader rallies, ridicules wearing masks and falsely claims only old people are vulnerable. He muzzles public health professionals while allowing public relations personnel to mess with CDC & NIH data and websites. Meanwhile, he rushes to...
About 800 miles south of my office, the leaders of North Valley Baptist Church in Santa Clara, Calif., are no doubt having conversations about how to move forward. The church, which was mandated to close and remain closed earlier this year due to California Gov. Gavin Newsom and Santa Clara county’s decrees, chose not to comply. After moving ahead with what they believed was the mission of the church, they are now faced with more than $52,000 in fines from various governments and agencies. H...
Like other nations, China is struggling with the deadly Covid-19 virus and suffocating under mountains of trash its residents generate each day. Wuhan hospitals generated six times as much medical waste at the peak of the outbreak as they did before the crisis began. The daily output of medical waste reached 240 metric tons, about the weight of an adult blue whale. While the pandemic has dramatically improved air quality because people are working from home and not commuting, it has been a...
Donation are overwhelming facilities, so great has been the outpouring of support from people within and out of Whitman County for the victims of last week’s firestorm. So many items have been given, so many tangible blessings, cups are overflowing. Now that the adrenaline has worn off and the imminent physical danger is past, the community, friends and family, need to be as willing to support the emotional and mental needs of those who have been traumatized. It’s not surprising, nor is it any...
The heyday of the Republican majorities in Congress occurred in 2017. They spent their political capital to reduce taxes, mostly for the rich and the ultra rich. Money is power, power is money, and both work to undermine democracy. All of this is being done to weaken our system of checks and balances, to give Trump and Republicans more power and more money. When Trump was elected, though shocked, some people said that his worst instincts would be kept in check by our system of checks and balances. Let’s review this: Appointees who reported T...
After reading and watching the news online and on TV, it appears that our country is divided into those who care about property and those who care about people, and most astute observers could easily identify which political party caters to each group. Since I have traveled and lived in many different countries of the world – some “developed” and some “developing “ which President Trump called “shithole countries”, I have never seen such wretched living as some people experience in certain parts of the United States. The disparity in...
"Are you guys ok?" It's the first thing we say to each other in the Malden/Pine City area these days. Once that question is answered, it is immediately followed by, "Is your house ok?" We lost so much on Labor Day. Our community's heart got burned up. Malden and Pine City are more than a collection of buildings. They were where we fought for years to get a library and finally got one. It was where we met, all of us for miles around. The Masonic Lodge Hall that burned held every bit of history...
