Serving Whitman County since 1877
Serving Whitman County since 1877
Sorted by date Results 681 - 705 of 3750
Gov. Jay Inslee’s house-arrest order for the populace, Proclamation 20-25, is in conflict with the Bill of Rights. Our rights of the free exercise of religion, of the people to peaceably assemble, of due process of law, as well as our Ninth Amendment rights to pursue happiness by earning a living and to travel freely outside of our homes are sacred. These individual rights are enshrined in the Constitution of the United States. Under the Supremacy Clause, the Constitution pre-empts conflicting state laws. Inslee’s order “prohibiting all peopl...
I continue to adhere to the stay-at-home order. I have been following orders all my life, although I find them to be easier to follow when they make sense. Much of the Governor’s restrictions are common logic; others, however, are hard to understand. Most of our shops are closed, and we are prohibited from going to church, but marijuana is considered essential to the functioning of our community. We are encouraged to bring our reusable shopping bags to be filled by grocery clerks, but we are prohibited from checking out books from the l...
Even in the most difficult of challenges we can find our pot of gold. I have spent most of my life chasing the infamous “pot of gold” at the end of the rainbow, only to find the rainbow now on another horizon in the distance and no pot of gold. Even as a young child my family vacations for me were not about the road trip but rather getting to the destination. Not about the hike, the challenge or the scenery, but more about getting to the campsite so I could finally “be there.” Not that goals of this sort shouldn’t be made or sought after, in...
More than 230,000 small businesses across our state have been shut down since March 25 by order of Gov. Inslee. While the executive branch does not view these employers as being essential, I and my Senate Republican colleagues recognize the value of these businesses to the families they support, the communities they serve and the economic activity they generate. We recognize how these employers have already suffered from being forcibly closed and how offers of government assistance are no...
Moderation in all things is a pretty good code to live by–even in politics. Or maybe it should be especially in politics. Citizens should constantly be checking themselves and their elected officials, regularly questioning actions and asking, "Is this going too far?" Some cases are blatantly obvious. Hungary's Prime Minister Viktor Orban received authority to rule by decree indefinitely and without any parliamentary oversight to handle the COVID-19 crisis last week. It may be the s...
Roger Harnack's April 2nd editorial quotes Benjamin Franklin about giving "up essential liberty to purchase a little temporary safety...," which was not written at the time of a pandemic, even though Roger wrote that our nation's forefathers were not unaware of them. Thanks to science, we now know much more about how viruses spread. I am glad we are giving up the right to assemble, as directed by Governor Inslee, for as long as necessary to stop this scourge. I happen to believe scientists more than I believe politicians. Medical and health...
I am grateful to have grown up and raised my family in Whitman County. In this strange, pandemic world, I am especially glad that I still call this quiet corner of the world home. Mr. Obama is certain COVID-19 is a result of global warming. Maybe. Our governor is convinced that social distancing is the solution to the problem. Perhaps. The only thing I am sure of is that there is a loving, omnipotent, and omniscient God whose Son overcame all things including death and disease on our behalf. I partially attribute that conviction to the input...
I have not seen a comparison of the 1918 flu epidemic to the one we are experiencing now. That one was devastating, too. There are very few folks around who could relate stories from then. I heard one my father, Harvey Barr, told many times and will share it. In their neighborhood of about ten square miles lived seven families. Harvey was not sick nor was Mrs. Daniels just down the road. Their families were. Each morning, after Harvey made his own family comfortable, he hooked up a buggy and off he went. First stop was at the Daniels because Mr...
Me: "Prohibition's drug pushing has gotten out of hand. We need to return drugs to a legal and regulated market." Them: "Legalize drugs? When you become a parent, you will become more conservative." Facebook post by a niece: "Having children, is like seeing your heart running around outside your body." This bachelor understands that. When my thirteen year old niece visited for a spell, it frightened me when she was out and about at night. The fear expressed itself as anger, and I was unable to communicate my concern. Adults have an instinct to...
Enjoyed Agriculture 2020 tab in March 26, 2020, Gazette. Especially appreciated "Voyage of a blueberry." Good research/story by Garth Meyer. Tim Marsh, McMinnville, Ore....
Many of us old folks who grew up in the 30s and 40s lived in isolation and social distancing, it was called living on a farm. Entertainment was scarce so we made our own. We cranked up the Victrola, played a lot of checkers, and if we were lucky enough to have a telephone, we did a little rubber-necking, okay, well maybe a lot of rubber-necking. Our neighbors, the Repps seemed to have the most interesting stuff! It was a special occasion when we would hear the clanging of the distinctive bell and we kids would rush to the window to view the...
Do you want to be a delegate or alternate to the Washington State Democratic Congressional Caucus or State Convention? Because of the current COVID-19 crisis, the Executive Committee of the Washington State Democratic Central Committee has cancelled the upcoming face-to-face Legislative District (LD) caucuses and County Conventions that were to be held on May 3. In the past, delegates for the Congressional District and State Conventions were elected at these LD caucuses. Because of the current pandemic, however, this year’s delegate election w...
Okey Dokes Flowers and More offering a discount for plants or flowers sent to Whitman Rehab because patients can't see family or friends now. The public’s support of Colfax businesses in this trying time....
The President is concerned about the economy, as well he should be. Our Governor is concerned about the disease spreading across our state and nation, as well he should be. We are in the midst of a global emergency, both medically and economically. The data for almost anywhere but China show that the pandemic has yet to level out. The rate of new cases continues to rise. Hundreds of patients are dying each day in Italy, Spain, Germany and across Europe. I agree with the scientists when they warn about the potential impact on the homeless. I...
“Those who would give up essential liberty to purchase a little temporary safety, deserve neither liberty nor safety.” —Benjamin Franklin Benjamin Franklin’s famous quote often arises in the context of government overreach. In this age of Wuhan Flu —or COVID-19, as those pushing political correctness would say —it still applies today. On Monday evening, Gov. Jay Inslee followed the lead of California Gov. Gavin Newsome and Oregon Gov. Kate Brown in ordering residents to remain in their homes...
Pet Peeves: Colfax Park Department hiring extra help so they don’t have to work themselves. Bring back the full page trivia! Especially while everyone is stuck at home. Send your pet peeves and okeydokes to Whitman County Gazette P.O Box 770, Colfax, WA 99111 or drop them off at the Gazette office...
I very much agree with Kiah Miller’s letter regarding the immorality of calling COVID-19 the “Wuhan Flu”. So I was dismayed to see 2 articles in the same issue written by the new WCG publisher, Roger Harnack, again repeating this phrase. Mr. Harnack, would you please explain your reason for continuing to do so when this is an affront especially to our Asian-American community members? Elaine Hickman, Seattle...
Car accidents and the seasonal flu differs significantly from COVID-19 that comparing the deaths from them is dangerously misleading. The two key differences are the time span during which they impact our healthcare system, and the second is how contagious they are. First, car accidents happen throughout the year. Sure some long weekends increase car accidents and inclement weather increases the number, but generally it is below the capacity of our healthcare system. It is obvious, but must be stated in this comparison. Injuries from car accide...
Washington State Democrats have submitted a bill (SB 5395) to mandate sex education in schools grades K to 12 without the approval of parents or guardians. This should be a big help for those Democrats who want our children to learn that if they get pregnant they also have the right to get abortions to kill their babies. Democrats, what is your next brilliant plan? Could it be we also need to have mandatory training in our schools on how to use a gun to shoot each other? That way we can be assured that those children who haven’t been taught t...
Chris Armitage is running as a Democrat for Representative in the 5th Congressional District against Cathy McMorris Rodgers. He is well-educated with a Bachelor’s degree in criminal justice and a Master’s degree in homeland security. He has been trained in the military and has spent seven years in the Air Force, stationed at Fairchild Air Force Base, so he knows the 5th District very well. In addition, he has also been deployed to the Middle East, so has first-hand experience living and working in that region. Chris has well-defined and art...
Some years back, in the biggest town in a small county outside our 9th District, there was a clothing store. Upstairs was the office of the area's weekly newspaper. Week after week, year after year, the clothing store published the same advertisement in the newspaper, displaying its name, address and a drawing of a coat rack, to signal what people could buy there. No brand names, no sale prices, nothing else. The message this ad sent was clear and reassuring: "We're still here." It's a complete...
An area teacher encouraged her students that while they are stuck at home, they write down what is happening and how they are feeling. She pointed out that they are living what will be history someday and should document it. The old adage is, those who don’t learn from history are doomed to repeat it. So, if the events of today will be chronicled in history books tomorrow, what are you learning? Is it a time management lesson as you have to schedule laundry and office emails around high s...
I want to express condolences to all of us for recent losses in our local and regional community: 1. The retirement of Gazette Editor Jerry Jones, whose name became synonymous with the Colfax Gazette (Whitman County Gazette) and who was the trusted and unfailing reporter and photographer who chronicled our county sports, the county fair and decades of events that defined our community; 2. Fonk’s, a centerpiece building in our Main Street historic district that fell victim to a fire last week. In the earlier years, Fonk’s was the five and dim...
