Serving Whitman County since 1877
Serving Whitman County since 1877
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In early 2020 I traveled to Vietnam and Cambodia. My trip began with uncertainty because of the proximity of my destinations to China where COVID19 began, and the first COVID19 cases were just being identified in the USA. While I was in Vietnam COVID19 disease was declared to be a pandemic (infection occurring worldwide). The Vietnamese were already being educated by their government to practice good hand hygiene and to wear masks, which was already common in Asia. When I returned to the USA a...
Lowering our flags to half-staff seems to be an all too familiar sight these days. It is a solemn act that recognizes our fallen heroes, whether they be men and women in our armed forces or a Vancouver police officer killed in the line of duty. It is a vivid reminder of the ultimate sacrifice made by those who serve us. Unfortunately, after those flags return to the top of the pole and time passes, we tend to forget that the suffering for the friends and families continues. The loneliness, financial stress, and emotional strain lives on. That...
I am very thankful to have been able to keep working through the pandemic and that my children are grown. What I do see for many with young children is there are no daycares. When mine were daycare age there were as many as eight licensed caregivers in Colfax. A few were large capacity. Only the grade school preschool is open now. Many families during the pandemic figured out if they really cut back they can make it on only one salary and are having one parent stay home with the children. In my opinion, they already have the best...
Who would have thought that school board members would be accosted by parents? Who would have imagined flight attendants taking self-defense classes? Who would have considered people would vote for a presidential candidate that mocked someone disabled? Who could believe that patriotic volunteer election officials and secretaries of state would receive death threats? Who would have thought that law enforcement officials would say the quiet part out loud – that they would not enforce the laws? And who would have considered that our competent d...
For years, Washington State masked its high business and regulatory costs with low priced, reliable electricity – lots of it. However, Tennessee packages low cost, reliable electricity along with a very favorable business climate to lure new billion dollar auto industry investments. Today, costs of electricity are more important than ever and investors want CO2-free electricity at their facilities. Hydropower fits that requirement. As an example, Ford and SKI Innovative just announced an $...
Thank you, veterans. It's that simple. Nov. 11 is Veterans Day and a time to thank everyone still alive for serving our country in a war. We will honor our dead soldiers, sailors, airmen, and Marines on Memorial Day, which is May 30 next year. The federal holiday began in November of 1919 as President Woodrow Wilson proclaimed Armistice Day. The fighting in World War I, "the war to end all wars," stopped in the eleventh hour of the eleventh day of the eleventh month – Nov. 11. The war a...
Since we currently have school board elections on our ballots here in Washington state, let’s turn our attention to the Washington State School Directors Association (WSSDA). Every school board member in Washington State belongs to WSSDA. Like many associations, it is governed by a board elected by its members – the collective of elected school board directors. WSSDA also currently belongs to the now infamous National School Board Association, with an Issaquah board member seated on the NSB...
New research is showing vaccine hesitancy or opposition may not all be related to politics. Often it is related to fear, anxiety, and mistrust. Many of the unvaccinated frankly fear needles. The anxiety of submitting to the needle may bring on a panic attack because of injection phobia. Private rooms and an emotional support partner can help. Also, the media may need to tone down the daily video extravaganza showing people getting jabbed. These portrayals feel a little bit like public lynchings...
The silence of this general election is deafening. For years I have covered elections of officials to all levels of government from the smallest towns to the U.S. president. All year people talk, complain, and argue about politics. It picks up the month before the election. Not this time. It’s gone quiet. We can blame the pandemic for quieting down most of our lives. But I kept waiting for the candidates’ forum. I look forward to the gatherings where we witness debates from people seeking ele...
Why aren’t you working? I have read and heard enough from “experts.” I am hoping to hear from the people who are not returning to their jobs or trying to get one after being laid off. I have worked since I was 16 and will always have an urge to be productive and earn money. So I am baffled at why some people aren’t applying for jobs. Was it the extra unemployment money? Was it because you didn’t have to pay rent or bills during the pandemic? Are you waiting to be paid more? The Whitman C...
The National School Board Association, the Department of Justice, and the mainstream news media all confused free speech for violence and violence for free speech. In a carefully coordinated attempt, these entities orchestrated a media campaign designed to intimidate parents who dissent from the regime. First, in Senate testimony regarding mask mandates and other COVID-19 protocols, Education Secretary Miguel Cardona said parents should not be the “primary stakeholder” in their children’s educat...
Sen. George McGovern, of South Dakota, was never a darling of conservatives; however, in his later years, he shocked fellow Democrats by his outspoken backing for streamlining government regulations and eliminating frivolous lawsuits – positions championed mostly by Republicans. McGovern, a decorated World War II B-24 pilot, who flew 35 combat missions over North Africa and Europe, was an unabashed self-professed liberal. He won the Democrat presidential nomination in 1972 but lost the e...
Recently, one of my former patients stopped by for a visit. He and his wife loved visiting the Palouse. This was their first visit to the area and despite being experienced international travelers, they were enchanted by the autumn beauty of the Palouse. We wanted to go out for lunch, however, we could not find any outdoor dining in the cooler weather, so we went to one of my favorite restaurants, and placed an order to go. We took our order to the car and safely ate our food in the parking lot...
The Washington Interscholastic Athletics Association (WIAA) unveiled its state tournament allocations for fall sports. The allocations determine how many teams each district gets to send to the state playoffs in the sports football, soccer, and volleyball. No changes were seen in soccer and volleyball. District 7, which includes Davenport and Reardan, was given one berth in girls soccer and three in volleyball for the 2B state playoffs. A fair allocation, as the number of 2B girls soccer teams...
Life is made up of meetings and partings. Such has been the way of things in Palouse this last year, and as such it has been a year of transitions. The truth of the matter is that things sometimes change and change is difficult for all of us. Most recently, our city administrator and mayor both resigned from their positions, due to family and professional obligations. The timing, in that they happened simultaneously, is unfortunate, but these things sometimes happen. I'm writing today, as mayor...
Medical freedom is more than women deciding if they are going to abort a pregnancy. It is a person's decision if they want to waive resuscitation. It's ending untreatable painful suffering. It's choosing to take a riskier healing path than what's recommended. It's deciding what drugs to take. It's deciding on vaccinations. The trio of COVID vaccinations was not welcomed by everyone. Some people decline to receive them. It used to be we had a right in Washington to decline medical aid. I guess...
Large federal dams have discharged unlimited pollution into the Lower Snake River for decades. That stops today. For the first time, the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) set limits on oil and hot water pollution from four federal dams in the Lower Snake River. The EPA will now require the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers (Army Corps) to collect pollution samples, report data to the EPA and the public, and ratchet back on pollution. “Dams that pollute will no longer get a free pass,” said Brett VandenHeuvel, executive director of Col...
In a recent episode of the Dan Bongino podcast, Dan interviewed Texas Senator Brian Birdwell, who came on the show to share his near-death experience at the Pentagon on 9/11. Dan was extremely moved by hearing about Sen. Birdwell’s experience, noting that nothing in his life experience compared to the adversity that the senator experienced that day and has overcome since then. In response, Birdwell said something remarkable: “Everybody has their lane that they’re working … We all work our res...
Poland and America are like two trains passing each other in opposite directions. That is becoming increasingly clear as President Biden rolls out his progressive agenda. The key question looking forward, “Will government or consumers drive our economy?” Poland broke the shackles of Soviet communist domination three decades ago. Free for the first time since World War II, Poland cast off its yoke of government control and central planning in favor of an American-style free enterprise system whe...
