Serving Whitman County since 1877
Serving Whitman County since 1877
Sorted by date Results 648 - 672 of 3749
Roger Harnack, Publisher, To communicate effectively, a speaker or writer needs to know his/her audience. I believe the new Publisher does not understand his Whitman County reader audience. This county, north to south, east to west has one of the most highly educated populations in the United States. I have seen research this county’s rank may be as high as #2, with only the Los Alamos, NM area more highly educated, on average. We are interested in editorials that define a concern, problem, opportunity, etc., and then provide the pro’s and con...
As Whitman County begins the now-expedited process of re-opening, I believe the next tension will exist between those who chose to wear a mask and those who don’t wear one. I am not extremely interested in debating whether or not you chose to; however, I believe people shouldn’t make a big deal about each other’s decision. For some reason, the face mask is now a symbol. The COVID-19 pandemic has been enlightening for a number of reasons, and one thing I’ve noticed is that it has created binary positions. You either believe one way or you don...
Dear Mr. Harnack: I write to deplore the attitude expressed in your editorial of May 14th, which I would summarize as an objection to the measures contemplated by Washington State Government in its attempt to manage a return to the social and economic norms we all yearn for, actions that of necessity thrust government into the everyday life of individuals. The cornerstones of public health versus infectious disease are: restriction of contact between infected and uninfected individuals, minimization of the risk inherent in such contacts when...
Adele Ferguson used to write wonderful opinion pieces for the WHITMAN COUNTY GAZETTE. She really had an inside track on Washington state politics. I would love to hear her take on Governor Inslee’s response to the coronavirus if you can coax her out of retirement for this special purpose. Carleton B. “Barney” Waldrop, Clarkston...
Pet Peeves: Whitman County Gazette? What is this? Not a newspaper. Children in charge? The state of the Pampa Pond bathrooms Trashy yards in town. Okeydokes: A kind customer of Rosauer’s who made all the staff very cool, quality masks with fruit anD vegetables on them! !#@* Thanks to the generous library patron who noticed it cost $2.15 to receive her library book in the mail. She donated $50 to the library to continue funding this valuable service. The new editor of the Gazette doing a great job. !#@* Nicely kept parks in Colfax that w...
Several years ago in a previous life, I was the commander of a military base. It was a fairly large installation responsible for sensitive missions and hardware. Our chief of security was named George. George had been a specialist for some time and was very good at what he did. He was totally focused on the security of the base. He would have been very happy if we had locked down the entire perimeter and patrolled it with dogs and armed guards. George was so focused that he lived within a bubble that excluded all considerations other than...
Voluntary must have a different meaning inside state government offices. On Tuesday, Gov. Jay Inslee and other participants in his coronavirus press conference said participation in a statewide contact tracing program would be voluntary. Under the program, anyone who tests positive for coronavirus would be contacted by the Washington National Guard, state Department of Licensing employees or other so-called “health professionals” to determine an infected person’s whereabouts and ascertain their...
Next week the fair board will make its recommendation and then the county commissioners will decide whether or not there will be a Palouse Empire Fair. The outcome will basically be one of three options: business as normal, cancel or continued in an altered form. Regardless of the outcome, the community needs to support the people making this decision. Absolutely no one on either board wants to cancel anything. Not a single person agreed to sit on the fair board thinking they would ever be...
Suddenly, we have hope. Doctors are now able to treat severe cases of Covid, with no ventilators, in most cases, and no deaths so far, with the new method. (Report by NBC4 of Los Angeles area, May 6, 2020.) "I am 100 percent convinced that if we follow these protocols, we can prevent patients from needing mechanical ventilation and going on respirators," said Dr. Tom Yadegar, MD, a pulmonologist and medical director of the intensive care unit at Providence Cedars-Sinai Tarzana Medical Center, and the protocol report's principal author. They...
It is with great sadness that we learn of the passing of our longtime friend Ken Hames. For many years Ken and his lovely wife Veva Jean hosted the John Wayne Wagons and Riders on our stop in Rosalia celebrating Battle Days. They allowed us to camp at their grounds across the street from the Rodeo Grounds. We were able to camp, with all of our horses on their beautifully manicured lawn field. The parking was tight, but Ken and Veva Jean furnished such hospitality. Ken was so proud of the Veterans Park and his community. One of our long time...
In the mid 80s I had great health care for my young family. I worked in construction and as long as there was work, I had wonderful health care because I was in a strong union. During a slow period when work dried up, I used COBRA to buy health care by the month but it seemed very expensive and I eventually had to stop making payments and lost our insurance. Luckily we had no major health needs during this period but I was worried. Now with lots of people losing their jobs due to the COVID-19 pandemic I imagine lots of people have trouble...
Pet Peeves The May 7 Gazette front page. You are taking a good county paper and making it look like a throw-away shopper. Why did Colton cut down the trees going into town? They used to provide shade when we watched baseball/softball games. Soaked up all that water. Too bad. Okeydokes The new publishing of the district court filings. Those who did the graduate banners on Main Street! What a special way to recognize our Seniors of 2020 in such a difficult time....
For anyone familiar with geocaching, the May 5 lifting of the ban on outdoor recreation is like a late anniversary gift as it was May 3, 2000, when the original geocache was placed in Beavercreek, Ore. Now this union of treasure hunt and great outdoors has grown to include more than one million caches worldwide – some even in the towns and country roads of Whitman County. With the right devise and coordinates, anyone can turn a walk into a treasure hunt, whether they are hiking Kamiak Butte o...
America’s unemployment rate is suddenly approaching historic levels. Since the COVID-19 pandemic began almost two months ago, roughly 30.3 million people have filed for jobless benefits. “That is more people than live in the New York and Chicago metropolitan areas combined, and it’s by far the worst string of layoffs on record. It adds up to more than one-in-six American workers,” Associated Press writer Christopher Rugaber reported at the end of April. However, the Economic Policy Institute (EP...
Pet Peeves People who talk all the time and don’t listen. People that talk ALL the time and do not do their work. Talk less...work more... QUIT TALKING!!! LISTEN FOR ONCE!! The new publishing of the district court filings. When strangers throw residential garbage in other’s commercial bins....
Chopsticks make great eating utensils. If you know how to use them. Same with roundabouts. Pullman is looking at putting in its first roundabout. Installation of roundabouts have been breached in Colfax as a possible solution to traffic concerns on both ends of town. There are strong opinions for and against. Often cited is the effectiveness of roundabouts in Europe and other places. On a trip to Germany there are some driving points you pick up quickly: 1) Every road leads to Ausfahrt. Instead...
I am a numbers guy – always have been. In my early childhood, I dreamed of either being a famous singer or a writer, but my voice changed from an alto to bull frog baritone about the same time as I realized I had no spelling gene. My sisters had it, but to my dismay, I inherited my Grandfather’s inability to spell. To offset my spelling deficiency, Dad enrolled me in all the math courses our school offered. I continued to explore the quantitative sciences through graduate school. Even with an adequate academic background, I find it imp...
I am writing to express my disappointment with Rep. Mark Schoesler’s April 16 editorial. As a leader he should spend less time criticizing Governor Inslee and more time working on bipartisan measures to develop safe and effective guidelines on how to restart Washington’s economy. Other than “faith," he offers no clear suggestions on how employers can keep workers and customers safe. He correctly mentions that early action by state government has protected public health in this pandemic. Thanks to the swift actions of Gov. Inslee and other...
Pet Peeves People who do not keep their dogs in their yards and under control. OkeyDokes The city and friends that gave a littel girl a special 5th birthday drive by. Way to make a special day...
Gov. Jay Inslee had to know a showdown was coming with Eastern Washington. State law allocated him 30 days in which to operate under emergency authority, unless the Legislature convenes and passes a concurrent resolution. That didn't happen. And with his initial stay-home quarantine issued Feb. 29 due to the coronavirus outbreak, many east of the Cascades have been anxiously awaiting the governor's nod to return to work, to recreate and to shop. Without even a cautious nod, the tension has been...
Jerry Jones was a good guy and we will miss him so much. I really appreciate all the work he did for the Colfax Gazette. He did a lot of walking and did a good job taking pictures. He would come up to Rosalia for Battle Days, sports and other event to take pictures and cover the news. I really appreciate Jerry and all the people who worked with him; they did a good job. Jerry, we are going to miss you so much. Mike Day, Rosalia...
