Serving Lincoln County for more than a century!
Serving Lincoln County for more than a century!
Sorted by date Results 101 - 125 of 1672
Like most Americans, I enjoy watching – and lighting – fireworks on Independence Day. America’s “birthday” should stand out among all national holidays. And the colorful, aerial explosions showcase the freedom and independence for which the U.S. stands. But why then do only tribes have the ability to sell and use the “good” fireworks – you know: firecrackers, bottle rockets, Roman candles, mortars and more. There’s nothing magical about the imaginary line on a map suggesting...
A short three years ago, motorists in Eastern Washington could buy regular unleaded gasoline for as little as $1.97 per gallon in several areas – George, Pasco, Quincy, to name a few. Diesel didn’t cost much more. Farmers could afford to fill their fuel tanks and shipping companies could keep their trucks moving at a reasonable price. And you and I could afford to drive personal vehicles – a necessity when you live and work in Eastern Washington. As a result, rural resid...
I had the great privilege of completing a summer internship in the now historic Hull-House in Chicago in the early 1960’s, more than 50 years ago. During that time, the Hull House was gradually closing, as the neighborhood it served had moved. I was astonished to learn that in “the olden days” (think 1920’s) the settlement house served immigrant families whose children worked in factories, and often did not attend school. Frequently, little children were tied to furniture all day, while their parents worked. We have come a...
The myths surrounding algal poisoning I was thinking that with summer upon us its probably a good time to talk about water quality. Water is the most important nutrient we provide for our animals (and humans; we won’t last long without water). Water gives life to animals and plants, but under certain conditions can be the bearer of some not so wholesome constituents that we should be concerned about (for example vectors of disease like biting midges (Culicoides gnats; n...
In 1922, the Columbia Basin Irrigation League was formed. Just a year later, Congress passed a bill allowing an investigation of the irrigation project with appropriations of $100,000. This was the very beginning of the process that led to construction of the Grand Coulee Dam, the largest dam in the world at the time, to help provide irrigation to the Columbia Basin, and power to the Pacific Northwest and beyond. It was also the beginning of one of the largest irrigation...
China’s growing dominance of critical metals production and stockpiles is setting off global alarms. It has American manufacturers in a bind as they ramp up domestic electric vehicle (EV) battery production. Ores containing these elements are in deposits across our planet; however, the technology to process them is largely in China. As the China Communist Party (CCP) under Xi Jinping exerts its leverage, America and its allies are facing global economic and military c...
From cars to bigfoot to high-speed sprint boats, you don’t have to look very far to find something to do this weekend. But dad won’t care if you take him somewhere or just spend time with him. For dad, Father’s Day isn’t about spending money, it’s about time – time to connect, reflect and enjoy each other’s company. Dads spend a lifetime taking care of the needs of their children. Through their children’s formative years into college, fathers bring structure, discipline, log...
Sometimes, to better inform the future, we need to learn from the past. And a newspaper tends to be a rural county’s historical record, so turning to the newspaper for that past is a logical step. Plus, we received many requests to bring back our “Looking Back” section, and the Lincoln County Historical Society recently reached out with several interested writers hoping to contribute historical articles covering our area. So, this summer and starting this issue, we’ll have a...
When Oregon enacted the nation’s first bottle bill in 1971, it was intended to reduce litter on the state’s beaches, along roads, and in parks. It was a cleanup, not a recycling program. Today, the focus is recycling empty beer, pop, juice, and water containers and it is working very well in large part because it pays people to recycle. Collect the “empties” and earn a dime for each plastic bottle or aluminum can. It adds up and often is enough money to supplement purchas...
Relying on increased wind and solar is likely to increase electricity costs for residents in Washington and Idaho, and make electricity less reliable. Advocates of wind and solar frequently point to is the claim that the fuel is “free.” That claim ignores the extremely high up-front cost of those energy sources. To account for that, energy analysts create a “levelized cost of energy” to compare between energy that has low costs up-front but has ongoing costs for the fuel ...
The deal reached between President Biden and House Speaker Kevin McCarthy to increase our nation’s debt limit was a welcome compromise. It appears to avert our nation’s defaulting on our financial responsibilities and is a step toward bringing government spending under control. However, it is just a start; and the hurdles ahead are much higher. While the federal government operates differently than a family or business, people are starting to realize that if our nation def...
In a victory for private property owners, the U.S. Supreme Court rejected the “significant nexus” test in its Sackett v EPA ruling. The ruling changes how “waters of the United States” can be applied by leaving wetlands that are not directly flowing into “rivers, lakes, and other bodies of water that flow across or form a part of State boundaries” out of consideration as WOTUS. The “significant nexus” test was established in Rapanos v United States. The “significant ne...
Have you ever swum in Sewer Lake? Ya, me neither. But I've always heard of the most talked about event that the Reardan Mule Days Association has ever put on, and that has to be the homemade Raft Races on Sewer Lake in the 70's. The event, which is the first weekend of June every year, is epic and legendary around here. Every year as Mule Days gets closer, you still hear locals talk about it. Sewer Lake was also the site of Snowmobile Races during Mule Days, which is always...
Although New Zealand and Washington are located a half-a-world apart, they have lots in common---beautiful seashores, majestic mountains, crystal clear streams and lakes, and vibrant salmon and trout fisheries. Both are struggling to rid their air sheds of CO2 and other greenhouse gases coming from the burning of carbon fuels (coal, natural gas, gasoline, and diesel) in vehicles, home heating and electric-power generation. New Zealand and Washington share a common goal to be c...
Is media lying about Ukraine? The news is we are going to start training the Ukrainians on F16’s yet in the news it is reported that the Ukrainians have mastered the F16 in 4 months. Years ago I was going to the Nevada Nuclear test site during star wars research. I became acquainted with one of the researchers, a former intelligence officer and we had a conversation about the Iran/ Iraq war and how it was going. I learned then not to trust anything the government tells us . I was young and stupid then, what’s the med...
In my first nearly three years working for The Record-Times, I rushed to a local, quiet, rural school exactly zero times to cover breaking news of threats, violence and other issues plaguing other schools and communities around the country. But in the past month, it’s happened on two different Wednesdays; once in April for a bomb threat emailed to Davenport superintendent Chad Prewitt and dozens of other supers around the state, and once last week for a so-called ...
Washington state Gov. Jay Inslee is busy signing bills. I think he should start putting his John Hancock on apology letters to former state workers who were terminated because of his vaccine mandate. I doubt he will. In a press release about the move, the Inslee administration says that the end of the employment requirement “aligns with the end of the federal public health emergency and the lifting of vaccination requirements for federal employees and contractors on May 11. La...
With everybody’s property taxes in Lincoln County due recently, I can imagine we are all in a bit of a shock. We put our house in Davenport up for sale last year and the very next day, a new assessment of the property was mailed. Coincidence? Maybe. No dollar amount was listed, just the new assessed amount. I called and asked for an approximate amount of our new tax bill but was not given an answer. I guess I was supposed to feel better when I was told homes were reassessed only every six years in Davenport. There was an i...
Beef Day is the second-best day of the legislative session, next to the last day. Probably the best news about the 2023 legislative session is that we adjourned on time, although there are grumblings from even the governor that he may call for a special session to deal with flawed drug-possession law problem known as the Blake decision. More about that later. As a state senator representing large parts of eastern Washington and chair of the Senate Republican Caucus, I’m repres...
Some would argue that spring is the most wonderful time of the year in Washington. Throughout our state fruit trees blossom, vibrant tulip fields bloom, and colorful lentils carpeted the fields on the Palouse. It is when photographers and sightseers have a field day. While spring is eye-catching, it is the late summer and fall when our state reaps the benefits of the harvest. It is when crops yield “green” generating cash in markets around the world. While Washington ran...
Intentionally, the Washington State Legislature, Governor Inslee and Attorney General Bob Ferguson, are completely destroying our state. The Democrat controlled legislature has singlehandedly absolved you from having any say over the health of your children as it pertains to gender identity. If your child runs away from home and seeks shelter at a state facility, while seeking gender-transitioning treatment, including puberty blocking drugs that can render a child sterile for...
This session saw some bipartisan successes as lawmakers and citizens were in Olympia together for the first time in nearly three years. That in-person interaction is always key for working relationships and good workable solutions to our state’s problems. The transportation budget and capital budget were both very bipartisan. Republicans were allowed to give input and Democrat budget writers worked to fund projects important to legislators on both sides of the aisle. Sen. Schoesler was the lead negotiator for Senate R...
I was appointed as Lincoln County Commissioner for District 1 on February 1, 2023. I am the first female to serve on the Board of County Commissioners and joins Commissioner Scott Hutsell who has served since 2009 and Commissioner Rob Coffman who has served since 2010. I have been busy engaging with the local citizens she represents and am fully committed to my new role as County Commissioner. My list of committee appointments has grown quickly and some include Lincoln County...
On Earth Day this year, I will be planting two trees in a local park. This is not a political act. And yet, there are many who will see it that way because it occurs on a day politicians and environmental activists – especially on the left – have appropriated for political purposes. By filtering environmental stewardship though the distorting lens of politics, we are losing the ability to enjoy the beautiful creation around us, making it more difficult to take actions tha...
Last week, a parents group filed a complaint against Pathfinder K-8 Public School in Seattle for racial discrimination. The civil rights group filed a complaint on April 11 with the Office for Civil Rights of the U.S. Department of Education against principal Britney Holmes and the Seattle School District for discriminating against white students at the elementary school. The complaint presents evidence that Principal Holmes issued invitations to black and “multi-racial” chi...
