Serving Lincoln County for more than a century!
Serving Lincoln County for more than a century!
Sorted by date Results 1053 - 1077 of 1891
To the Editor: Following the lead of Mercedes Schneider, I suggest the following approach be used for the new Elementary and Secondary Education Act as well as for education reform in this state: We can just rank states and schools therein by the parents’ income. We already know that the higher the parents’ income, the higher the student’s standardized test scores. We’ve known this for decades. Problem solved. Again, no need for SBAC or PARCC tests, no loss of teacher jobs, no loss of state funds for massive testing costs, no...
Dear Dr. Universe: Where does dirt come from? - Brian, student from Pullman, Wash. In just a word, the story of soil goes something like this: “CLORPT!” It’s fun to say, and it helps explain how tough rock turns into the soft soil farmers need to grow food and feed the world. Jim Harsh is a scientist at Washington State University and an expert on soil. He said a soil scientist, Hans Jenny, came up with five actors in the soil story: CLimate, Organisms, Relief, Parent material, and Time. The texture, smell, and color of so...
Dear Dr. Universe: What if gravity pulled up, instead of down? Kyle, student from Cedar Lake, Ind. Our universe would look so different, Kyle. You might not recognize it even if you could be here to see it. Unfortunately, there probably wouldn’t be a whole lot to see. I learned about this from Washington State University professor and physicist Matthew McCluskey, who studies the material world. He explained how gravity pulls together dust, gas, and little particles floating around space to make massive clumps of matter t...
Saint Patrick’s Day brings corned beef to meat counters. Fresh cured corned beef is not hard to prepare but it takes time, and careful attention to temperature. Following the package instructions will produce a satisfactory main course. Including carrots, potatoes and cabbage during the last hour or so of the recommended cooking time produces a complete meal. All you need is some crusty bread to soak up the savory juices. Canned corned beef is a convenient alternative when y...
Dear Editors, Thanks for your interest in publishing Ask Dr. Universe, a weekly science column for kids from Washington State University’s resident cat-scientist. Dr. Universe looks forward to answering questions from your curious readers. Thank you, Rachel Webber Ask Dr. Universe rcwebber@wsu.edu Dear Dr. Universe, Do children’s brains work better in the morning or in the afternoon? Grace Spring, Texas Dear Grace, Hang on tight because the human brain keeps you on a 24-hour roller coaster. Every day the human body pro...
Most people are aware that drinking water is essential to life here on earth, and that doctors recommend an ideal eight glasses of water a day. What is not often brought to mind is whether it matters if the water is hot or cold. According to Tegan Jones in the article published at lifehack.com, there are many health benefits that are exclusive to drinking warm or hot water that cannot be obtained from drinking cold water alone. 1. Weight loss – hot water helps to maintain a healthy metabolism and helps aid in breaking down a...
Paris – a lot of you know my husband, Gerald, and I went to Paris in December of last year. It was amazing, far beyond all our expectations. If not of Paris, at least of the Viking Cruise. We flew over on Lufthansa Airlines. Funny story – I switched us from Air France to Lufthansa with the Viking Cruise airline specialist only to have Lufthansa go on a one day strike two days before we left affecting over 30,000 flyers. No, no, no ! There were no flight issues for us and we arrived on time in Paris. After being picked up by t...
Splenda Peach Pie was the name on the label, and the search is on for the recipe for this pie. Originally, it was thought the pie was purchased at the Hospital Foundation Auction and Wine Tasting last spring, but no record of that donation was found. Therefore, it must have been a donation at either the Deutschesfest Museum German Bake Sale or the Christmas Fest Pie Sale. If you donated a Splenda Peach Pie to either one of these events, please share your recipe. You will make...
To the Editor: Alberto and Lyndsay Reyes are now the new full owners of The Fitness Place, LLC. Congratulate them when you see them! My decision to resign and sell my share of the gym was finalized after long and careful consideration of all the factors. I feel the change will be beneficial to my long term career goals and objectives. I am proud to have been a part of this business again and to have been partners with the Reyeses. I am confident that this business will continue to thrive with their ideas and ambition. I...
To the Editor, Years ago, about 15 classroom teachers, stakeholders and I were members of a state Collection of Evidence committee recommending a cut score for students’ writing. Collection of Evidence is the alternative portfolio “testing” for those who failed the state’s 10th-grade test [then WASL, now HSPE]. The WASL writing cut score was 17. We finally realized that a higher cut score would discriminate against students who spoke a different language, came from a culture with different expectations about “perfor...
Recently wheat markets have been trying to find a bottom along with the rest of the grain markets. The driving force behind the sell-off that began in December has been the rally in the U.S. Dollar which recently reached 11 year highs. Instability around the world and steady economic growth in the U.S. have combined to once again make the Dollar the standard for the rest of the world. As a result, commodities in general and grains in particular have felt the negative effects of a stronger U.S. Dollar. Investors continue to...
To the Editor: For ten years now I have written columns about science and engineering topics as “The Rock Doc.” It’s been a good ride. I’ve heard from some of your readers interested in what I’ve written about. And I’ve heard from others who have been deeply angry about what I wrote concerning evolution or the benefits of vaccinations. As it happens, my health is poor and I am taking disability retirement from Washington State University. As least for the foreseeable future, I will be on sabbatical from producing Rock Doc co...
Editor’s note: Continuing a series of stories and articles written by the late Pastor Tom Goetz, with the support of his wife Jeanne Goetz of Odessa. Jeanne Goetz is working to get the items published in book form, but for right now, interested readers can read his work in the series of articles that continue in this issue of The Record. By TOM GOETZ No one can live entirely without encouragement. It’s as necessary to our total well-being as any other source of nourishment. It gives us strength during difficult times, com...
I was raised in the Baptist church. As a grade school child, I memorized the books of the Bible. Maybe because of that personal history, when I started to study geology I didn’t resist memorizing the many pieces of the geologic time scale. The next to the last piece of geologic time is the Pleistocene Epoch (known informally by many as the Ice Age). It is followed by the Holocene Epoch (the warm time we are living in now.) The Holocene Epoch has seen the rise of human c...
We missed National Cookie Day, December 4, so I am declaring February 21, Odessa Cookie Day. Make some cookies and share with your neighbors, a community- wide cookie swap. Here are some recipes to get you started. Gwen Clavel shared two cookie recipes I requested, but she had to wait until December to share. She gave cookies to me as part of Quilt Club Secret Sewing Pals. Very Good Oatmeal Cookies need no further introduction. Very Good Oatmeal Cookies 1 1/2 cups butter or...
stories and articles written by the late Pastor Tom Goetz, with the support of his wife Jeanne Goetz of Odessa. Jeanne Goetz is working to get the items published in book form, but for right now, interested readers can read his work in the series of articles that continue in this issue of The Record. Successful fathers know their ABCs. This isn’t meant to imply that being a father is simple because that isn’t true. It does mean however that a successful father deals with the basics of life again and again. The following lis...
During the winter I like to feed the birds. I have a very simple arrangement for this: pouring a mix of seeds on a flat railing outside my dining room window. I regularly attract several species of small birds to the seed. Buster Brown, my mutt from the pound, has a role to play in the bird feeding. It’s his job to make the squirrels wary of coming up to the railing and stealing the seed. Buster has a dog-door, so he always has access to the area in question, and although h...
New Year’s resolutions are being put to the harshest of tests. Gone are the days of early January when all things seemed so easily possible. Now we are in the tougher phase of the year when the will to establish new patterns is being sorely tested by the tug of old habits. One of the most popular resolutions Americans make, year after year, is to lose weight. Earlier studies have shown a correlation between being overweight and having a specific variant of the gene called F...
Slow-cookers make weekend meal preparation a cinch. Whether you’re feeding starving teenage athletes, providing a meal after church or filling a buffet table for the big game day, there is a recipe suitable for slow cooking. Patricia Hrabs Potato Soup is a savory and tangy blend of flavors, sure to please a hungry crowd. I found this recipe in the Colville Lutheran Church newsletter a number of years ago and have adapted it to slow-cookery. Patricia Hrab’s Potato Soup 5-6 med...
Editor’s note: Continuing a series of stories and articles written by the late Pastor Tom Goetz, with the support of his wife Jeanne Goetz of Odessa. Jeanne Goetz is working to get the items published in book form, but for right now, interested readers can read his work in the series of articles that continue in this issue of The Record. The “Least of these” is a term used by Jesus to describe people who are normally considered unfortunate and deprived. The naked. The hungry. The outcast. They are the ones to whom we give,...
As you watch the falling snow, do you marvel at the beauty of the scene or immediately dread driving to work on icy pavement? Most of our nation’s roads get at least some snow most years, and that means clearing snow and ice from pavement is big business. For highways alone, agencies in the U.S. spend $2.3 billion each season trying to remove snow and ice. And billions more are spent by local governments battling Mother Nature on city streets and county roads. A traditional w...
My scientific training tells me that the days are getting a little bit longer now. And I do believe that. But my spirits say it remains dark awfully long into the morning and the sun surely sets early in the afternoon. Even if you aren’t affected emotionally by the short days of winter, could they affect your health? That depends on whether low levels of vitamin D in the body are bad for you. One way we get vitamin D is by manufacturing it in our bodies when sunlight strikes our skin. In the winter, not only are the days s...
In 1967, Reverend Martin Luther King, Jr. proposed his vision for America in his book Where Do We Go from Here: Chaos or Community? He challenged those in political and religious power to eliminate poverty once and for all. That gauntlet has yet to be picked up by any American leader. Dr. King held firmly to the belief that freedom is founded on the religious principle that every life – rich and poor, white and Black, Republican and Democrat – is a reflection of God in us. He further asserted that “every act of injus...
Bleak January weather invites warm savory cooking, and the season of Bowl Games calls for flavorful menus. Canned or frozen pumpkin forms the base for this week’s menu. Pumpkin can thicken a soup or add creamy texture to desserts and bread. Johnsonville French Toast Bake is a great way to start out a game day brunch or buffet meal. A fruit salad makes a colorful refreshing side for this dish. Johnsonville French Toast Bake 1 package (12 ounces) Johnsonville Brown Sugar and Honey Breakfast Links 12 eggs 1 can (30 ounces) p...
Recently I had the pleasure of going to the wedding celebration of my assistant at work, whom I count as a good friend, and her new husband. Theirs is an international marriage; the bride was born and raised in this country, the groom born and raised in China. The wedding celebration had elements of traditions from both the U.S. and China; the bride wore red, as is the custom in China, and the marriage was celebrated with a ring, as is the custom here. Engagement and wedding...
