Serving Lincoln County for more than a century!
Serving Lincoln County for more than a century!
Sorted by date Results 1641 - 1665 of 1862
I recently had the opportunity to visit Fairchild Air Force Base again, home to more than 4,000 active duty servicemembers and their families, National Guard, Reserve and civilians, and the largest employer in Eastern Washington. Fairchild, located 10 miles southwest of Spokane, houses the 92nd and 141st Air Refueling Wings, which are responsible for supporting global military operations through air refueling, passenger and cargo airlift, and aero-medical evacuation....
Byron Behne watches the grain markets for the Odessa Union Warehouse. 2/15/12: White wheat continued to maintain its strength in the face of weaker Chicago wheat futures. Strong export feed demand remains the main driver. Egypt is in overnight for an all-comers tender. The tender over the weekend went all to the U.S., so we’ll see how this one turns out. 2/16/12: Egypt bought U.S. wheat for the second time in a week, as no other origins managed to book the business. Once again, there were no offers from Russia or the U...
I suspect that I’m not the only person who hides secrets from the past right where they belong – in the past. My secrets range from slightly embarrassing (no, I’m not going to tell you) to humiliating (still not going to tell you) all the way to downright shameful (absolutely not!) I’ve discovered, though, that secrets just don’t want to stay where I put them. Even though I’m still not going to tell you, they bubble to the surface of my consciousness on a fairly regular bas...
My household has no less than three nightlights that give good service to me and mine. Perhaps you have a nightlight or two yourself. And beyond those useful little devices, of course, there are the regular lights that a person may switch on in the middle of a windless night. Those basic facts highlight the idea that we all have need for electrical power in the grid at times that solar and wind can't help us. The kind of electricity we need at all times is what utilities call...
There is finally a bit of good news from Olympia. The state’s Revenue Forecast Council reports that tax revenues for this biennium will be $96 million higher than projected last November, and state tax collections for 2013-15 are projected to grow by 6.6 percent. But we shouldn’t get too excited. Even with this additional revenue and the cuts the Legislature made in December’s special session, lawmakers still need to make up about a $1 billion deficit to balance the budge...
Dean James Iltz died February 7, 2012, at the age of 69. He was born May 21, 1942 at Ritzville to George and Katie (Kissler) Iltz. He was raised on the Graedel place outside Odessa and graduated in 1960 from Odessa High School. After graduating, he worked various odd jobs including at the local IGA Grocery Store in Ritzville and the Ritz Theatre, where he ran the movie reels. Later he worked at the gas company in Ritzville known as Columbia Gas. He entered the U.S. Army in...
We live in a state named for George Washington. As we celebrate his birthday on February 22, George Washington’s history seems far removed from us. But is it? George Washington was one of Augustine Washington’s nine children. George had a brother named John (1736-1787) whose great-g-g-g-grandson was Bushrod Corbin Washington (1839-1909). Bushrod and his wife Emma lived in West Virgina until 1900. Bushrod was a grain dealer. They moved to Lincoln County in Washington state around 1910 near the town of Almira. They came wit...
In response to the bashing of Mr. Obama (President Obama) in last week’s Record, the writer forgot to bash him even more. Taken from Heritage Foundation news publications and broadcast by Fox News Network: 1) He was not born in the U.S.; 2) He is of the Islamic faith; 3) He is a Socialist; no he’s not, he is a Nazi and a liar and guess what! He’s black! Sincerely, a citizen born right here in Odessa. Wally Weishaar Odessa P.S. – To whom it may concern: Show me your birth certificate and I will show you mine....
It’s February, just in case you hadn’t noticed. For a short month, February has a lot of activity crammed into the calendar. Groundhog Day, my birthday, the Super Bowl, Boy Scout Day, Valentine’s Day, Abraham Lincoln’s birthday, George Washington’s birthday and that melding of both, Presidents’ Day. February also has the honor of being American Heart Month, Black History Month, National Children’s Dental Health Month and National Pet Dental Health Month (!). Not to mention Che...
As Congress continues to struggle with our nation’s massive $15 trillion debt, another looming crisis has slipped off the radar screen: Social Security. Social Security is running almost $50 billion in the red each year, deficits that are being covered by reserves in the General Fund. But because the number of people getting benefits is outpacing the number of people footing the bill, the program will be insolvent in 20 years. Social Security started in 1935 as a sort of w...
Byron Behne watches the grain markets for the Odessa Union Warehouse. 2/10/12: Chicago futures closed down 16 cents Friday, however white wheat again faired very well in the face of that pressure. Since Thursday’s report, wheat futures have lost 30 cents and corn futures are down a dime. White wheat prices have followed corn prices much more closely, which isn’t surprising, since much of the export business done recently has been feed. The only significantly bearish item on the supply-and-demand report was that world wheat en...
Greetings from the Courthouse! Well, it’s been one year and I’m still loving my new job! I just wanted to give a quick update on the things that have been going on around Lincoln County. I’ve now had the opportunity to experience one complete cycle of county government and the associated budgets. Speaking of which, Lincoln County is currently in pretty good financial shape. I have to give credit to the Board of Commissioners previous to my term who made the necessary adjus...
President Obama recently said, “In January, American businesses added another 257,000 jobs,” and that the economy was on a roll. That is great news, but he forgot to tell you that in December and January alone there were more than 2.5 million fewer people working. This is from the Bureau of Labor Statistics’ own table published Feb. 2, 2012. Mr. Obama, if the economy is getting better, then why did new home sales in the United States hit a brand new all-time record low during 2011? If the economy is getting better, then...
After hearing the news Sunday of the Powell boys of western Washington who lost their lives through the actions of their father, not to mention their still-missing mother, I needed to express how grateful our family is to be on the receiving end of very caring, protecting local police. If not for the actions of Marshall Mike Wren and Officer Bryce Peterson, we could be a similar story. The day after harvest, July 2008, we received a frantic call from our daughter Korianne, at the time in Spokane, to come move her and her infa...
It does seem like there’s something magical about artesian wells. Digging down to a level in the Earth from which water then spurts unaided is like a dream come true for some. And, after all, why pay the electric company for power to run a pump if Mother Nature will do all the work herself? From times immemorial people have thought that water gushing from artesian wells must have different medicinal or even spiritual properties from plain ol’ water in a creek or a typical wel...
Byron Behne watches the grain markets for the Odessa Union Warehouse. 2/3/12: Wheat futures fell Friday after Russia’s announcement that there would be no curbs on exports and raised their export projection to 27 million metric tons. That seemed like it should have done some pretty severe damage to wheat prices, however Chicago futures were only off 2 cents on the day. There’s another USDA supply and demand report out next Thursday to contend with. There should be some cuts to South American crop production; the question is,...
Saturday was my birthday. I’ve officially reached the point where I no longer wish to acknowledge birthdays, but am forced to by friends and family. Thank you very much. I’ve been trying to convince myself that I’m still middle-aged, but I’ll have to live to 116 for that to be true. And to be honest, I don’t want to go there. So now I’m just trying to convince myself that over the hill means I’m on the sunny side of the slope. Not the slippery side. Birthdays are not just...
Rep. Joel Kretz and Rep. Shelly Short are inviting constituents in the 7th Legislative District to participate in a telephone town hall meeting Thursday, Feb. 9. The community conversation begins at 6:30 p.m. and will last one hour. To participate, call the toll-free number (1-877-229-8493) and enter code 15429 when prompted. The Representatives will listen to residents, answer questions and discuss a variety of topics related to the 2012 session. Once on the line, participants may select star 3 on their telephone keypads to...
Nothing about Earth history is static or unchanging. That’s particularly true of climate, and thereon hangs more than one interesting tale including recent news of a scientific advance in understanding how past climate has changed. It wasn’t too long ago by my standards – about the 1830s – that naturalists started to seriously think the globe has undergone revolutions in climate. The evidence for that came from Europe, where glacially polished and transported rocks dot the...
I’m going to change my name to “Turnip,” as in “you can’t get blood from a turnip.” Last week I actually remembered that there was an opportunity to give blood here in Odessa. I was a regular donor when I lived in Portland, and was one unit short of 10 gallons at the time I moved here. Then I took a break. I was dimly aware that the mobile donation van came to Odessa, but didn’t really think about donating here. The break lasted several years. In fact, I didn’t get ba...
As I was meeting with Town Marshal Mike Wren early Tuesday afternoon to review the week’s incident reports, a residential burglary was taking place on North Division Street. In broad daylight. At least two and possibly three people in a small gray extended-cab pickup pulled up to a residence. A neighbor saw two people removing items from the house. He didn’t call 9-1-1. He didn’t get a license number. He didn’t get a close enough look at the vehicle to provide make or model....
This is to anyone that has ever dropped a dog or a cat off on a country road or is thinking of doing it assuming a farmer will care for or find a home for your unwanted pet!! What makes you think it is easier for a farmer to find a home for your pet versus you? It is a form of animal cruelty in my eyes! Just this week we find yet another unwanted dog on our property and we are going to have to find it a home. We already have two rescue dogs (we just lost our third rescue this last week to cancer) and it takes a lot of work...
As Congress and state legislatures struggle with the sluggish economy, high unemployment and growing deficits, it may seem that a solution is out of reach. That’s not the case. In fact, you and I can make a real difference with the choices we make every day. The realization that consumers control the marketplace is fueling a burgeoning movement to “Buy American.” When consumers choose American-manufactured products, they support American jobs — the more products purchas...
If you are tired of squabbling with your growing youngsters about getting buckled into their booster seats, be glad you don’t live in California, where new 2012 laws have extended the height and weight limits to keep children in their booster seats longer. The new California Booster Seat Law, effective January 1, 2012, prohibits parents, guardians or drivers from transporting on a highway in a motor vehicle any child under 8 years old and at least 4'9" in height without securi...
Byron Behne watches the grain markets for the Odessa Union Warehouse. 1/18/12: Grain futures fell on Wednesday as some of the driest areas of Argentina look like they’ll get a drink in the coming days. This is most definitely a weather market, however white wheat has been able to hold up pretty well in the face of a sinking futures market. Portland prices are now about 30 cents per bushel higher than Chicago March futures, which hasn’t happened in quite awhile. Strong feed wheat demand combined with a second tender in a wee...
