Serving Lincoln County for more than a century!
Serving Lincoln County for more than a century!
Sorted by date Results 470 - 494 of 1893
Joy at last Listening to the news every day is a downer for the most part. All the bad events that are happening in the nation and the world line up on your radio or television stations, and online feeds. What a breath of fresh air to hear Cory Booker’s impassioned speech at the U.S. Senate confirmation hearings of Judge Ketanji Brown Jackson on Wednesday, March 23, 2022. Instead of angry rhetoric that has been the usual discourse, here was a delightful description of the progress people have made in the country to right t...
There is an old saying: Don’t let the “perfect” be the “enemy” of the good! That is important to remember as we work our way out of the energy crisis exacerbated by Russia’s invasion of Ukraine. While the Russians are razing the country and killing thousands of innocent people, many world leaders are slapping Moscow with heavy economic sanctions. Embargoing Russian oil and natural gas are examples. With the prohibition of Russian oil imports, there is a crude shortage in...
About six weeks ago, I had a “cardiac episode.” As I laid in the emergency room, thinking about my to-do list and wondering what I could do for the people who were contacting me regularly asking for help with policies in Olympia that threatened their farms or ranches, the irony of my “heart problem” was entirely lost on me. I have not worked in public policy for very long, but I have been a farmer my entire life. Even when I’ve held other jobs or lived elsewhere, when I came h...
When is enough, enough? In the United States, a law is presumed to be constitutional until proven otherwise in court. This process can take years, and a lot of money, to wade through the legal system and end up at the Supreme Court. As the challenge proceeds, we are still obligated to obey the law. We are a nation of laws. When a politician doesn't like something, they seek to make a law prohibiting you from possessing or doing whatever it is that they don't like. Even if it...
Sorry to break the news, Washingtonians, but year three of living under emergency orders by the governor will continue just as the last two years have – without meaningful legislative oversight. The House yesterday officially killed SB 5909. Though that bill as passed by the Senate was essentially fake reform, several amendments were introduced for the House floor debate to bring the policy back in line with what exists in the rest of the country by requiring affirmative l...
“Bye Bye Russ.” That was the text buzzing through my phone from a friend that alerted me to the unthinkable news Seattle Seahawks fans have been secretly dreading but fighting off with feigned thoughts of “that would never happen;” star quarterback Russell Wilson had been traded to the Denver Broncos for three players and five draft picks. My heart sank as I knew the end of an era that had been dying a slow death had finally arrived. My teenage and young adult years were sp...
Presidential ineptitude What I don’t understand, and I don’t think anyone else does, is why we are still buying oil from Putin, so he can take that money and fund his bloodthirsty war on Ukraine and kill innocent people. I really don’t know anyone who would knowingly do this, but Joe Biden and Nancy Pelosi are doing it! Supposedly Putin and Russia are our enemy. Buying oil from Russia, giving them money to carry on a horrific war against Ukraine, killing men, women and children, is the last thing we should be doing. When Dona...
When St. Patrick’s Day rolls around March 17, the Irish have lots to celebrate. Ireland is still clean and green. Now, it is spending $15 million to bring visitors back. Irish tourism officials are targeting 35 million people living in the U.S. with Irish heritage. They are key to generating $3 billion in pre-coronavirus yearly revenue. Ireland is an island nation roughly one-third the size of Washington state with 5 million people. It is no longer an agrarian country. T...
“Wear masks!” “Social distance!” “Wash hands!” “Do not gather!” “Don’t be a danger!” “Quarantine!” “Vaccinate, vaccinate, vaccinate!” “Follow the science!” “Listen; do not speak!” “Stay in your lane!” “No room for rebels!” That was the narrative in the beginning. It was void and without form. But the narrative grew – and quickly. While it still had little form and virtually no substance, somewhere in its early growth, the narrative developed its own self-perpetuating energy supply called “agenda.” Later, adherents to the...
Washington Sen. Patty Murray and Gov. Jay Inslee announced in October, they’ll listen to diverse viewpoints with open minds to recover salmon and potentially breach the four Lower Snake River dams. Their focus on restoring Snake River salmon and steelhead runs is too limited. It needs to be expanded to cover the entire Snake River drainage. Currently, the four lower dams---all in Washington---are targeted to determine if they should be torn down to improve ocean-going fish r...
At a recent press conference, Gov. Jay Inslee was asked several questions about the state’s nursing shortage, a problem that existed long before the COVID-19 era. Reporters were stabbing around at various solutions being proposed in the Legislature. Should we regulate hospital working arrangements? Should we limit what contract nurses are paid? How does the government protect nurses from burnout? Gov. Inslee summed up the concerns well: “The best solution is to produce mor...
Having served as a public school superintendent for 20 years, I wanted to offer some thoughts regarding the recent guest column that ran in the Times titled. "Despite what they say, public schools have plenty of funding." I am a strong supporter of our public schools and I am blessed to have worked almost 40 years in our state first as a teacher and coach, then as a principal and finally as a superintendent Despite what the writer of the guest column wrote, public schools in...
Early one very cold morning, a knock at the door revealed a couple who were enroute to Canada. The lady was holding a small, quivering, bleeding puppy they found on the Waukon Road who needed medical attention. Seeing a coyote in the area, the couple decided to find help, for which my family was only too happy to do. After the fluffy puppy, later identified as Scotia, was wrapped in warm blankets and given a drink, its shivering stopped. His photo was promptly put on the Lincoln County Washington Lost & Found Pet Network...
You may have heard rumors that local funding for these programs could be in jeopardy. That was true on several fronts, but those issues were resolved before the holidays. The County has had an Interagency Agreement with WSU for many years whereby the County provides both direct funding support through tax dollars and in-kind support from the use of a County building, in exchange for Extension and 4-H programming and services. Last fall, WSU notified the County that they were...
Palouse Falls has long been one of my favorite places to hike. Over the years, I’ve hiked the mile or so trek to the top of the main falls on numerous occasions. I’ve hiked it by myself, with friends and even my daughter when she was very young. I’ve meandered along the Palouse River to the upper falls and descended the basalt rim to the pool at the base of the falls about 189 feet below. For those of us who grew up in Eastern Washington, hiking Palouse Falls trails has long...
Last year, Gov. Jay Inslee attempted an end run around the legislature by banning natural gas in new homes and commercial buildings via the state’s building codes. It was a bad idea. Now, some fellow Democrats who control the legislature are working on legislation trying to do the same—also a bad idea. Inslee’s proposed regulations forbid the use of fossil fuels for heating and hot water in new structures. Prohibiting natural gas is expensive for home and building owner...
First and foremost, Happy New Year to everyone. The year 2021 saw a lot of changes at OMHC, from personnel to a new computer system to figuring out how to spend the CARES funding. It is my belief that 2022 will be somewhat smoother, but you have to throw the word COVID into the mix as a wild card. Personnel saw the hiring of a new CEO, John Serle, and at the same time Kim Dalrymple took over the CFO duties. Also, later this past fall, Jace Angelly was hired as the clinic director. At the same time, we lost several long-time...
In an emergency, governors need broad powers to act fast. Legislative bodies inevitably take longer to assemble and act than a single executive, so they temporarily delegate their power to the executive in emergencies. But these powers are supposed to be transferred for a limited period of time. For example, in Wisconsin a state of emergency cannot exceed 60 days unless it is extended by a joint resolution of the legislature, and in Minnesota, a governor must call a special...
As we conclude National School Choice Week 2022, people around Washington state are about to hear a familiar refrain: Public schools need more money. Official reports, however, show that isn’t true. In a world of online misinformation and fact-checking, it’s more important than ever for the public to get an accurate picture. Official figures show public schools in Washington state now receive record levels of funding, even as the system has fewer students. Citations to the...
We are only a couple of weeks into 2022 and it is already shaping up to be another challenging year for America’s 5.5 million family businesses dealing with the coronavirus pandemic. Rampant inflation, supply chain bottlenecks, and acute worker shortages continue. Family businesses are vital to America. According to the Conway Center for Family Business, they account for two-thirds of our nation’s GDP, just over 60 percent of U.S. jobs, and 78 percent of all new jobs cre...
How much worse do schools have to get before parents and public officials take a stand? It’s the question many are asking following the release of Washington state’s latest round of poor K-12 public school test scores. The testing – called the Smarter Balanced Assessment – was completed last fall. The findings are heartbreaking. The number of students failing state standards in math is now 70 percent. Across ethnic categories, the learning declines were significant. The num...
For the past 20 months as the 92nd Air Refueling Wing commander, I’ve had the distinct privilege of working for and serving the Airmen of Fairchild Air Force Base. These men and women have set a very high standard for superior performance across Air Mobility Command and understand the huge responsibility that comes with being our Air Force’s only “Super Tanker Wing.” Over the past few months, we’ve balanced our day-to-day operations with the additional demands of preparing for...
Walk the Talk 1991. South Georgia. A thirteen-year-old white boy goes to a Black girl about his age crying in the grocery store. They talk for a few minutes. Her crying ends. They talk a bit more. He rejoins his family. Her head high, no tears, she leaves. 1964. Oslo, Norway. A Black American speaks to the gathered crowd. He tells people, “All life is interrelated, and all men are interdependent…” And he adds, “We are inevitably our brothers’ keeper…” Circa 1940. India. An Indian lawyer notes the “best way to find yourself i...
The first order of business when Washington state’s Legislature convenes in Olympia is replacing the state’s new long-term care law. It is fatally flawed. Gov. Jay Inslee and Democrats who control the state legislature wisely postponed implementing the sweeping “Long-Term Services and Supports Trust Program,” but it is beyond repair. It is time to find a better alternative. The new law, also known as the Washington Cares Act, is a mandatory, public, state-run long-te...
My first session was way back in 1993, and as a freshman state representative, I was very humbled and excited about being elected to serve the people of the 9th District in the House. Now, almost 30 years later, I’m still humbled and excited to serve you and other 9th District residents, even if I’m now considered to be a Senate veteran. This year’s legislative session started Monday and is scheduled (by our state constitution) to last 60 days, finishing on March 10. This...
