Serving Lincoln County for more than a century!
Serving Lincoln County for more than a century!
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Any battle over tariffs between the United States and Canada, China, and Mexico is worrisome, but if it escalates, it will hit Washington farmers particularly hard. Avoiding that possibility should be a primary goal. Tariffs could trigger new trade wars. The last retaliation in tariffs eight years ago hurt agriculture. "A trade war with economic partners is the last thing our farmers and ranchers need," said Congressman Dan Newhouse (R-WA4), whose family owns and operates an 8...
Crime continues to be a growing problem throughout our state. In fact, Washington ranks in the Top 5 in the overall crime rate among states. Washington ranks among the worst states in several categories, including murders, auto theft and retail theft. A key reason is that we also rank 51st nationally – dead last – for the number of law-enforcement officers per capita. This chronic shortage of officers in our state has created major consequences for public safety, such as reduc...
A foundational element in our Democratic Republic is the idea that everyone has a voice. The voters of a particular area or legislative district elect a person to represent their collective values, principles and priorities. Do voters agree with every decision or vote their elected officials make? Impossible. But through our election process voters choose someone to propose bills and amendments, vote for and against legislation, and advocate for or against other proposals...
In his first month as President, Donald Trump has shaken our federal government to the core. Many argue that his “meat ax” approach to cutting government waste, abuse and spending is as harmful to our country as the current “runaway “spending and borrowing. Regardless, America needs a strong wakeup call. The question is where to go from here. Is there a better way? In short, we need good comprehensive audits of current programs to determine how and where our tax dollars...
Gray wolves are here to stay. Changing how we manage the population will improve relationships between agencies, ranchers and activists. House Bill 1442 proposes a new approach that gives counties in which gray wolves are recovered the flexibility to begin developing localized approaches to depredation response, poaching, impacts to ungulate habitats and more. At last count, there were at least 260 gray wolves in the state in 42 recognized packs. That’s a 20% increase in year-...
Our state Legislature is philosophically divided when it comes to reducing violent crimes and so-called "gun violence." Republicans believe it's possible to do both without undermining Second Amendment rights and the even stronger language in the Washington Constitution – which declares the right to own and bear a firearm "shall not be impaired." When our colleagues across the political aisle fail to win through the court system, they resort to chipping away through legislatio...
When the Legislature's majority Democrats joined Republicans to pass the parental-rights initiative during our 2024 session, did they do so to keep the popular measure from being passed by voters in November, making it possible for them to gut the new law this year over Republican objections? Perhaps. But one thing is certain: Democrats in the state Senate have acted quickly to undermine Initiative 2081 law less than a year later. Senate Bill 5181 was hustled through the Senat...
We are writing this message to publicly give a huge thank you to the staff at Odessa Memorial Healthcare Center for the wonderful and compassionate care for our mother December 13, 2024 through January 7, 2025. We want to acknowledge the Administrator Barbara, Dr. Heath, and Social Services leader Kennedy, and many wonderful nurses (Aimee, Lori, Christine, to name a few, and many others) who were so caring and supporting of mother and our family during her stay there. It is difficult enough to lose someone so dear, but...
During the 1992 presidential campaign, then-candidate Bill Clinton famously intoned, “I feel your pain,” reassuring voters he understood what they were going through. Since then, similar statements of empathy have become a staple for politicians; however, it does not always ring true with every constituent. Take small business owners, for example. Most elected officials have no idea what it is like to risk everything you have or to struggle to meet payroll for your emp...
Spokesman-Review’s February 2 lead article described the deafening silence from congressional Republicans, true of our new US Representative Michael Baumgartner, in their response to Donald Trump’s unprecedented destructive and dangerous executive orders during his first two weeks in office. This silence was especially evident in Baumgartner’s long January 31 Email message, his first to constituents since Trump’s orders commenced. So is Baumgartner closely following in the steps of his predecessor, Cathy McMorris Rodgers...
The Innovia Foundation recently announced the first round of Eastern Washington and Northern Idaho communities selected for the Community Heart and Soul Initiative. Pomeroy was chosen among seven other small towns in our region. Congratulations on being included in this important work! Innovia’s mission for Pomeroy is to empower people to shape the future of their community by improving local decision making, creating a sense of shared belonging, and ultimately s...
I am deeply committed to ensuring that our state’s policies promote both fairness and common sense, especially when it comes to opportunities for youth. It is with these guiding principles in mind that I have introduced Senate Bill 5097, a measure designed to safeguard competitiveness and equity in girls’ interscholastic athletic activities. Girls’ sports have been a cornerstone of public education in our state, offering young women invaluable opportunities to excel, devel...
Those of us who take to heart President Lincoln's words that government is "of the people" appreciate being asked to offer a forecast of an upcoming legislative session. Our constituents and others, such as the news media and business and local-government leaders around the state, deserve to know what we want to accomplish during the 2025 session, which convened Jan. 13. It's also good to offer a heads-up about what may be coming their way – like the plan for tax increases a...
With the beginning of the 2025 legislative session, the reign of Gov. Jay Inslee has come to an end. Many legislators on both sides of the aisle, as well as many of you, are encouraged by this fact. The State of the State speech given by new Gov. Bob Ferguson was even more encouraging. The difference between the two governors could not be more evident than their outgoing and incoming speeches given this week in the Legislature. While Inslee took jabs at Republicans and listed...
As you sit at home watching video footage of the wildfires currently burning in California, it makes you wonder could happen here. Well, yes, it could. As California goes, so goes Washington. Our state politicians and bureaucrats in Olympia have a long history of copying California. Our politicos have gotten so lazy, they’ve even sponsored, supported, pushed and/or passed laws that say if California enacts a policy, Washington state will follow (cap and trade, vehicle e...
The mood heading into Washington state’s 2025 legislative session Jan. 13 was not exactly hopeful. According to the Cascade PBS/Elway poll, a majority of voters feel the state is headed in the wrong direction. Many Democrats and Republicans agree, with more than half of those surveyed saying things are getting worse with high taxes, budget shortfalls and the rising cost of living. Voters want their pocketbooks prioritized. The poll found 66% of respondents preferred cutting g...
Unemployment benefits were implemented under the Social Security Act off 1935 to help workers who become involuntarily employed. The idea was that businesses would be taxed to pay for unemployment benefits for former employees who were fired, laid off or otherwise lose their job due to business closures and other decisions beyond their control. The funds would be paid on a limited basis and for a limited time period while a worker actively searched for a new job. A worker who...
In 2025, big investment money is going to nuclear power to offset the loss of reliable electricity from coal and natural gas-fired power plants. Those plants are closing to curb "greenhouse gas" emissions at a time when demand is skyrocketing. The Pacific Northwest Utilities Conference Committee cites the rapid expansion of data centers as a driver in increased electricity use. Large data centers, an increase in high-tech manufacturing and growing electrification in homes, bui...
As Washingtonians take a welcome year-end break to spend time with family and celebrate Christmas, our state’s political leaders are hard at work drafting the agenda for the upcoming legislative session. The legislature doesn’t meet formally until January 13th, but the governor’s budget proposal, a list of 215 pre-filed bills, and a curious leaked e-mail give us hints of what some lawmakers are planning. Tax collections are up and there is ample revenue to fund gover...
“Just as a leaking faucet results in the loss of water for no gain to the homeowner, concurrent enrollment results in additional costs to taxpayers without a benefit to the people served by Medicaid,” writes Democrat Pat McCarthy, Washington state’s auditor. She wrote it in a summary statement for an October report about wasteful spending in Medicaid that hurts both state and federal taxpayers. In an October report, “Examining Washington’s Concurrent Medicaid Enrollmen...
When Jay Inslee first successfully ran for governor in 2012, he told Washington voters – and here’s the quote – he “would veto anything that heads the wrong direction, and the wrong direction is new taxes in the state of Washington.” Once Inslee took office, his pledge to not raise taxes was quickly broken. In fact, our outgoing guv has routinely called for tax hikes of one type or another. For years, I’ve said Inslee “never met a tax increase he didn’t like.” Now, wit...
In the aftermath of the catastrophic fire which gutted Paris’ Cathedral of Notre Dame in 2019, President Emmanuel Macron announced it would be rebuilt within five years and promised it would be “more beautiful than before!” Macron, who remains head of a divided French government, saw restoration of the 13th Century church as a way to restore national pride and unite fellow French citizens. When interviewed just before Notre Dame’s massive doors re-opened on Dec. 7, Macron...
If Washington state elected officials and energy planners need to be reminded of the risks of increasing reliance on wind-generated electricity, they can look to the week-and-a-half after Thanksgiving. Starting on the night before Thanksgiving, the amount of electricity generated by wind power in the BPA system across the northwest collapsed, falling to zero megawatts around midnight. Generation remained extremely low until midday on Dec. 7, more than nine days later. During t...
It’s as simple as X and Y. The question of whether boys should be participating in girls sports in our state may finally be addressed by the Washington Interscholastic Activities Association next spring. Among proposed amendments to the organization’s athletic code are proposed rule amendments that relating to so-called “transgender” competitors. The proposals will be introduced to the 53-member assembly during its annual meeting Jan. 27. One amendment would limit partici...
Brendan Carr, the senior Republican on the Federal Communications Commission, has been namedthe next FCC chairman by President-elect Donald Trump. Based on his past and current statements, a large change in the direction of the FCC should be expected. A few key takeaways: Net Neutrality Carr was part of the initial repeal of the net neutrality rules in 2017, and has continued to decry their reinstatement. As I’ve argued in the past, the FCC would be wise to avoid r...
