Serving Lincoln County for more than a century!
Serving Lincoln County for more than a century!
Sorted by date Results 481 - 505 of 1893
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...
Increasing river flows to wash young salmon to sea works; however, once water goes down stream, it is gone. What if we could recycle it in key parts of the Columbia River system allowing us to increase electricity generation as well? The Columbia River and its tributaries offer enormous potential for innovation. Power planners are looking for new ways to increase electricity output while providing sufficient water for migrating salmon and steelhead. The good news is we are...
Widespread and irresponsible claims you may have heard that Critical Race Theory (CRT) and race discrimination are not taught in public schools are false. Last month voters elected many new members to local school boards based, at least in part, on those candidates’ announced opposition to teaching CRT in local schools. On what basis then do CRT-deniers say the race-based ideology is not being taught in schools? They argue CRT is an academic theory only taught in college a...
Public school student enrollment has nosedived as parental disgust with school COVID-19 policies, student learning losses and controversial curricula has gone through the roof. In the wake of this enrollment implosion, homeschooling has boomed across the country. At the beginning of the current school year, the U.S. Department of Education estimated that 1.5 million students had left the public schools since the COVID-19 pandemic began. If students are not enrolling in public schools, where are they going? The numbers show...
Merry Christmas! There. I said it. Not happy holidays, but Merry Christmas. It’s Christmas time here and around the world. Throughout our region, families are shopping for festive meals and gifts, decorating, and anxiously awaiting the moment they see “long-lost” family and friends. It’s a time where children and adults express wishes, not just for gifts from Santa Claus, but also for happiness and prosperity for friends, family, and sometimes even mankind. And while Christm...
Earlier this year, state legislative leaders said they wanted to reduce institutional racism in the public schools by enacting Senate Bill 5044 and similar bills to require that school and university employees attend mandatory Critical Race Theory sessions. This flawed political ideology teaches that white people in all situations are oppressors and other groups are automatically oppressed. These leading lawmakers, who ironically control the very power structure they condemn,...
Recapping the 2021 Apple Cup Losing a bet is hard. Watching the University of Washington’s football team in 2021 was much worse. Props to the WSU Cougars. They outplayed the Huskies in every aspect of the game. The University of Washington’s fight song is titled “Bow Down to Washington.” Perhaps it should be titled “Easy Win at Washington.” Congratulations to Trevor Smith, WSU alum, on a dominating win. Hopefully next year the Huskies can make it a game. Cade Weber UW alum, loser of a bet Stop the ‘tough guy act’ We now h...
In a U.S. Chamber of Commerce poll released in early December, the findings spell trouble for America’s employers – both private and public. It found that more than 60% of the respondents are in no hurry to return to work and over a third of the unemployed are not actively going after a job or looking at all. The problem is growing worse. A large number of respondents feel they can get by for at least another six months before they have to find employment. The survey dis...
Under the guise of water conservation, the state Department of Ecology is once again moving to take water rights from farmers, ranchers and other private holders. Last month, the agency announced plans to fund creation of local “water banks,” in addition to the state “water bank” already in existence. The agency says the program helps municipalities buy water rights from private owners. It has set $14 million aside for the program. The goal, agency spokesman Jimmy Norris...
Due to the federal government changing the unemployment benefit eligibility rules mid-pandemic, some Washington residents, who have been receiving unemployment benefits, will now have repay the benefits despite being approved to receive benefits initially. The Pandemic Unemployment Assistance (PUA) program, launched shortly after the pandemic started, did not fully verify that a benefit claimant was eligible for program benefits. Claimants that applied under the rules of the...
Remember the television ad where the auto mechanic looks viewers straight in the eye and says: “You can pay me now or pay me later!” The message: if you change your car’s oil and filter every 5,000 miles, you can avoid a disastrous engine replacement later? The same principle applies to our national debt. Congress can either take steps to control spending and debt now, or watch interest payments swallow up our hard-earned tax dollars and starve needed programs. Ignoring massi...
The more people hear about Washington’s coming long-term-care law and payroll tax, the less people like it — and for good reason. A class-action lawsuit has been filed against it, an initiative is being pursued, and Idaho sent the state a cease-and-desist order concerning the law that even impacts workers who live in other states. Starting in January, the unpopular law imposes a stiff new tax of 58 cents per $100 earned for every W2 worker in the state, with no income cap...
