Serving Lincoln County for more than a century!
Serving Lincoln County for more than a century!
Sorted by date Results 917 - 941 of 1891
It is less than week to the election, there are some questions that need to be asked Mrs. Clinton that need to answered. Mrs. Clinton, when you left the White House after your husband’s last term as president in the year 2000, why did you steal $200,000 worth of furniture and China and artwork that you were forced to return? Mrs. Clinton, you said you were broke when you left the White House, but you purchased a $2 million home. You built an addition for the Secret Service. You charged taxpayers of the United States rent i...
Does it matter who becomes president? Look at your wallet. Do you want more money or less money? Since the 1940s, the middle class has seen their real income rise two times faster and the working poor have seen their real income rise 10 times faster under a Democrat president than they have under a Republican president. The reason we have economic inequality (the rich get richer and the rest get poorer) is due specifically to the policies and priorities of Republican presidents since the 1940s. Like it or not, this is our...
How long can trees live? – Jessy, 8, Seattle, Wash. Dear Jessy, As I was hiking through the bristlecone pine forests of the Sierra Nevada recently, I stumbled upon a tree barely six inches tall. It was growing – slowly, but surely. I was surprised to find this tiny pine tree was already about 40 years old. Some trees will stop growing once they reach that age. But others live much longer. In fact bristlecone pine trees aren’t just the oldest trees, they are some of the oldest living things on our planet. They can live for a...
How is it that some of us forget so quickly? The House voted to pass a law in 1996 that would have made English the official language of our great country! Had the Senate voted to pass the law, it would have saved billions of dollars, and it would have eliminated numerous problems. This would have been especially true with immigration. Sixty-two senators voted yes, but it needed a 2/3 majority to pass. Both Washington Senators were against passing it. Patty Murray and Hillary Clinton were against passage. Neither party has...
Why I won’t be voting for anyone in the Republican Party this year: When I walk down the street here in Odessa, to the store or up to church, if I reached out and grabbed any woman, even if it was my wife, I would be locked up, put into jail and listed as a sexual predator, as I or anyone else should be. For the Republian Party to turn a blind eye to Mr. Trump is to say its all right to do this. Never before has a man who is running for president said so many unlawful things. Just think what he might try to do if voted in. W...
One particular thing I have truly enjoyed while living in Odessa is watching the little ones, kids and teenagers, grow. In eight short years I have gotten to know quite a few of the kids around Odessa. I have witnessed two siblings close to toddler age as they became pre-teens and began playing sports. I’ve seen teenagers graduate from high school, become young adults, move back after college, get their first career jobs or settle down and start a family. I’ve sold lot...
I am voting for Trump, and so should you. I’m not just voting against Hillary, I’m voting for a change in politics. Trump represents the best vision for America. I was excited about Trump soon after he announced his candidacy. At first I was like most people; I thought he might be grandstanding for his own personal gain. But Trump kept going. His message became sharper and more focused. Every time the media said he went too far he survived and built even more support. Trump was not alone. Millions of Americans joined him and...
Several Washington state delegates and alternates to the Republican National Convention, listed below, join with Utah Senator Mike Lee, Carly Fiorina and other leaders in demanding that Donald Trump immediately step aside as Republican nominee for President of the United States. Further, if Mr. Trump refuses to step aside, we ask that the Republican National Committee use Rule 8 to convene an emergency meeting and then use Rule 9, which allows for replacement in the event of “death, declination, or otherwise,” to replace him...
How do spiders make silk? Also, sometimes spiders hang down from the ceiling, when they climb back up, where does the silk go? –Johnny, 8, Pullman, WA. Dear Johnny, Spiders can do some amazing things with their sticky, stretchy and super-strong silk. We cats are pretty curious about these little silk-spinning machines, too. Besides chasing spiders around, I’ve watched them use silk to build webs, catch bugs, and protect their young spiderlings. Some spiders will even eat their own web. Imagine if you could build your own hou...
Public safety is one of the core needs and single most important services that county government is obligated to deliver. When citizens dial 9-1-1, they have an expectation that a sheriff’s deputy is coming to their reported emergency and is coming now. It is my experience that most tax-paying citizens seldom use the services of their local public safety officers, but when they do, it’s for an immediate need. As your sheriff, I am reaching out to you with what I hope is an...
The Board of Lincoln County Commissioners recently adopted Resolution 16-21, setting a policy that union employee contract negotiations will be conducted in open public meetings. This resolution has huge, broad, local and state support. Every major newspaper editorial board in the state has advocated for this, and many articles published recently have praised what we have done here in Lincoln County to bring better transparency to government. By opening our contract negotiatio...
Why do leaves change color? –Lucy, 5, Seattle, WA. Dear Lucy, Ever since I was a kitten, I’ve loved picking up big maple leaves in the fall. I’d take them home, put them under a piece of paper, and rub the side of a crayon over the top. It makes a great print of the leaf. Leaves actually get their color from things called pigments. While scientists can use chemicals to make different crayon colors, nature can use pigments to create its own colors. When leaves are green, they have a pigment called chlorophyll. Chlor...
In current politics, one opinion claims that President Obama’s withdrawal of the U.S. military created ISIS. Were perceptions true, we would not need facts for anything. Historical facts, however, show that ISIS had a history of name changing before Presidents Bush and Obama. First, ISIS began in the late 1990s as a terrorist group to overthrow the Jordanian government. After President George W. Bush invaded Iraq in December of 2003, the group was named “Al-Qaida in Iraq.” Second, after the U.S. killed the group’s leader...
Everyone has lost someone special. It might be a father, a mother, a child, a grandparent, a niece, a nephew or a friend. Everyone knows someone who now rests in a cemetery. Cemeteries are sacred places that home the ones we love after they are taken from this world. When someone dies, there is a huge hole in the hearts of those who loved them. The last thing that a family does for their loved one, is to place them in a very special and expensive custom-made box that depicts their taste and life, and the location of that...
We need a change. How many of you think this country is progressing in the right direction? How many of you think that our representative Cathy McMorris Rodgers is representing and supporting your concerns? How many of you can count on being heard when you call, send a letter, email or attend a town hall meeting? Probably most of you would answer “no” to these questions. Cathy McMorris Rodgers, our representative in Congress for the 5th District, has been our representative in Congress for five terms, and she doesn’t need...
It is back-to-school time for Odessa kids, and time for all of us who drive around town to be aware of youngsters on their way to and from school. Slow down and be aware of surroundings. The local school district has provided evidence once again of the high quality of personnel employed there. Accolades have gone this time to Tim Larson and Jeff Wehr. The word is out that this is a school system that cares about its young charges, and school enrollment continues to grow. Take a minute out of your busy day to thank a teacher...
Cathy McMorris Rodgers endorses and supports a person to lead our nation who disrespects and dishonors the very citizens of the nation he wants to lead. Cathy has not unendorsed or unsupported this person, thereby embracing the future he promotes in degrading individuals and showing her lack of character and courage in facing up to it. Her endorsement means she openly approves this person’s positions; dishonoring and disrespecting Senator John McCain as no war hero because he was captured and spent years in a prison camp i...
We want to thank Teresa Iksic for the great photos that she took during the fire and afterwards. With her photos and Lise Ott’s, I had a good understanding where the fire was at all times on the Facebook page. The old Chase (Irby) Hotel is still standing. Chuck Wood/ Joanne Kingsbury Gig Harbor...
My wife and I are newcomers to Odessa. We call it God’s country because of all the beauty around us. It has become obvious to us over the last three months that Pastor Hauge was a very inspiring man for many around here – always ready to give the shirt off his back no matter who you are. Pastors Hauge and Hayashi were working toward non-competitive spiritual pride in the community. I think the best way to honor such a man is to carry on with his wishes and hopes for Odessa. Pat Gamache Odessa...
We are told the “death tax” is terrible and should be repealed because it hurts small businesses. If it were only true. First, the federal estate tax provides an exemption from taxes for the first $5.43 million for an individual or $10.86 million for a couple. This means that 99.8 percent of taxpayers have NO federal estate tax to pay. Not one penny. Only 0.2 percent of taxpayers, who are also top income earners, pay this estate tax – after the exemptions and other tax breaks. While the top statutory rate is 40 perce...
To the 2016 graduates and their parents: If you thought enough of me to send me a graduation announcement, then I thought enough of you to send a gift. Maybe I’m old school, but it is two months past graduation, and I have received no thank-you note. My children were given one month to get their thank-you notes out after graduation. To future graduates of OHS and their parents, this is something you need to think about in the future. Cheryl Jeske Odessa...
Recently, it was reported in the Odessa Record of various power outages affecting local businesses and residential homes, which tells me that there is a bigger problem. There simply is not being enough electricity being delivered into the town of Odessa, and that is causing these issues or other issues at the Odessa substation owned and operated by Avista utilities, home-based in Spokane. I have had similar problems over a long period of time, and it is an ongoing problem. I have power disruptions where the power to the La...
One second. That’s all it takes for life to change. Someone falls in love. Someone else has their heart broken. A life-altering decision is made, or someone signs up for Gishwhes.* Sure, the lead-up might take days, months or years, but the change happens in a single second. In 2016, we all get one extra second in our lives. The U.S. Naval Observatory has announced that on December 31, 2016, at 6:59:59, there will be an extra second of time. What are your plans for that extra second? Sure, one second doesn’t seem like muc...
Everyone who has welcomed us coasties to Odessa has made our move much easier and more pleasant, including Michelle Melgren of Katz Realty, Shari at Ramm Hardware and the staff members at Wheatland Bank, the U.S. Post Office, Odessa Foods, Odessa Drug, Grange Supply Co. (Cenex), Odessa Office Equipment, The Odessa Record, OMHC and Odessa Auto Parts, as well as the mayor, council and clerks. Our neighbors, Mark and Kim, Cathy and Jim, Dennis, Brian and Diana, Ernie and Marla, Cheryl, Harvey, Linda and family and others have...
We in this country don’t build walls. We tear them down. As a matter of fact, we have talked other countries into tearing down their walls. So why would we even think of building a wall here in the United States? Are you going to let some fool tell you that this country is not great? I sure as heck am not! I know this country works best when we all work as one. Heck, man, we’ve done it lots of times. The last time was right after 9/11. Don’t you believe and have faith that we have it within us to do it again? I know that...
