Serving Lincoln County for more than a century!
Serving Lincoln County for more than a century!
Sorted by date Results 938 - 962 of 1893
We are told the “death tax” is terrible and should be repealed because it hurts small businesses.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...
The article from OMHC on bullying was great. I would add one thing. Bullying is committed by all ages, not just children. Most of us learn it before pre-school, from peers and our living environment. Some of us continue it for our whole life. We are all different and unique in our own way. Take Bill Gates of Microsoft and Steve Jobs of Apple. Both were labeled odd, nerds. Look at them. We should not be afraid to be ourselves, ever. Let’s all stop and think. THINK T - IS IT TRUTHFUL? H - IS IT HELPFUL? I - IS IT INSPIRING? N...
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...
Dear younger self, I thought I would write a list in hopes you might read it, and maybe it will help guide you throughout the rest of your life. I don’t claim to know everything, but what I do know is that about 80 percent of what you think you know, is incorrect. 1. Have self-confidence. I know you moved around a lot and it has contributed to your low self-esteem and shyness. You have mastered the art of “blending in,” but trust me when I say this, you won’t be this shy gir...
How many suns are in the universe? Asked by Kristen, 8, Pullman, WA. Dear Kristen, Our sun is really one big star. And there are billions and billions of stars in our universe. “More than we can even count,” added my friend Phil Lou. He’s an expert on solar energy here at Washington State University. He’s really curious about finding ways to power homes and schools using energy from the sun. “Most of the energy and life around us that we know is linked to the sun,” he explained. Then we put on our sunglasses, slathered o...
I was asked a question last week about our ads for staff and thought it might be helpful to discuss the continuing need for OMHC employees, especially in the nursing department. The workforce shortage was even a topic of discussion at a recent rural hospital CEO round-table. The American population living today has advantages that none before us has had. We live in a time of tremendous medical advances which allow us to live longer and with a greater quality of life than ever before. In addition, the healthcare industry is...
For those of you who don’t know, I was hit head-on by a drunk driver on June 12, 2016, while on my way to compete at a rodeo. I had a full load of precious cargo which included four horses, my dog and myself. I guess we all figured that the big Kodiak c4500 I was using to pull my horse trailer would take the brunt of the hit, and it did. It most likely saved all of my kids and me from a far worse outcome. Along with the crash that morning, just doing what I normally do, what I also didn’t understand was what this was goi...
I hope that the residents of Odessa appreciate the people who work at the Odessa Memorial Healthcare Center. I was recently a resident there for two months receiving physical therapy after a difficult hip replacement. I have never been in a medical facility where everyone is so helpful and caring, and I’m truly talking about everyone. There are a number of medical facilities that could learn a lot on patient care from the Odessa Memorial Healthcare Center. I would like to personally thank each and every employee of OMHC f...
There has been a lot of talk on the street lately about a proposed public safety sales tax in Lincoln County. I would like to take this opportunity to share with you some of our struggles, clear up a few misconceptions and then explain the concept to the public. First of all, as you know, the county had a very difficult time balancing the 2016 budget. This condition has been escalating for several years and will continue to compound itself into the future. I feel that it is...
As the 80th alumni banquet nears, you’re about to honor 20 of Odessa’s most talented athletes! As a member of the class of ‘67, I’m compelled to write about the “intense” bullying a group of us endured by a few members of the class of ‘66! The constant bullying started in the sixth grade [and continued] through high school, PE and sports events! It left me with lasting scars and a struggle to attain a positive self-image. You know who you are bullies. An apology to me and the others would be nice! I understand that anti-bul...
I’m sitting in the arms of a big red barber’s chair inside the Rolling Thunder Pizza, eating a slice and visiting with co-owners Nate Lathrop and Jennifer Springer, along with Elizabeth Springer, Iona McGee and little Tympist McGee, quite possibly the cutest four-year-old who has ever existed. Behind me on the wall hangs an incredible self-portrait of Nate created entirely out of numbers stamped using a rubber stamp. It’s a familiar place. Not familiar in an “I’ve been here so...
Editor's note: Last week's history column included an assumption on our part that has proven erroneous. An astute reader pointed out that the yellow bell, rather than being another name for a buttercup, is another variety of very early blooming wildflower in sagebrush country. In 1966, children in the area did indeed look for the first blossoms of the yellow bell. Both the yellow bell and the buttercup are bright yellow flowers, and both are among the first to bloom in the...
A few months ago, one of many headlines was, “The race for the White House.” That was a misnomer, as marathon might have been more appropriate. As with any contentious election, this one will go down in history for its juvenile sparring and grade-school language on the bad side. This has surprised me. The Blue party is down to two candidates who have played softball in their debates. Maybe this is because Hillary has legal problems possibly facing her. The mainstream media have done their best to give certain candidates mor...
This year, I see a man who says he’s for the working poor, but all he talks about is shipping people back home and punching people in the face. Is that the kind of freedom you want? It sure was not what I was fighting for, all those long years ago now. What happens when it’s your neighbor who was born here but is of a different skin color? Will you let him send them back over the border? Are you going to stand up for that person and maybe be put in jail yourself? I’ll stand up for anyone here in town or any place else. It co...
Continued from last week. The walk down memory lane continues in part two of the history of the Odessa Healthcare Foundation’s wine tasting and auctions. In 2000, the Healthcare Foundation’s goal was $20,000 for the 9th annual wine tasting and auction, with the money raised going toward remodeling and updating Odessa Memorial Hospital’s physical therapy department. Despite wheat selling for $2.38 a bushel, Odessa rose to the challenge, and the goal was met and surpassed. Event organizer Noreen Groh was quoted in The Odess...
Why do we get brain freezes? Asked by Hannah, 9, Monroe Elementary. Dear Hannah, You’re enjoying some ice cream, when suddenly you feel a pain in your head that hurts a whole lot. It’s like it came out of nowhere, and in a matter of seconds, it’s gone. These instant headaches, or brain freezes, often strike when we eat or drink something cold. And like you, some scientists are curious about why brain freezes happen. So they’re testing out some different ideas. That’s what I found out from my friend Bill Griesar, a brain sci...
What is fire? Asked by Anish P., 10, Nepal. Dear Anish, There’s nothing like taking a little catnap by the fireplace, feeling the heat, watching the flames, and listening to crackling sounds. But until you asked, I wasn’t entirely sure what this mesmerizing thing was or how it works. I decided to find out from my friend Michael Finnegan. He’s a chemistry professor here at Washington State University. In the 4th grade Finnegan got a chemistry set that came with a chemistry book. He read about how everything around us is made...
What is the difference between a caucus and a primary? Since the state of Washington has both this year, an explanation is needed. The following information from Washington state Secretary of State Kim Wyman should help: 1. Caucuses are run entirely by the political parties. The Republicans had their caucus on February 20, and the Democrats will have theirs on March 26. At each caucus, voters declare themselves a member of the party and work with their fellow caucus-goers on party platform planks and elect delegates to later...
Time for the truth concerning Cathy McMorris Rodgers. She is part of the most dysfunctional Congress ever. She is paid $174,000 a year by us to work for the 5th district of Washington state. This is what she has done: voted over 60 times to stop all of us from getting affordable health care, voted to cut millions of dollars from food programs for children and the disabled, voted against our veterans health, voted for cuts to Medicare, voted for raising the eligibility age for Medicare to 67, for privatizing our Social...
Enclosed please find my check for a two-year renewal of The Odessa Record. Although I left the area many years ago after growing up in Marlin, I still enjoy your newspaper. Thank you for what you do for small towns and for providing coverage for your area. Larry Reider Bakersfield, Calif....
What would an effective Congressional representative do to improve lives in the 5th District? Be available, answer letters personally, attend important rallies and EIS hearings concerning the oil and coal terminals, visit the homeless, attend City Council meetings, visit schools and colleges and live in the District, instead of visiting the Spokane area a few times a year. Cathy McMorris Rodgers votes straight along Republican lines and does very little to help our people. Instead, her recent activities include cavorting...
