Serving Lincoln County for more than a century!
Serving Lincoln County for more than a century!
Sorted by date Results 956 - 980 of 1893
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...
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...
I live in Gloucester, England and am researching my family, one of whom emigrated to the U.S. back in the 1890s. His name was George Cox. I have traced his American descendents to among other places, Odessa, and wonder if there are any around this area today. They were George’s great grandson, E.J. COX, and E.J. COX, Jr., believed to be son of E.J. Please email any information to jeannette.thornell@yahoo.co.uk. Jeannette Thornell Gloucester, England...
An open letter to our legislators, state representatives Joe Schmick and Mary Dye and senator Mark Schoesler: We have just heard some exciting news; there is now a surplus of $4 million dollars in the Parks Dept. budget through an unexpected increase in sales of Discover Passes and that plans are being made now to divide these funds for small parks and trails projects. We visited Brandan Spencer’s property last week, and we now have a much deeper appreciation of the concerns of adjacent landowners. Though there is still m...
How are bones made? Asked by Oscar, 10. Dear Oscar, A couple months before you were born, your skeleton was soft and bendy. It was made out of cartilage, the same material that’s in your nose and ears now. But when certain cells in your body called osteoblasts and osteoclasts began to work together, new bone started to form. In fact, you were born with about 300 tiny bones in your body. As you began to grow, some of the bones fused together and became single bones. Now, you carry around a skeleton of 206 bones. Those bones ar...
Are we getting lazier? Asked by Aaryan, 9. Dear Aaryan, We cats have a reputation for being lazy. We sleep a lot. But the truth is when I got your question, I didn’t know much about laziness. So, I decided to talk about it with a couple of psychologists here at Washington State University. My first stop was the Psychology of Physical Activity Lab. That’s where I met up with my friend, Professor Anne E. Cox. Cox said that when she was playing college basketball, she started to struggle with feeling motivated to practice. It...
I am writing to tell you why I am no longer working in Odessa. I have developed a serious, but not fatal, medical condition that prevents me from working long shifts, which are required in Odessa. I really miss all of the friends I made in Odessa, and I want to thank all of you for making me feel welcome and accepting a “city slicker” as your part-time physician for 14 years. I will never forget the people of Odessa and the experiences I had. It was a great run! THANK YOU! Craig A. Olsen, MD Spokane...
Sixty times and getting ready for 61. Republicans have voted 60 times to repeal the law that allows healthcare for all. Cathy McMorris Rodgers stated, in a recent public meeting in Waitsburg, that people should be reflected through their representative. So, with that in mind, a comment and a question were asked as to why she continues to vote against the people she represents. If Obamacare was repealed, 81,300 eastern Washington people, or 11.3% of her district, would have no health care at all. Furthermore, the Republicans h...
Residents who receive water or sewer service from the Town will be receiving a letter in their January utility bill informing them of an upcoming community-wide income survey. The Town of Odessa is seeking funding from state and federal agencies to help pay for much needed improvements to our community’s infrastructure. The letter explains that we have a better chance of qualifying for grants and low-interest loan by conducting an income survey. Without the income survey, our funding opportunities are limited. It is our g...
How does a chameleon change colors? Asked by Jasmine B. 12, Nepean, Canada and Marie F., 11, Ghana. Dear Jasmine and Marie, There’s something about a chameleon’s darting eyes, long tongue, curled tail and ability to climb that makes it a fascinating animal to watch. Especially when it’s changing colors. And the latest research on your question suggests that how a chameleon changes has more to do with light than scientists once thought. That’s what I learned from my friend Paul Verrell, a biologist at Washington State Univers...
Can you hear in space? Asked by a curious reader. Dear curious reader, Your question reminds me of an experiment: You put a ringing alarm clock in a jar and use a hose to slowly suck out all the air. As the air escapes, the ringing gets quieter until there’s no sound at all. The inside of the jar becomes what scientists call a vacuum. It’s empty. Just like space. Despite any zooms and explosions you may have heard in movies about outer space, sound actually can’t travel through empty space. That’s why on the moon, where t...
What are fingernails made of? Asked by Amy, 8, of Seattle. Dear Amy, My claws can come in quite handy when I need to scratch my ears or climb trees. I bet you’ve found that your own fingernails can be useful tools, too. Perhaps you’ve used them to pick up a penny or peel an orange. It turns out that while my claws and your fingernails look a little different, they are actually made out of the same thing: keratin. That’s what I discovered when I went to visit my friend Professor Lisa Carloye, who teaches biology here at Washi...
Dissatisfaction with government has a long history in this country. Henry David Thoreau noted this in his 1849 essay “Civil Disobedience,” where he claimed that to achieve “at once a better government,” individuals first have to become more just themselves before the government will follow suit. He further suggested that people needed to live their faith, not give lip service to it. Then the State would be just to all and “treat each individual with respect as a neighbor.” However, being just with one another and treating ea...
The Record has a new look beginning this week. We have changed over to a somewhat narrower format that will save us a little on our printing costs. We have maintained our six columns, but they are just a smidgen narrower than before. We will get the new advertising dimensions to our clients as soon as we have worked everything out. The question posed by one of our readers last week regarding the clearing of snow from SR 28 brought forth an explanation from another town resident who said an equipment failure had put a snow...
In 2006, Congress required the Postal Service to fully pre-fund 75 years of retiree health care benefits in 10 years. No one else has this burden; I know of no private businesses that do this. Unsurprisingly, the Post Office has difficulty finding the required $5.5 billion a year. One way to help the Post Office is to allow it to offer banking services the way it did until 1967. Presidential candidate Bernie Sanders proposes “postal banking” to help the finances of the USPS and to help about 68 million low-income people fin...
Are you aware that America is involved with a Visa Waiver Program that allows as many as 20 million citizens from 38 countries to travel to the U.S. and stay for as many as 90 days? Therefore, people from friendly countries in Europe and Asia can visit without adequate screening by a U.S. consulate. It also allows Americans to travel abroad with minimum screening. With the world situation like it is, should this policy still be in affect? Business and tourist dollars are the reasons this program is still allowed to operate. S...
What are fingernails made of? Asked by Amy, 8, of Seattle. Dear Amy, My claws can come in quite handy when I need to scratch my ears or climb trees. I bet you’ve found that your own fingernails can be useful tools, too. Perhaps you’ve used them to pick up a penny or peel an orange. It turns out that while my claws and your fingernails look a little different, they are actually made out of the same thing: keratin. That’s what I discovered when I went to visit my friend Professor Lisa Carloye, who teaches biology here at Washi...
Hi, there. I’m Dr. Universe. Wendy Sue Universe, that is. Ever since I was a kitten, I’ve been digging in the dirt, gazing at the stars, exploring new places and searching for answers to questions about our world. Still, some people are surprised when they discover I’m a scientist. After all, it’s not every day you meet a cat in a lab coat. With the help of experts in the field and my friends at Washington State University, I answer some of the most interesting, tough and smart questions from curious kids all around the wor...
We are experiencing a shortage of substitute teachers in the United States and it is hitting our state quite hard! I am a retired educator so I watch these things closely. Washington has been hiring people with a college degree who can pass the logical tests that safeguard our children. The college degree can be in any field. I have a suggestion that could help solve the problem. About 45 years ago I was involved in helping a lady get a teaching degree without going back to campus. There was a program that allowed her to...
Hi, there. I’m Dr. Universe. Wendy Sue Universe, that is. Ever since I was a kitten, I’ve been digging in the dirt, gazing at the stars, exploring new places and searching for answers to questions about our world. Still, some people are surprised when they discover I’m a scientist. After all, it’s not every day you meet a cat in a lab coat. With the help of experts in the field and my friends at Washington State University, I answer some of the most interesting, tough and smart questions from curious kids all around the wor...
