Serving Lincoln County for more than a century!
Serving Lincoln County for more than a century!
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When Oregon enacted the nation’s first bottle bill in 1971, it was intended to reduce litter on the state’s beaches, along roads, and in parks. It was a cleanup, not a recycling program. Today, the focus is recycling empty beer, pop, juice, and water containers and it is working very well in large part because it pays people to recycle. Collect the “empties” and earn a dime for each plastic bottle or aluminum can. It adds up and often is enough money to supplement purchas...
The deal reached between President Biden and House Speaker Kevin McCarthy to increase our nation’s debt limit was a welcome compromise. It appears to avert our nation’s defaulting on our financial responsibilities and is a step toward bringing government spending under control. However, it is just a start; and the hurdles ahead are much higher. While the federal government operates differently than a family or business, people are starting to realize that if our nation def...
In a victory for private property owners, the U.S. Supreme Court rejected the “significant nexus” test in its Sackett v EPA ruling. The ruling changes how “waters of the United States” can be applied by leaving wetlands that are not directly flowing into “rivers, lakes, and other bodies of water that flow across or form a part of State boundaries” out of consideration as WOTUS. The “significant nexus” test was established in Rapanos v United States. The “significant ne...
Have you ever swum in Sewer Lake? Ya, me neither. But I've always heard of the most talked about event that the Reardan Mule Days Association has ever put on, and that has to be the homemade Raft Races on Sewer Lake in the 70's. The event, which is the first weekend of June every year, is epic and legendary around here. Every year as Mule Days gets closer, you still hear locals talk about it. Sewer Lake was also the site of Snowmobile Races during Mule Days, which is always...
Although New Zealand and Washington are located a half-a-world apart, they have lots in common---beautiful seashores, majestic mountains, crystal clear streams and lakes, and vibrant salmon and trout fisheries. Both are struggling to rid their air sheds of CO2 and other greenhouse gases coming from the burning of carbon fuels (coal, natural gas, gasoline, and diesel) in vehicles, home heating and electric-power generation. New Zealand and Washington share a common goal to be c...
Washington state Gov. Jay Inslee is busy signing bills. I think he should start putting his John Hancock on apology letters to former state workers who were terminated because of his vaccine mandate. I doubt he will. In a press release about the move, the Inslee administration says that the end of the employment requirement “aligns with the end of the federal public health emergency and the lifting of vaccination requirements for federal employees and contractors on May 11. La...
Beef Day is the second-best day of the legislative session, next to the last day. Probably the best news about the 2023 legislative session is that we adjourned on time, although there are grumblings from even the governor that he may call for a special session to deal with flawed drug-possession law problem known as the Blake decision. More about that later. As a state senator representing large parts of eastern Washington and chair of the Senate Republican Caucus, I’m repres...
Some would argue that spring is the most wonderful time of the year in Washington. Throughout our state fruit trees blossom, vibrant tulip fields bloom, and colorful lentils carpeted the fields on the Palouse. It is when photographers and sightseers have a field day. While spring is eye-catching, it is the late summer and fall when our state reaps the benefits of the harvest. It is when crops yield “green” generating cash in markets around the world. While Washington ran...
This session saw some bipartisan successes as lawmakers and citizens were in Olympia together for the first time in nearly three years. That in-person interaction is always key for working relationships and good workable solutions to our state’s problems. The transportation budget and capital budget were both very bipartisan. Republicans were allowed to give input and Democrat budget writers worked to fund projects important to legislators on both sides of the aisle. Sen. Schoesler was the lead negotiator for Senate R...
On Earth Day this year, I will be planting two trees in a local park. This is not a political act. And yet, there are many who will see it that way because it occurs on a day politicians and environmental activists – especially on the left – have appropriated for political purposes. By filtering environmental stewardship though the distorting lens of politics, we are losing the ability to enjoy the beautiful creation around us, making it more difficult to take actions tha...
For the past 33 years, my wife and I have lived in a house near State Route 904, which connects Cheney to Interstate 90. When we bought our house in 1990, this highway had only a modest amount of traffic on it. Turning onto the highway was seldom dangerous. That is no longer the case. SR-904 has become more congested and more dangerous. It’s easy to understand why. Since 1990, Cheney’s population has grown from just over 8,200 to nearly 13,100. Spokane County’s popul...
Last week, a parents group filed a complaint against Pathfinder K-8 Public School in Seattle for racial discrimination. The civil rights group filed a complaint on April 11 with the Office for Civil Rights of the U.S. Department of Education against principal Britney Holmes and the Seattle School District for discriminating against white students at the elementary school. The complaint presents evidence that Principal Holmes issued invitations to black and “multi-racial” chi...
In recent years, drunk and drug-impaired driving has become a greater problem on Washington’s roads and highways. It is a major reason for the alarming increase in accidents and traffic deaths and injuries. Just a month ago, a horrible crash happened on Interstate 82 near Sunnyside in which a 20-year-old man who eluded State Patrol troopers eventually drove westbound on eastbound I-82 and collided with an eastbound vehicle. Two children in the other car were killed and the o...
On the Saturday before Easter, the state Senate’s majority Democrats passed what they call an “assault weapons ban.” In reality, the bill targets several of the most popular sporting and self-defense firearms in the country, including most modern sporting rifles and even some shotguns used for hunting and competition shooting. My Republican colleagues and I debated the measure for nearly three hours, using the amendment process to try to point out the fallacies of their argum...
House and Senate budget writers released their 2023-25 state operating budget proposals recently. It was a reminder that taxpayers have been very kind to the state’s coffers as revenue forecasts over the past few years have continued to increase. As a result of taxpayer largess and the majority party’s proclivity to spend every dime available, state spending has more than doubled over the past 10 years. Has our population doubled? No. According to the Washington State Off...
Ever since legislative Democrats passed a law (Senate Bill 5096) two years ago creating a capital gains state income tax in Washington, observers on both sides of the political aisle have been waiting for the controversial law to make its way to the state Supreme Court, where the court’s nine justices would decide whether the law was constitutional. Following a hearing in late January, the Supreme Court on March 24 issued its ruling, one that has opponents of this tax s...
Law enforcement in our region continue to serve the people with professionalism, dedication and compassion. The brave men and women behind the badge are an integral part of our communities and are doing everything they can to keep our communities safe despite the unfortunate restrictions placed on them and the shortage of needed resources and staffing. We are fortunate that on our side of the mountains that the types of crime and spikes in violent offenses haven’t quite reache...
In small communities across Eastern Washington, the local pharmacy is a business you rely on. Often it is the only outlet for miles around where you can get your prescriptions filled and find a well-stocked selection of over-the-counter medications. Imagine what you would do if it closed. This is the troubling prospect facing many independent pharmacy owners today, due to a convoluted business model that has put them at the mercy of a handful of firms that process benefits...
The Vehicle Miles Travelled tax, or VMT, is once again raising its ugly head in Olympia in the form of House Bill 1832. It has been rebranded the “Road Usage Charge” (RUC), a more benign term, one that supporters hope will breeze by an unsuspecting public keen to reject any bill with the word “tax” in it. But it is a tax; a new tax on the miles you and I travel. And, while the bill talks about it being voluntary for now, the general authority granted to state agencies to creat...
As a senator representing rural Washington, I understand the importance of accessible healthcare for all residents, regardless of where they live. Unfortunately, for far too long, rural communities in Washington have struggled to access the care they need. The challenges they face include a shortage of medical professionals, inadequate infrastructure, and limited resources. Residents often have to travel for hours to reach the nearest hospital or clinic, and even then may not...
Too many Puget Sound lawmakers never look beyond their grocery stores to understand the struggle of our farmers to keep those stores supplied. That’s why Sen. Mark Schoesler, Rep. Joe Schmick, and I work so hard in Olympia to advocate for our fellow farmers, educate those in power who have no clue about agriculture and we fight against policies potentially devastating to agriculture. We understand the importance of our state’s agricultural industry, the jobs they provide in...
Nursing is one of the most noble and trusted professions in our society. Just ask any patient who has made a trip to a hospital or had a doctor’s appointment. Nurses perform many tasks – from menial to absolutely crucial – and all are key to a patient’s well-being. Unfortunately, as is the case in many other states, there is a serious nursing shortage in Washington. A report by the American Association of Colleges of Nursing warns the U.S. will need 200,000 more registe...
There are some hard-core Western Washington groups that want you to believe that if we breach Snake River dams, it will boost our state’s salmon population and we can save the Southern Resident Orcas from extinction. It’s the old strategy of if you repeat something long enough, people will finally believe you. Even though dam removal would be devastating to our state’s power grid, agriculture, and vital river navigation of wheat and other products. Here’s what they won’t t...
Growing up on the farm, I heard grandma’s sage advice in just about every situation imaginable. “A trouble shared is a trouble halved.” “This isn’t my first rodeo.” “Many hands make light work.” When hearing about Kaiser Permanente’s change in how its customers could get their prescriptions refilled, what came to mind was this: “It doesn’t cut the mustard.” Last summer, the Public Employees Benefits Board (PEBB) and the School Employees Benefits Board (SEBB) voted to allow K...
Who says Congress is so gridlocked that nothing is accomplished? Consider what happened last December when the U.S. Senate unanimously passed legislation streamlining regulations for projects reducing wildfire risk, restoring healthy forests, and removing diseased and dead trees. The Senate passed the “Root and Stem Project Authorization Act.” It is co-sponsored by Steve Daines (R-MT) and Diane Feinstein (D-CA) who often disagree on key issues. Feinstein is a former San Fra...
