Whitman County Gazette - Serving Whitman County since 1877

The heyday of the Republican majorities in Congress occurred in 2017. They spent their political capital to reduce taxes, mostly for the rich and the ultra rich. Money is power, power is money, and both work to undermine democracy. All of this is...

After reading and watching the news online and on TV, it appears that our country is divided into those who care about property and those who care about people, and most astute observers could easily identify which political party caters to each...

On behalf of the residents on Catalona Heights in Colfax, we want to salute the efforts of all the firefighters this past Labor Day in combating the fires that engulfed many of our homes and property. We would also like to send a sincere thank you...

I am a Colfax Volunteer Firefighter/EMT and was on initial attack of the Colfax West Hill Labor Day fire. I wanted to applaud the local citizens who chipped in to keep their’s and neighbors’ properties “wet” as we were attacking the large...

With Fair time approaching, I’d like to pass on a great suggestion I heard from one of its supporters. Why not spend Fair dollars (and we’d all have spent ‘em!) on boosting our great downtown businesses? They’ve had a tough year; why not...

In the recent primary, King County overwhelmingly voted for “Unlawful Inslee.” “Unlawful” because a flu-like virus that does not increase the death rate does not constitute a disaster that warrants emergency powers. “Unlawful” because...

Here in rural Whitman County, we depend on the USPS to deliver medicine, or receiving and paying bills, for communicating with family and friends with letters, cards and presents, and even to receive this newspaper. If I had to use a commercial...

Each morning my husband and I read 365 Blessings to Heal Myself and the World by Pierre Pradervand, which among others, encourages blessings for people engaged in different occupations, including politicians. Today I want to send a blessing to our...

Oops! I missed a birthday. Our lovely drug prohibition is 105 years old, today -- March 15, 2020 -- Happy birthday, prohibition, and hats off, to all the people out there who are profiting from it. Prohibitionists claim that prohibition didn’t,...

There he goes again, Publisher Harnack with another anti-government editorial. I don’t dispute his right to his opinion. Was it Mark Twain or A.J. Liebling who said “Freedom of the press belongs to he who owns one.” Initiative 1114 seeks to...

Several subscribers have complained in the paper that there is no state voters pamphlet. There is, but only on line. Those in the county without computer access are out of luck since our library system has had to be shut down. Given the importance...

Truth to tell, there are some immigrants we would be much better off without; and I am not afraid to name them. They include Russian knapweed, field bindweed or morning glory, dogfennel, rush skeletonweed, kochia, Canada thistle (all natives of...

I always enjoy hearing from Les Wigen (Gazette 7/9/20). And while his arithmetic is impeccable, his logic and sense of thoughtful consideration fall short. Les argues that since Covid deaths (statistically speaking) have been minimal, our Governor...

Are you as disappointed with our Fifth Congressional District Congresswoman as I? Not once has Cathy McMorris Rodgers had the courage to stand up to Trump and his divisive actions. It is time to vote for someone who has the courage, who has...

On Friday, July 1, 2016, I chanced to meet congressional candidate Dave Wilson on Main Street in Walla Walla. Being a newly retired healthcare administrator, my eye caught a reference to Critical Access Hospitals in his campaign brochure. I was...

I was surprised to find Mark Bordsen last week calling for President Trump to take charge of the COVID-19 shutdown and the countywide reopening from the shutdown. As I recall last April when Trump said he was going to use his federal powers to...

As of this Monday morning, it is estimated that in the United States there is one case of Covid-19 for every 100 Americans. This would seem correct for the location of the "Freedom Rodeo," which was held in the "hottest" (most cases being found...

The news is totally composed primarily of the coronavirus (COVID-19). All sports events, fairs, livestock shows, rodeos, concerts and churches are being canceled for fear of getting this virus which only kills 1/2 of 1% of people infected by it...

First let me begin by thanking Pam Lewison for all of her hard work. It’s people like her that have helped our country remain strong during this unprecedented period in our nation’s history. After reading Lewison’s article “Waste” last...

Yes, You Have Been Conned. The media lies, the numbers do not. According to the Centers for Disease Control, Washington State has had 29,901 deaths in the first six months of 2019 and 29,528 deaths in the first six months of 2020. The coronavirus...

I’m referring to letter a to the Gazette, July 9, 2020 about blaming everything on President Trump. Subject: Covid 19 World Wide Deaths As of today, Sunday, July 12, 2020, I checked Google for the facts on Covid-19 worldwide. Whitman County...

Teaching Psychology for 20 years at Spokane Falls Community College was such a learning experience – for me. I hope the students also learned a lot about the “Scientific study of behavior and mental processes.” When teaching the section on...

Oh, how I appreciated Lisa Meyer’s article in last week’s Gazette. If only everyone in the country could read her thoughts, hear her philosophy. Could it be published in some of the larger, urban papers across the country? Thank you for your...

It has been a difficult spring on many fronts. I’ve been reassured, though, by the community spirit displayed on the Palouse. From patrons purchasing gift cards to help struggling businesses, to restaurants providing free dinners for those in...

I'm disappointed and disgusted with the city of Palouse for caving to the mob of 4 people to even consider dishonoring police. Is the city of Palouse such a hotbed of controversy that they can't stand with law enforcement by proudly flying the BLUE...