Whitman County Gazette - Serving Whitman County since 1877

I very much agree with Kiah Miller’s letter regarding the immorality of calling COVID-19 the “Wuhan Flu”. So I was dismayed to see 2 articles in the same issue written by the new WCG publisher, Roger Harnack, again repeating this phrase. Mr....

Car accidents and the seasonal flu differs significantly from COVID-19 that comparing the deaths from them is dangerously misleading. The two key differences are the time span during which they impact our healthcare system, and the second is how cont...

Washington State Democrats have submitted a bill (SB 5395) to mandate sex education in schools grades K to 12 without the approval of parents or guardians. This should be a big help for those Democrats who want our children to learn that if they get...

Chris Armitage is running as a Democrat for Representative in the 5th Congressional District against Cathy McMorris Rodgers. He is well-educated with a Bachelor’s degree in criminal justice and a Master’s degree in homeland security. He has been...

I want to express condolences to all of us for recent losses in our local and regional community: 1. The retirement of Gazette Editor Jerry Jones, whose name became synonymous with the Colfax Gazette (Whitman County Gazette) and who was the trusted...

My second job out of college was editing a weekly newspaper, The Honeoye Falls Times, in a village outside Rochester, NY. That was 1962, light- years ago. Today, in the Age of Internet, I still appreciate the homespun quality of hometown newspapers....

“Uh, this is Jerry Jones here at the Gazette,” how many times I’ve heard that over the years. Jerry Jones wanted his stories to be accurate and thorough. Many times, as did others, I got a call from Jerry, wanting to verify and add to...

I am writing to implore you in your editorial work about the coronavirus outbreak to impress upon people in no uncertain terms that they must take this seriously. We are going to be in a world of hurt anyway, but ignoring the Governor’s STAY AT...

I am writing to express my immense disappointment in the decision to include references to COVID-19 as the “Wuhan flu” or “WuFlu”, as included in the “Gazette takes measures, continues coverage” article in the March 19, 2020, edition of...

The efforts to contain COVID-19 have disrupted basic aspects of daily life across southeastern Washington―and for good reason. But if we’re not vigilant, this virus will wreak more social and economic damage than it must. It will distract us. Rec...

I would like to thank, as Mr. Rogers would say, all the "helpers". I apologize because I will overlook someone. Thank you to those who work in healthcare, garbage collectors, all school employees, grocery store, post office, firefighters,...

Sex education is complicated because biology is complicated. We should base education on truth, to the extent that we can discern the truth. I'm not going to give an opinion, because my mind can not encompass the intricacies of genetics. Here's what...

I want to suggest for future elections we provide a space on the ballot for Russia to indicate who we should vote for. This would be a great benefit to our legislators so they wouldn’t have to spend the next four years and millions of tax dollars...

Hey – we showed up in 2016 and let them hear our voices, we must show up and/or send comments again on this dam initiative. Let them know how we feel about this talk of taking them out. The squeaky wheel gets the grease – every time. Let’s...

I’m pessimistic enough to believe that our carbon based energy production will overheat our planet. I’m also pessimistic enough to wonder if the planet will heat up on it’s own, somehow, no matter what we do. Imagine my excitement when I heard...

After 30 years at the helm, Gazette Publisher Gordon Forgey announced last week his paper was sold to journalist Roger Harnack, a partner of Free Press Publishing based in Cheney, Wash. This is great news for a retiring publisher and even better...

Gordon, thanks for your unbiased service to the Gazette readers over the years and I do hope the new owners will not be biased as most newspapers are. To the typical Seattle reader of the Gazette who complained about depicting Bernie Sanders as an...

I have just read Carl M. Ogren’s letter where he hyperventilates over the coming climate warming catastrophe. I have also just read a 2020 report from NASA predicting a coming ice age. I worked for “The Mother Earth News” in the late 1970’s,...

Frank Watson’s article showing his skepticism about climate change issues brought to mind something that has become apparent to me over the last few years. People in general believe in the validity of science except when it comes to choosing...

With all the news about the coronavirus, many are wondering about the impact of a truly global-wide pandemic on world population. I got to thinking about the population implications of such pandemics and ran a few numbers. The Spanish flu is thought...

Gary Varvel’s political cartoon on the opinion page of the Gazette on Feb. 20, 2020, depicting presidential candidate Bernie Sanders in a wheelchair with a Soviet Union flag draped over his lap, being pushed off a cliff by a donkey, is offensive...

Climate change Most of us are aware that rising sea levels due to climate change are threatening coastal cities in the United States, dramatically exemplified by Miami, Fla. Although I am aware that climate change is a grave threat and seems to be...

Public School Parents: take note of two bills being considered without the people’s vote. Senate Bill 5395/HB2184 would require every public school to teach sex education to all students in grades K-12. Proponents believe that sex education...

Levy for Learning The Colfax School District in conjunction with Citizens for Quality Schools has proposed a two-year Levy for Learning. I began working in the district as a teacher in 1975, retired from the State Education System in 2010, and was...

Colfax Levy I want to encourage fellow citizens to support the Colfax School’s levy request. It is both a privilege and responsibility to invest resources wisely if younger generations are to serve well when their time comes. The proposal is...