Whitman County Gazette - Serving Whitman County since 1877

As a Whitman County resident and subscriber to the Whitman Gazette I am dismayed that you would publish (so prominently) an editorial by Liv Finne of the Washington Policy Center, “Inslee funding unnecessary union jobs”, Sept. 10. Liv Finne has...

There’s buzz out recently about mouthwash killing COVID after a published study by Penn State amazingly found that it had 99% efficacy, just like it says on the bottle. Mouthwash usually contains some form of peroxide; the old school stuff had...

We have a serious threat in the Whitman County commissioner race. Tom Handy is running against incumbent Dean Kinzer. Mr. Handy is an outspoken backer of the CAP (Colfax, Albion, Pullman) Trail, along the idle rail line. In a recent letter in the...

I am writing in opposition of Referendum 90. This is a sex education bill that is inappropriate for K-12 children. It is supported by Planned Parenthood, World Health Organization, and LGBTQ community groups. The Office of Superintendent of Public...

I wholeheartedly support Dean Kinzer for reelection to the Whitman County District 2 commissioner position. Dean is a business owner/farmer, has knowledge of the business climate and economy of the county. He is an instrumental board member and...

Dear county commissioners, When you consider imposing a 30 mph speed limit on Draper-Brown Road, please consider that it is approximately 4 miles in total length. Of that, about 1.5 miles is basically a straight road heading due north and south....

We had the opportunity to talk to an individual who had firsthand knowledge of the Washington State sex education bill. Here were his comments: #1. The main problem with the bill that passed was the teaching of explicit and graphic material to...

I am urging you to vote for Tom Handy for Whitman County commissioner, and here’s why. I worked as a citizen for 13 years to develop the now beloved Chipman Trail, and I am in favor of the county building a new trail that will extend our existing...

To voters who still have a conscience, please be aware that our current Superintendent of Public Instruction Chris Reykdal is in support of the sexualization of young children. To the thousands of people in Washington State who signed the petition...

For several years before broadcasting my weekly radio show, The Brief Congressional Update, on KYRS Thin Air Community Radio (92.3 and 81.1 fm), I believed that the political party to which one belongs really doesn’t make a big difference – just...

This may be my last and most important election. I’ll be ninety-nine December 8th. I’ve seen a lot in my lifetime. I grew up on a small farm in South Dakota, lived through the depression, waited for my husband to return from combat in WWII,...

It is encouraging to see a competitive race for Whitman County Commissioner, District 2 with two candidates I respect and admire. However, we are in unpresented times with the challenges presented by Covid-19 and it’s accompanying economic...

It should have sent chills along the spine of any American when Donald Trump claimed that his inauguration crowd was the biggest ever. That statement was and is demonstrably, patently and obviously untrue. To have his derangement on full display on t...

It’s hard to find words to thank Kristie Kirkpatrick for her many years of public service to Whitman County Library. As library director, she led the way for many improvements county-wide while keeping service to all library customers her No. 1...

Three parts of government were established to provide checks and balances to ensure there is never a take-over of our democracy. We know the Republican lead Congress has ceded all of its power to Donald Trump. We see that Donald Trump has almost...

Picture this. All 208,916 people in Spokane GONE! Over 200,000 fellow pilgrims have already died from Covid 19. Trump’s national plan appears to be “herd mentality”. I think he means “herd immunity via catch it and become immune or die”....

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,...