Serving Whitman County since 1877
Serving Whitman County since 1877
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Eighteen years ago I was pleased to bring Roger Sandberg int our law firm. He has proven to be a very competent trial attorney, having success before juries in both civil and criminal matters. Roger and his wife, Heather, are raising three great kids. The reason all current and retired judges support Roger for Whitman County Superior Court Judge is two-fold. First, Roger has the patience, integrity and judicial demeanor that is essential. Second, his opponent’s legal experience is very limited, she has exclusively been a divorce lawyer. She h...
Recently state schools superintendent Chris Reykdal announced that he plans to ask the legislature for another $2.9 billion for public education. This would be on top of the current $20.1 billion education budget. Like the changing leaves of Fall, every year around this time Reykdal asks for more money. Let’s ask ourselves, Will pouring in more money make a difference to children? The data shows the answer is “No.” For years the state has increased education spending, and the result has been declining academic standards and falling enrol...
In his editorial claiming that repealing Washington’s CO2 tax will harm the state’s air quality, Dr. Vin Gupta claims he likes “to go to the data to find the truth.” But he starts by saying something false. The truth is that Washington’s air quality will be significantly cleaner in the future with or without the CO2 tax. He claims Spokane has “declining air quality.” This is false. EPA data for Spokane County show that since 2000, average levels of particulate matter have fallen by more than 20% - from “moderate” to consistently “goo...
It’s a bit premature to say the bell tolls for community newspapers. Sure, big city media printing the same diatribe you see on television is declining. (That’s because the city media moguls have forgotten their place in society.) And sure, with the Googles of the world, cellphones and social media have impacted our advertising, which, by the way is how we pay our bills. But in our community newspapers, we haven’t forgotten our place. Our reporters shop in the same stores, eat in the same restaurants and attend the same community functions as y...
Your vote, your choice “You go after me, I’m coming after you.” (Donald Trump, August 5, 2023) Hey Donald, you talkin’ to me? Or are you threatening judges, witnesses, potential jurors, prosecutors, reporters? Political opponents, election workers, donors, folks with Harris yard signs, all of the above? All of us? People, are we going to have a democracy or a MOBocracy? When they tell you who they are, believe them. Your vote, your choice. Steve Swoope, Colfax Reader supports Brozik in judicial race How will you choose your Whitman County...
There’s a disturbing trend among tax-payer funded agencies that needs to be nipped in the bud. If you haven’t noticed, public agencies like hospital and utility districts, school boards, city councils, and others have been taking steps to insulate — dare I say isolate — elected board members from the public. Have a concern about something in your local school district? Don’t like a utility rate increase? Want to know if your local public hospital is making a profit? Have questions about city taxes and fees? As a state resident, taxpayer...
America needs a statesperson of the stature, capability, and perspective of Daniel J. Evans as our next President. Dan Evans died on September 20 at the age of 98 after serving as our state’s three term governor, two term U.S. Senator, a state legislator and in many prominent civic and public positions beginning in the late 1950s. He was political and partisan, but Evans was pragmatic, tough and a problem-solver. He was a visionary who was not afraid to take a risk even if it meant his demise. If you went against Dan Evans, you’d better do your...
In 2021, the Biden Administration passed the Infrastructure Investment and Jobs Act, which included a provision to give $42.5 billion to the Broadband Equity, Access and Deployment program to provide under-served and rural areas with internet access. To date, it has connected nobody. The plan required U.S. states and territories to submit plans for investment and deployment by the end of 2023, which all have done. Expected roll out won’t occur until 2026 by most optimistic deadlines. It’s better than nothing, right? Maybe not. When you loo...
Fact: Wind Turbine blades wear out and are sometimes replaced. Fact: The fiber dust and particles are being deposited downwind from the turbines and it will never go away. In Texas many ranches now will not buy hay if it has been raised close to turbines. If that is the case in Texas what may be happening to our crops and soil when there are thousands of turbines up wind from us in Wash. and Ore. Could that answer be hidden from us? Rod Hubner, Garfield...
Dear editor, My name is Gene Siple. I am now retired but I served eight years as the Coordinator for Whitman County Legal Services, the county volunteer lawyer program that helped low-income people find legal assistance in civil cases. I am not an attorney myself, but I had the privilege of working with local attorneys who were willing to provide pro bono assistance to clients. I am grateful for the many hours that Jenna Brozik donated to the program. Civil legal cases, such as family law, are very complex and time consuming. Jenna always...
Endorses Jenna Brozik for judge Jenna was my attorney for a very difficult child custody case following the death of my sister in 2018. I am forever grateful to Jenna for how hard she fought for my family and my niece. She did this because she cared and truly wanted the best outcome for my entire family. During the child custody trial, Jenna showed she was a force to be reckoned with. Jenna has the best qualities to be the next judge. She is ethical, honest, fair and very knowledgeable of the law. It seems like there is a system of favoritism...
The 2023-2024 K-12 Report Card has been released by OSPI, and the results continue the pattern of the past few years. Based on Smarter Balanced standardized testing, only 50.3% of students were considered on track in English, 39.7% in Math, and 43.5% in Science. Last year, the scores were 50.7% in English, 39.1% in Math, and 42.9% in Science. These scores indicate there hasn’t been any serious improvement for public school students since the learning loss from school closures during the pandemic. Superintendent Reykdahl has been critical of S...
Whether you call it a ban or a significant deterrent to future natural gas consumption, voter approval of Initiative 2066 (I-2066) in Washington may be only the first giant pothole to fill. The next one in the road ahead may be a hefty tax on natural gas. In 2019, Berkeley, Calif., became the first city to prohibit natural gas connections in new buildings. San Jose, New York City, San Francisco, Seattle, and others followed. However, last year the Ninth Circuit Court of Appeals delivered a setback by holding that federal law preempts local bans...
You shouldn’t be surprised the state Energy Facility Site Evaluation Council last week voted to accept a site application for construction of more wind turbines atop Horse Heaven Hills. It’s all part of Gov. Jay Inslee and his financial supporters plan to breach our dams and replace them with unsightly, unpopular and unreliable wind power. The council was pushed by Gov. Jay Inslee, who didn’t like the fact Tri-Citians outright rejected his plan to supplant dams with the unsightly wind turbines on Horse Heaven Hills. Local roadblocks to his plan...
Having grown up in Whitman County I am not a stranger to the dark side of addiction in the surrounding communities. Alcoholism, drug addiction and a lack of mental health resources run rampant in some of our communities. Small towns are a great distance from needed resources and not everyone has a support system. Growing up, I saw many of those closest to me fall victim to the need to escape the voices in their heads holding them back from making healthy decisions and actively consuming alcohol...
School Districts in Eastern Washington are again starting to see boys and girls differently, especially when it comes to sports. The Kennewick School Board got the ball rolling back in July, following boys participation and victories in girls track events. Only a month or two before, a Methow Valley boy won a girls event in Cashmere, claiming he is “transgender.” Then an East Valley boy also competing under the transgender caveat, beat a West Valley girl to win the girls state 2A title in the...
All the increased costs Washingtonians experienced during the past year were accompanied by a $1.3-billion hit on workers’ paychecks. The widespread pay decrease in Washington state was compliments of a new payroll tax that began in 2023 to fund a program called WA Cares. In a recent meeting, the Employment Security Department told the Long-Term Security and Supports Trust Commission not to get used to higher-than-expected income, in case wage and employment information changes. But ESD’s Ibrahim Dembele seemed a bit giddy that WA Cares had...
The current election cycle made a headline out of price gouging in grocery stores and setting caps on certain staple foods. Contrary to insinuation that farmers and others in agriculture are profiting, the USDA is projecting on-farm income will decrease by 25 percent this year alone after a decrease of 16 percent last year. Since the beginning of COVID, there has been a great deal of discussion about the supply chain but there is still not widespread understanding of how complex the system is. In the case of the food supply chain, there are...
Schools across the region are tackling the issue of cellphone addiction among students, at least while on campus. Well, maybe tackling the addiction is a bit strong. Let’s just say school boards here in Eastern Washington and elsewhere are finally taking action to keep phones out of students’ hands in classrooms. At issue in many districts is whether cell phones should be allowed in class, at lunch, on buses or even on campus. It’s a no-brainer — the short answer is no. Cellphone-addicted students are more focused on taking a “selfie” than they...
