Serving Whitman County since 1877
Serving Whitman County since 1877
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In Washington, this year we hope to again escape the historic droughts plaguing other parts of the world. The Columbia River water system flowed at normal levels in recent years which is good for our agriculture, hydropower generation, barging, local water supplies, and fish and wildlife. However, 20 years ago we faced the same severe drought that is afflicting the world’s major river drainages including the Colorado River. That water scarcity forced factories to close, farmland to remain f...
Funny how it took a move into the country before a Democrat would support efforts to clean up our forests. Last week, Senate Bill 6121 passed the Senate unanimously. The bill sponsored by Sen. Kevin Van De Wege — a Democrat who now lives at Lake Sutherland — encourages the removal of downed timber and other “fuel” that could feed a wildfire. He should be commended for being the first Democrat to step out of the party box and recognize the importance of removing downed timber, dead snags and othe...
In reading the Gazette Reporter Jake Hull’s great article regarding Tony Carter, I was struck by two things. The first was the obvious outpouring of the importance that TC had in the Colfax School System. Whether coaching in several areas, teaching, helping, his humility and humor, of course I and all you others could go on and on but one of the most important to me was Mike Morgan’s comment about Tony’s superb athletic training. You knew when your kid was hobbling or down and T.C went out to take a look and the kid either stayed or came out,...
As an emergency physician, I see too many patients and families destroyed fentanyl epidemic. This is a plague that we can only face united. Four decades ago, many dismissed the impact of secondhand cigarette smoke. History shows us they were wrong. Today, “educated experts” dismiss what they call trace amounts of fentanyl on public transportation – buses, light rail, and ferries. The difference? Fentanyl is considerably more toxic. The time for hiding the effects of addiction and leaving this disease unaddressed in the public square is long pas...
There was a time many years ago when our state was generally safe and did not have a serious crime problem. Unfortunately, as the saying goes, that was then… and this is now. Washington is now among the nation’s leaders in several crimes, including auto theft and retail theft. While the nation’s violent crime rate dropped slightly from 2021 to 2022, our state saw an increase in violent crime during this period, according to the FBI. According to a report by the Washington Association of Sheriffs and Police Chiefs, there were 394 murders in Wa...
Washington state transportation employees are roundabout-mad. So, it was only a matter of time before that unwanted madness was injected into Colfax. At issue is whether the two U.S. Highway 195 bridges at the north entrance to town should be replaced by a new bridge and roundabout. Let that sink in for a second – rather than just replace the bridges, the state wants to add a roundabout. With our recent coverage on the state’s push, we’ve received a lot of telephone calls from Colfax and other...
I drove truck for 47 years and when the roundabout on Freya Street, north of Frances St., was installed I was hauling food products to a URM warehouse. The roundabout humps in the middle and when the trailing trailer goes over this it is tipped about 30 degrees and all the palletized goods are dumped off the pallets and scattered over the floor of the trailer and must be restacked by hand to unload. Exit 276 on Interstate 90 has two or three roundabouts, all jammed together making for a confusing mess. That serves no purpose than having some...
If you have taken your kids to McDonalds (or indulged yourself) in the last 6 months, you will have noticed the prices have increased substantially. Washington is not the only state where prices are going up, and it’s partially because of increases to minimum wage. Zerohedge is reporting another price increase, driven primarily by increases to the minimum wage, that is going to hit California in April this year. California minimum wage is set to increase to $20 an hour for fast food workers, a...
As Washington stands at a pivotal moment in shaping its energy future, it becomes increasingly clear that adopting sensible, forward-thinking solutions is crucial for a reliable, cost-effective, and environmentally sound power grid. It's time for our state to embrace energy policies that genuinely prioritize the well-being of its residents. The Power Washington plan, a comprehensive strategy I advocate for, is designed to confront and resolve critical issues within our energy landscape. The...
When Washington’s voters adopted the state’s Public Records Act under Initiative 276 in 1972, they wanted to make sure that state, county, and city governments operate openly and are transparent to the people. They recognized the best way to ensure transparency and accountability to the citizens of Washington is to require that most government records are made available to the public. The PRA, however, was never intended to help some make money at the expense of governments or other Was...
In the recent mailing of the Colfax School District, “Focus on Schools”, we learned from the two Building principals about upcoming activities and current events Colfax students are participating in. In addition there was included information regarding the upcoming enrichment levy, to be voted on by Colfax School District residents, ballots being due to elections by February 13, 2024. I encourage you to read this mailing. Every two years we have the opportunity to vote for the passage of a replacement enrichment levy. Washington State does not...
As climate disruption becomes more evident, more people are empowered to advocate for climate mitigation. This advocacy is positive, but climate advocates must choose their words carefully for their message to be most effective. Advocates need humility because we don’t have all the answers. For instance, while the climate science fundamentals are well-established, it is a relatively new field and probably still holds plenty of surprises. Humility is necessary because renewable energy development will make mistakes, just like any other t...
Each year Americans throw away more than three billion batteries constituting 180,000 tons of hazardous material. The situation is likely to get worse as the world shifts to lithium batteries to power a massive influx of electric vehicles (EV). It needs immediate attention. Everyday-green.com reported more than 86,000 tons of single-use alkaline batteries (AAA, AA, C and D) are thrown away yearly. They power electronic toys and games, portable audio equipment and flashlights and make up 20 perce...
Two years ago, Washington State Parks bureaucrats in Tumwater hatched a plan to address so-called “overcrowding” at Palouse Falls. The plan was to close and relocate the campground to Lyons Ferry, require permits to visit Upper Palouse Falls and to end hiking and exploring in and around the main Palouse Falls basin. The effort also eliminated kayaking access on the upper Palouse River. And to make the effort sound legitimate, those city-dwelling bureaucrats called Palouse Falls a “he...
As I sat and read Dan Soss’ obituary tonight in the 1.4.24 Gazette, I couldn’t help but go back to June 7th, 1975, when the existing nursing home was to become a boarding home/assisted living facility with most of the staff and nursing patients being transferred by us, our employees, friends, relatives, etc. to the just finished and licensed Whitman Convalescent Center. As the administrator, I was so fortunate to have an experienced staff who had worked with our residents, some for years, so they knew and trusted each other as we all moved int...
In a mis-guided attempt to limit the amount a property owner could collect in a damage deposit for pets, lawmakers are proposing a pet deposit cap of $150, starting this July. Like much of the other legislation that has been proposed this year to reduce the cost of housing, Senate Bill (SB 6064), introduced by Senator Drew Hansen (D-23), will have exactly the opposite effect. Pet deposits are designed to cover the cost of either deliberate or accidental damage repairs to an rental property,...
“The possibility of a global environmental apocalypse has been dominating headlines and exercises a powerful hold on the imaginations of millions of people,” according to optimist and author Marion L. Tupy. Headlines of imminent catastrophe are resulting in public policy driving our nation and our state as well as many other western economies to the brink. The Clean Energy Transformation Act, passed in 2019, and the Climate Commitment Act (CCA) of 2021 form the architecture for the radical dec...
It seems like every year the Democrats, who have voting majorities in the Senate and House, in Olympia introduce legislation to raise or create taxes, no matter how much revenue the state is already collecting from you and other hard-working taxpayers. The Ds are at again this session. The latest proposal from the other side of the aisle that should cause all of us to hide our wallets is Senate Bill 5770, the Senate Democrats’ very costly and long-term property tax increase proposal. The v...
The $33 billion secret Snake River Dam plan that President Biden and friends cooked up in the White House basement needs to be exposed to the light of day and thoroughly aired by all. It is time to assess how it might work in the real world rather than wait and see what happens once it is implemented. While $33 billion may seem like “walking around” money to a President who tosses around trillion-dollar programs like horseshoes at the church picnic, the amount is equal to the yearly ope...
