Opinion / Letters
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Thoughts on wind power
The 3-blade electric power generating wind mills in Washington State are, in my opinion, eyesores. The large size of these machines, with the vapid, continuous motion of their huge blades degrades the natural beauty of the landscape in the scenic...
Responding to Schoesler
Partisan state senator Mark Schoesler misses the mark again when he complains about the supposed tax and services imbalance between the two different sides of Washington. He calls free public transportation for west side children discriminatory...
Throw the bums out!
You and I may not always agree on who the bums are, but we know that “You’re out!” is a cornerstone of our democracy. Lobbyists, dark money and blind ambition can be thwarted, but only If we vote, and this November, only if we vote against...
State's hospitals in financial trouble
A report released last week by the Washington State Hospital Association indicates that virtually every hospital in the state is in financial trouble. (here) A recent survey revealed that hospital...
Time to leave for 'Boot Camp'
I officially began my internship at the Whitman County Gazette in January. I was 19 years old, a sophomore in college and contemplating what my future would look like. I came from Detroit to...
Commissioner Largent understands our county
Mike Largent has put his personal life on hold in order to give Whitman County the expertise which we are used to. He has proved in the past he has all the qualifications Whitman County needs in a county commissioner. Whitman County is an...
Spokane voter supports Tiffany Smiley
I just listened to a campaign ad for Patty Murray, who is seeking another term as our senator. She stated she will fight for us for lower prescription prices, inflation, high gas prices, public safety and a cornucopia of problems we face daily. The...
Experience the Palouse from atop a motorcycle
The back roads of the Palouse are beautiful this time of year. But there’s a lot more to see if you traverse them on a motorcycle. A couple weeks back, after looking at the cost of gas and the...
Restore U.S. semiconductor edge
Surprisingly, recent U.S. Presidents and congressional Democrats and Republicans agree America’s economic and national security hinge upon tiny, yet powerful semiconductors. Semiconductor computer c...
Ruralites left out of suicide hotline
For people considering self-inflicted death, there is an opportunity of 10 minutes or less to intervene and potentially change that course of action. July 16 marked a milestone in the national mental...
letters to the editor
Agency rules pushed us into drug prohibition In his July 7, 2022 column, publisher Roger Harnack bemoans excessive “law-making” by agencies. I would join with him, pointing to the Harrison Narcotic Tax Act of 1914. Congress wanted to raise revenu...
State-union talks should be public
Did you know the governor’s office is currently negotiating pay and compensation with state employee unions for the state’s 2023-25 budget? What is on the table? Will the outcome of these secret...
Lawmakers challenge dam report conclusion
A draft of the “Lower Snake River Dams Benefit Replacement Report,” requested by Washington’s U.S. Sen. Patty Murray and Gov. Jay Inslee last fall, recently was released to the public. While...
Congress should reassert itself
While critics contend the U.S. Supreme Court decision limiting how the nation’s main anti-air pollution law can be used to reduce carbon dioxide emissions from power plants was a “gut punch;...
letters to the editor
Gas can issues resolved by high gasoline prices I can’t believe it. The government bureaucracy has actually fixed a problem of its own creation. I’m talking portable gasoline containers here. As you are probably aware, the federally mandated gas...
letter to the editor
I was happy to learn the San Francisco-based company Eat Just is planning to build the world’s biggest cultivated-meat factory in the U.S. For those who don’t know, cultivated meat is grown from animal cells, without slaughter. The planned...
Greenies attacking LC Valley
For the people living in the Lewis-Clark Valley on the Snake River, Gov. Jay Inslee’s report on destroying four dams tries to offer some solace. After a “thorough review of relevant economic...
Supreme court takes on agency 'law-making'
“But the Constitution does not authorize agencies to use pen-and-phone regulations as substitutes for laws…” U.S. Supreme Court Justice Neil M. Gorsuch wrote that and more in his 19-page...
Squatchin' in Metaline Falls
Like the old Olympia beer commercials used to say, “I seen ‘em.” No, I’m not talking about “them there artesians” brewing beer in Washington state. I’m talking about “Squatch,...
Provide tax breaks to families
Gov. Jay Inslee has repeatedly made it clear that he believes his spending priorities exceed any need to provide tax relief to help families deal with the impact of record inflation. On the same day...
Drones help scorched forests
Regenerating millions of western forested acres scorched by wildfires is a Herculean task costing hundreds of billions. However, healthy growing woodlands are essential to reducing atmospheric CO2 and...
A speeder ride through time
On Saturday the 18th, I set out from my Main Street apartment in Colfax at 7 a.m. to the train depot for a speeder I would be riding to Hooper. I grew up in Lamont. As a kid, I would play around the o...
Dam hydropower hard to replace
Gov. Jay Inslee and Sen. Patty Murray, both Democrats, issued a draft report which estimates that breaching the four lower Snake River dams and replacing their electricity and other benefits would cos...
Union talks should be transparent
The message from voters was crystal clear, but elected officials apparently don’t want to hear it. In 2019, nearly 80% of voters in the city of Spokane approved an amendment to the city charter ...
Letters to the Editor
Carbon tax may help alleviate climate change We just had one of our wettest Aprils on record. Yet, more than half of our state is abnormally or moderately dry and almost one-fourth in the grip of severe drought. Drought is expected here in Eastern...
