Eastern Adams County's Only Independent Voice Since 1887
Eastern Adams County's Only Independent Voice Since 1887
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Last year, Seattle Times aerospace reporter Dominic Gates wrote about the similarities and differences between Boeing’s corporate office move to Chicago and Amazon’s plan for a second headquarters. Boeing wanted to leave Seattle in an effort to separate its corporate leadership from manufacturing sites while Amazon, with an unusual strategy, plans to keep its headquarters here but set up a parallel operation elsewhere. Boeing hoped to find a more conservative business climate while Amazon wants a city that is a “cu...
The $5.4 billion spent to expand the Panama Canal is paying off for East Coast and Gulf of Mexico seaports; however, it is putting more pressure on the Northwest to remain competitive. The enlarged waterway opened in June 2016 allowing much larger container ships and tankers to transit between the Atlantic and Pacific oceans. Ships carrying up to 14,800 containers can now bypass Washington ports. Shippers have a cost-effective alternative to reach Midwestern markets from southern and eastern states. Our traditional advantage...
There is a new machine being tested in Montana that could decontaminate toxic mine tailings while recovering valuable precious minerals for everyday use. Gold, silver and other metals are essential for our cellphones, computers and electronic devices and their sale could offset the processor’s purchase and operational costs. If pilot tests are successful, the inventors envision building them in the United States. The potential market is worldwide because there are over 3,500 tailing ponds awaiting treatment. For now, it is a...
In Washington, the legislative stalemate over permitting new household wells and the state’s construction budget has not only delayed needed funding for public projects, but triggered yet another salvo in the wider conflict over future supplies of fresh water for people, fish and farms. At immediate risk is $4.2 billion in state funding for local water and sewer projects, school construction, mental-health facilities, colleges and universities, and other construction. While there is general agreement between Democrats c...
Key tax policies emanating from the east and west coasts are like passenger trains passing one another heading in opposite directions. One train is loaded with elected officials proposing changes to reduce taxes while the other is packed with those pushing for new and higher taxes. The cumulative effect of those modifications will impact all of us and our economy, jobs and ability to compete as a state and nation. The adjustments will determine whether we grow, limp along or wither away. Make no mistake; they will impact our...
At last count firefighters were battling 82 major wildfires in 10 western states. The fires have already scorched 2,300 square miles of forests and range lands, dislocated thousands of people, and burned hundreds of homes and buildings. This has been the third worst forest fire season on record prompting western congressional members to add billions to emergency hurricane relief legislation It isn’t over yet. The cost of fighting fires already broke this year’s U.S. Forest Service budget. It is part of a disturbing trend whe...
All of the things that went wrong in New Orleans with Hurricane Katrina in 2005 appear to have been corrected with Houston’s recent Hurricane Harvey. Chalk it up to a series of important lessons learned. By now everyone knows that Harvey came ashore from the Gulf of Mexico, dumped a record 51 inches of rain on 22 million people from Corpus Christi to Port Arthur, Texas, and sent thousands to shelters. The hurricane hit Houston, America’s fourth largest city and an urban area, which accounts for 3 percent of our nat...
Last February, the European Parliament rejected a tax on robots, but took the first steps to regulate their development and deployment. The legislation also aims to establish liability for the actions of robots including self-driving vehicles. Europe’s governing body, while rejecting the tax to be dedicated to worker training, overwhelmingly passed a resolution to study regulating robots. In an interview with Quartz.com, Microsoft co-founder Bill Gates said he believes that the government should tax companies’ use of rob...
Recently, family, friends and dignitaries gathered at Hurricane Ridge near Port Angeles to celebrate the designation of the Daniel J. Evans Wilderness at Olympic National Park honoring Washington’s distinguished three-term governor and U.S. Senator. Today, America needs a calming voice of reason: a steady and measured leader with the strength, experience, and ability to unify our nation. Daniel J. Evans fits that mold. At 91, Evans is still spry and fit. His legacy is he worked with Democrats as well as Republicans to get t...
Massive forest fires in western parts of Canada and the U.S. are not only choking us with layers of smoke, but are cutting off lumber supplies around our country. The result is the cost of a new home is rising because of the growing shortage of framing lumber and laminated decking. The Wall Street Journal (WSJ) reported combination of the wildfires and the 30 percent tariff President Trump slapped on Canadian lumber producers are causing lumber shortages and drove up the average prices on new single-family homes nationwide...
So far this year, a trio of unexpected deaths has shocked Washington business and agriculture. Melanie Dressel, Ron Reimann and Jeff Brotman leave behind large shoes to fill. They came from vastly different backgrounds and political perspectives, yet it was their diversity, ingenuity and drive, which makes our state and nation great. Last February, Dressel, president and CEO of Tacoma-based Columbia Bank, suddenly died of heart disease. She was 64. She was born and raised in Colville, a small farm and timber town, but stayed...
In 2014, President Barrack Obama opened the door for states to collect tolls on interstate highways. This year Oregon lawmakers, much to the chagrin of Washington drivers and truckers, unilaterally took advantage of the new funding opportunity. Before adjourning in July, Oregon’s legislature passed an ambitious $5.3 billion comprehensive transportation plan. To fund it, legislators raised fuel taxes, increased registration and title fees, created a new payroll tax, added taxes on auto and bicycle sales, and placed tolls on P...
There is an old saying: Don’t let the perfect get in the way of the good! That is important to remember when it comes to improving our air quality. While some activists want to eliminate all fossil fuels used on the waterfront, it is not possible without major disruption to our quality of life, jobs and economy. That is not the perfect. It is a recipe for disaster. The better way is to recognize the major environmental improvements we have accomplished and find ways to continue to solve problems. That is good for all A...
When the Economist Magazine reported the price of a Guinness pint could increase because of Brexit, it grabbed readers’ attention. Brexit is the process whereby Great Britain, including Northern Ireland and Scotland, is withdrawing from the European Union. The Republic of Ireland remains with 26 other nations. EU members benefit from a standardized system of laws, which allows the free movement of people and goods. Costly border checkpoints were abolished, but because of Brexit, they may be reconstructed between Ireland a...
Donald Trump’s address in Warsaw on July 6 was his best as President. His prepared remarks carried the right tone and hit the mark. It was a message the Polish people were waiting to hear from America. He called on the U.S. and its Western allies to confront common threats, declaring, “Our values will prevail, our people will thrive and our civilization will triumph.” The President added (paraphrasing): We write symphonies, pursue innovation, seek to explore and discover new frontiers, reward brilliance, strive for excel...
We can all use a dose of good news these days and there is some flowing from our state’s boatyards. When we think of maritime industries, we often focus on the mammoth ocean-going ships loaded with containers docking in Seattle, Tacoma and Portland; or, the U.S. Navy shipyard in Bremerton. While Vigor’s Seattle and Portland dockyards repair Navy and Coast Guard vessels, our warships primarily are built on the East Coast. Giant oceangoing freighters are constructed, and mostly repaired, in foreign facilities located mai...
Two days before last year’s presidential election, Frank Luntz walked away from a CBS 60 Minutes focus group leaving people uncontrollably screaming at one another. He couldn’t stop it. Nobody could. America’s political frustration has boiled far beyond anyone’s ability to listen and find common ground. Our country’s polarization now is to the point where people are shooting one another. Luntz is the best in the business. He is a pioneer in the field of communications and public opinion research. While at Associati...
Debating whether it was wrong for President Trump to pull the United States out of the Paris climate accord negotiations is never ending. Both sides will find ample evidence to claim the accords are good or bad for America; however, the rhetoric can’t obfuscate our ongoing work to reduce greenhouse gases. The focus needs to be on what is being done to reduce emissions globally and how our innovations and technology can be implemented across our planet. For perspective, the U.S. Energy Information Administration reported in A...
Recently, the Wall Street Journal editorialized that Connecticut’s elected officials are getting their “comeuppance” for years of absorbingly high taxes, failing to implement state spending constraints, and treating business as a bottomless well of cash. Just as Washington lawmakers are meeting in special session to balance the budget for the next two years, so are Connecticut legislators. While the differences between Democrats and Republicans over taxes are great in both states, Washington’s tax collections from existin...
In the last decade, there has been a highway construction boom in Texas. On the other hand, lawmakers in Olympia still scramble to fund road maintenance. Texas, a state with a population of 27 million, is flush with cash thanks partly to a 10-year voter approved initiative, which will pump $2 billion a year into highways. Then recently, that state’s legislature added $9 billion to further help relieve traffic congestion. “What’s Texas doing that we aren’t?” The answer is private-public partnerships. Since 2011, the state’s t...
Recently, Washington state’s largest environmental, wildlife and natural resources agencies recognized 43 large forest landowners for their “exemplary efforts” to upgrade forest roads and stream crossings, which improved salmon habitat and water quality. After investing more than $300 million collectively, these landowners rebuilt 25,000 miles of forest roads, replaced over 6,000 in-stream barriers to migrating fish, and opened in excess of 3,500 miles of previously blocked spawning habitat. The recognition is miles...
“America needs more welders and fewer philosophers,” proclaimed Florida Sen. Marco Rubio during the 2016 presidential campaign. He hit the nail on the head without disrespecting philosophers. Industry News reported in 1988, there were 570,000 welders compared to the 360,000 in 2012. Considering the manufacturing and construction sectors have boomed in recent years, the growing shortage of welders is troublesome. Even worse, the American Welding Society estimates a 290,000-job deficit by 2020. This shortage is primarily due...
There was nothing pretentious about Mike Lowry. What you saw is what you got! Lowry was one of Washington’s most colorful governors. He served one term from 1993 to 1997. He died on May 1 at age 78. There was nothing subtle about Mike Lowry. He was not afraid to mix it up publicly nor put his political future on the line when he believed in a cause. For example, in 1993 Lowry pushed legislation dramatically reforming our state’s health care laws. He and his Democrat colleagues jammed a bill through the legislature req...
Last month, a Wall Street Journal editorial hit the nail on the head recommending Amtrak focus its limited funds on shorter more heavily traveled routes between Washington, D.C., and Boston. The money is needed to prevent more derailments. The situation will only worsen unless Amtrak plows additional funds into rebuilding its dilapidated northeast railroad infrastructure. It must quit subsidizing runs greater than 750 miles. One is the Empire Builder, the passenger train started in 1929 between Seattle and Chicago. It is...
It may take United Airlines years to overcome the public relations nightmare of a doctor being dragged off an overbooked flight by Chicago police. That one incident not only sparked costly litigation, but could well impact the company’s bottom line and expansion plans. Unfortunately, for United, with today’s cell phones and social media, millions of people worldwide instantly saw the video. Some started a boycott. The video lit up social media in China where United is working hard to establish new routes. According to the...