Eastern Adams County's Only Independent Voice Since 1887
Eastern Adams County's Only Independent Voice Since 1887
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On January 2nd, the Buffalo Bills and the Cincinnati Bengals were playing a big Monday night football game in Cincinnati. Both teams are having a great season and have the opportunity to play themselves into the Super Bowl. About nine minutes into the game Bills’ Safety Demar Hamlin made a tackle on Bengal receiver Tee Higgins. Higgins rammed into Hamlin’s chest and both players hit the ground. Hamlin stood up and took two steps before dropping to the field. The Bills’ train...
Coupled with rapid growth of data centers we rely upon for internet service and information storage is an increased demand for electricity to power millions of computers and cool the mammoth buildings in which they operate. Data center computers are integral to our everyday life and store everything from cooking recipes to complex engineering blueprints. They are heavy power users consuming 10-50 times the energy per floor space of a typical commercial office. Energy...
It is time to change the way things are done in our nation’s capital---the “Other Washington!” The year-end Christmas dash to pass a $1.7 trillion spending monstrosity is the straw breaking the camel’s back. It is a 4,000-page document which lawmakers freely admit they did not read. To put the problem into perspective that one bill contains 17 times more money than the entire two-year state budget for Washington. It’s an unfathomable sum of money and its vast scope has not g...
The Washington State Auditor has completed a performance audit of the Employment Security Department and has found the agency still has not corrected its systemic performance and fraud problems uncovered during the COVID-19 pandemic. After the complete failure of the agency to handle pandemic unemployment claims, which culminated in the resignation of Commissioner Suzi LeVine in 2021, state lawmakers passed several key pieces of legislation to require the agency to reform...
As the dawn of a new year approaches, it is important to pause and take stock of ourselves, and of the many mercies and comforts we enjoy. After all, “Gratitude,” Cicero said, “is not the greatest of the virtues, it is the parent of them all.” Of course, much has been lost in our society, and even more has been changed by the passage of these last few years. But not all that undergoes a sea-change in the wake of a storm is unsalvageable; in fact, some of the most preciou...
A strong mind and body are crucial to maintaining a healthy lifestyle. I learned that while recently completing basic training for the U.S. Army at Fort Sill, Okla. I was never a stranger to the gym. In fact, I spent every morning working out at FIT gym in downtown Colfax prior to leaving for the military. As a regular there, I always focused on strength training and cardio. Afterward, I would get my morning cappuccino and find myself at my desk in the bullpen at The Whitman...
Looking ahead to 2023 one of the most significant shifts America needs is to return to an “All of the Above” strategy which expands our energy options rather than further restricting them. That strategy was incorporated in the 2005 Energy Policy Act signed into law by President George W. Bush. It was inclusive and focused on incremental improvements coupled with innovation. However, in the last couple of years, our political leaders have hastily and unwisely narrowed fuel opt...
The Holiday Season is an especially difficult time for anyone grieving lost loved ones. Evergreen wreaths placed on veterans' graves across America help to ease that pain. More than 2.5 million red-ribboned wreaths were placed by thousands of volunteers, including many family members, on December 17. Those wreaths are made from clippings of balsam firs dedicated to deceased veterans. Each tree growing in Maine has the "dog tags" identifying the fallen service member. The...
The $5.4 billion expansion of the Panama Canal is paying off for East Coast and Gulf of Mexico seaports. It is putting pressure on the Pacific Ocean-based terminals to be more competitive. The enlarged waterway opened in June 2016 allowing much larger container ships to transit between the Atlantic and Pacific oceans. Ships carrying up to 14,800 containers can now bypass Washington and other West Coast docks and deliver containers directly to cities from Houston to New York....
Former state senator and current state Director of Commerce Lisa Brown rightly describes the difficulties a small business startup faces in Washington. Brown says the state Department of Commerce is helping small business owners navigate the complicated array of regulations and mandates that the very same government agency had previously imposed. But Brown completely glosses over the underlying problem small businesses face when they first start; that is, over complex...
Myth: The mystique of “water belly”. Here’s one that is especially relevant for our youth producers and their animals for the fair. I think most cattle producers who have been around the business for a good while will agree that when you think you have about seen it all, eventually you will get a big surprise. Such is the case with “water belly.” First, let’s point out here that this is not a condition that you are likely to see in your cow herd and those animals on a strict...
Despite higher prices, inflation and safety concerns, more Christmas shoppers are browsing on-line but making in-store purchases. The National Retail Federation reported an estimated 166.3 million people visited stores from Thanksgiving Day through Cyber Monday this year — an 8 million increase from last year. The good news extends to on-line sales. E-commerce retail revenues this year are projected to grow to $554 billion compared to $360 billion in 2019—the first year of...
More than ever, our country is suffering due to moral relativism – the idea that truth itself is relative. This leads to situations where, confronted with the same reality, people can't agree on what the facts are, let alone the moral judgments that come about as a result of those facts. Nowhere is this more true than the debate over abortion. You would think that as a society that has become obsessed with the latest science, there would be interest in hammering down a firm s...
Give President Biden some credit for mid-term election Democratic successes when most everyone predicted otherwise. Instead of focusing on himself, he quietly avoided states where he’s unpopular and helped Democrats win Pennsylvania, where he grew up and is popular. He presented us with our country’s greatest challenge: to save our democracy from autocratic ambitions of the MAGA faction that dominates the Republican party. He inherited a mess and time spent cleaning it up detracted from time for positive accomplishments. Our...
It seems like every time you open a webpage, turn on the TV or listen to the radio, you're bombarded with negativity. We're on the verge of nuclear war. The recession is upon us. Inflation is high. Every storm is "historic." Race-based politics are invading every inch of our educational system and lives. And if that's not enough, the 2024 election season has already begun. It's enough to get you down, and keep you there. But cheer up. You have plenty to be thankful for this...
I was disappointed to learn President Joe Biden’s USDA is giving out more than $223 million in grants and loans to expand the nation’s slaughter capacity. Instead, the department should have invested these funds into cultivated-meat research. For those who don’t know, cultivated meat is grown from animal cells, without killing. Propping up traditional animal agriculture is a betrayal of the progressive values Biden campaigned on. cultivated meat requires a fraction of the greenhouse-gas emissions that raising livestock does....
Forest health, climate change, and a plan that got almost no input before being announced is at the heart of the "carbon project" announced by the Washington State Department of Natural Resources last week. The project, developed by Finite Carbon, proposes to set aside 10,000 acres of forest in Western Washington, once set aside for marbled murrelet habitat and then cleared for logging, for carbon offsets that can be purchased by large companies in trade for their greenhouse...
Give President Joe Biden some credit for mid-term election Democratic successes when most everyone, including the media, predicted otherwise. Instead of focusing on himself, he quietly avoided states where he’s unpopular and helped Democrats win Pennsylvania where he grew up and is still popular. He presented us with our country’s greatest challenge: to save our democracy from autocratic ambitions of the MAGA faction that dominates the Republican party. He inherited a mess and time spent cleaning it up detracted from tim...
The midterm elections are over and the ballots should be counted, except for the ones mailed late yesterday. If you have to wait until the last minute to make up your mind on who to vote for, then it makes me wonder if you waited for the last repeated TV commercial to influence your judgment. I have seen a bunch of commercials for candidates. After the ad is done I have no idea what they stand for or believe in. I do know that if you vote for their opponent the world will come to an end just before Happy Hour begins....
Don’t forget that even as Washington state Gov. Jay Inslee’s state of emergency ends after 975 days, there are still many people who were separated from their jobs because of a COVID-19 vaccine mandate the governor put into place. And that was done without a legislative body weighing in and offering information or debate. Families and individuals suffered, as did state services that ranged from ferry cancellations to increased stress on emergency responders. And even tho...
Lowering our flags to half-staff is a solemn act that recognizes our fallen heroes, whether they be men and women in our armed forces or police officers killed in the line of duty. It is a vivid reminder of the ultimate sacrifice made by those who serve us. Unfortunately, after those flags return to the top of the pole and time passes, we tend to forget that the suffering for the friends and families continues. The loneliness, financial stress, and emotional strain lives on....
Demand for Electric Vehicles (EV) is soaring — accelerated by climate change concerns. EVs reduce tailpipe emissions from cars, trucks and buses which are responsible for 30 percent of our greenhouse gas pollutants. The switch to EVs is worldwide and growing. The Simply Insurance website projects by 2040, 58 percent of global vehicle sales will be electric. In 2021, China’s EV sales jumped to 3.3 million. Chinese government officials told automakers that electric vehicles (EV...
Free transportation isn’t discrimination 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 westside children discriminatory against Eastern Washington taxpayers, who supposedly have to “pick up the tab.” However, children are children, no matter where they live and whether their parents are Democrats or not. Why wouldn’t most voters be happy to pay the extra pittance in taxe...
It's no secret that crime has worsened throughout Washington in recent years, thanks to laws passed by the Democrat-controlled Legislature and a decrease in the number of law-enforcement officers in many communities. While we've seen a spike in many areas of crime, retail theft and other retail crimes are especially a problem. Retail crimes hurt not only stores and shops, but also consumers because these crimes force retailers to raise prices. The Legislature, the governor...
To “Build Back America” key workers must return to jobsites. It is not good enough for President Biden to lean back on low unemployment numbers claiming success when employers cannot find workers. Inflation is a huge deterrent. It has been running at over 8 percent. Last April, the New York Post reported: “White-hot inflation has forced the average American household to cough up an extra $460 per month, as surging prices for food and fuel put family budgets across the nation u...