Eastern Adams County's Only Independent Voice Since 1887
Eastern Adams County's Only Independent Voice Since 1887
Sorted by date Results 276 - 300 of 1545
A window to apply for an exemption from a payroll tax that begins in July 2023 is still open, but it will only be open for about two more months. It closes Dec. 31. If you're one of the people who has private long-term-care insurance (LTCI), purchased before Nov. 1, 2021, you'll want to jump through the exemption hoops available on the "Exemptions" page of the WA Cares website. WA Cares is a mandatory social program created by the Legislature in 2019 to benefit some...
We have a predator problem. And hunters are noting that it gets worse with each passing year. In the state Department of Fish and Wildife’s District No. 1 – the northeast corner of the state comprising GMUs 101, 105, 108, 111, 113, 117 and 121— cougars and wolves kill almost 20,000 deer a year. Hunters last year killed an additional 3,600, bringing the annual reduction in deer numbers to over 23,000. That does not include additional loss by bear, coyote, bobcat, automobile or other mortalities. Fish and Wildlife offic...
Remember last summer when the state was acting like Oprah and giving away prizes to people for getting vaccines? “You get a game system!” “You get tuition!” “You win the lottery!” My teenage boys were disappointed it didn’t work out for me. It did for others. Washington state gave away more than $2 million in prizes as incentives for Washingtonians to get COVID-19 vaccines before the state’s “reopening.” It included a $1 million grand prize called the “Shot of a lifetime...
Gov. Jay Inslee announced last week that he will finally end governing under an emergency order — after more than 900 days —on Monday, Oct. 31. When the Legislature next convenes, it should ensure that this type of ongoing emergency governance without affirmative legislative approval never happens again. Whether or not you agree or disagree with every decision the governor made for the last 900-plus days, the fact remains these decisions with vast impact on individuals and...
I recently commented on negotiations between Gov. Jay Inslee and unions on the upcoming contracts for state employees. As I said before, while I don’t fault the proposed salary increases for state workers under the reported deal during this time of high inflation – or even the $1,000 retention bonuses that some state workers will receive – I am very unhappy with one type of bonus that will be given to state workers, as well as how negotiations were done in secret. In case...
For Washington residents, the decision on who to vote for in the race for U.S. Senate should be a no-brainer in the Nov. 8 general election. The fact that incumbent Patty Murray, a westside Democrat, doesn’t want to debate Republican political newcomer Tiffany Smiley should be enough to chose the challenger. But there’s a lot more to Smiley than her bold challege of the well-funded, career politician. Smiley has a story to tell. It’s a story of standing up for what’s right. It’s a story of defending her family and farming....
There wasn't much notice for August's webinar hosted by the WA Cares Fund. It was titled, "Long-Term Care Planning for Near-Retirees." I finally went back for a watch. In addition to presentations from government employees about changes that were made for near-retirees in the last legislative session when it comes to WA Cares - the new social program supporters and public agency heads are trying to pass off as an insurance policy for workers, even calling a new payroll tax a...
Reader backs Smiley for senate Tiffany Smiley is an articulate, energetic natural leader who will fight crime, fentanyl, illegal immigration, inflation and over-spending. She will support border protection, energy independence and American Independence. Sen. Tiffany Smiley will listen to the people and respond with common sense legislation. Woody Watrous – Capistrano Valley, Calif. A time to think, reconsider What a free and open society we have: There are a host of laws for gun control and anti-trusts (monopolies) that are s...
If you live in Spokane, you know about its waste-to-energy facility which burns up to 800 tons of solid waste a day and can generate 22 megawatts of electricity---enough to power 13,000 homes. It is part of Spokane’s overall system that encourages recycling and waste reduction along with generating power. But what about the landfills spewing greenhouse gases from rotting trash? Earlier this year, Washington lawmakers approved legislation requiring large garbage dumps to c...
Over the years, Seattle leaders faced “Herculean” challenges yet found the will, resources, and determination to come together and tackle them. Today’s conundrum is to overcome the city’s growing wave of crime and illicit drug trafficking. Seattle Times columnist Danny Westneat summarized the predicament best. “During a time that, one hoped, was going to mark some summer recovery from the social dislocations of the pandemic, Seattle is instead continuing to slide backward-...
Col. Wright’s name correctly removed I have objected to the changes of creek names and the defacing of the Whitman statue at the college and removing the statue from the Capitol. It is a sign of the times and rebellious, ill-educated, disrespectful children growing into adults. However, I think Publisher Roger Harnack’s recent column was short-sighted in his summary of the hanging of Qualchan. Col. Wright was wrong (to quote the name of a book.) Qualchan came into Wright’s camp under a flag of truce because he believed his f...
Myth: It makes no difference if one calculates cow feed intake on a dry matter basis or an as-fed basis. Answer: Oh, but it does matter! Okay, here we go! This is one of those topics that probably caused more confusion among my students than most any question I asked them (or had them calculate on an exam!). Let’s make some practical sense of this and how it applies to the real world for cattle producers. Before we can address this concept, we define our terms: As-is (or as-fed) basis refers to selling or using feed with n...
In Washington, this year we’re fortunate to have escaped the historic droughts plaguing other parts of the world. The Columbia River basin water system has been at normal levels 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, Rhine, and Yangtze. That water scarcity is forcing factorie...
I recently had the opportunity to review all 50 state constitutions and confirmed an important fact for the current capital gains income tax litigation in Washington. Although most state constitutions mention how real, personal, tangible or intangible property should be taxed, the vast majority don’t define those terms. Of those that define property, Washington’s constitution has the broadest definition. This is why our state supreme court has repeatedly ruled that in ord...
My husband and I recently got into a discussion about the differences in the labeling of chicken. He saw a post on social media outlining the supposed differences between “pasture raised,” “cage raised,” “cage free,” and “free range.” It is easy to get caught up in the virtuous marketing of “pasture raised,” “cage free,” and “free range” versus “cage raised.” It is easy to imagine flocks of chickens strutting through pristine green fields and foraging for their food, but to...
Last week, Fairchild Air Force announced it was erasing Col. George Wright because the history surrounding him is considered by some as divisive. In place of his name being associated with a housing area and street, the military opted for “Lilac Village” and “Willow Loop,” respectively. The move comes two years after Spokane canceled the highly decorated Army leader, as well – Fort George Wright Drive was renamed to Whistalks Way, in recognition of the wife of Spokane tribal w...
Sen. Schoesler omitted info on police pursuits In a recent op-ed, state Sen. Mark Schoesler, alluded to a new “bad law” that prevents law enforcement from pursuing criminal suspects in most situations. He cherry-picks a paragraph from an op-ed in a Seattle newspaper written by one of his senate colleagues, Marka Dhingra, who happens to be the first Sikh elected to a public office anywhere in the U.S.. (The Sikhs are a persecuted religious sect in India.) Also, she has been a deputy prosecuting attorney for King County for...
The local news coverage of the celebration for units returning from Iraq and Afghanistan left me with mixed emotions. I was delighted that our fighting men and women were being embraced by our community. At the same time, however, I couldn't help feeling an emptiness as I recalled the lack of welcome for those of us who returned from Viet Nam. We came home to an ungrateful, and sometimes hostile, nation. In some extreme cases, we were spit on as we got off the plane. Some of...
Implausible as it may seem, gasoline powered vehicles can be part of reducing carbon emissions. They need to be part of the solution and not brushed aside. Take for example, Glacier National Park in northwest Montana, there is a fleet of 33 tour buses powered by gasoline engines. Each year, they transport 60,000 visitors mainly across Logan Pass---the park’s famed “Going to the Sun Highway.” Without them, congestion would be much worse and fewer people would enjoy Glaci...
Increase funding for lab grown meat Senators Patty Murray and Maria Cantwell have the opportunity to help alleviate a tremendous amount of nonhuman suffering by increasing funding for cultivated-meat research. For those who aren’t aware, cultivated meat is grown from animal cells, without slaughter. We can start to put the era of killing sentient beings for food behind us. The private sector has made excellent progress developing this revolutionary protein, but public money is necessary to help bring it to market as fast a...
Over the last several decades, many journalists saw hometown community columns as quaint links to how newspapers once operated. But with few journalists left in the Pacific Northwest applying for jobs since the COVID-19 shutdowns two-and-a-half years ago, we’re hoping to revive the idea of publishing content from local community correspondents — no formal training needed. We’re looking for volunteer correspondents who like to tell the world what’s going on in their part of...
Next year, one of the state’s newly adopted climate policies, the low-carbon fuel standard, will take effect in our state. The legislation requires companies to blend biofuels or fund charging stations for electric vehicles. Although it has increased gas prices in California and Oregon, the governor and environmental activists claim it would cost Washington drivers nothing, while the prime sponsor testified it would cost no more than 2 cents per gallon. “Don’t let anyon...
Revive federal assault weapons ban Who has more mental problems – the perpetrators of gun violence or congressional Republicans, including our own Cathy McMorris Rodgers, who lacks normal compassion and regard for human life, even of young children? Congressional Republicans have once again copped out of their responsibility to do anything significant to stop mass killings by effectively acting only on mental illness measures. At the least, their social-emotional development has been severely stunted. Using the Second A...
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 revenues were up five percent from 2021 to 2022, yet expenses rose 11 percent over the same time period. This is unsustainable. Several, if not many, hospitals are at risk of closing if these losses continue for another year. This includes both rural and urban facilities. Executives give a number of reasons for the financial...
Voters have several candidates to choose from in the Aug. 2 primary election. While many candidates are busy trying to distinguish themselves for the right reasons, two congressional incumbents have made names for themselves for failing to represent the wishes of the Adams County electorate. These same to incumbents are career politicians – and it’s time for them to be swept aside. Luckily, there are challengers who are vowing to listen to their rural constituents and represent their wishes in Washington, D.C. In the rac...