Eastern Adams County's Only Independent Voice Since 1887
Eastern Adams County's Only Independent Voice Since 1887
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Let me start by saying The Ritzville Adams County Journal is here to stay. I say that after several people asked me last week if we were closing. Some of those questions were prompted by our editor’s decision to take another job in town. Some of those questions were prompted by the “for sale” sign in our window. It’s easy to jump to conclusions if you noticed both simultaneously. But in reality, we’ve had The Journal building listed for sale for several months. Only the build...
There was some good news recently coming out of a meeting concerning a 2019 law creating a state-run, long-term-care program to be funded through workers’ paychecks starting in January. In case you’re not in the loop, a payroll tax of 58 cents per $100, with no income cap, begins Jan. 1 to fund the Washington Cares Fund. Statutory employees earning $50,000 a year will pay $290 annually, those who make $100,000 will contribute $580 each year, and so on. Some workers who pay...
Effectiveness of Trump’s vaccine If there are any Americans out there who are still loyal to Donald Trump, listen up: Don't be sidelined by "Trumpian talking heads." Stay focused on Trump. He and Melania are both vaccinated. Trump said on national television, "I would recommend it and I would recommend it to a lot of people that don't want to get it and a lot of those people voted for me, frankly... It is a great vaccine. It is a safe vaccine and it is something that works. "It works incredibly well – 95%, maybe even mor...
It’s shaping up to be the year for conspiracy fans. UFOs are confirmed by the U.S. military and now government censorship through social media platforms is acknowledged. “We are in regular touch with social media platforms … We’re flagging problematic posts for Facebook,” White House press secretary Jen Psaki said during a July 15 press conference. She was speaking alongside Surgeon General Dr. Vivek Murthy about information provided about COVID, treatments and vaccinati...
This is my last issue as editor of the Ritzville Adams County Journal, as I have accepted another job here in town. I wanted to take this opportunity to thank you for letting me share your stories over the past year and a half. Moving here from Okanogan County just two weeks before the state shut down due to COVID, it was a bit of a challenge to get to know the community; but I soon became quite fond of my new home in Ritzville. I even enjoy the sound of the trains. Returning from occasional trips out of town visiting my...
Ritzville’s pool brings joy I’ve lived across the street from the Ritzville swimming pool since 1977. My children and now grandchildren as well as myself have enjoyed the pool for these many summers! Last year the pool was closed due to Covid and that was one of the saddest parts of my summer. Hearing the laughter, splashing, whistle blowing and Marco Polo shouts was sorely missed.. Having the pool back open again this summer has been such a joy and a huge reminder of the necessity of a swimming pool. It is even more app...
Homelessness is a growing problem in virtually every state. Nowhere is it more pressing than in California, which in the past three years spent more than $13 billion, roughly $30,000 annually for each homeless person, to address it. Tragically, its “housing first” approach is a colossal failure. Overall, says the state auditor’s office, California’s homelessness programs are disjointed and poorly managed. Despite little progress, policymakers keep throwing more money at the problem. Rather than adopting Califor...
The elected board of the Chehalis School District has responded to the concerns of parents and passed a resolution banning the teaching of controversial Critical Race Theory in public school classrooms. The new policy, passed June 15th, provides that schools will not teach that some students are inherently good and others are inherently bad based on their outward appearance. Further, district officials declared that political ideology has no place in public schools and that te...
Over the last 16 months, each one of us has suffered through endless chaos and uncertainty of COVID-19 and the seemingly endless monarchical restrictions affecting every facet of our lives. We’ve all borne witness personally in some way — sick and dying loved ones (not just from COVID); economic insecurity; long-term isolation from family, friends, church and helping each other in time of need; loss of personal freedom; watching individuals and families struggle with job los...
Power shortages, rolling brownouts and blackouts? In the Pacific Northwest? One regional utility alone – Avista – had brownouts that affected 15,307 ratepayers last Monday, 6,793 last Tuesday and another 602 last Wednesday. Other utilities, too, had brownouts. I know we’ve had a day or two of record-setting high temperatures. But that’s not an excuse to shut down power to residents and businesses here in Eastern Washington. Columbia River basin dams generate roughly 44% of...
A friend of mine, let’s call her Mary, began college at the University of Washington in 1967 and graduated with an undergraduate degree in 1971. According to the university’s records, she paid $3,160 (in 2020 dollars) for her final year of in-state tuition. Mary’s granddaughter, Emma, graduated after four years from the University of Washington in 2020 and paid $10,630 for her final year of in-state tuition. Essentially, school administrators more than tripled tuition at the state’s premier public university during that 50-ye...
Contrary to recent claims that Snake River Spring Chinook runs are on the path to extinction, returns increased for the second year in a row, continuing the recovery from the recent low point in the population cycle. The Spring Chinook salmon run for the Snake River concluded yesterday, with more than 29,634 salmon passing the Lower Granite Dam. This is a 27 percent increase from 2020 levels and 55 percent larger than 2019 returns. That number is also only 495 Chinook short...
In our zest to quickly switch from gas-powered to battery-operated vehicles and to convert our power grid to wind and solar generated electricity, the impacts of CO2 released from rivers, lakes and streams has been ignored. President Biden wants to transition America to renewable electricity by 2035 and have every car CO2 emission free by 2050. In the world of nature, the focus is carbon gases releases from forest and rangeland fires. In California last year, wildfires...
There’s a lot of talk about endangered species. But the most important endangered species in America, may not be a plant or a wild animal. The most endangered species may actually be in your home, a friend’s home or next door. The endangered species I’m talking about is the American Dad. This coming Sunday is Father’s Day, the one day set aside each year to honor the American Dad. Honoring and thanking the fathers in your life should be your highest priority this weekend...
Shortly after President Biden took office, he issued the sweeping executive order to transition America to TOTAL–-100 percent–-renewable electricity by 2035–-15 short years from now. Translated that means no more power from coal and natural gas ––quite a challenge considering 60 percent of the 4.12 trillion kilowatt hours (kwh) of electricity we generated in 2020 came from burning fossil fuels while 20 percent came from renewables including hydro. Land is the wild card. In...
Memorial Day Weekend Were you able to visit the Ritzville Cemetery this week? It's more than impressive, it's spectacular. I've never seen the cemetery look better. I can only imagine the hours the city crew put in mowing, cleaning off graves, pruning, raking, hauling away rubbish, and watering. And now with all the flags honoring the veterans and the gorgeous spring bouquets, it's a sight to behold. As the wind picks up, loud clattering sounds from the flags seem like horse hooves pounding the ground. I can just imagine...
“Stay tuned” was one of the biggest takeaways from a meeting last week where members of a state commission discussed the status of a new, long-term-care entitlement program run by the state and funded by a new payroll tax on workers. The law’s rules are still being drafted by theEmployment Security Department, and a new eligibility committee was approved to address some of the more controversial aspects of the program, which is now called WA Cares Fund. That move is welco...
New COVID workplace restrictions, issued by Washington State Labor and Industries (L&I) late last Friday, May 21st, require employers to check employee vaccine documents before allowing relaxation of social distancing and mask requirements in the workplace. The new state rules require an employer to confirm, and have employees prove their vaccine medical status. The process used to verify vaccination, and the medical status of the employee’s vaccination record, including t...
China’s growing dominance of critical metals production and its vast stockpiles is setting off global alarms as economies emerge from the punishing COVID pandemic. It is not only fear of the Chinese control of refined rare earth minerals, but more traditional metals such as manganese. Ores containing these elements are located in deposits across our planet; however, the technology to process them is largely in China. As the People’s Republic of China (PRC) under Xi Jin...
Masks are coming off. Most residents wanting a coronavirus vaccination have gotten one. Sports are on and students are back in the classroom. It’s not a coronavirus emergency that’s keeping Washingtonians from going back to work. Over the past several weeks, I’ve had numerous conversations with owners and managers trying to get their small businesses back on solid financial ground. Given residents’ frustration of being pent up for more than 14 months, you’d think that woul...
We knew it was coming. The moment lawmakers tried to get clever and thought they could gain support for a Low Carbon Fuel Standard (House Bill 1091) and Cap and Trade (Senate Bill 5126) by linking the policies with a future transportation tax package, it was clear what the governor would do – veto the restriction. Never mind the fact it appears to be illegal to do this. But since he has previously issued questionable line-item vetoes, there was never any doubt that he would do...
When Congress established the Federal Unemployment Tax Act (FUTA) in 1935, it was intended to provide temporary and partial income replacement for workers who lost their jobs through no fault of their own. It was supposed to be a “bridge” to a new job and not “in lieu of compensation” to remain jobless. The coronavirus pandemic produced massive layoffs. The resulting economic downturn swelled the ranks of unemployed Americans by more than 14 million — from 6.2 million i...
When COVID-19 came ashore, glaring gaps in the government's pandemic preparedness became painfully obvious. Everything from inadequate stockpiles of personal protective equipment to confusing and uncoordinated guidance regarding closures hampered our early response. But, while the government floundered, America's research scientists sprang into action. Moderna actually invented its vaccine mere weeks after the virus was genetically sequenced in January — though of course, it took months of clinical trials to prove the v...
OLYMPIA – Senator Mark Schoesler (R-Ritzville) summed up the 2021 legislative session with bad news. "This session was very bad for Washington's everyday, hard-working taxpayers," Schoesler said, adding the session "kept citizens in the dark" with the closed campus restricting the public from interaction with legislators. Citizens who wanted to testify had to do it via Zoom. "If their Internet connection was iffy, they ran the risk of not being able to testify," Schoesler said. "Many Republican colleagues and I believe the p...
Public records show lawmakers plan to use the capital gains income tax to set up a lawsuit to try to impose a broad-based graduated income tax. They’re going to get not one, but two. It could be years, however, before we know if the state Supreme Court decides to uphold its numerous rulings saying that you own your income or if they’ll instead reverse course. Just days after the Legislature approved Senate Bill 5096 — which institutes an income tax on capital gains — the Fre...