Eastern Adams County's Only Independent Voice Since 1887
Eastern Adams County's Only Independent Voice Since 1887
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DURING the last two state budget cycles, Washington lawmakers have come dangerously close to forcing a government shutdown due to failures in the budget process. The current 2015-17 state budget was signed just 18 minutes before a shutdown would have occurred. The 2013-15 budget was finalized just a few hours before state agencies would have been forced to shutdown. In both cases, the tax revenue provided by citizens was increasing substantially, meaning these threats of...
Olympia is clearly out of touch with Eastern Washington, and you won’t have to look any further than your ballot to figure that out. In addition to the East versus West gubernatorial battle, you’ll find Referendum 90, pitting many rural parents against a few city-based lawmakers and state Superintendent of Public Instruction Chris Reykdal over the measure. Referendum 90 targets Senate Bill 5395, a so-called “comprehensive” and “inclusive” sexual education curriculum being mandated by those in Olympia. For the last few ye...
To the average American, China’s control of the world production, processing technology and stockpile of critical metals is not their concern. However, to our military and high-tech leaders, it is a very big deal. Our government has a list consisting of 35 metals considered to be vital to our national economy and security. While 17 are classified as “rare earth” and are not commonly known, all are critical components of products such as smart phones, laptop computers, lithi...
If there was any doubt about a need for change in the Governor’s Mansion occupancy, political newcomer Loren Culp swept them away in the only gubernatorial debate two weeks ago. Gov. Jay Inslee, whose been occupying the mansion for the last two terms, should’ve come ready to take on a small town police chief. Instead, he ran for his typical cover — everything is the fault of President Trump, global warming, systemic racism and the coronavirus. The problem is that mismanagement in the state’s corrections, mental health and emp...
Interestingly, while restaurants and airlines continue to be clobbered by the coronavirus, recreational vehicle (RV) sales and rentals are taking off. People have switched their travel preferences to minimize their Covid-19 exposure. Travel trailers and motorhomes are iconic symbols of campgrounds in our “Great Outdoors”. Meanwhile, outdoor recreation increased once the initial lockdowns to prevent the spread of Covid-19 lifted. Before the pandemic came ashore in the US, the number of active camping households was inc...
Here’s why I’m voting for the Park and Pool Rec No. 4 levy. No, we didn’t get to enjoy the swimming pool this past summer: no adult swim, no aerobics, no swimming lessons, and no visitors to Ritzville to share our State-of-the-Art Pool. However, here are the reasons I’m voting FOR the levy. It’s been twenty years since our pool has been built and it’s in need of repairs, unfortunately expensive repairs. Maintenance requires keeping the boiler going, replacing pipes, fixing breaks, heaters, replacing the water and blowing out...
Americans, including politicians, wake up and speak up. We are being snowballed, and given a very rough time by Public Health officials, as dictated by extremely over-reactive Federal officials. Yes, COVID-19 is a serious matter, and very contagious. But, let’s look at numbers. When SRN News surveyed USA COVID-19 deaths, 67% were elderly with underlying factors, many in their last years in adult care. Some perhaps weakened prior by the influenza vaccine. The remaining 33% tallies out to 0.015% of the total USA population. M...
On November 3, 2020, Adams County residents will be given another opportunity to vote for the Ritzville Water Park pool levy, running a second maintenance and operation levy that did not pass in August. It is important for us to note that these measures do require an investment from residents, many of whom that do not utilize the pool. However, with respect to that situation, the benefits of passing the levy are wide-ranging. In short-term, local jobs will be created for our youth, who will gain from work experience that may...
It is official. Boeing will consolidate its 787 manufacturing in South Carolina. This news has many implications for the state including a direct impact on the state’s budget outlook. Although the September revenue forecast didn’t make an assumption about what Boeing would decide, a downside risk to the forecast was if South Carolina was picked. From the September revenue forecast: “The potential consolidation of Boeing 787 production in South Carolina and resulting decli...
The state Department of Fish and Wildlife already manages about a million acres of publicly owned lands statewide. Now, the agency is trying to use recent wildfires as an excuse to regulate more land use, and potentially increase its land holdings. Last week, the agency called for sage-grouse to be listed as an “endangered” species. It will be collecting public comment on the idea through Dec. 30. According to agency South-Central Regional Director Mike Livingston, this yea...
First the good news. Unlike during the great recession, state revenue is still increasing overall during the COVID pandemic. According to the September revenue forecast: “Forecasted Near GF-S revenue for the 2019-21 biennium is now $50.022 billion, 8.6% higher than 2017-19 biennial revenue, and forecasted Near GF-S revenue for the 2021-23 biennium is $53.737 billion, an increase of 7.4% over expected 2019-21 biennial revenue.” The bad news of course, this revenue growth is...
We’re only about three weeks until our ballots arrive in the mail for the Nov. 3 all-mail-in election. So far, the focus has been on the presidential race between Republican President Trump and Democrat challenger former vice president Joe Biden. Here, much of the focus has also been on the gubernatorial race between incumbent Gov. Jay Inslee, a Democrat from Bainbridge Island, and Eastern Washington’s own Republican challenger Loren Culp, who leads the Republic Police Dep...
About 800 miles south of my office, the leaders of North Valley Baptist Church in Santa Clara, Calif., are no doubt having conversations about how to move forward. The church, which was mandated to close and remain closed earlier this year due to California Gov. Gavin Newsom and Santa Clara county’s decrees, chose not to comply. After moving ahead with what they believed was the mission of the church, they are now faced with more than $52,000 in fines from various g...
What happens in China, doesn’t always stay in China. We learned that a couple of years ago when the Chinese stopped buying massive volumes of the world’s used paper, plastics and textiles; and, again last March when the coronavirus escaped Wuhan and spread across the planet. Like other nations, China is struggling with the deadly Covid-19 virus and suffocating under mountains of trash its residents generate each day. Wuhan hospitals generated six times as much medical was...
Road Closure Gratitude I am sure that I speak for untold numbers of folks when I say thank you to the fine people of Ritzville for their patience and hospitality they showed Monday evening. With all roads out closed, most roads in town impassible with traffic, and an overloaded cell network you folks stepped in to provide information, water, and even invited us into your homes in some cases. Your collective efforts made an uncomfortable situation not only tolerable, I believe most people had a good time - all things...
Not only is the world in the grasp of the COVID-19 pandemic, but America’s western wildlands are burning up as well. Gov. Gavin Newsom told reporters California has a dual crises: the massive wildfire complexes and the ongoing coronavirus pandemic. “At this time last year, California had seen 4,292 fires that burned 56,000 acres. So far this year, we’ve had 7,002 fires that have burned a whopping 1.4 million acres.” California reports more than 660,000 coronavirus cases....
“Are you guys ok?” It’s the first thing we say to each other in the Malden/Pine City area these days. Once that question is answered, it is immediately followed by, “Is your house ok?” We lost so much on Labor Day. Our community’s heart got burned up. Malden and Pine City are more than a collection of buildings. They were where we fought for years to get a library and finally got one. It was where we met, all of us for miles around. The Masonic Lodge Hall that burned held every bit of history from Eastern Star Chapters fr...
Voices across the state continue to ask the Governor to call a special session to allow lawmakers to balance the budget and address COVID-19 related policies. A special session would provide the legislative branch of government its first opportunity in more than five months to address problems caused by the pandemic. Sen. Hans Zeiger this week also sent his colleagues a letter calling on them to support a special session. From Sen. Zeiger’s letter (in-part): “I write five and...
Most schools in Washington state will remain closed this fall. Some school districts are tightening their belts in anticipation of the COVID-19 budget cuts that are coming. But last week Gov. Jay Inslee bypassed the Legislature and the decisions of local school districts to protect the jobs of unionized school bus drivers. He’s made sure money will keep flowing for school buses that are not carrying school children. His next step may be to keep the money flowing to school b...