Eastern Adams County's Only Independent Voice Since 1887
Eastern Adams County's Only Independent Voice Since 1887
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Not long ago, I reported on an officer involved shooting that occurred in Adams County. I had been asked to review the investigation to make sure it was independent of the Ritzville Police department and make the decision in the case about whether the shooting was justified. I did, and found the shooting was completely justified by the suspect's attack on the trooper with a machete. This case had been referred to the State Attorney General for review, but they declined to be involved because they had "other priorities." Now...
You plant and tend your garden hoping to enjoy a bountiful harvest and beautiful blooms. Despite proper planning and planting, insects can move in and wreak havoc on your garden. The good news is you can manage problem pests without harming the pollinators that are so important to your garden. Start by reviewing the care your plants need to thrive. Make sure you are watering thoroughly and only when needed. Consider mulching the soil with shredded leaves, evergreen needles or other organic material to conserve moisture,...
In early June, the financial website WalletHub released its rankings of “Best and Worse State Economies” and Washington led the field of 51 as best by a healthy margin. WalletHub economists viewed the states from three key dimensions—-economic activity, economic health and innovation potential. Then the analysts from Dartmouth and Carthage colleges and the University of Texas-Austin looked a 28 key indicators of economic performance and strength when comparing all 50 state...
Teaching psychology for 20 years at Spokane Falls Community College was such a learning experience – for me. I hope the students also learned a lot about the “scientific study of behavior and mental processes.” When teaching the section on evolutionary psychology, it was always interesting to ask the classes if anyone knew about the "Darwin Awards." Sheepishly, some students, especially boys, would raise their hands, grinning from ear to ear. For those of you who don’t know, every year people are selected for Darwin Awards...
How refreshing to see a couple of Washington sheriffs speaking out against the mandatory wearing of masks. I’m tired of the government acting like a “nanny state”. It’s about time we returned to the good old days when people were responsible for their own actions. Sheriff Snaza of Lewis County and Sheriff Songer of Klickitat County should be consistent and also refuse to enforce drinking and driving laws. That way it would be up to the driver to decide when and where to drink, not a liberal politician in Olympia. Same go...
While the coronavirus pandemic and civil unrest are front page news, China’s unrelenting push to leap over our country in critical technology and hoarding of strategic metals should alarm us. Since the coronavirus pandemic broke out, there has been an unprecedented worldwide demand for personal protective equipment (PPE). Tensions between our countries fueled the widespread fear that Chinese imports would disappear. China provided 48 percent of our PPE imports in 2018, but C...
It was a seemingly impossible task, but concerned citizens rose to the occasion. Volunteers across the state collected 266,000 signatures in support of Referendum 90. In April, the effort was launched to collect the necessary 130,000 signatures but, in seven short weeks, despite no gatherings, we more than doubled that. And, in fact, set the record for the most signatures ever collected on a state referendum. We contributed more than 1000 signatures. This referendum will allow Washington voters to decide on November 3rd...
Whether it is a crop, milk or livestock, no one involved in agriculture wants their products to go anywhere other than to consumers. That is what makes the COVID-19 crisis particularly difficult for agriculture – food continues to be produced but, in many cases, it is not reaching its intended destination. In April, the president of Tyson meats warned of a nationwide meat shortage. Milk producers are working to find the middle ground between keeping their cattle healthy and m...
In recent years, papermakers in the Pacific Northwest have been losing ground. However, today there is a ray of hope. Surprisingly, that optimism results from the COVID-19 pandemic. In the first days of the pandemic, grocers couldn’t keep toilet paper on store shelves, even though paper mills were running 20 percent higher-than-normal capacity. Cardboard plants also were operating full bore making shipping boxes for medical supplies and personal protective gear. As online s...
Due to the coronavirus, there are a lot of questions on what school will look like next fall. On social media, a number of memes suggest public schools will be very different. They often cite new Centers for Disease Control and Prevention recommendations. There’s no doubt public education will be very different in the fall. But at this point, the center’s guidelines are only guidelines. As such, there is no force of law behind them. What are some of the things the CDC is pus...
TVW recently interviewed the top budget writers in the Senate about the state's outlook and the possibility of a special session. In one interview, Sen. John Braun (ranking member of Senate Ways and Means Committee) said the governor needs to re-open state employee contracts to cancel the 3% pay raises due July 1. In the other interview, Sen. Christine Rolfes (Senate Ways and Means Committee chairwoman) was asked if an income tax would be on the agenda for a special session....
As the state starts to open up again, I want to express my heartfelt gratitude to all of you who stayed smart and stayed home. You helped keep the virus away from people - many people - like me, who have unseen conditions that would make the coronavirus extremely dangerous to us. You are compassionate and responsible. You care enough about others to sacrifice for us. A billboard I saw put it well and I will quote some of it: "When you see the empty streets ... don't say to you...
Sign R-90 to regain sex ed control In March, our state Legislature voted to require comprehensive sex education in every public school. It did this despite many thousands of residents communicating their concerns and opposition through phone calls, emails, letters and online petitions. The Legislature passed this bill in a night session, taking the final vote at 2 a.m. Concerned residents immediately set in motion a plan to overturn this decision using the legal process provided in our state Constitution, the referendum. By...
Voluntary must have a different meaning inside state government offices. Last Tuesday, Gov. Jay Inslee and other participants in his coronavirus press conference said participation in a statewide contact tracing program would be voluntary. Except it’s really not. Under the program, anyone who tests positive for coronavirus would be contacted by the Washington National Guard, “trained” state Department of Licensing employees or other so-called “health professionals” to determ...
Sheltering in place doesn't make sense There's a lot to appreciate about farmers donating potatoes and volunteers helping to distribute them. But if one is awake, it's also deeply disturbing that farmers will soon "plow under a billion pounds of potatoes." Mind you that, this year, billions of people are forecast to starve to death around the world due to weather having caused crop failures globally and unprecedented locust migrations. Even in the U.S., the supply of food for...
Medicaid began in 1965 as a safety-net health insurance entitlement for low-income families with children, the disabled, and some long-term care. The program is financed by both federal and state governments in sort of a 50/50 arrangement. In reality, poorer states receive a higher percent of federal money than richer states. Congress established the financial match program with the idea that state legislators would not increase the tax burden on their constituents. The entitlement would therefore stay small and be used for t...
I took a look at the state Department of Health non-essential business complaint list over the weekend. I didn’t really expect to see much. And I would’ve been correct if I had only looked at Adams County, where two complaints had been filed, so far. But to my surprise, there are approximately 7,700 complaints filed statewide — and counting. I noticed that several serial tattletales are at work in some communities around the state. That isn’t the case here in Adams County....
I encourage readers to support Referendum 90 repealing the new K-12 sexual education law. The Legislature recently passed this bill, Senate Bill 5395, creating new learning standards for sexuality education. It requires instruction to begin in kindergarten in 2021. The state adheres to the National Sexuality Education Standards under the advice of Planned Parenthood and the Gay Lesbian and Straight Education Network, but with no conservative balance. For K-3 instruction, the state offers only one curriculum: “Rights, R...
Who can deny the beauty of a crisp fall day full of late-season sunshine and laughter in the air, as gorgeous crimson leaves twirl down to the ground from stately oaks, maples and other American hardwoods? Last Wednesday, at the potato giveaway in Ritzville, the air had many of those same elements — spring air still crisp enough for winter jackets, and sparks of laughter as neighbors came together to distribute a bountiful harvest of potatoes. The locally grown spuds were originally destined for area processors to turn i...
America’s unemployment rate is suddenly approaching historic levels. Since the COVID-19 pandemic began almost two months ago, roughly 30.3 million people have filed for jobless benefits. Nearly 14 million additional people could have filed if unemployment processes were easier, Economic Policy Institute calculates. With more employers cutting payrolls to survive and skyrocketing business closures and bankruptcies, economists forecast the unemployment rate could exceed 20 perce...
As we get deeper into the COVID-19 pandemic, we are finding more Americans to thank. Until recently, truckers have been behind the scenes just doing their jobs, but join the list of unsung heroes. Business Insider reported truckers are the reason America's grocery stores, online retailers, hospitals, gas stations and even ATMs have remained stocked. They number 1.9 million. It's estimated that grocery stores would be empty within 2-3 days if truck drivers stopped working. Acco...
With all the things going wrong with our lives this spring, COVID -19 has been the most prominent. The city of Ritzville scheduled a much-needed rehabilitation of the large water tank located in the golf course more than a year ago. Work started on cleaning and re-coating the inside in early March, with anticipated completion around May 1. During this time, we've all experienced low water pressure, which was anticipated. It is critical to the city to have the tank back online prior to summer, when irrigation of our lawns is...
Athletic trainer here for local students Like many in the community during this trying time my heart goes out to our student athletes, especially those in the class of 2020. I know many of you were looking forward to this spring sports season and the fun and memories that would have come with it. Again, I am very sorry for what you have had to sacrifice during this difficult time. That being said, I want to make anyone in need aware that I am here to support our students just as I would have been if sports were in session. I...
My ninth-grade health class is finishing up a drug/alcohol unit through Google Meet that was disrupted by the current crisis and school closure. We are having some great discussions about tobacco, vaping, alcohol, marijuana, opioids and other drugs. It has brought some things to light that I want to remind everyone about: • Some of the more commonly abused drugs today are actually prescription medicines. I encourage all parents to check their medicine cabinet and secure t...
In this time of the coronavirus pandemic, we at The Ritzville Adams County Journal and Free Press Publishing are asking readers to send in community news. We'd like to publish more of those good news milestones - births, weddings, anniversaries and others. The fact these life milestones are occurring during such strange times make them no less significant; in fact, more memorable. While they will likely not be accompanied by the usual fanfare and family/community get-togethers, they will certainly have distinctions that are h...