Eastern Adams County's Only Independent Voice Since 1887
Eastern Adams County's Only Independent Voice Since 1887
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Dear Friends, Harvest time has come to my farm and others in the area. Every harvest is at least a little different from all the others before it; as much as I might like to see another record wheat-cutting day like we had a year ago, it would be enough for things to simply go smoothly overall – meaning the weather cooperates, the equipment operates as it’s supposed to, and so on. Before putting my commentary aside to concentrate on the harvest, I’ll briefly share a few things. First, past commentaries have mentioned what...
The Ritzville Area Chamber of Commerce is gearing up for the Wheat Land Communities’ Fair. Every year at the fair, the Chamber of Commerce can be counted on to serve up some great ice cream! Proceeds from the Ice Cream Booth are used to support Chamber activities through the year, such as the Community Parade and Springfest, as well as supporting and promoting area businesses and Ritzville. The Chamber is requesting donations for the purchase of supplies for the Ice Cream Booth and volunteers to man the booth. Donations c...
A current ad campaign stemming from the partnership of the American Library Association and the National Institutes of Health states, “Because librarians know information is the best medicine for healthcare questions,” and East Adams Library District couldn’t agree more. Access to current and reliable health information is imperative for the well-being of not only individuals but communities as well. While never a substitute for a professional medical opinion, libraries have become the go-to place for assistance in navig...
Dear Friends, I have to believe each of us can come up with at least one example of “I remember where I was when…” with the “when” being an important moment in history. I have several, and the 50th anniversary of one is tomorrow: man’s first landing on the moon. In July 1969 the media landscape was very different. I’d guess most families had a television set – meaning one set only, receiving maybe three channels (one affiliated with each of that era’s major networks), selected by turning a dial on the front of the box. But a...
With all of the attention on the 50th anniversary of the Lunar landing, many are looking ahead to the next half-century of space exploration. Of particular interest is returning to the Moon, which may come as early as 2024. For example, Boeing is working on the replacement for the Saturn 5 rocket which lifted the Apollo space capsules into orbit. The centerpiece of NASA’s Space Launch System (SLS) is the heavy-lift rocket being built to safely carry people and cargo back to t...
Shortly, after Apollo 11 landed on the moon and astronaut Neil Armstrong took his famous first steps on the dusty lunar surface, some comedian in our army unit at Ft. Knox, KY, posted a sign in our barracks: “Sorry, Drill Sgt., No Green Cheese!” Our basic training drill instructor was already “highly agitated” because President Richard Nixon ordered a “training holiday” so we could watch live television coverage of landing. On July 20, 1969, our unit was supposed to take wha...
One of Congress’ most important Constitutional responsibilities is providing for our military and national defense. For the past 58 years, this has been a bipartisan affair. Members of the House and Senate from both sides of the aisle have come together to pass a bipartisan National Defense Authorization Act (NDAA) that provides for our military and our troops who fight to protect and defend us. Last week, instead of voting on a bill that would ensure our troops have the resources they need and deserve, the House of R...
As you probably know by now, we have a new CEO at the District, Mr. Corey Fedie. This paper will be telling you about Corey, but I will say that he has made a great first impression with everyone, and is brimming over with the ideas and enthusiasm that made him the Board’s choice. We have not lost touch with our CEO of seven years, Gary Bostrom, who remains with the District in the capacity of Chief Financial Officer, working off-site (a common arrangement for smaller Districts). This is, I feel, a good time to reflect on h...
What happens in China, doesn’t always stay in China. In fact, when it comes to tough new garbage and recycling restrictions, they may migrate elsewhere sooner than you might think. For example, Shanghai is one of the world’s largest cities with 26.9 million people. It is suffocating under mountains of trash its residents generate daily. It lacks an effective recycling and disposal system. “Instead, it has trash pickers to sift through the waste, plucking out whatever can b...
On July 4, 1776, the Declaration of Independence was signed, and the United States of America was established. Last week, families across the country celebrated this momentous anniversary with firework displays, parades, and barbeques. Many of us prayed for the men and women who sacrifice their lives to protect our independence and make our country stronger, but few reflected on the real reason we observe our country’s most patriotic holiday. The original British colonists came to the colonies seeking freedom and o...
Dear Friends, The 9th District spans all or parts of six counties, and on the Fourth of July that means many celebrations spread across a lot of territory – at last count, six parades plus other community gatherings. One person can’t attend all of them, but my seatmates in the House and I try to get in as many as we can. With that background, here’s how I spent this year’s Independence Day. It’s important to get going early, and the Othello Rotary leads off with a breakfast in the park. As I drove to Othello from Ritzville...
When my parents graduated from high school in 1936, a college education was too expensive for the son of a copper miner and the daughter of a plumber. Eighty years ago, our country was in the middle of the Great Depression and teens took odd jobs to help put food on the table and pay the family bills. In those days no bank would lend money to college students. Following World War II, there was new hope for veterans. The GI Bill paid for veterans to complete their college or...
This Fourth of July, America will celebrate its 243rd birthday. Our country has come a long way since 1776, and there is still more progress to be made. Our independence and our patriotism are what set the United States apart from the rest of the world, and we have a lot to be thankful for. As we gather with our family and friends to celebrate our freedom, we should also celebrate some of our nation’s finest treasures: our national parks and public lands. Washington state is fortunate to be home to 15 National Park Service (N...
June is National Dairy Month, and Washington has many reasons to celebrate. Washington is home to almost 400 dairies, nearly 275,000 cows, and 18,000 dairy jobs. In fact, while Washington may be known for our iconic apples, dairy is our second leading commodity, valued at $1.2 billion. Growing up in Sunnyside, it isn’t hard to believe that Washington is a national leader in milk production. The region is filled with and surrounded by family-owned dairy farms and larger-scale processing plants, like Darigold, that help c...
Hopefully, when American and Chinese leaders meet to resolve trade differences, talks won’t breakdown and result in a new round of tariffs or product restrictions. It is in both nations’ interests for presidents Trump and Xi Jinping to find common ground. Our state has lots riding on those negotiations. The Brookings Institute points out that Washington would be “the worst off” of any state because 154,000 people are employed in industries that would be affected by new Chi...
Well, it’s pretty rare to hear directly from me in editorials in back-to-back weeks. In last week’s issue, I had the pleasure of introducing The Journal’s new full-time reporter, Jeremy. In his 10 or so days on the job so far, Jeremy has dove headfirst into several stories of importance to our community, including the news of a Ritzville man who has been charged with first degree rape by the Adams County Prosecutor’s office. Jeremy, along with myself, carefully reviewed court documents of the case that we received after s...
During the 1992 presidential campaign, then-candidate Bill Clinton famously intoned, “I feel your pain,” reassuring voters he understood what they were going through. Since then, similar statements of empathy have become a staple for politicians. But it doesn’t always ring true for every constituent. Take family business owners, for example. Family businesses account for 50 percent of U.S. gross domestic product, generate 60 percent of the country’s employment, and account...
People from all over the world come to the United States for a chance to live a better life. Some are coming here to work, some are coming to reunite with their families, and some are escaping corrupt governments. We should welcome them with a strong legal immigration system. What we should not allow are the criminals that take advantage of the loopholes in our immigration laws. Drug dealers and sex traffickers exploit our lack of border enforcement and outdated technologies, and children are “rented” and bought as “fr...
During World War II, the American GI earned the reputation for being innovative, adaptable and resilient. Nowhere was that more evident than the D-Day invasion on June 6, 1944. For example, Gen. Maxwell D. Taylor, commander of the 101st Airborne Division, was assigned to drop paratroopers and land gliders behind the German lines on Normandy. They needed to secure roads and bridges for Allied tanks, artillery and supply trucks once the Nazi forces were dislodged from their...
This past week, we commemorated the 75th anniversary of the Battle of Normandy, otherwise known as D-Day. Many of us know D-Day as an event that eventually resulted in victory for the Allied forces in World War II. Thousands of brave American soldiers sacrificed their lives for the greater good and helped to secure the freedom we enjoy today. While it can be easy to think of the battle in terms of numbers – the date (June 6, 1944), the length of the shoreline (50 miles), the number of casualties (more than 10,000) – it is imp...
Dear Friends, It’s been a little more than a month since the Legislature adjourned. I was back at the Capitol about 10 days ago for a meeting of the Select Committee on Pension Policy, but for the most part I’ve been able to stick pretty close to the farm here in Adams County – or at least stay within the 9th District. An appointment in Pullman recently gave me an opportunity to drop in at the Pullman chamber and visit with executive director Marie Dymkoski. Earlier this week I split a day between the “Partnership on the Pal...
The Annual Ritzville Community Yard Sale, hosted by the Ritzville Area Chamber of Commerce, is quickly approaching! This year’s dates are June 15-16. If you are interested in participating and being listed on the map, please call 509-659-1930 or come in to Ritzville City Hall at 216 E Main Ave. to be listed on the map. Addresses that are received by Monday, June 10, will be listed in the paper next week. Even if you are not listed in the paper, you are more than welcome to participate. Ritzville Area Chamber of C...
Last January, Boeing was poised for another record year. The company’s order book burst at the seams. Things seem to be going Boeing’s way. In 2019, Boeing planned to step up deliveries of KC46 aerial refueling jets to the U.S. Air Force and the new 777 composite-wing jumbo jet was entering its critical test phases with plans to begin deliveries within the next two years. Boeing’s contracts for new aircraft climbed to 1,500 Dreamliners (787) and over 5,000 Max (737) jets. The...
The U.S. Forest Service (USFS) motto is, “Caring for the land and serving people.” That is exactly what the students of USFS Job Corps Civilian Conservation Centers do. With 25 locations across the country, these Civilian Conservation Centers (CCCs) provide skills and job training to “at-risk” young people who need a hand up to find gainful employment or receive their high school GED. Students are taught real skills they use to serve and bring economic prosperity to their local communities and our national forests. Central...
On Memorial Day, we honor our nation’s servicemembers who have given the ultimate sacrifice. We surround their families and loved ones with prayers and support. We lay flowers on memorials, make visits to monuments, and we pay tribute to their service by lowering our flags to half-mast. While it may be easy to associate Memorial Day weekend with barbeques, a day off from work or school, and the start of summer, we cannot forget that there is a reason we observe this day – and each of them have a story. Our military mem...