Eastern Adams County's Only Independent Voice Since 1887
Eastern Adams County's Only Independent Voice Since 1887
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Today, as my friend Patty and I were working our way around nine holes on the golf course, we noted several cars that slowed down enough to make it clear people were curious, some that honked as they drove by, and others that stopped completely for a short time to watch us. The only conclusions we could reach were that people either recognized us as rare and stunning examples of feminine excellence whose effervescence was exceeded only by our athletic grace, or they wondered what kind of insanity would cause someone to be on... Full story
I was at the door of the Ritzville Christmas Bazaar just minutes after it opened. Soon, I spotted a pretty blonde slowly weaving through the growing crowd. It was my niece, Avia, and as she neared I saw a tiny blonde girl, her perfect features framed in fuchsia faux fur and her eyes sparkling with excitement, holding tight to her mommy’s index finger. Avia, Annie and I were there for Annie’s first encounter with Santa Claus. Annie knows about Santa through books, kiddie shows, ads, and the miscellany that accompanies Christma... Full story
This year, we have four weeks between Thanksgiving and Christmas to shop, wrap and ship Christmas gifts for family and friends. It can be daunting of you’re not one of those uber-organized individuals who shops all year long and is finished by now. It’s fun to go into Spokane to soak in the holiday excitement and joyous atmosphere of the season, however that can become a bit stressful if the list is long, time is short, weather is bad, and roads are iffy. I’m thinking that this year, spending my money and time in Ritzv... Full story
(This is for Anita, my friend who is always encouraging.) My husband, Mark, is a provider. As in too-many-to-remember successive years now, he brought home the gutted carcass of another soft-eyed, graceful member of God’s creation, slain by a shell in a rifle carefully aimed at its gentle heart by him. Tasty and nutritious though venison is, the image of a sobbing, scared Bambi and his dead mother always cross my mind when this holocaustic season arrives. So instead of the morbid, I focus on the trip’s positive aspects for...
The commentator in “Pity the Poor Streamers” (8/28/13), writes: “…we need renewable energy. But we also need oil, natural gas – and, yes, coal – if we are to meet future energy demands.” “Streamers” refers to birds who are incinerated by super-heated air surrounding solar arrays in California-Nevada. I love birds and hate for them to die like this. But, free-ranging domestic cats are estimated to kill 1.4 to 3.7 billion birds annually. And fossil fuels are responsible for far more bird fatalities than solar or wind. Burning...
A couple weeks have passed since our 2014 Annual Women’s Golf Tournament, which is cleverly entitled “Puting On The Ritz”. For four years running (and this is my fourth tournament), my partner and I came in last. This year, that unfortunate and tested friend was Patty. It was her first tournament and, were she a lesser person, could have been her last. But Patty is made of sterner stuff and in fact we remain fast friends despite my contribution to her pitiful tournament standing. The tournament was held in the midst of our w...
Thousands of Washington high school seniors recently walked across stages to receive their diplomas. For the college bound, the question is, “Where are they walking?” Lawmakers will answer that question in January when they write a new spending plan influencing everything from tuition and course offerings to academic advising and campus construction projects. K-12 funding will be the Washington Legislature’s funding priority. Huge investments are needed to comply with the Washington Supreme Court’s McCleary decision, which t... Full story
I helped a friend of mine with her daughter’s graduation reception. The daughter, Elizabeth, and friend, Caitlin, held a joint celebration and I would guess that about 150-200 people from infancy to lavishly mature stages of life attended. The tables filled quickly, plates were heaped with varieties of homemade delights, and the festive roar of friendly dialogue filled the room. Elizabeth and Caitlin are fine examples why, in a world and culture in which there seems to be little to admire anymore, we can still take pride i... Full story
The first gathering of the (unofficial) Ritzville Women’s Golf Group occurred, as it does most every year, in early May. Several usual didn’t show, possibly due to the chilly and windy conditions. The hardier among us were not so easily dissuaded, however, and eventually our group swelled to seven. We take a moment here to remember Dorothy and Barb. We like to think that they were teeing off in Heaven at about the same time as we did here in the secular realm. Their memories are a blessing to us all. Sandee was in Spo...
Last week our community suffered a great loss with the fire at the Fairgrounds. I’m sure there will be many questions asked about the event, but one I think I have an answer for. Our city is equipped with two sirens, one located at the old Fire Station and the other in the City Park. During normal operations they will sound for one cycle at noon each day. In the event of an emergency we have the ability to cycle these sirens for two minutes. This alerts all our emergency service personnel to report to their assigned s...
This is for all you suburban girls that have settled here in small town America, have faith. It may take you awhile to adjust, but there are treasurers to be found here in Ritzville. Before my husband and I moved here, Ritzville was known to us as a good “freeway exit.” Who knew, but God, that someday we would call this our home! My journey here has not been without its “moments” of transition. And at times I still yearn for the city streets. But I am learning to look beyond the limited size of Ritzville and into the hearts... Full story
For several years now the question hasn’t been “When will the legislative session end?” but “Will a ‘special’ session be called?” I’m glad to report that when the Legislature adjourned this past Thursday, on schedule, no one was talking about bringing us back to Olympia – except the governor. It’s the first time since 2009 that the session ended on time, and the first time since 2008, if you look only at the “short” sessions in even-numbered years. It was nearing midnight when the Senate and House of Representatives took wh...
The final stage of the legislative session began Saturday. Friday the Senate finished voting on bills that had already been passed by the House of Representatives. We spent our Saturday on what are called “concurrences” – meaning we look at the changes made to Senate bills by the House, and decide whether to agree. Because we spent most of the week voting in the Senate chamber there was little time for visitors; that’s why it was such a nice surprise when Adams County Commissioner John Marshall and Whitman County Commiss...
At the beginning of this session I and other leaders of our Senate majority announced our intention to complete the Legislature’s work for the year on time and on budget. Keep reading to find out how we’re still on that track. Because last week was so focused on the budget – and as Senate Republican leader in addition to being a member of the budget committee, I was knee-deep in it – there wasn’t as much time to see visitors from back home. Also, I was glad to welcome folks from the Tri-Cities who came Thursday for the Senate... Full story
If you were to compare our Senate majority’s priorities – jobs, education and budget – with the votes taken in the Senate so far this year, you’d see a tilt toward jobs and education. There was a reason for holding back on budget work; keep reading for how that’s about to change. Last week got off to a busy start. We were out on the floor of the Senate chamber voting on bills until about 11:45 p.m. Monday. The deadline to bring Senate bills to a vote (except budget bills) this year was 5 p.m. Tuesday; it was another 45 minute...
Last month I mentioned how a member of the Senate minority had introduced legislation to prohibit state government from, of all things, using gas-powered leaf blowers. It was my pick for the “Really?” award of the 2014 session – until the governor stepped to a microphone last Tuesday morning. While Governor Inslee deserves another “really?” for quietly giving pay raises this month to the directors of Ecology, Labor and Industries, and Revenue – in other words, people in charge of regulations/fees and taxes – the public de...
The halfway mark of this legislative session is fast approaching. Feb. 11 will be day 30 of the 60 days we’re allowed to meet in 2014. It’s also the deadline for the Senate budget committees to wrap up their work on Senate legislation. Friday brought the session’s first deadline: for Senate policy committees (such as the Agriculture, Water, and Rural Economic Development Committee I serve on) to complete action on Senate legislation. Agriculture and the Ninth District were well-represented on my calendar again last week:...
The halfway mark of this legislative session is fast approaching. Feb. 11 will be day 30 of the 60 days we’re allowed to meet in 2014. It’s also the deadline for the Senate budget committees to wrap up their work on Senate legislation. I serve on the Ways and Means committee, and because we don’t need to craft a brand-new state budget this year, our work will focus mostly on policy bills that have a financial angle. An example is Senate Bill 6090, which is expected to send more DUI offenders to state prison. Anytime you a... Full story
Ninth District, Senate Republican Leader The second week of our eight-week legislative session wrapped up last week. The Senate’s 12 policy committees are going at full speed, considering they’re already halfway through the time allowed for taking action on Senate legislation. The two budget committees, which have until Feb. 11 to move Senate bills forward, will shift into high gear next week. I wouldn’t have guessed that the minimum wage in our state would be a hot-button issue in this year’s legislative session, but the...
A year ago our new Majority Coalition Caucus was formally assuming leadership of the state Senate, and the transition from 10 years of one-party control made the first week of the 2013 legislative session a bit of a bumpy ride. Still, as I wrote to you then, it was encouraging to already see open discussion of ideas that had been stifled for many years. There were no such bumps during the first week of the eight-week 2014 legislative session. Why? I have to believe the senators now on the minority side, having seen what our...
Through you, I am writing an open letter to the citizens of Ritzville. I would be grateful if you can share it with your readers without needing to edit it down too much. My wife and I started a journey from our Spokane area home to Yakima last Friday, Dec. 20. We were traveling to visit a couple of our grandchildren for an early Christmas celebration. However, we never made it… We became just two of the many unfortunate victims of the massive chain reaction collision in the westbound lanes of I-90, about seven miles east o...
The 2014 legislative session begins in a month. Because we won’t be assembling new state budgets from scratch, the upcoming session is scheduled to last just 60 days rather than the 105 allowed by the constitution in budget-writing years. My one prediction for the 2014 session is this: Our bipartisan Senate majority, now in its second year will continue to concentrate on encouraging job creation, and improving our state’s public-school system, and spending tax dollars wisely. There are many other issues on the table, I realiz...
My sister-in-law called and in breathless near-hysteria related how, as she and my older brother drove North on Bigelow (in Spokane) in their Subaru Outback, a deer cleared the forest at the side of the road, spring-boarded using the hood of their car in it’s frenzied effort to escape whatever chased it, and bounded away on the other side of the road. Not once was it hit by their car, but the car was surely assaulted by it, with the car hood trashed to the point that it couldn’t be opened, and a leak of antifreeze pud...
A few years ago I went on a hunting trip that took me into wolf country. Without going into detail, let’s just say I didn’t come away feeling the wolf was endangered in that particular neck of the woods. The U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service also thinks the gray wolf is no longer endangered. It recently proposed taking that species off the federal Endangered Species Act list. Late last month I sent a letter to USFWS supporting its proposal, explaining how federal delisting would put states back in charge of gray wolf man...
A few months ago, around mid-June, on a Monday morning at 10 a.m., we ladies gathered for our usual golf game followed by lunch at the Ritzville Golf Course clubhouse. One among us was struggling with personal tragedy, and as she stood alone, organizing her clubs on a cart, I approached and greeted her. She turned to me, spoke three or four words, and suddenly teared up, unable to control her sorrow. I put my arms around her in an effort to comfort her, and within a few seconds we were surrounded by the other women who had... Full story