Can we all just go out for a ‘beer?’

During the 17 years that I have been a part of the Lind and Ritzville communities, there have been very few issues as contentious and divisive as the recent matters concerning the school cooperative and the hospital controversy.

What makes this time even more difficult for our towns is that these two issues are happening simultaneously. While I heartily agree that they are of importance – for they deal with both our children and the quality of life for the residents in our towns – I am troubled by how relationships between residents have been negatively impacted, possibly to the point of being...