Sorted by date Results 1124 - 1148 of 3183
My wife and I would like to encourage the voters, of Medical Lake School District 326, to vote “yes” on the upcoming ballot Feb. 13. The two propositions are vital for continuing a high standard of education for our community’s children. We haven’t had children in school for over 15 years but feel that it is paramount that the district have the funds to make our children successful and are in full support of the district. Please vote “yes” on Propositions 1 (replacement educational programs and operations levy) and 2 (capi...
It’s time for the Cheney School District to ask the community to vote for a replacement educational programs and operation levy. Although it is the duty of the state to provide for “Basic Education,” the reality is that many of the programs we consider important for our children are not covered by the state. They fund most of our teachers and educational staff, but they don’t pay for all of the needed staff for smaller class sizes and school support. They don’t fund sports or extra-curricular activities, and they don’t pay...
A bill that would require certain public schools to provide breakfast to children who arrive after classes have begun and traditional breakfast is no longer being served is making its way through the Washington Legislature. House Bill 1508, known as “Breakfast after the Bell,” passed the House 83-15 and now heads to the Senate for consideration. The bill, if enacted into law, would supplement a federal nutrition program by setting up a collaboration between the Department of Agriculture and the state’s Office of the Super...
I am writing this letter in support of the Cheney Public Schools Replacement Levy on Feb. 13. Almost 33 years ago, we moved our young family to Cheney because we wanted to be in the Spokane area to raise our two sons. I was a teacher in Issaquah at the time and I did NOT need a job, but we preferred to have our children grow-up in this area. I only applied in two districts because I had a great job. My wife and I chose Cheney School District because of the great reputation towards the quality of education in this district....
There seems to be no end to those upset with the new tax laws that will take effect shortly. The common thread of complaint is it favors the haves over the have nots and therefore is not “fair.” Whatever “fair” is. According to Pew Research, in 2015 over 80 pecent of the federal income tax was paid by less than 17 percent of the top earners in the population. In 2016, the Tax Policy Center reports 43.9 percent didn’t pay any income tax. Those that pay the most taxes are getting most of the reduction in their taxes, which seem...
It seems we should have learned something from Donald Trump’s short tenure as President. We should realize that our current system of campaign finance doesn’t produce the most qualified candidates. We have discovered that popularity and ability can be two disconnected characteristics. Additionally. It should now be obvious that the President of the United States shouldn’t be an entry level position. There are thousands — if not millions — of people in these United States who are more qualified to govern than the current o...
We are sixth-grade students attending Medical Lake Middle School. We are going to tell you why you should vote “Yes” (on the) Medical Lake school district levy. What does this levy do? It supports many school activities. One of the activities that we are currently active in is the middle school drama club. Activities we have been involved in, in the past include drama, geography bee, basketball, volleyball, cross-country, stem, band and choir. Other activities include football, softball, track and field, robotics, “Ma...
By DON C. BRUNELL Contributor Earlier this month, China launched its “national sword” policy which bans many recyclable materials it traditionally imported. Meanwhile, its upcoming March edict imposing a lower limit on contaminants is having global reverberations. Since the 1990s, the world has shipped the bulk of its used paper, plastics and metals to China. In 2016, its imported value was $18 billion. Nearly one-third of North America’s recyclables were processed in China — much of it from West Coast states. China was hun...
In her Email to constituents, Representative Cathy McMorris Rodgers exclaimed “This is huge!” And indeed it is HUGE! The recently-passed tax bill is a HUGE boondoggle for the rich! The nonpartisan Tax Policy Center estimates that, under the law, the middle fifth of American households will see an average increase in after-tax income next year of $930 while the top 1 percent gets an average increase of $51,140! This is paid for by an approximately 1.5 trillion dollar increase in national debt over 10 years (nonpartisan Con...
The city of San Francisco recently erected a statue honoring those who were “Comfort Women” of the Japanese army of occupation in China and Korea during World War II. The effort was spearheaded by two American judges of Asian ancestry. They cite sources that estimate over 200,000 women in the occupied region were forced to serve as sex slaves for the Japanese soldiers. The Japanese government disputes these allegations as, “One sided interpretations.” They claim local entrepreneurs recruited these women to work as prostit...
Our parents drilled into our heads that saying “please” and “thank you” were not only part of everyday life, but were essential to operating a successful business. They are the basic ingredients of “Good Manners.” For more than 30 years, our family owned and operated the garbage collection business for Walkerville, a small incorporated Montana city north of Butte. It was part-time operation, which required about 8 hours a week. In the early 1950s, our family posted a $100 bond and took it over. Previous owners thought it...
On a soggy Seattle-like Sunday with no Seahawks to watch in the NFL playoffs, and Cooper Kupp’s Los Angeles Rams sidelined the night before, the vote was to stay indoors. Inside a theater that is, to see what all the buzz was about over the film, “Darkest Hour.” You may or may not have heard the word about the cinematic effort to tell the story of about a month in time, now close to 80 years ago, that arguably may very well have been one of the most important turning points in world history. Its central character is Winst...
As we approach the Martin Luther King holiday — with some people actually getting Monday, Jan. 15, off — it’s appropriate to take a look at how Americans perceive the current state of race relations. That perception is not good, with statistics varying depending upon which organization is doing the research. A Pew Research Center survey conducted Nov. 29 – Dec. 4, 2017 among 1,503 adults found that 60 percent of Americans believe race relations have grown worse. A similar poll in November 2016 showed 46 percent felt this wa...
When I think of how the new tax bill is being sold to the public, it reminds me of my years in Liberia under President William Tubman. Tubman was dearly loved by the poorest in the country, which actually didn’t make any sense at all. But, needy citizens would come to his office for financial help — for a funeral, a wedding or just hard times. He would gladly oblige with a gift of up to $500. In fact, he had envelopes marked with various amounts of money already prepared to distribute, yet he neglected to support job gro...
Our governor’s plan to raid the state contingency fund to pay for schools, then repay the fund with a new tax, violates sound financial principles. Creating a budget is not rocket science. The basic principles are the same for every organization, be they military units, government agencies or families. The first step is to list all the possible demands for funds that you can think of. A good budget also includes regular inputs into an emergency fund to take care of those things that you didn’t think of. Step two is to arr...
By DON BRUNELL Contributor Curbside recycling bins are packed with cardboard shipping boxes from Christmas online shopping. The uptick in consumer shipments is not only good news for the U.S. Postal Service, FedEx and UPS, but our nation’s papermakers. According to Mastercard Spending Pulse, U.S. year-end holiday retail sales rose nearly 5 percent compared to the same period last year while online purchases shot up more than 18 percent. USA Today reported “despite thousands of...
Even though some people might think 2017 was not a great year, I did not think it was that bad. But I do have a lot to look forward to in the upcoming 2018 as well. In 2017, I was fortunate enough to continue school, have jobs that I love and enjoy time with my family. I was also able to check a few things off my bucket list. The biggest thing I was able to cross off was attending the Country Music Association (CMA) Festival in Nashville, Tenn. Every year my mom and I watch the event on television wishing we could be there. W...
Dear Editor, The time has come to change our thinking on Alzheimer’s Disease. Too often, Alzheimer’s and other dementias are treated as an aging issue, ignoring the public health consequences of a disease that someone in the U.S. develops every 66 seconds. With two-thirds of its annual costs bring borne by Medicare & Medicaid, it is an issue that demands more attention from our government. As someone who has lost a loved one to Alzheimer’s, I understand the physical and emotional costs of the disease. Congress has a chanc...
The media frenzy surrounding accusations of sexual misconduct continues to gather momentum. Many of the allegations are true, and those who have abused their power should be held accountable. Many charges, however, make no sense unless sexual misconduct has been redefined beyond the realm of logic. The snowball effect has taken on a lynch mob mentality to the point that the abuser and victim are no longer clearly defined. The Associated Press recently published an article exposing an Idaho State Representative who made a...
While the investigation continues into the deadly Amtrak derailment near DuPont, Wash., the clock continues to tick on the implementation of Positive Track Control (PTC). The deadline is Dec. 31, 2018. PTC integrates new satellite tracking (GPS) and trackside technology for passenger, freight and commuter rail service. It is designed to instantly feed mountains of detailed and complex information to control centers and moving locomotives to automatically stop speeding trains...
Monday is the first day of 2018, and I for one am very happy for that. Frankly, 2017 has not been a very good year for me in many ways and I can’t wait to see it go bye-bye. As for 2018, right now I’m a little pessimistic about how good it will be. There are many indicators that seem to foreshadow a year not so different from the one that’s about to exit. In fact many Americans feel it could be worse, according to various polls. About 73 percent see the world as being more violent in 2018, six in 10 saying race relat...
I am getting to the age where young folks ask me about my best and most memorable Christmas. They are not the same. My most memorable one wasn’t my best, but it is the one I think of most often. I had completed Air Force flight training and was assigned to an air refueling crew at Fairchild Air Force Base. After a few short months, our crew was notified that we would depart in mid-December for a short tour in Southeast Asia as part of the Vietnam conflict. We were excited and anticipating a great adventure. We hadn’t yet dis...
So much for sharing about grandma Ehlers’ molasses chocolate chip spice cookies. News of the deadly Amtrak crash near Olympia on Monday morning changed a lot of plans. No one who boarded the run in Seattle envisioned what lie ahead, or if they would be one of the statistics in the state’s first-ever fatal Amtrak accident. The Amtrak Cascades train was supposed to celebrate a new and faster route between Seattle and Portland, but it seemed few cared. Just 80 people were on boa...
The holiday season brings around the festive and catchy music of the year. Some radio stations dedicate the month of December to playing just Christmas songs and I am truly thankful for that because this is the only time of the year that we can listen to this type of music. So I will just be upfront and honest, my favorite Christmas song is “All I Want for Christmas is You” by Mariah Carey. You can judge all you want, but you can’t deny that it is super catchy and you can’t help but sing along to it. And there is always...
We are at the end of another year, which is a little bit sudden since it seems like 2017 just started. But it has been another crazy 365 days and there has been some ups and downs throughout the nation, but what about here locally? Overall, we thought it was a good year on the West Plains. The city of Cheney did a good job with repaving the roads in town. The city also hosted the 50th annual Cheney Rodeo, which was a big milestone for the event. It was nice to see the historic Northern Pacific Depot moving forward in getting...
