Sorted by date Results 1173 - 1197 of 3183
There has been a lot of conversation here in Medical Lake on the topic of having our own police force vs. contracting with Spokane County. The whole issue of contracting police services or not boils down to what uniform someone is wearing. The truth of the matter is that if the future City Council wants to hire their own police force, and somehow they find officers to fill the positions (not easy nowadays with a shortage of officers), those officers more likely than not aren’t going to live inside the city limits (it is i...
While Seattle is growing rapidly, our rural areas continue to struggle. They don’t have the corporate giants such as Amazon, Microsoft and Boeing creating jobs and economic opportunities. Farms are predominantly family-owned. Today, there is a rejuvenated effort to bring prosperity to Washington’s rural communities. While agriculture is the largest sector, timber, manufacturing, high tech and energy provide opportunities as well. Rural jobs and economic revitalization are nat...
By MICHAEL JAMES BARTON Contributor Right now, more than 500,000 federal employees and government contractors are awaiting security clearances. That poses a serious threat. The enormous backlog of clearance applications prevents talented analysts, engineers, and coders from working on today’s most critical national security challenges. Some applicants wait more than 350 days before starting their jobs. Unsurprisingly, many highly qualified and badly needed security officials take other employment due to the unreasonable d...
The Medical Lake Food Bank Association and volunteers would like to thank everyone who helped in the moves while new flooring was put in place at the Food Bank. We thank all the students and advisors, mayor and council members, political candidates and the community. The response to our call for volunteers showed what a great city this is. Thank you all. Shirley Maike Vice President Medical Lake Food Bank Association...
To the Betz Elementary School staff and Cheney police department, and most importantly, the concerned person who called in a suspicious person at the school last week: thank you. Thank you so very much for your alert swift action and selfless act. Thank you for speaking up, for being vigilant. Thank you for being there that day. Thank you for listening to your gut, and your heart and thank you for doing something. The world needs more people like you. Thank you responding officers, and thank you Betz staff, who took every...
Last year, Seattle Times aerospace reporter Dominic Gates wrote about the similarities and differences between Boeing’s corporate office move to Chicago and Amazon’s plan for a second headquarters. Boeing wanted to leave Seattle in an effort to separate its corporate leadership from manufacturing sites while Amazon, with an unusual strategy, plans to keep its headquarters here but set up a parallel operation elsewhere. Boeing hoped to find a more conservative business cli...
Tim Gainer would be perfect for Cheney City Council at this time for many reasons. Cheney is growing and has been for a number of years mainly due to the success of Eastern’s sports and academics. As an alum, I am happy for this and as for our city, I’m elated. Tim knows there are issues with the city growing as fast as it is and sees our problems before they become a problem. By the way, he is spot on about the water issue. Like myself, Tim is for open government and believes the more our citizens know about an issue, the...
By GRACE POHL Staff Intern The month of October flew by and now it is only a few days away from Halloween, the day where you can dress up and be whoever or whatever you want to be, and then go around asking for free candy. What an interesting concept. I have always thought Halloween is a fun holiday, even though I am the person handing out the candy now instead of going trick-or-treating. It was a day I always looked forward to in elementary school because you were able to dress up with your friends and eat candy instead of...
It was announced back shortly after the huge 48-41 win over Grizzlies, that Eastern Washington University football would not play the University of Montana every year from now on due to new rivalry rights with the University of Idaho entering the Big Sky. The Eagles will now be playing Idaho and Portland State every year instead of the annual Griz game. To give a comparison, the competition with Montana dates back to 1938, while the Eagles have been playing PSU since 1968. The root of the problem is that protecting Portland...
“I am over the passivity of good men. Where the hell are you? You live with us, make love with us, father us, befriend us, brother us, get nurtured and mothered and eternally supported by us, so why aren’t you standing with us?” — Eve Ensler Forget Harvey Weinstein, Bill Cosby, Bill O’Reilly and Roger Ailes. But do remember the women. Remember all the women, famous and unknown, who have survived everything from catcalls to rape for as far back as well, forever. The playwright and activist Eve Ensler is right to be past feel...
StageWest Community Theatre wrapped up its production of Gregg Kreutz’s “Academia Nuts” last weekend. Saturday night there were 26 patrons enjoying another great dinner by Mike Hartman along with the very funny play. Sunday matinee welcomed several members of Beta Sigma Phi as well as other patrons. Coming up next are open auditions for our December endeavor of “A Reader’s Theatre” production of Charles Dickens “A Christmas Carol” adapted by Tony Palermo and directed by Kathleen Bell. Auditions will be held Friday, Oct. 13...
The $5.4 billion spent to expand the Panama Canal is paying off for East Coast and Gulf of Mexico seaports; however, it is putting more pressure on the Northwest to remain competitive. The enlarged waterway opened in June 2016 allowing much larger container ships and tankers to transit between the Atlantic and Pacific oceans. Ships carrying up to 14,800 containers can now bypass Washington ports. Shippers have a cost-effective alternative to reach midwestern markets from south...
We’re going to keep this light this week, so before reading, head out to the kitchen for something to drink — hot or cold, take your pick. And while you’re at it, pop a batch of popcorn. Back and settled in for another Write to the Point? Good. Hey, October is National Popcorn Poppin’ Month — among other things. That’s right, it’s a month — like we need one but why not — to celebrate those morsels of buttery, salty goodness we have known and loved since childhood. There’s a lot of things associated with popcorn, and a lot...
Fall is here and so is election time. There are new and unknown names on the ballot. Voters should do some inquiring, a lot of study and thinking before putting pen to ballot. Some suggestions have been made about changes for the city. Have the people who made these suggestions determined what it will cost the taxpayer for these changes? I think not. Therefore, I will mark my ballot for the person I believe to have the most knowledge and experience to keep Medical Lake financially sound. Please vote and vote smart. Please...
“I have a dream that my four little children will one day live in a nation where they will not be judged by the color of their skin, but by the content of their character.” Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. This is one of my favorite quotes of all quotes. Today, there are those who go against this quote and there are many of us who stand by this quote. I, too, don’t look at someone’s color, religion or social status, but I judge a person by their character. As for those who protest to support this, I support them. However, if you pr...
It is time to set the record straight regarding “policing in Medical Lake.” According to Mr. (mayoral candidate Mikeal) Suniga, he can bring back a local police force with just four full-time officers for our city population of 5,000 citizens. Information from the city of Airway Heights, with a 6,000 population, and for whom Mr. Suniga is an officer, consists of a chief, an administrative assistant and 16 officers. The city of Medical Lake is paying for the full resources of the Spokane County Sheriff’s department, 24-7...
“I came of age in the 60’s and 70’s, when all the rules about behavior and workplaces were different. That was the culture then.” Have you heard or read these words? If not, your Jeopardy category might have been, “Who said this?” with the answer “Harvey Weinstein,” the former partner in The Weinstein Company. Weinstein of course was fired last Sunday by his own company’s board of directors following the unlikely revelations that the 65-year-old Hollywood producer has had...
This space has voiced concerns in the past urging citizens to take some time away from whatever it is they do in their spare time and pay attention to what goes on in City Hall and within their respective school districts. That process involves 10s of millions of collective local tax dollars; real money as they say, real big money. The stewards of that money are our members of the city council and school boards, but as we move towards the Nov. 7 general election, some different numbers jumped off the pages of the Spokane Coun...
Our thoughts and prayers go out to the over 500 victims and their families of the largest mass shooting in U.S. history last Sunday night in Las Vegas. The mass carnage made that city into what can only be described as a war zone. But our response needs to include more than prayers and moments of silence. We need to act to prevent more mass shootings, which are now occurring at an average of more than one per day. The weapons of choice for such mass shootings are known as assault weapons. They were designed for the...
The “old” Medical Lake Cemetery on Thorpe road is maintained by volunteers and member donations entirely. On Saturday, Sept. 16, an annual work party was held at the cemetery to prune trees, rake pine needles, clean flower beds, weed whack, mow lawn and haul refuse away. It’s a big job but made so much easier by the hard-working Medical Lake Junior ROTC. Many thanks to Chief Master Sgt. Al McGowan and approximately 20 young cadets. His program has an outstanding record of community service. There are 61 veterans in the histo...
There is a new machine being tested in Montana which could decontaminate toxic mine tailings while recovering valuable precious minerals for everyday use. Gold, silver and other metals are essential for our cellphones, computers and electronic devices and their sale could offset the processor’s purchase and operational costs. If pilot tests are successful, the inventors envision building them in the United States. The potential market is worldwide because there are over 3...
Here we are again after another mass shooting in the United States with the events that happened in Las Vegas, Nevada on Oct. 1 during a country music festival on the Strip. The whole situation is devastating and there are no answers at this point in time. But I think there is something we should do as fellow Americans. We should be united as one and come out stronger after another event like this. If you go on social media right now, all you see are people arguing over gun laws, politics, race, religion and NFL players...
My education has always been one of the most important things in my life. I grew up with a single mom who demonstrated that working hard and making good choices was a formula for success. Mirroring her responsibility has been the key to my own success. While I did have an adult figure in my life that pushed the importance of education, there were many times that it was left up to me to decide if I was willing to put in the work. One of the first situations in which I had to hold myself accountable for my actions was when I...
Here are some observations and thoughts on Donald Trump’s tirade against National Football League players protesting what they feel are racial injustices by kneeling during the playing of the national anthem at football games. First, let’s not lose sight of who started this in the first place: Trump. His comments, delivered in the safety of a campaign rally in front of ardent supporters, were inflammatory, divisive and for some, personal attacks on their mothers. After all, that is what you’re saying when you call someone a s...
Key tax policies emanating from the east and west coasts are like passenger trains passing one another heading in opposite directions. One train is loaded with elected officials proposing changes to reduce taxes while the other is packed with those pushing for new and higher taxes. The cumulative effect of those modifications will impact all of us and our economy, jobs and ability to compete as a state and nation. The adjustments will determine whether we grow, limp along or...
