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  • Investors want high tech companies to save water

    DON C. BRUNELL, Contributor|Updated Aug 18, 2016

    Recently, Bloomberg reported that investors in massive data centers are making water availability a critical measurement in their decisions — especially in drought-ridden California. Data centers, giant buildings packed with servers which power our virtual world, generate tremendous amounts of intolerable heat. Traditionally, the centers have large cooling systems which require millions of gallons of freshwater. That’s a big problem because water is increasingly in short sup...

  • Thank you from Tennis-A-Thon

    Updated Aug 11, 2016

    The 24 Hour Tennis-A-Thon committee would like to thank the sponsors for another successful year. This year we were able to bring in $4,000 to support the local food bank, outreach program, and high school tennis teams. This event is successful because of our loyal sponsors and volunteers. We look forward to seeing everyone on the court next year! 2016 sponsors: Career Path Services, European Autohaus, Jake Robinson Signs, Washington State Employees Credit Union, McDonald’s, St. John’s Lutheran Church, Davis Com...

  • Tom Hastings' utopia is dangerous to personal liberty

    Updated Aug 11, 2016

    The Guest Commentary from July 21 begs for response to Tom Hastings’ primary assertions: (1) conflict transformation can lead to a conflict-free world and (2) to get there requires social “experimentation.” Short answer: Seeking peace is laudable, but (1) Ain’t gonna happen. (2) His plan comes at the expense of your liberties. Re: point (2). Social experimentation is central in any attempt to create Hastings’ utopia — and it is utopia. Plato’s Republic, More’s Utopia, Hobbes’ Leviathan and Marx’s Communist Manifesto...

  • Debates should be more important than football

    Updated Aug 11, 2016

    Good, political discourse has been hard to find in this presidential election year. Not that it’s easier in other years – mudslinging, name-calling and other forms of personal attacks seem all too common methods for gaining the highest office in the country. But this year has been particularly rancorous, if the primary season was anything to gauge the future by and especially with the Republican field. Just to be fair though, Democrats weren’t exactly all charm and manners. Part of political discourse stems from debat...

  • Getting help from where you might least expect it

    John McCallum, Editor|Updated Aug 11, 2016

    So there I was, slogging my way down a foot path carved along the slope of a rainforestcovered Guatemalan mountain in the fading twilight of a late-July Saturday evening. My head, shoes and cargo pants were soaked by the torrential rain, my pants caked in layers of mud after slipping and impacting the gooey red, Guatemalan soil that made walking in my eight-year-old Teva hiking shoes akin to dancing on ice in bedroom slippers. Even under my plastic poncho, loaned to me by my friend Nancy because I had forgotten to include my...

  • Dow brought personalities to life

    Updated Aug 4, 2016

    Luella Dow was an amazingly large lady in a tiny body. As reported last week, she told the stories of many who would have otherwise gone unnoticed through her Cheney Free Press column “Of Cabbages and Kings.” Her warm, friendly writing style brought personalities to life on the written page. But her presence in the community did not end there. She was a long-time member of Tyler Grange 610 and continued to support that organization even as membership and participation dwindled. While Luella made it clear she did not att...

  • Trump unqualified for president

    Updated Aug 4, 2016

    People are sick and tired of Donald Trump and his nasty attitude. He is a mean, rude and nasty person — he has so much hate in his heart for so many people. The things he has said about our wonderful black and Latino brothers and sisters is incomprehensible, and also many of the media and whites as well. He is without question a racist. Do we honestly want him in the White House? Trump is unqualified, he does not want to lead this great country — he wants to rule. Personally I cannot justify voting for this man who I feel in...

  • Just what makes news and what doesn't in this election?

    PAUL DELANEY, Staff Reporter|Updated Aug 4, 2016

    It’s certainly an interesting time to be observing what makes the news. While sipping coffee on the morning of July 27, I had the opportunity to channel surf. And how can one not stop when the image of Donald Trump appears on the screen? Because after all, you always wonder what will next come out of his mouth? Turns out Trump was conducting a press conference at Doral, Fla. and taking questions from the assembled press corps whose job it is to report on what the R...

  • The Olympic message has certainly been lost with Rio

    Updated Aug 4, 2016

    The nations of the world funnel many of their finest athletes into Rio de Janeiro, Brazil for the Games of the XXXI Olympiad for an event that seems to be making more news even before the competition starts. The Rio Olympics begin their 18-day run Friday, Aug. 5 with the opening ceremonies in the nearly 70-year-old venue known as the Maracana, the stadium that hosts both the torch lighting ceremony and the closing ceremonies, Aug. 21. Perhaps in another year — or location — the games themselves might be the topic of con...

  • Cheney Friends thank you

    Updated Jul 28, 2016

    The Cheney Friends of the Library thank everyone who donated books or purchased them at our recent sale. Proceeds help fund learning and reading programs and the purchase of special materials and furnishings for the Cheney Library. We also give special thanks to the following groups for their help behind the scenes: EWU Women’s Basketball team, West Plains Kidz and Chickz 4-H and Cheney Garden Club. Jeri Morgan Cheney...

  • Vote For Field for 6th Rep.

    Updated Jul 28, 2016

    I would like to thank the Free Press for its honest and fair review of Ian Field’s candidacy for the 6th District seat. Field is the most knowledgeable and best prepared of all the 6th District candidates. He is the only one running who has known and talked with the past FAFB COs about the problems getting the new Tanker stationed at FAFB, has discussed the problems that active duty military face daily. A recent college graduates, Ian fully understand the frustrations of the EWU students at the rising costs of a college e...

  • Thank God for good people and the kindness they give

    Updated Jul 28, 2016

    Thank you to the wonderful farm lady who came over recently to try and help us jump-start our SUV. And thank you also to the other lady for letting us use her higher gauge jumper cable. The next blessing was two wonderful men who took charge and saved the day. Our SUV started. We appreciated all four of those mentioned. I do not know their names. May the kindness that they gave return in the beautiful way it was given. Judy Bridges Cheney...

  • Grade school dropout Henry Kaiser also made America great

    Don C. Brunell, Contributor|Updated Jul 28, 2016

    Between now and November, you will hear lots about “How to Make America Great Again!” Much of our country’s greatness is because of our “entrepreneurial spirit.” It is our unique trait that makes us the envy of the world. America has been blessed with industrious leaders who are optimistic, forward looking and passionate. They are tireless men and women who take calculated risks and pull themselves together after failure. They have the drive to get things done no matter wh...

  • Full story rarely being told in today's political world

    Updated Jul 28, 2016

    Quite the Republican Convention last week in Cleveland, huh? In an event where some figured there would be demonstrations and possible walkouts of delegates over Donald Trump earning the party’s nod to face Hillary Clinton, none of that happened. The biggest controversy centered on speeches delivered at Quicken Loans Arena. There was the dissing of Trump by former rival, Texas Sen. Ted Cruz in a speech last Tuesday night. Also interesting was how so many media outlets thought Trump’s acceptance speech was considered so “da...

  • Politicians might find 'bumper car therapy' beneficial in relieving polarization

    DON C. BRUNELL, Contributor|Updated Jul 21, 2016

    Over the last 35 years our family has vacationed at the same place on the beach. While the buildings have been refurbished, the complex remains largely unchanged. However, our entertainment has changed a lot. We still swim, jump the waves and build sandcastles, but our board games, puzzles and playing cards have been replaced with kids’ electronic tablets, smart phones and movies downloaded from the internet. We still take lots of pictures, but rather than taking them to f...

  • Imagine a conflict-free world, and take steps towards it

    TOM H. HASTINGS, Contributor|Updated Jul 21, 2016

    With our daily news running to atrocity after tragedy, Americans are frightened and angry. Some are resonating with hate talk radio hosts like Rush Limbaugh or quintessentially enraged TV bloviators like Bill O’Reilly. This gets them pushed toward candidates who use the same or similar self-righteous militarized rhetoric. It paints Americans as victims, the system as rigged against us, and the world full of ungrateful evil misfits who unjustly hate and attack us. This strand of candidates sees its exemplar in Donald Trump, o...

  • Solutions seem miles away in recent headline shootings

    PAUL DELANEY, Staff Reporter|Updated Jul 21, 2016

    Timing is everything, it is said. And the timing of author Heather MacDonald’s recently released book, “The War on Cops: How the New Attack on Law and Order Makes Everyone Less Safe,” is tragically so. The recent epidemic of those taking out their frustrations on law enforcement with the rash of murders of police officers, has made MacDonald’s book an off-the-charts best seller with an Amazon waiting list of up to two months. It’s also made MacDonald, a widely read author of...

  • Now is the time for third-party candidates to make a stand

    Updated Jul 21, 2016

    Many registered voters are not looking forward to this November’s presidential election, which will pit Democratic nominee Hillary Clinton against presumptive Republican nominee Donald Trump. According to a July 7 poll from the Pew Research Center, 43 percent of Democrats and 40 percent of Republicans surveyed said they were satisfied with their choices as president. The survey also says roughly four-in-10 voters (41 percent) say it is difficult to choose between Trump and Clinton “because neither would make a good pre...

  • McMorris Rodgers fails to stand up against gun lobby

    Updated Jul 15, 2016

    Gun or person? Try painting without a brush, try eating without a fork and try killing 49 people without a gun. Tools are needed to get a job done and if you want to do a whole lot of harm to your fellow man, the AR-15 is a great tool. Cathy McMorris Rodgers hasn’t demonstrated the political will to do anything about gun slaughter and violence happening daily. She waits for cues from her ideologically driven party leaders. Nobody is asking her for the elimination of guns but merely attention to the “general welfare” claus...

  • Pakootas accused of using 'bogus endorsements' to get votes

    Updated Jul 15, 2016

    Yesterday (July 7), I attended a candidate forum set up by the League of Women Voters in Spokane. It was televised. Dave Wilson, Joe Pakootas, and Tom Horne were the only candidates present who are running for the 5th District of the U.S. Congress. When Wilson had a turn to speak he asked the speaker from the LWV if they had indeed endorsed Pakootas as a candidate as was listed on Pakootas’s website. The woman said that the League of Women Voters do not endorse any political candidates. They are a non-profit charity o...

  • Be bold and vote for Wilson for 5th Congressional District

    Updated Jul 15, 2016

    Fed up with our do-nothing Congress? Want an alternative to Cathy McMorris Rodgers? Want to defeat CMR? It is time be bold. Do you want to vote in Democrats or Republicans who are both forced to dial for dollars and not work for us? Do you like the corrupting influence of big money in politics? Are you tired of career politicians who see Congress as a steppingstone to a lucrative career? It is time to be bold. Do you want to continue voting for inaccessible McMorris Rodgers who is focused on her political party rather than he...

  • GOP's 'lesser of two evils' argument is deceptive

    Updated Jul 15, 2016

    It’s no secrete that the GOP was stunned by the meteoric rise of the demagogue Donald Trump and his emergence as their presumptive nominee for president. Their surprise is symptomatic of how tone deaf they’ve been to their own xenophobic, anti-science, anti-government rhetoric. Like Doctor Frankenstein, the Republicans created a monster, but unlike the good doctor, the Republicans created their horrible creature with malice aforethought, working hard at the only thing they worked hard at, which was to convince the Ame...

  • Experienced and impartial approach is key to successful elections

    SAM REED RALPH MUNRO and BRUCE CHAPMAN, Contributors|Updated Jul 15, 2016

    Accessible, accurate, and secure elections are the cornerstone of our government. All voters must have confidence that our representatives have been fairly elected. Because of this, all election administrators must demonstrate non-partisan actions in their work, lest voters lose trust in elections. We are writing to bring some perspective to the position of Washington’s Secretary of State, our head elections official. Together, we have a combined 37 years of continuous service in the office. We know what it takes to run W...

  • Comey's Clinton decision ignites partisan fireworks

    Updated Jul 15, 2016

    Thanks to FBI director James Comey’s press conference July 5, there were plenty of post-Independence Day fireworks. His nearly 15 minutes of live, nationally broadcast findings of a many-month investigation into how the likely Democratic candidate for president, Hillary Clinton, handled sensitive emails while she served as Secretary of State, danced along the ledge of guilt. Then came the conclusion where Comey announced that his agency thought Clinton’s conduct — while described in such terms as, “extremely careles...

  • A responsible conversation about guns is needed

    Updated Jul 7, 2016

    “A well regulated Militia, being necessary to the security of a free State, the right of the people to keep and bear Arms shall not be infringed.” Transmitted from Congress to the individual states on Sept. 25, 1789, ratified on Dec. 15, 1791. Our nation has an issue with guns. Possession of firearms has been enshrined in our nation’s main governing document, something that can’t be taken away without changing that specific portion of the document — despite what fear-mongers say about the government coming to take your guns...

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