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As a mom and a retired Spokane County deputy sheriff of 19 years, I am very much looking forward to the changes that Mary Wissink will bring about as our next Spokane County Clerk. Mary has an informed vision for the future of our Clerk’s office because she has over 25 years of hands-on experience in the Spokane legal community. I first began working with Mary Wissink when she was judicial assistant in Superior Court for Judge Michael Donohue’s court. That was over 15 years ago. Over the years, Mary and I have discussed our c...
The Democrats are really desperate if they had to get Heather Foley to do a TV ad for Joe Patookas. Get real people! Heather Foley never could find the time to come to Spokane for the Lilac Parade let alone care about what was happening in Tom Foley’s Congressional District. My husband and I worked the VIP stand for the Lilac Festival for over ten years and we only saw Foley once or twice in the entire time. Tom Foley cared so little for Spokane that his residence was a miniscule apartment which he seldom visited. Heather i...
Are some of us unworthy? Cathy McMorris Rodgers must think so. She worked with her party to let a two-decade old law, the Violence Against Women Act, expire in 2013. She did not support the Senate version of the bill that expanded protections for all victims. Instead, Cathy sponsored a bill with no protection for Native Americans, lesbians, gays, bisexuals, transgender, and undocumented immigrants. Her version of the bill was defeated by the House 166-257, after which the House passed the Senate bill by voice-vote. When a...
It’s no question that deer are a hot topic in Medical Lake. Since I started working at the Free Press, I’ve heard Medical Lake residents complain about the deer that roam through the city. Folks get in an uproar about the damage these animals do to their property, as well as the potential danger they pose to the community — specifically children and dogs. The deer that roam the city tend to be docile, and are used to the presence of humans. However, I imagine that they would bite and kick anyone they see as a threat to themse...
When it comes to the state of the county’s law enforcement, there’s good news and bad news. The good news according to Spokane County Sheriff Ozzie Knezovich is violent crime in unincorporated parts of the county has declined 56 percent and property crimes have dropped 8 percent. Knezovich said the department has been able to accomplish this by utilizing the Intelligence Led Policing Strategy — ILP in the acronym world. ILP utilizes data to define crime hot spots, enabling law enforcement to better target their preve...
As an Independent voter I have always put the value of good government over party politics. As County Commissioner my personal experience with Rob Chase as County Treasurer affirmed that Rob has the community’s best interest at heart. Rob recognized the need to reform state law so that those who fell on hard times could pay back their property taxes through partial payments. If not for Rob, many homeowners could lose their biggest asset if they can’t pay their back taxes in one lump sum. Now because of Rob, the county can...
As town hall meetings go, the Sept. 26 “Conversation with Cathy” with congressional 5th District Rep. Cathy McMorris Rodgers at Cheney’s Wren Pierson Community Center was definitely good political theater, if nothing else. But that’s part of the point — there was something else. A lot else, if you will, and too much to try to fit in one 704-word recap. One of the biggest “else’s” for me was how well prepared most of those in attendance were. A few were political operatives, if you will, such as Spokane County Democratic Part...
The Washington State School Directors’ Association recently made available its proposed legislative priorities for the 2015 legislative session. Delegates to the 2014 Legislative Assembly approved 45 new proposals, added 16 new proposals to WSSDA’s “Standing Legislative Positions” (SLPs) and amended three other SLPs. Delegates then ranked them, with the top three being: 1) Full funding of basic education (SLP), 2) Sustainable revenues for education funding (new) and 3) School construction funding (SLP). Washington is unique...
Liberal California zillionaire Tom Steyer has given Gov. Jay Inslee and the Washington State Democrats the first of the multiple millions he promised to be used to buy Washington State for the Democrats this election. He has promised “as much as it takes” to buy Spokane’s 6th District seat for Rich Cowan. No telling how much the Washington Education Association is putting to defeating incumbent state Sen. Michael Baumgartner. Much of the WEA funds are coming from non-Democrat teachers who are forced to give to the polit...
Now that the university is back in session there are many new drivers in Cheney. These along with our resident drivers — young and old — can make driving a challenge. I’m referring to “Fantasy Driving Rules.” Now, alas, I don’t know all of them but they include: Stop signs are optional (I have had several near misses on Second Street from drivers who didn’t even slow down when crossing). Turn signals are optional. There are no speed limits in parking lots. The biggest vehicle has the right of way. I’m sure there are more...
Reading the lead article (“Confrontational conversation with Cathy”) in the Cheney Free Press last week, I was repulsed and infuriated at McMorris Rodgers’s remarks about girls “not imagining themselves in higher paying fields and wanting only jobs where they work as a team and have long term impacts.” What is wrong with Ms. McMorris Rodgers? She must know nothing of the job market. Science, engineering, math and technology (STEM) are jobs for long-term impacts for our future and done with team efforts. Ms. McMorris...
StageWest CT, Inc. wrapped up the first play of the season last Sunday. We had a large turn out for the last weekend. We would like to thank Emmanuel Lutheran Church for their graciousness of allowing us to use their building for our auditions, rehearsals and performances of this show. We would also like to thank the cast, crew, members and families that helped with the workings of the shows. A big thanks goes to Mike Hartman and Willow Springs Restaurant for the fantastic dinner that was catered for our dinner theatre. The...
Headlines about former president Bill Clinton’s scandal, football player Ray Rice’s domestic violence incident, actress Lindsay Lohan’s drug and alcohol problems and Miley Cyrus’s drastic change in appearance, actions and attitudes splattered across every media outlet. These headlines continued to spread through every other channel of gossip. Everyone knew, and judged in one way or another. Much of society has become obsessed with and addicted to entertainment and pop culture — movies, music, TV shows, “reality...
The graph above shows the sources and percentages of funding revenue for the Cheney and Medical Lake school districts....
Cathy McMorris Rodgers voted against a bill to help both college students and active service members. “HR 2669 — Student Loan Lender Subsidy Cuts and Student Grants,” increases Pell Grant amounts and reduced interest rates on new subsidized Stafford loans to undergraduate students, while offering service members loan payment deferment for up to 180 days after demobilization. Cathy also claims to support American businesses, which conflicts with her vote against “House Amendment 1012 — Prohibits Federal Agencies from Cont...
Let’s see, there’s Insulin, Superman, basketball, the snowmobile, the telephone, peanut butter and, among others, IMAX and instant replay. Oh, add beer with a punch, some great candy and hockey, too. Canada, and those with Canadian ancestry have brought us any number of familiar inventions and contributions to society, Justin Bieber not withstanding. Canada has also provided personal memories that have spanned a lifetime. Last weekend, my wife and I, along with some fri...
As children, we are instilled with a sense of responsibility, which Partners Advancing Character Education (PACE) describes as being accountable of your actions, pursuing a path of excellence and the exercising self-control. If we ask for a dog or a cat, and our parents buy it for us, they stress to us the importance of being responsible and taking care of our pet, which meant feeding it, bathing it, making sure it gets enough exercise and cleaning up any messes it makes. However, responsibility doesn’t stop at childhood. I...
New York City can feel far away from us here in Eastern Washington. But, this past week, history was made there in the steps along the road to an international 2015 global warming agreement. World leaders gathered at the United Nations on Sept. 23 to energize negotiations and build momentum for a global climate treaty in Paris in 2015 to prevent the consequences of global warming, and to contain global warming by the end of the century to 2 degrees Celsius (3.6 degrees Fahrenheit). This meeting was preceded by the largest...
We all know the story of Pinocchio and how his nose grew when he told a lie. Wouldn’t it be great if that would happen to members of Congress every time they lied? Cathy McMorris Rodgers would seek a nose reduction immediately. Her strategy to climb the political ladder is to spin the truth, or simply not tell it. On the issue of children, she voted to give huge subsidies to the farming industry but voted to cut $8.6 billion from food stamps. Her spin, “By making common-sense reforms…savings are reached without remov...
For the first time in years, I rooted for the Green Bay Packers as they played the Detroit Lions on Sunday. After the Lions beat the Packers, 19-7, I shared my angst with the rest of the Cheeseheads across the country. No, I haven’t joined the Packer Nation, my loyalty lies with the Minnesota Vikings — though Adrian Peterson’s actions don’t sit well with me, but that is a conversation for another day. Actually, my support for Green Bay revolves around Packers’ quarterback Aaron Rodgers, who is not only the star of his team,...
The Cheney School District and its supporters face some difficult decisions in the next few months. On Feb. 10, 2015 voters will go to the polls and decide the fate of a $44.8 million bond issue that would pay for a much-needed renovation of Cheney High School. Also on the ballot that day is a three-year maintenance and operations levy. The 48-year-old Cheney High School, like its human counterparts born nearly a half century ago, is showing its age. Like its human counterpart it needs a makeover so it does not suffer a...
What if we could peer into the future and see the consequences of the decisions we make today? In a way, we can. According to Washington state economists, a carbon tax high enough to achieve Gov. Jay Inslee’s stated climate change goals would increase gasoline prices almost 60 percent over time and raise natural gas prices — currently our most affordable energy — nearly 35 percent. The carbon tax is only one part of Inslee’s climate change agenda. How much will the rest of...
Wake up and smell the landfill. Let’s talk trash. As I understand it, both Cheney and Medical Lake continue to deliberate whether or not to sign with Spokane County’s new solid waste system services. Prior to 1991, Spokane County’s garbage was land filled within the county. As populations and industries flourished, more coal slag, plastics, leaded paints, pesticides, oil, as well as more food wastes, paper, packaging, and other disposable consumer items mixed together to form oozing leachate. Eventually, the leachate perco...
I refer to these types of commentaries as “lazy man’s columns.” Meaning, I ran out of time, too much stuff on my plate, and was a little late in addressing the subject so I used a bit of cut and paste to help me attain my word requirements. But it’s a topic I’ve always wished to discuss, so why not start it this way? Yesterday, Wednesday, Sept. 17, was the 225th anniversary of the signing of the U.S. Constitution. Usually the day goes fairly unnoticed, with the exception of various groups dedicated to all things American, suc...
For the last 20 years, technology has changed the way we communicate with each other. While phone calls were once the most popular way to reach out and touch someone, email seems to have surpassed it as a communication channel to connect with others not only in business, but also in personal use. According to a study released by the technology marketing firm Radicati Group Inc., there were 3.9 billion personal email accounts in 2013. That number is expected to increase 6 percent, to 4.9 billion by the end of 2017. Business...
