Opinion

Deciphering truth from fiction in today's world is becoming increasingly difficult. Technology has made it easier to create videos, share information and inform the public, but it can come at a cost. Although it's hardly breaking new ground, selective editing has made some headlines in the past few months. Unfortunately, it's a persisting problem with today's media style. The most recent event to make headlines was a MSNBC clip of Republican presidential candidate Mitt Romney in Pennsylvania, edited in a way to make him...

Thanks for making Founder's Day 2012 another success Thank you people of Medical Lake for making Founder's Day 2012 another fantastic celebration. Thank you to our friends and neighbors of Reardan-Edwall, Davenport and Chewelah for sharing your beautiful floats with us. Thank you to Barbara Reis, Sandy King, Joyce Calloway, Kathy Petek and family, Bill Trout and family, Alexia Gonzales and family, all the people who volunteered from the PTSO and SCOPE. The “girls” at Owl Pharmacy, what can I say. Sharon, Katrina and Bree all...

By John McCallum Editor It's amazing how life has a way of reminding us what's truly important. The past week two events occurred in my life to remind of this fact. First, I received an email from my pastor that a member of our congregation had become sick at work and was transported to the hospital where it was discovered he had a cancerous mass on his brain. He and his family are pretty active in my church, especially his wife who has filled a role on one of our shared ministry teams that plans and provides the weekly...

There are “friends” and then there are Facebook “friends.” The social networking website that has been so much in the news lately for its stock offering that essentially fell flat on its face seems to be facing other problems. Lost advertising revenues are part of what helped Facebook open amongst so much hype at $38 per share and close a month later at $28. But Facebook appears to be somewhat unpopular with the general public too with unwanted commentary and personal posts presented amongst the general news, photos and inf...

By BECKY THOMAS Staff Reporter I really like cycling, but never really got into it as a sport. I've made lots of excuses over the years. First, I didn't have a good bike. I loved my rickety ‘80s Schwinn World Traveler and it got me around campus when I was in college, but it was heavy and too small for me. Later, I moved halfway across the country with all my worldly possessions packed into my tiny Ford Escort sedan. Bye, bye, Schwinn. For a couple of years after that, I didn't really ride at all. Once or twice I got on my h...

By JAMES EIK Staff Reporter It was the speech heard around the world. Last week, David McCullough Jr. from Wellesley High School in Wellesley Hills, Mass. gave one of those rare commencement addresses that will linger with the school's graduates for the rest of their lives. It was a work of prose that makes most writers look like amateurs – this reporter included. Videos of the address are online and I encourage everyone to watch it. McCullough focused on the notion that no one is special, because everyone believes they a...

In the past four years, the Spokane County Sheriff's Office has lost more than 30 commissioned deputies to budget cuts. In the past three months, unincorporated areas in Spokane County saw residential burglaries increase more than 50 percent. If crime is on the rise and a lack of funds is shrinking the presence of law enforcement in our area, what should be done? Sheriff Ozzie Knezovich wants to ask voters to add two tenths of a cent to the sales tax rate in Spokane County to boost county and city law enforcement budgets. He...

If you've had the conversation with your teenage kids about the dangers of drinking and driving, now would be a good time to have it again. If you haven't had that conversation, now is a good time to start. With school out for the summer, many young men and women turn to alcohol to celebrate their new found freedoms, at least for the next three months. According to the Washington State Patrol's Washington Fatality Analysis Reporting System, July and August are the deadliest months for road fatalities for those ages 16-25,...

Dialogue needed on Referendum 74 to bring truth to the top The May 31 letter by Nancy Street (In the growing political season, it's time to tell the truth) was as interesting as it was frustrating. Mrs. Street obviously has information concerning Referendum 74. I am only sorry she did not feel it necessary to divulge this information. It would benefit those of us who are not as knowledgeable as she to be able to speak intelligently to the issue should we encounter a petitioner. Merely calling names makes real dialogue...

By JOHN McCALLUM Editor Los Angeles Times writer Mitchell Landsberg makes the observation in his June 5 piece “Campaign truce on faith issues” that neither President Barack Obama nor his Republican challenger Mitt Romney are saying much these days about their religious beliefs. Landsberg notes this is a “striking departure” from the Republican primary contests where demonstrations of candidates' faith weren't only worn on their sleeves, but trumpeted from the rafters of each campaign stop. The only thing missing were hosts o...

Lending support for Larry Keller's 6th District campaign I attended Larry Keller's campaign kick-off in Cheney last week, and for the first time in a very long time I am excited about supporting a candidate. Over the years I have become so disenchanted with our political system, including the incivility and the insincere “I'll-give-you-everything-you-want” promises that now characterize our election campaigns. It is so refreshing to have somebody like Larry Keller, who is a gentleman and a leader who knows how to get things d...

This past Memorial Day we remembered and honored those who gave their lives in service to their country. In ceremonies around this nation we spoke of the sacrifice these fallen heroes made to defend the country and the freedoms it stands for. One of those freedoms is our right to participate in the governments we elect by providing public input into and oversight of their activities. For this to function properly the electorate demands that public officials, elected and unelected, conduct their business in a manner that is...

Editor's note: The editorial board and Write to the Point columns are on a brief hiatus and will return next week, May 31. Reprinted from the Panama City News Herald Rich people are starting to flee America for tax havens elsewhere. It's not as bad as refugees getting out of North Korea. But it's not good. The most publicized recent example has been Eduardo Saverin, a co-founder of Facebook, worth approximately $3.8 billion. That's if Facebook's initial public stock offering, which began trading Friday, hauls in a projected...

Cheney's new noise ordinance could be a bit too strict I am a student at Eastern Washington University and live in Cheney. It is not news that here in Cheney we have many noise complaints. I am a student and I myself have seen these. Of course, we live in a college town and these things tend to happen. Obviously students are going to have parties and that is something the police department has no control over. The people that make noise and receive noise complaints should definitely receive a little bit more than a warning...

Buying locally is doing what's right for the community As mentioned previously in a written article, buying local can be difficult, especially with requirements that the state implements on institutions, such as, Eastern Washington University (EWU). The issue that EWU decided to buy its graduation flowers from a flower company from California rather than a locally own flower business should not be ignored. This might be the beginning of the end of many Cheney local businesses. Having huge companies such as Walmart and buying...

By BECKY THOMAS Staff Reporter Everybody has a barking dog story. Maybe you had a neighbor once who left their terrier outside all day while they went to work. Maybe you had a neighbor once whose Chihuahua loved to serenade the neighborhood from their balcony in your apartment complex. Or maybe—and it's just as likely—you own a dog that annoys all your neighbors with its constant barking, but for some reason you choose to ignore it. Whatever your barking dog story, if you're on the receiving end of an excessively barking dog...

Apologies offered for delay in StageWest's ‘Blithe Spirit' StageWest Community Theatre of the West Plains wishes to give our most heartfelt apologies to everyone that expected to attend our theatre last weekend or this weekend. Due to problems beyond our control we had to postpone our opening two full weeks. And we did not know this until Friday morning, May 3, our prospective opening night. However, we are having another opening on May 18 and will run through June 3. The tickets were already made up and will be honored e...

After wading through mounds of information we've come to a conclusion regarding the Spokane Tribe's proposed economic development project, a.k.a. STEP: It's incredibly complex with no easy solution. We all know the conflict that has exploded between the Spokanes — who are trying to provide for the economic well being of their people — and organizations led by Greater Spokane Incorporated who fear the development creates encroachment issues that could lead to the eventual closing of Fairchild Air Force Base. Losing the bas...

Just when you thought things couldn't get any worse with all the strife in our world, guess what – things just got worse. Seattle's Safeco Field is middle aged. Or as SportspressNW.com columnist Art Thiel put it last Monday, “Seattle's secular church of Our Men of Participation is No. 15 in years of service among the 30 MLB teams, despite entering its 13th season.” That sound you hear is the sound of...

By BECKY THOMAS Staff Reporter I've been thinking lately about downtowns and what they mean for cities. Maybe it's the handful of new businesses popping up in Cheney's downtown or the mixed-use development talk in Airway Heights. Or maybe it's the conversation I had with my mom recently. I was telling her about new spots opening up downtown and how I hope it sparks a revival of Cheney's downtown. I told her about the cool old buildings, about how the downtown used to be the center of commerce in town, but now the businesses...

Local support for current military members is needed Who in your community has or currently serves in the military? Does your neighbor? Does your neighbor's child? I question our awareness of the servicemen and women from right here at home—and their families. A soldier leaves his/her family in order to protect our nation, but undoubtedly their loved ones remain their number one concern—a concern that should be met by the members of the community. Some communities have provided programs specifically for families of past and...

According to news reports last week, the Washington state government was able to cut approximately $1.7 million from its budget, just by fixing its cellphone plans. State auditors completed a two-year study that looked at cellphone contracts and the usage of phones from state offices. As a result, several phones were turned in due to lack of use, while others changed to a cheaper prepaid contract. Auditors studied approximately 22,000 cellphones in the two-year period, which they believe amounts to 80 percent of the state's m...

By JAMES EIK Staff Reporter Over the last week or two, the media has slowly been circulating the story of “pink slime,” the controversial filler meat used in beef products. This “pink slime,” is the unused parts of beef typically thrown away during the processing cycle. It has little nutritional value and is prone to diseases like E. coli and salmonella, but don't worry, there's a special process to help reduce the risk of infected meat. One company under the radar, Beef Products Inc., creates the product by placing it in a...

Cutbacks in public school programs hurt the most vulnerable This letter is in response to the latest “cutbacks” in schools programs for all children disabled or not. My child is disabled and has full coverage through Tri-West, his father is in the military. Our son goes without his basic needs to excel in school. His grades are down 20-plus percent due to the lack of programs/care that should be available to him. I ask that more people, parents address this issue, as our children should come first. Amy Mount Che...

When last week's Super Tuesday primaries were finished Republican presidential candidate frontrunner Mitt Romney seemed at least to further distance himself from his challengers. With wins in five of nine primaries or caucuses Romney had increased his delegate count to 464 of the needed 1,144 to gain his party's nomination. But while Romney held a double-the-delegate lead over his nearest challenger, former Sen. Rick Santorum, along with a 4-to-1 edge over Newt Gingrich and was 10-fold up on Congressman Ron Paul, none of the...