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Unintended consequence or bureaucratic power grab? Given the things being ordered behind locked doors of government offices, I’ll take the latter. Tonight, March 25, when the clock strikes midnight, the state Department of Fish and Wildlife is banning all fishing and boating statewide. This closure comes on the heels of a previous order to ban all camping on publicly owned, state-managed lands. The closures, Department of Fish and Wildlife officials say, is in keeping with G... Full story
Boys are boys and girls are girls. There’s no in-between, at least when it comes to sports. I know it’s not politically correct to say that in this day and age. But genetically (and generally) speaking, boys are stronger and faster than girls. As a result, we have separate sports for each gender. That is, unless your young athlete competes for a middle or high school, or a non-profit organization in Washington state. Here, the Washington Interscholastic Activities Association...
As we are all aware the coronavirus is taking over everything we do, whether it’s our social media, TV and daily lives which includes shutting down school and work. Every day we are seeing new death reports that only scare and hype up people more. The problem with this is that when the media reports these deaths and creates the media hysteria it has, they are not sharing any of the actual facts, which is that the people who are dying are typically older or have compromised immune systems, but yet they continue to fail to l...
As a member of the “Fourth Estate,” our newspaper staff regularly comes in close contact with people from all walks of life. Knowing that, we are doing our part to help prevent the spread of the coronavirus, COVID-19, colloquially dubbed “Wuhan flu” and “WuFlu.” Like you, we are washing our hands, covering coughs and sanitizing everything in sight. We’re also taking the unusual step of closing our offices to public access, in an effort to protect the staff that is keeping yo...
It’s times like these that bring out the best and worst in people. Unlike previous crisis, this one surrounding the spread of novel coronavirus and the disease it carries, COVID-19, has elements of politics mixed in. It also is fueled by the proliferation of social media avenues. Combine those two elements, and good information surrounding the disease is often drowned in a sea of at best misinformation and ignorance and at worse outright lies and deception. Who benefits from this will be up to history to judge. But there a...
Nobody knows how deep the impact of the coronavirus will be, but one thing that it is destined to test is how effectively people will work from home. Washington is at the point of the spear. Of the 22 U.S. deaths attributed to COVID-19, there are 19 in our state. To avoid further exposure, employers are encouraging telecommuting, canceling meetings, events and travel, and, taking extra caution to sanitize work locations. Seattle-based Alaska Airlines is among the carriers...
Frank Watson tells us in his Thursday, March 5 commentary, that, “…patriotism really is a good thing.” Read on and discover that what Frank means is that if you agree with him, you’re patriotic and if you don’t, you’re not. But Frank is not so much commenting on patriotism as he is on socialism — a favorite axe Frank enjoys grinding. Frank is taking Bernie Sanders to task for advocating accessible and affordable health care for all Americans (Medicare4A), and vastly improved education, including tuition-free undergraduate...
While this plea may not carry much weight I’m going to present it anyway. Ringo my beagle has an eating disorder, meaning that if an entire bag of food were somehow left within reach of his snout, he just might eat until he burst. But that’s not the point. Somehow when we got him as a pup nearly 14 years ago on Father’s Day we were told that he was typical of many beagles. They eat, eat, eat and slowly become big and round. Through careful exercise, Ringo has remained a const...
Washington and Oregon lawmakers want to end their legislative sessions; however, accounting for the costs of carbon emissions is a major road block. In Salem, rural Republican senators are boycottingsession and thereby denying majority Democrats a quorum to vote on a “cap and trade” bill. The measure calls for an 80 percent state reduction in greenhouse gases (GHG) by 2050. The system would be similar to existing programs in California and some Canadian provinces. The sta...
During a recent Democratic Party debate, candidate Pete Buttigieg made a comment that just about floored me. He said, “The American Dream is alive and well – In Denmark!” Elizabeth Warren and Amy Klobachar both nodded in agreement before Bernie Sanders picked up the torch. He touted the advantages of Democratic Socialism claiming life in Denmark to be far superior to here in the good old USA. Joe Biden stood there wondering what was going on, and Mike Bloomberg began bragging about the economic and environmental virtu...
SPOKANE – Former Spokane County Treasurer Rob Chase has announced he will be running for Congress in Washington’s 5th District. Chase will challenge incumbent Cathy McMorris Rodgers, who is seeking a ninth term as the district’s representative in Washington D.C. Chase was county treasurer from 2011-2018, and has lived in the district since 1974. A former real estate agent, he is a graduate of Eastern Washington University with a bachelor’s of arts degree in business administration. Chase is the second challenger to file ag...
AIRWAY HEIGHTS – The city of Airway Heights moved the regular Monday night council meeting to Tuesday, Feb. 18, due to the President’s Day holiday. The Spokane Transit Authority (STA) made a presentation on significant route changes under consideration for the Airway Heights area including: discontinuing service on Fairchild Air Force Base with the bus stopping outside the gate only, citing low ridership and difficulty for drivers to get on base; shrinking the paratransit service area, increasing frequency to the air...
Last week, we visited the Grand Canyon National Park in northern Arizona. It is part of our National Parks “bucket list.” The trip was a real eye-opener. The Canyon is spectacular. It is hard to believe over a billion years ago it was flat ground and covered by ocean waters. In ancient times, there was too much water. Today, it is a deep gorge with a ribbon of water running through it. The Grand Canyon is 277 miles long, over a mile deep and 10 to 18 miles across. The fam...
By PAUL DELANEY Staff reporter SPOKANE — Under cover of darkness. Sneaking in the back door. Or better yet, call it making good on a pledge. Quietly, my old byline that was officially retired to the Cheney Free Press archives Dec. 31, 2018 has returned. After a little over a year in my self-imposed role of a “recovering journalist,” the request came from CFP managing editor John McCallum asking what it might take to coax me back into the game in a relief role following the departure of Lee Hughes. BTW, Lee heads “home...
A few years ago, I attended a workshop on politics in San Francisco. One of the main ideas taken away from that event was the importance of enthusiasm. Washington state has tried to increase voter participation with mail-in stamped ballots, yet the turnout is usually below 50 percent. So, if you are wrestling with your choice of nominee in the upcoming primary on March 10 and electability is your prime consideration, choose the candidate who is most likely to excite the most number of people, who can attract the largest...
With heavy heart the volunteers of Feed Medical Lake bid farewell to our fellow volunteer and friend, Roy Herrick, who passed away Jan. 23, 2020 after suffering from a stroke in July 2019. Roy was a diligent worker and our liaison with the Union Gospel Mission. We appreciate all the hard work he did for Feed Medical Lake and will miss him terribly Volunteer Staff Feed Medical Lake...
By LUNELL HAUGHT Contributor Washington has the opportunity to review and change the Redistricting Commission every 10 years. This is the group that works in the background making sure the wheels of democracy turn smoothly and fairly. The commission decides where the lines will be drawn for legislative and congressional districts. In the next 10 years decisions about growth, energy, transportation, water, fire and quality of life issues will be made by our legislators and congressional representatives. Now is when you can inf...
By DON C. BRUNELL Contributor The 2020 race for the White House is heating. It’s shaping up to be a referendum on America’s market-based economic system. The central question is government or the private sector going to provide our basic products and services? Last May, a Monmouth University Poll found most Americans say socialism is not compatible with American values, but that only 4-in-10 hold a decidedly negative opinion of it. Americans are divided into two dominant camps — 29 percent have a positive view of capitalism a...
When House Bill 1888 was proposed this year to help protect state employee unions from an ongoing battle with the Freedom Foundation, the media was strong in opposition against blowing a hole in the state’s Public Records Act. Sadly, it looks like some in the “Fourth Estate” are now willing to play Solomon and cut access to public records in half by allowing some public records to be hidden from the public, as long as they are still able to receive them. The House State Gover...
Across rural America, demographics are changing, and community leaders are redefining what makes their small towns successful and vibrant. Traditionally, a prosperous community is defined as economically viable, with enough housing and employment. Now, prosperous also includes having a welcoming and inclusive community. To foster a spirit of welcoming, communities can start with Civity. Civity is the idea of purposefully engaging in relationships of respect and empathy with others who are different. This helps communities to...
Keeping hospitals and health workers healthy is key to fighting diseases. With new and more deadly viruses, the job is more challenging. Although the coronavirus has captured the world’s attention, it is important to note the Center for Disease Control estimates that 80,000 Americans died of flu and flu complications in the winter of 2017-2018 — the highest flu-related death toll in at least four decades. The coronavirus outbreak is very serious. According to the New York Tim...
The state Legislature has directed the Washington Department of Fish and Wildlife to remove the catch limits on bass, walleye and channel catfish in all waters of the state where they coexist with salmon. It seems that someone in the Legislature realized the existence of a connection between bass and whales. It is about time. Everything in nature is connected to everything else. In this case, our politicians are concerned about the declining numbers of the resident Puget Sound orca pod. Orcas and bass both eat salmon,...
Republicans are not stupid. They know that if there are no witnesses and no evidence there is really no impeachment trial. They know that former National Security Adviser John Bolton would be the most important impeachment witness. They know that if Bolton was subpoenaed by the Senate he would testify. Jeremy Street Cheney...
Government leaders, doctors, and medical researchers worldwide are working feverishly to stop the spread of the coronavirus and keep it from becoming a global pandemic. Wuhan, one of China’s major transportation hubs whose population approaches 11 million, is the epicenter of the coronavirus outbreak which is spreading like wildfire. Wuhan was put on lockdown. The fear is widespread prompting China’s government leaders to build a 1,000 bed hospital within a week. Pro...
Oligarchy. I like the sound of the word. It kind of rolls off the tongue, but I don’t like it as a form of government. Winning an election does not grant the victor wisdom beyond those of us who have never run for office. Those whom we have selected to represent us in Olympia seem to believe it does. Rather than be accountable to the electorate, our elected officials consider themselves a cut above the general public. It would seem private citizens, both individually and collectively, are viewed as a source of revenue, of n...
