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While the coronavirus and its devastating effects on people and economies worldwide were unfortunately the top 2020 stories, the massive impact of western wildfires can't be ignored. It was catastrophic. The National Interagency Fire Center's western states tally shows a record 8.6 million acres were incinerated in 2020 compared with 4.6 million acres in 2019. In Washington just over 700,000 acres were burned; however, California and Oregon were not as fortunate. By...
I don’t often write notes to the editor, but feel compelled to do so this week. The residents of Cheney should be congratulated for going above and beyond with their Christmas decorations and lights this year. There are so many homes and businesses that have done an amazing job of making our city a little more joyful to end a difficult year. I wish I could call out what I’ve seen, but would suggest a drive around the city neighborhoods is worthwhile for you and your family. You might be just as amazed as I was and find joy...
Yesterday, my 13-year-old son asked me about the election, and the fraud charges leveled by President Trump and his supporters. I thought about my answer for a bit, then used the O.J. Simpson trial, and that jury verdict, as an example of how humans who want to believe something badly can be convinced that an enormous “preponderance of evidence” should be ignored. In the O.J. case, the evidence, both physical and circumstantial, was overwhelming. He was obviously guilty. Sadly, a jury predisposed to mistrust police and sup...
On Dec. 18, 1917, Congress proposed the 18th Amendment, which would later make it illegal to make, buy, sell or drink alcohol. Two years later, after ratification Jan. 16, 1919, prohibition became the law of the land. For nearly 14 years, Americans who wanted to have an adult beverage were forced underground. They danced, dined, drank and gambled in what became known as a “speakeasy.” Law enforcement and other public employees often knew about their clandestine watering hol...
Everything that comes out of the White House today — the lies, the false claims of election fraud, the absurd lawsuits — makes me retreat and recoil. But I feel a particular sense of dread whenever I am watching the TV news and press secretary Kayleigh McEnany steps up to the podium in the White House briefing room. Even before McEnany says her first word, I cannot help but notice the gold cross she wears around her neck, right at her throat, highly visible to the camera. The cross, I believe, is intentionally obvious and is...
Christmas is an especially difficult time for anyone grieving for lost loved ones. Try adding a crippling killer virus into that mix. That is the tragic reality of 2020. Even though the traditional ceremonies attended by thousands went virtual this year, more than 1.7 million holiday wreaths were placed against grave markers of fallen service men and women. Normally, the fallen are remembered on Memorial Day, but thanks to a Maine family and over hundreds of thousand donors...
Would you believe in the future when a cement truck shows up to pour your foundation or patio, the mixture will likely contain ground-up wind turbine blades? As a part of new agreement between GE Renewable Energy and Veolia North America (VNA), old blades, consisting mostly of fiberglass, are shredded at a processing facility in Missouri and then shipped to cement plants across America where they replace coal, sand and clay in manufacturing. Like the coronavirus vaccine, the...
Dec. 10, 2020 marked the 7nd anniversary of the Universal Declaration of Human Rights. Two related documents also celebrate significant anniversaries this year: the 25th anniversary of the Declaration of Principles on Tolerance and the 75th anniversary of the United Nations Charter. Both declarations and the charter provide a framework for building unity in a diverse world. The impetus for creating the Declaration on Tolerance was, as the Declaration’s Preamble states, “the current rise in acts of intolerance, violence, ter...
I don’t understand the rules. If a man or woman puts their hands on me, against my wishes, does status allow this? Is this a ‘perk’ of being an important personage like Dr. Lutz? Spokane Councilman Breann Biggs says that even knowing what he knows, he would not have voted to fire Dr. Lutz. When would he have voted for firing? How much does he countenance? Fifty percent of voters are women, Councilman. What ‘perks’ do you think your elected position allows? Michael Dunn, Superintendent of ESD 101, argues that Lutz’s fi...
The people that deserve the most suspicion are the ones who lie the most. The people who lie the most are salespeople. Not all salespeople lie, but the honest ones are hard to find. Who is the most famous salesman in the United States today? When a salesman makes some kind of claim, the first thing you should ask him is “Can you show me some evidence that your claim is true?” If he does not show you evidence and just says things like “Everybody knows this is true,” the smart thing to do is to keep your money and walk away. A...
Regardless of a person’s political views, we can all agree that rising cost is a major problem with our health care system. Last year, Americans spent 18 percent of our economy, or $3.6 trillion, on health care. The ever-increasing cost curve would suggest that by the 2030s the country will spend 30 percent of our gross domestic product on medical treatments. Extensive research has been done to identify unnecessary care and wastefulness in the system. Estimates vary, but from 20 percent to 30 percent of health care in the U...
It’s been a difficult year for us all. I know that’s an understatement. But methinks I shouldn’t have to go into many details to explain why. Unfortunately, those reasons are still all around us. It’s said hard times bring out the best and worst in people. I’ve come to see the truth in that first-hand, and — put mildly — it’s disheartening. I’ve seen people come together as a community to support each other, and I’ve seen people who talk about the need for community support refusing to do so by undertaking the sim...
Are you not tired of elections? If not then here comes another new special election on Feb. 9, 2021. This one is to raise your taxes for the Cheney School District. The last year of collection for the 3 year O&M(EP&O) Levy and two-year capital projects levy is 2021. The authority to collect a new levy against our property in 2022, 2023 and 2024 is therefore requiring a new approval thru a vote. The existing capital projects levy was for specific projects which should be completed. This levy was not meant to be continual like...
One of the biggest challenges of the 21st Century is dealing with the progress of the 20th Century — especially old computers, monitors, cellular phones and televisions. These appliances depend on hazardous materials, such as mercury, to operate. After a five-to-eight year useful life, many are tossed into dumpsters and sent to landfills where those hazardous materials can leach into the soil, streams and groundwater. That was the opening paragraph of a column I wrote 20 y...
Imagine you’re traveling out of state to visit family. When you’re 15 minutes from grandma’s house, you decide to let her know you’ll be arriving soon. For some reason, your mobile phone doesn’t connect. So you stop at a payphone to call your phone provider. They tell you they shut off your service because you entered a new state. This scenario may seem absurd. But it’s an apt analogy for the regulatory regime governing many U.S. doctors. Telemedicine technology made it easier for physicians to provide care from afar. But t...
Finally, the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) cleared Boeing’s revamped 737MAX to return to service and Seattle Times aviation writer, Dominic Gates, reports its first flight is scheduled for Dec. 29. The FAA, which had been critical of Boeing, expects other foreign aviation authorities to lift the grounding by early 2021. That’s not only good news for Boeing, but its workers and suppliers, especially those in Washington. Our state has been the hub of the company’s airpl...
Ever since I was lucky enough to become the Executive Director at the WIAA, I’ve told our staff and membership that we are in the memory-making business. Those memories can be made in any town, large or small, in any sport or activity, at a mid-week practice, a senior night, or a State Championship final. As a former coach and teacher, I had the opportunity to be a part of those memories and I’ve seen firsthand that high school is defined as much by what you learn outside of the classroom as what you learn in it. Coaches and...
I’ve been reading my grandfather’s diary. For the year 1943. Grandpa McCallum was a chaplain with a U.S. Army unit in the South Pacific. It’s a role I have always found interesting — men and women of peace operating during a time of war. His diary is sparse, given it’s only 3.5 inches by 6 inches and limited to one page per day. Not a lot of room to elaborate on events. Or provide personal insights, editorialize fears, hopes. Still, what’s said is illuminating. Jan. 1 finds him in New Caledonia, waiting with other units...
With only a few months left in his first term, President Trump is trying to make good on his campaign promise to lower drug prices. He has signed an executive order directing Medicare to tie reimbursements for most medicines to the lowest prices paid in other developed countries. This “foreign reference pricing,” if implemented, would purportedly give Americans cheaper drugs. But it would stifle biomedical research, leaving valuable new therapies undiscovered and dashing the hopes of patients whose conditions lack an eff...
It’s no secret that airlines and airplane manufacturers have been clobbered by the coronavirus pandemic. Particularly hard hit are international flights traditionally flown by jumbo jets. Borders are closed and people aren’t flying. There is a small silver-lining. Just as restaurants started take-out service to survive, airlines are filling planes with freight. U.S. airlines are reeling from the pandemic and have lost more than $20 billion combined in the last two quarters. Ev...
CHENEY – City officials are predicting some revenue shortfalls in the Public Works Department in 2021, specifically in the building, planning and street departments. In a budget presentation at the City Council’s Oct. 27 meeting, Public Works Director Todd Ableman also said the system development charge normally instituted to support water and wastewater is low because of a decrease in construction this past year. “They’re not coming in as what we predicted in 2020, however that’s not part of O&M (operation and maintenan...
Having watched most of this past week’s Spokane Regional Health District Board of Directors meeting, I was dismayed when the vote was taken to terminate Dr. Bob Lutz’s employment with the District. It seemed obvious to me that both Dr. Lutz and Chief Administrative Officer Clark mishandled their professional relationship with one another. It also seemed obvious that Clark did not follow proper human resources protocols in seeking to resolve the issues she had with Dr. Lutz. In her testimony to the Board, Ms. Clark adm...
Diversity in the ranks has been the lifeline of our all-volunteer military, but it wasn’t always that way. As we celebrate Veterans Day, we ought to be thankful for all of the men and women from a variety of ethnic backgrounds who put their lives in harm’s way to protect our freedoms and make safe our way of life. When my father was inducted into the U.S. Army during World War II, our military was segregated. That lasted until 1948 when President Harry Truman signed Executive...
COVID-19 is taking a serious toll on chronically ill Americans, particularly those with severe neurological conditions. Bipolar disorder and schizophrenia-related brain illnesses increase the risk of contracting and recovering from coronavirus. Unfortunately, a recently finalized rule from the federal Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services could make it even more difficult for these vulnerable Americans. The rule gives health insurers more flexibility in how they calculate patients’ out-of-pocket expenses. If insurers e...
This month, President Trump signed an executive order to reduce Medicare spending on prescription drugs. For each medication, Medicare will pay no more than the lowest price available in other developed countries. President Trump has been true to his campaign promises. I voted for him in 2016, and will again in 2020. However, in this case, the administration identified the right problem, but chose the wrong solution. Drugs cost less in other nations for one simple reason — their government-run health systems impose price c...
