Smoke and train issues are as bad as ever

What’s wrong with this picture?

On Wednesday, Aug. 19, at 5:15 p.m., I took a walk from Sutton Park to the Cheney High School through the Eastern Washington University campus.

It was hot, it was windy and it was smoky. The sun was covered with a haze. Never had I seen anywhere look like this except during the two weeks I spent in Chengdu, China, three years ago. Added to this experience were four trains (carrying oil? coal?) blowing their horns, one of which I heard as I rounded the corner at the Cheney High School and Betz Elementary School.

According to the railroad representatives, I was as...