Articles written by Don C. Brunell
Sorted by date Results 1 - 25 of 153
School Safety Needs Wider Attention
My Mom would be horrified by the rash of violence in our schools today. The most recent tragedy at Covenant School in Nashville where three students and three adults were shot to... — Updated 4/6/2023
Skilled Worker Shortage Could Derail "Electrify Everything"
In the race to “Electrify Everything” there are glitches which may derail the plan over the next 20 years. One is a shortage of skilled electrical workers needed to rewire... — Updated 3/23/2023
Sacrifices of Medal of Honor Recipients Should Refocus America
Earlier this month when President Biden fastened the Congressional Medal of Honor (Medal) around retired U.S. Army Col. Paris Davis’ neck, it was a welcome pause to the endless ve... — Updated 3/9/2023
Busting the Maze of Phone Prompts is Good Customer Service
There is no substitute for person-to-person connections—people talking with, listening to, and understanding one another. It is called “customer service” and it is the best... — Updated 3/2/2023
People Depend More on Local Pharmacies for Medical Information
While the coronavirus clobbered many businesses, pharmacies were not among them. In fact, since the World Health Organization (WHO) declared COVID-19, a pandemic, local pharmacists... — Updated 2/23/2023
Colville Healthy Forests Project Is Model for Federal Legislation
Who says Congress is so gridlocked that nothing is accomplished? Consider what happened last December when the U.S. Senate unanimously passed legislation streamlining regulations... — Updated 2/16/2023
Time to halt benefits scam
Three years after crooks stole billions in unemployment insurance funds, federal and state officials are scrambling to retrieve the money which was directed to the jobless and plug... — Updated 2/9/2023
European Data Centers Looking to Capture Heat
Coupled with the rapid growth of data centers we rely upon for internet service and information storage is an increased demand for electricity to power millions of computers and coo... — Updated 1/12/2023
Energy: All-of-the-above needed
Looking ahead to 2023 one of the most significant shifts America needs is to return to an “All of the Above” strategy which expands our energy options rather than further... — Updated 12/29/2022
People Returning to Stores
The good news is, despite higher prices, inflation and safety concerns, more Christmas shoppers are browsing on-line but making in-store purchases. The National Retail Federation... — Updated 12/1/2022
Recovery hinges on return to work
To “Build Back America” key workers must return to jobsites. It is not good enough for President Biden to lean back on low unemployment numbers claiming success when employers c... — Updated 10/27/2022
Firewood is new European gold
With Russian President Vladimur Putin cutting off natural gas supplies, Northern Europeans are scrambling and reverting to firewood to heat their homes, boil water and cook. It is... — Updated 10/6/2022
Herculean Effort Needed to Free Seattle of Drugs and Crime
Over the years, Seattle leaders faced “Herculean” challenges yet found the will, resources, and determination to come together and tackle them. Today’s conundrum is to... — Updated 9/15/2022
Private Sector Innovators Can Increase Fresh Water Supplies
In Washington, this year we’re fortunate to have escaped the historic droughts plaguing other parts of the world. The Columbia River basin water system has been at normal levels w... — Updated 9/2/2022
Drained Snake River Reservoirs Would Resemble Parched Rhine Riverbeds
If you want a glimpse of parched river bottoms behind “would be breached” lower Snake River dams, look at recent photos of European rivers and lakes. On parts of picturesque... — Updated 8/18/2022
Restoring America's semiconductor edge
Surprisingly, recent U.S. Presidents and congressional Democrats and Republicans agree America’s economic and national security hinge upon tiny, yet powerful semiconductors. Semic... — Updated 7/28/2022
Lower Snake River dams' power hard to replace
Gov. Jay Inslee and Sen. Patty Murray, both Democrats, issued a draft report which estimates that breaching the four lower Snake River dams and replacing their electricity and... — Updated 6/16/2022
Laminated wood products can reduce wildfire risks
Wood buildings are making a comeback in the Pacific Northwest thanks to new laminated timber products. Even very large buildings are now constructed with laminated beams and are suc... — Updated 5/5/2022
Seattle World's Fair highlighted electric transportation
Seattle’s 1962 World’s Fair was awe-inspiring. It previewed developments that would improve our daily lives in the next millennium. While “Century 21” memories have faded, t... — Updated 4/28/2022
Look north to increase gas supplies
The news that President Biden plans to resume leasing of federal land for oil exploration maybe good five years from now, but that action alone won’t bring down record gas prices... — Updated 4/21/2022
Ukraine needs flower power
Sunflowers are to Ukraine what tulips are to western Washington. During the blooming season, both are spectacular and represent the best in the people who cultivate and visit those... — Updated 4/14/2022
Price of gas fuels work from safety of home
With COVID-19 vaccines widely dispensed and masking requirements mostly lifted, will “work from home” end? Will workers return to downtown offices at pre-pandemic levels? Probab... — Updated 4/8/2022
Bolster defenses in Alaska
Return Alaska to Russia? A month ago, such lunacy wasn’t news worthy, but after Russia shockingly invaded Ukraine, anything is possible. The assault on Ukraine has been massive an... — Updated 3/24/2022
American LNG can replace more Russian gas
There is an old saying: Don’t let the “perfect” be the “enemy” of the good! That is important to remember as we work our way out of the energy crisis exacerbated by... — Updated 3/17/2022
Time to rethink forest management strategies
Washington’s Board of Natural Resources is considering banning timber harvesting on state lands. That is extremely unwise. Instead, the Board must insure its healthy forest... — Updated 3/3/2022