Opinion
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Letter to the Editor
Good to see marching band success After years of apple pie fundraisers, clothing drives, local grants and a COVID-delayed auction, the Cheney High School marching band, under the leadership of Director Josh Wisswell, has secured a... — Updated 9/22/2022
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Garbage Important Energy Source
If you live in Spokane, you know about its waste-to-energy facility which burns up to 800 tons of solid waste a day and can generate 22 megawatts of electricity---enough to power... — Updated 9/22/2022
Restore balance of power in Olympia
Gov. Jay Inslee announced last week that he will finally end governing under an emergency order — after more than 900 days —on Monday, Oct. 31. When the Legislature next convenes, it should ensure that this type of ongoing em... — Updated 9/15/2022
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
Lower tuition instead of "forgiving" loans
As the senator representing Washington State University-Pullman, tuition costs have always been of particular interest to me. The Biden Administration’s controversial plan to “forgive” hundreds of billions of dollars in... — Updated 9/15/2022
Looking to expand our coverage
Since the Davenport Times and Odessa Record merged to create the Lincoln County Record-Times, our two-person news staff has worked together to report on news, community and sports items in Davenport, Odessa, Reardan, Harrington... — Updated 9/8/2022
Fair tax; amend the constitution
I recently had the opportunity to review all 50 state constitutions and confirmed an important fact for the current capital gains income tax litigation in Washington. Although most state constitutions mention how real, personal,... — Updated 9/8/2022
Letters to the Editor
‘Revisionist’ history more complete If the only way you learn history is from the promoted myths of statues, place names or street names, then you have only yourself to blame for your misguided sense of injury. The revisionist... — Updated 9/8/2022
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
Learn history; don't cancel it
Last week, Fairchild Air Force announced it was erasing Col. George Wright because the history surrounding him is considered by some as divisive. In place of his name being associat... — Updated 9/2/2022
Sen. Schoesler omitted info on police pursuits
In a recent op-ed, state Sen. Mark Schoesler, alluded to a new “bad law” that prevents law enforcement from pursuing criminal suspects in most situations. He cherry-picks a paragraph from an op-ed in a Seattle newspaper... — Updated 8/25/2022
Column touched hearts of volunteers
I am the Washington State Coordinator for the Quilts of Valor Foundation. Frank Watson wrote a beautiful column in the recent edition of the Cheney Free Press. He offered kind words honoring the many volunteers who construct these... — Updated 8/25/2022
What's in a name? Chicken labeling can be confusing for consumers
My husband and I recently got into a discussion about the differences in the labeling of chicken. He saw a post on social media outlining the supposed differences between “pasture raised,” “cage raised,” “cage free,... — Updated 8/25/2022
Decision to close schools for COVID-19 caused harm
Gov. Jay Inslee responded to the national COVID-19 health crisis by closing the public schools in Washington state to in-person instruction from March 2020 to September 2021 and allowing them to reopen sporadically the fall of... — Updated 8/25/2022
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
Quilts of Valor
The local news coverage of the celebration for units returning from Iraq and Afghanistan left me with mixed emotions. I was delighted that our fighting men and women were being embraced by our community. At the same time, however,... — Updated 8/18/2022
Looking for a few correspondents
Over the last several decades, many journalists saw hometown community columns as quaint links to how newspapers once operated. But with few journalists left in the Pacific... — Updated 8/11/2022
Gas engines part of reducing CO2
Implausible as it may seem, gasoline powered vehicles can be part of reducing carbon emissions. They need to be part of the solution and not brushed aside. Take for example,... — Updated 8/11/2022
Get ready for more expensive gas
Next year, one of the state’s newly adopted climate policies, the low-carbon fuel standard, will take effect in our state. The legislation requires companies to blend biofuels or fund charging stations for electric vehicles.... — Updated 8/11/2022
It's time to leave Eastern Washington for 'boot camp'
I officially began my internship at the Whitman County Gazette in January. I was 19 years old, a sophomore in college and contemplating what my future would look like. I came from... — Updated 8/4/2022
Washington's hospitals in financial trouble
A report released last week by the Washington State Hospital Association indicates that virtually every hospital in the state is in financial trouble. (here) A recent survey revealed that hospital revenues were up five percent... — Updated 8/4/2022
Spokane voter supports Tiffany Smiley
I just listened to a campaign ad for Patty Murray, who is seeking another term as our senator. She stated she will fight for us for lower prescription prices, inflation, high gas prices, public safety and a cornucopia of problems... — Updated 8/4/2022
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
Ruralites still left out of suicide hotline
For people considering self-inflicted death, there is an opportunity of 10 minutes or less to intervene and potentially change that course of action. July 16 marked a milestone in the national mental health discussion with the... — Updated 7/28/2022
Shrouded in secrecy: State union negotiations should be public
Did you know the governor’s office is currently negotiating pay and compensation with state employee unions for the state’s 2023-25 budget? What is on the table? Will the outcome of these secret talks be no tax cuts for... — Updated 7/21/2022
