Serving Lincoln County for more than a century!
Serving Lincoln County for more than a century!
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As you shop for back-to-school supplies for your kids, consider this: The clerks, shelf stockers, truck drivers and factory workers who make that possible can all be legally forced to pay money to a union or else be fired. You see, Washington is currently one of the 23 forced-unionism states in America. Why? Since Washington doesn't have a right-to-work law to guarantee union membership and financial support are strictly voluntary for workers, a union boss can legally have a...
For several months, drivers and businesses have had to endure the sharp increase in fuel prices since the state’s cap-and-trade program – or “cap-and-tax,” as I like to call it – went into effect Jan. 1. But consumers, especially those who rely on natural-gas furnaces for heat, soon will feel pain in their wallets thanks to cap-and-tax. The state Washington Utilities and Transportation Commission recently approved a request by Puget Sound Energy to increase its natural g...
The state held its special auction for CO2 allowances two weeks ago. When the results were announced, they indicated higher gas prices may be coming. As part of the state’s new tax on CO2 emissions, known as the Climate Commitment Act, organizations that emit CO2, like BP or Washington State University, must purchase permits for every metric ton of CO2 emitted by their operations or products. There are a limited number of permits available. So, the price is set at an a...
Apparently, the Pac-12 wasn’t the only thing that University of Washington left behind for more money. As the state senator for a legislative district that includes two four-year universities (Washington State University and Eastern Washington University), I take great interest in our state’s higher-education system. I make it a point to stay in contact with the presidents at Washington State and Eastern and keep up on key developments at these campuses in Pullman and Che...
If you’re like me, you find life often leading you from one thing to the next. Sometimes it takes years, sometimes just months. You often get to a place in your life think “how could things change, everything is good.” And then just when you’re settled, the changes are inevitable. It can take you by surprise or you somehow know it was coming. Sometimes it seems life doesn’t stay the same very long. With those many changes I have found that I have gained great power to adapt...
On Friday afternoon, Aug. 18, spirits were high. I’d just finished up work for the day, and I was planning to grill up some brats and baked beans for an enjoyable BBQ summer dinner. The summer weekends were running out, and we wanted to make them count. Little did we know, that naïve plan was about to go out the window. After resurfacing from my home office on the north side of Medical Lake, I noticed a massive plume of smoke emitting from the south. I instantly knew it wa...
Note: This is Part 2 of a 2-part Beef Cattle Mythbuster series. Now back to the discussion of nutrients. Those of you that have heard me give presentations on forage quality and nutrition will probably remember that I emphasize protein being the “first limiting nutrient” when dealing with low quality forages. That means until the deficiency of protein is corrected, performance (keeping up body condition and milk production) will not be very good in those cows. During dro...
Imagine for a moment there was a small brush fire creeping towards your house and you call 911 only to be told the fire department was not allowed to put out your fire. While this might sound preposterous to you, it is not far off from what the Washington Legislature is slowly doing to law enforcement in our state. To illustrate this frustration, I'd like to share a legal update with you on a few recent changes to the state law. As you are probably aware the Supreme Court of...
Note: This is Part 1 of 2 in this Beef Cattle Mythbuster series. Check out next week’s paper for Part 2. Hi everyone, I hope your summer is going well. A couple of months ago, we all thought the pastures in our region were in pretty good shape moisture-wise, but wow has that changed in a lot of places. Recently, I was invited to give a couple of talks to cattle producers. The presentations dealt with pastures and cow nutrition management within the current dry conditions a...
Today, good works are often brushed aside or ignored – especially, if done by one of the world’s largest mining companies. However, Rio Tinto deserves kudos for its half-billion-dollar mine cleanup in Holden., a remote village in the North Cascade mountains just south of Lake Chelan. Rio Tinto did not mine an ounce of copper or other precious metals at Holden. It acquired the site as part of a larger purchase. It gathered interested stakeholders together and ironed sol...
It’s been a tough week around the farm with equipment failures that have delayed harvest a few days. I’ll get back on track. But while repairs are underway, I can’t help but think about others who won’t recover so easily from hits to their budgets – setting them back further and further every time they fill up at the gas station or get a paycheck. Many of our friends on the West Side of the state disregard rural folks in communities like ours. We see this every session t...
New data reported by the State Board of Education reveals that private school enrollment in Washington state has jumped by 25 percent in three years. In 2019-20, total K-12 private school enrollment was 65,270 students. In 2022-23, this number rose to 81,434 students, an increase of 25 percent. The number of homeschooled students has also grown, from 20,844 in 2019-20 to 29,798 in 2022-23, an increase of 42 percent. Over 110,000 parents in Washington state have decided that...
There’s no question the governor misled the people last year when claiming his cap-and-tax scheme would add “pennies” to the cost of gas once it took full effect in 2023. Gov. Jay Inslee has a degree in economics, as he reminded everyone at a news conference last week. And, yet, he assumed oil companies would simply absorb the added cost of complying with cap-and-tax? Inslee came up with a new lie at that news conference, as part of a feeble effort to claim his scheme has n...
School choice is on the rise across the nation. Pennsylvania Gov. Josh Shapiro, a Democrat, just announced his support for Lifeline scholarships, a state voucher program that will allow students to use public funds to attend a private school of their choice. If enacted, his bill will help families assigned by local officials to the lowest-performing public schools because these families will be able to choose a better alternative for their children. Shapiro’s bold i...
Like most Americans, I enjoy watching – and lighting – fireworks on Independence Day. America’s “birthday” should stand out among all national holidays. And the colorful, aerial explosions showcase the freedom and independence for which the U.S. stands. But why then do only tribes have the ability to sell and use the “good” fireworks – you know: firecrackers, bottle rockets, Roman candles, mortars and more. There’s nothing magical about the imaginary line on a map suggesting...
By virtually all key metrics, Washington’s environmental policies are failing. And yet, when was the last time politicians, environmental activists or the media expressed concern about policy failures? Speeches and news stories are filled with demands that we save the planet, describing threats to salmon, orca, forests and the climate. And yet, there is a remarkable lack of curiosity when real-world efforts fail to address those problems. One common thread is that environmental policy generally, and climate policy in p...
Hydropower is an important source of reliable and clean energy for everyone in the. However, with the recent debate surrounding the Snake River dams concentrated on the benefits for and support in Washington state, we want to emphasize just how significant an effect these dams have on Idaho and why we must continue to protect them. As a U.S. Senator and the leader of an independent free-market research organization, we are unified in our effort to protect the Snake River dams...
“It’s not an election year.” A common remark used conversationally in both a serious and satirical matter, including, admittedly, by yours truly. Why was the Pioneer Days Parade smaller than last year? “It’s not an election year.” Why don’t we currently seem to see politicians catering to whatever seems to be the popular groupthink at the time as much as we did, in say, 2020? “It’s not an election year.” But while we may not be casting our votes for President of the Un...
The good news is this state’s cherry crop looks good—a marked improvement over 2022. It is sweetening our farm economy especially for cherry growers who have struggled over the last five years. “Last year’s cold, wet April brought down the cherry crop,” Wenatchee World writer Gabriel Garcia recently reported. “But this year, the Washington state cherry harvest is in full swing, and the industry is optimistic about it.” Washington’s cherry growers expect to pick 21 million...
Until President Biden signed the Chips and Science Act (CSA) last year, companies, such as Intel and Taiwan Semiconductor Manufacturing Co. looked elsewhere to build plants costing well over $20 billion each. Biden’s pitch to taxpayers was ultramodern manufacturers of miniature computer chips used in our sophisticated weapons, advanced manufacturing, cars and trucks, and high-tech equipment needed to move back to the U.S A. Congress responded and passed CSA supplying a $280 b...
Let’s Go Washington is taking aim at the WA Cares Fund and a payroll tax that workers started paying this month with an initiative campaign. Initiative 2124, an Initiative to the Legislature, would make participation in WA Cares optional instead of mandatory and allow workers a way out of the state-imposed, insurance-like program at any time. That would be welcome news to many people who have other life needs that demand the attention of their monthly incomes. This should be i...
A short three years ago, motorists in Eastern Washington could buy regular unleaded gasoline for as little as $1.97 per gallon in several areas – George, Pasco, Quincy, to name a few. Diesel didn’t cost much more. Farmers could afford to fill their fuel tanks and shipping companies could keep their trucks moving at a reasonable price. And you and I could afford to drive personal vehicles – a necessity when you live and work in Eastern Washington. As a result, rural resid...
I had the great privilege of completing a summer internship in the now historic Hull-House in Chicago in the early 1960’s, more than 50 years ago. During that time, the Hull House was gradually closing, as the neighborhood it served had moved. I was astonished to learn that in “the olden days” (think 1920’s) the settlement house served immigrant families whose children worked in factories, and often did not attend school. Frequently, little children were tied to furniture all day, while their parents worked. We have come a...
The myths surrounding algal poisoning I was thinking that with summer upon us its probably a good time to talk about water quality. Water is the most important nutrient we provide for our animals (and humans; we won’t last long without water). Water gives life to animals and plants, but under certain conditions can be the bearer of some not so wholesome constituents that we should be concerned about (for example vectors of disease like biting midges (Culicoides gnats; n...
China’s growing dominance of critical metals production and stockpiles is setting off global alarms. It has American manufacturers in a bind as they ramp up domestic electric vehicle (EV) battery production. Ores containing these elements are in deposits across our planet; however, the technology to process them is largely in China. As the China Communist Party (CCP) under Xi Jinping exerts its leverage, America and its allies are facing global economic and military c...
