Serving Lincoln County for more than a century!
Serving Lincoln County for more than a century!
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In a victory for private property owners, the U.S. Supreme Court rejected the “significant nexus” test in its Sackett v EPA ruling. The ruling changes how “waters of the United States” can be applied by leaving wetlands that are not directly flowing into “rivers, lakes, and other bodies of water that flow across or form a part of State boundaries” out of consideration as WOTUS. The “significant nexus” test was established in Rapanos v United States. The “significant ne...
Have you ever swum in Sewer Lake? Ya, me neither. But I've always heard of the most talked about event that the Reardan Mule Days Association has ever put on, and that has to be the homemade Raft Races on Sewer Lake in the 70's. The event, which is the first weekend of June every year, is epic and legendary around here. Every year as Mule Days gets closer, you still hear locals talk about it. Sewer Lake was also the site of Snowmobile Races during Mule Days, which is always...
Although New Zealand and Washington are located a half-a-world apart, they have lots in common---beautiful seashores, majestic mountains, crystal clear streams and lakes, and vibrant salmon and trout fisheries. Both are struggling to rid their air sheds of CO2 and other greenhouse gases coming from the burning of carbon fuels (coal, natural gas, gasoline, and diesel) in vehicles, home heating and electric-power generation. New Zealand and Washington share a common goal to be c...
Is media lying about Ukraine? The news is we are going to start training the Ukrainians on F16’s yet in the news it is reported that the Ukrainians have mastered the F16 in 4 months. Years ago I was going to the Nevada Nuclear test site during star wars research. I became acquainted with one of the researchers, a former intelligence officer and we had a conversation about the Iran/ Iraq war and how it was going. I learned then not to trust anything the government tells us . I was young and stupid then, what’s the med...
In my first nearly three years working for The Record-Times, I rushed to a local, quiet, rural school exactly zero times to cover breaking news of threats, violence and other issues plaguing other schools and communities around the country. But in the past month, it’s happened on two different Wednesdays; once in April for a bomb threat emailed to Davenport superintendent Chad Prewitt and dozens of other supers around the state, and once last week for a so-called ...
Washington state Gov. Jay Inslee is busy signing bills. I think he should start putting his John Hancock on apology letters to former state workers who were terminated because of his vaccine mandate. I doubt he will. In a press release about the move, the Inslee administration says that the end of the employment requirement “aligns with the end of the federal public health emergency and the lifting of vaccination requirements for federal employees and contractors on May 11. La...
With everybody’s property taxes in Lincoln County due recently, I can imagine we are all in a bit of a shock. We put our house in Davenport up for sale last year and the very next day, a new assessment of the property was mailed. Coincidence? Maybe. No dollar amount was listed, just the new assessed amount. I called and asked for an approximate amount of our new tax bill but was not given an answer. I guess I was supposed to feel better when I was told homes were reassessed only every six years in Davenport. There was an i...
Beef Day is the second-best day of the legislative session, next to the last day. Probably the best news about the 2023 legislative session is that we adjourned on time, although there are grumblings from even the governor that he may call for a special session to deal with flawed drug-possession law problem known as the Blake decision. More about that later. As a state senator representing large parts of eastern Washington and chair of the Senate Republican Caucus, I’m repres...
Some would argue that spring is the most wonderful time of the year in Washington. Throughout our state fruit trees blossom, vibrant tulip fields bloom, and colorful lentils carpeted the fields on the Palouse. It is when photographers and sightseers have a field day. While spring is eye-catching, it is the late summer and fall when our state reaps the benefits of the harvest. It is when crops yield “green” generating cash in markets around the world. While Washington ran...
Intentionally, the Washington State Legislature, Governor Inslee and Attorney General Bob Ferguson, are completely destroying our state. The Democrat controlled legislature has singlehandedly absolved you from having any say over the health of your children as it pertains to gender identity. If your child runs away from home and seeks shelter at a state facility, while seeking gender-transitioning treatment, including puberty blocking drugs that can render a child sterile for...
This session saw some bipartisan successes as lawmakers and citizens were in Olympia together for the first time in nearly three years. That in-person interaction is always key for working relationships and good workable solutions to our state’s problems. The transportation budget and capital budget were both very bipartisan. Republicans were allowed to give input and Democrat budget writers worked to fund projects important to legislators on both sides of the aisle. Sen. Schoesler was the lead negotiator for Senate R...
I was appointed as Lincoln County Commissioner for District 1 on February 1, 2023. I am the first female to serve on the Board of County Commissioners and joins Commissioner Scott Hutsell who has served since 2009 and Commissioner Rob Coffman who has served since 2010. I have been busy engaging with the local citizens she represents and am fully committed to my new role as County Commissioner. My list of committee appointments has grown quickly and some include Lincoln County...
On Earth Day this year, I will be planting two trees in a local park. This is not a political act. And yet, there are many who will see it that way because it occurs on a day politicians and environmental activists – especially on the left – have appropriated for political purposes. By filtering environmental stewardship though the distorting lens of politics, we are losing the ability to enjoy the beautiful creation around us, making it more difficult to take actions tha...
For the past 33 years, my wife and I have lived in a house near State Route 904, which connects Cheney to Interstate 90. When we bought our house in 1990, this highway had only a modest amount of traffic on it. Turning onto the highway was seldom dangerous. That is no longer the case. SR-904 has become more congested and more dangerous. It’s easy to understand why. Since 1990, Cheney’s population has grown from just over 8,200 to nearly 13,100. Spokane County’s popul...
Last week, a parents group filed a complaint against Pathfinder K-8 Public School in Seattle for racial discrimination. The civil rights group filed a complaint on April 11 with the Office for Civil Rights of the U.S. Department of Education against principal Britney Holmes and the Seattle School District for discriminating against white students at the elementary school. The complaint presents evidence that Principal Holmes issued invitations to black and “multi-racial” chi...
In recent years, drunk and drug-impaired driving has become a greater problem on Washington’s roads and highways. It is a major reason for the alarming increase in accidents and traffic deaths and injuries. Just a month ago, a horrible crash happened on Interstate 82 near Sunnyside in which a 20-year-old man who eluded State Patrol troopers eventually drove westbound on eastbound I-82 and collided with an eastbound vehicle. Two children in the other car were killed and the o...
On the Saturday before Easter, the state Senate’s majority Democrats passed what they call an “assault weapons ban.” In reality, the bill targets several of the most popular sporting and self-defense firearms in the country, including most modern sporting rifles and even some shotguns used for hunting and competition shooting. My Republican colleagues and I debated the measure for nearly three hours, using the amendment process to try to point out the fallacies of their argum...
House and Senate budget writers released their 2023-25 state operating budget proposals recently. It was a reminder that taxpayers have been very kind to the state’s coffers as revenue forecasts over the past few years have continued to increase. As a result of taxpayer largess and the majority party’s proclivity to spend every dime available, state spending has more than doubled over the past 10 years. Has our population doubled? No. According to the Washington State Off...
Note: This is a sermon from February 28, 2021, and is slightly adapted from the original. Grace to you and peace from God our Father and the Lord Jesus Christ. Amen! It’s no mistake that God’s ancient people, Israel, was named after its forefather, Jacob. The name “Israel” means something like, “wrestles with God.” God renamed Jacob “Israel” because Jacob physically wrestled with Him all night and wouldn’t let go (Genesis 32). Jacob wouldn’t let go of Him until He blessed hi...
Ever since legislative Democrats passed a law (Senate Bill 5096) two years ago creating a capital gains state income tax in Washington, observers on both sides of the political aisle have been waiting for the controversial law to make its way to the state Supreme Court, where the court’s nine justices would decide whether the law was constitutional. Following a hearing in late January, the Supreme Court on March 24 issued its ruling, one that has opponents of this tax s...
Parents’ Bill of Rights? Sounds OK until you see who supports it and why. House Resolution No. 5, the Parents Bill of Rights, has been introduced in the U.S. House of Representatives. Reading the “five pillars of H.R. 5,” one senses that in normal times this legislation, though unnecessary, would seem quite innocent. But these aren’t normal times. The second pillar, “Parents have the right to be heard,” is being greatly debased by many Republicans. Perhaps the greatest evidence H.R. 5 is bad legislation is that MAGA and Ho...
I read your article “Parents: Odessa students mistreated.” You misrepresented my role at the board meeting. Your article states, “A lone teacher spoke in support of the district,” when I specifically said, multiple times, that I was speaking as a parent, not a teacher. The article’s use of the word “lone” and the misrepresentation of my role at the meeting give my presence and support I offered less value than it deserves. While I cannot tell you which diction to choose when writing a non-biased article, I can remind you th...
I attended the Odessa school board meeting on March 22. I am an alum of Odessa schools and a teacher. Professionally speaking, I cannot fathom allowing my students to be harmed. Educators’ responsibility to student safety and respect supersedes any other. At times, classroom behaviors require sternness, but never screaming, putting your hands on a student, or demeaning them. There have always been small-town problems in Odessa schools. Gossip. Bullying. Superiority. But what is happening now goes deeper. It is allowing s...
Law enforcement in our region continue to serve the people with professionalism, dedication and compassion. The brave men and women behind the badge are an integral part of our communities and are doing everything they can to keep our communities safe despite the unfortunate restrictions placed on them and the shortage of needed resources and staffing. We are fortunate that on our side of the mountains that the types of crime and spikes in violent offenses haven’t quite reache...
In small communities across Eastern Washington, the local pharmacy is a business you rely on. Often it is the only outlet for miles around where you can get your prescriptions filled and find a well-stocked selection of over-the-counter medications. Imagine what you would do if it closed. This is the troubling prospect facing many independent pharmacy owners today, due to a convoluted business model that has put them at the mercy of a handful of firms that process benefits...
