Serving Waitsburg, Dayton and the Touchet Valley
Serving Waitsburg, Dayton and the Touchet Valley
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“One of the biggest challenges of the 21st Century is dealing with the progress of the 20th Century - especially old computers, monitors, cellular phones and televisions. These appliances depend on potentially hazardous materials, such as mercury, to operate. After a five-to-eight year useful life, many are tossed into dumpster and sent to landfills where they can leach into the soil and groundwater.” That was the opening paragraph of a column I wrote 20 years ago. However, today the pro...
Dear Editor: Each year older adults are making positive impact by taking part in activities that promote wellness and social connection, sharing their wisdom and experience with future generations, and enriching their communities. They are volunteers, employees, employers, educators, mentors, and advocates. Older Americans Month (OAM) provides resources to help older Americans stay healthy, independent, and provides resources to help communicate support and celebrate their diversity. This year’s OAM theme is “Connect, Create, and Contribute”, w...
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By Senator Maureen Walsh (R) I want to offer my heartfelt apologies to those I offended with my comments on the Senate floor last Tuesday. I was tired, and in the heat of argument on the Senate floor, I said some things about nurses that were taken out of context – but still they crossed the line. I was trying to drive home a point about House Bill 1155, the bill we were debating at the time. It will impose inflexible staffing requirements on hospitals that will dramatically increase their costs. I am worried that 61 of our critical access hosp...
By Jeremy Field, Regional Administrator, Pacific Northwest U.S. Small Business Administration (SBA) When it comes to growing the economy, we often focus on job growth through starting a new business. However, there is also a lot to be said about job retention and growth through transitioning current businesses to the next generation. Our country has started riding the wave of the “Silver Tsunami,” the increasingly large number of Baby Boomers retiring. Research shows millions of Baby Boomers will sell or close their businesses during the nex...
Dear Editor, The April 17, 2019 now deceased shooter in Lewiston, Idaho was in Idaho from Washington under the terms of an interstate compact, because he had numerous previous felony convictions. Dispatchers noted Cook had recently been hospitalized on a mental hold but had left against doctor’s wishes and made threats to law enforcement. Cook was prohibited from owning a firearm and had a number of criminal convictions, many involving violence. He was convicted in October 2016 of unlawful possession of a firearm and sentenced to one to two y...
Dear Editor, I hope the voters that elected Senator Maureen Walsh are paying attention to her behavior in the Washington Legislative chamber. Lawmakers are expected to be well informed about current issues. Senator Walsh presents a confused understanding of the nursing profession and how healthcare is organized in Washington State. Erik Jonas, RN...
People across our planet are increasingly aware of the growing amounts of trash floating in our oceans. While we are finding new ways to collect it, the more vexing problem is what to do with it. The garbage is accumulating in “gyres” which are large systems of circulating ocean currents, kind of like slow-moving whirlpools. Though the oceans are home to many gyres, there are five that have a significant impact on our environment. For example, our litter which makes its way into the open ocean m...
Although there is only one week each year when the nation takes time to “officially” recognize Public Safety dispatchers, I just wanted to share with you my appreciation for the hard work, skill, dedication, caring and compassion that is just part of every dispatcher’s workday in our 9-1-1 dispatch center. Our team at Walla Walla Emergency Services Communications (WESCOM) 9-1-1 is staffed with 12 exceptionally dedicated dispatchers, 3 Supervisors, and one Administrative Assistant who continually strive to deliver the best possible servi...
Before lawmakers wrap-up their work in Olympia, they should re-examine their hefty new state spending plan. The budget may not be sustainable even with a substantial increase in taxes. It may force legislators to return to the State Capitol to cut workers, programs and services; or, even hike taxes yet again. It has happened in the past. For example, in the early 1980s, Gov. John Spellman (R) and a Republican legislature were forced to meet in special session continuously to deal with rapidly...
By Friends of the Dayton Memorial Library President Pearl Dennis I go into my library and all history unrolls before me. - Alexander Smith Maintaining a thriving library within a rural community relies on committed individuals who are driven by a desire to improve their communities. Dayton has been blessed with a long line of civic-minded individuals dedicating their time, energy and resources towards developing and building the Columbia County Rural Library District. The history of the Dayton library dates back to 1919 when a small...
By Don C. Brunell Each year Americans throw away more than three billion batteries constituting 180,000 tons of hazardous material and the situation is likely to get much worse as the world shifts to electric vehicles. Everyday-green.com reports more than 86,000 tons of single-use alkaline batteries (AAA, AA, C and D) are thrown away. They power electronic toys and games, portable audio equipment and flashlights and make up 20 percent of the household hazardous materials in our garbage dumps....
We face a lot of division in America today, but there is a movement underway to build a more inclusive, united and tolerant nation. This movement is made up of individuals of different ages, different genders, different races and different political backgrounds. It’s a movement of people from across the country, all who can agree on this: We must teach our children what it means to belong and what it means to empathize with those who are different from ourselves. Through its Unified Champion Schools program, Special Olympics is teaching t...
With National Library Week being April 7-13, The Times asked locals to share a few of their favorite reads. Lynn Carpenter: "Cryptonomicon" by Neal Stephenson and "Grapes of Wrath" is a favorite classic. Matt Oakley: "Game of Thrones" series by George R. R. Martin Sarah Groffman: "Mother Night" by Kurt Vonnegut Lane Gwinn—"War With the Newts" by Karel Čapek John Avery: "Watership Down" by Richard Adams Suze Wood: "The Scarlet Pimpernel" by Emma Orczy Luke Chavez: "One Hundred Years of Solitude" by Gabriel García Márquez and "Geek Love" by Kath...
By Don C. Brunell Before our country, in haste, dives totally into renewable energy, we must carefully evaluate its impacts. By just focusing on eliminating natural gas, liquid fuels (gasoline and diesel) and coal to combat climate change, we ignore the effects of other forms of pollution generated by processes in which renewable energy components are made. Under the Green New Deal, the United States would become 100 percent reliant on renewable energy in a decade and eliminate CO2 producing fuels. It would cost up to $93 trillion over...
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By Governor John Kasich There's a lot of talk these days about the Green New Deal, a progressive Democratic response to the challenge of climate change. While it is intended to improve our environment, many Republicans and even some Democrats fear that it would stifle economic growth and kill jobs, set off a massive redistribution of wealth, and dangerously centralize federal government power. But for all those problems, the Green New Deal is serving an important purpose by provoking a more vigorous level of public debate. We’ve finally r...
Dear Editor, This is being written in support of our latest Assistant Librarian Shakira Bye, who was recently fired from the job on a serious accusation and for which there is no evidence. We have been told that her dismissal is the ninth such in the last four years. People are asking, why have so many have been let go. These are expensive personnel hirings, and terminations are so damaging. Most of these workers were not given cause. Of course none is required in WA and apparently, none of them really complained, quietly letting it go and...
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November’s Camp Wildfire was California’s deadliest killing 86 people and destroying 14,000 homes along with more than 500 businesses. The financial fallout is forcing PG&E, northern California’s electric utility, to seek Chapter 11 bankruptcy protection. It is a catastrophe we all hope to avoid. The fire’s probable cause was overhead power lines coming into contact with nearby trees which is an ongoing problem for powerlines attached to poles and metal towers. While we have located the ignitio...
Dear Editor, Can it be! 30 years flood again? They are predicting cold weather into mid-March. At that time of the year there will be no gradual warmup und the temperature will turn to the 70s overnight. The mountains are full of snow along with all the farmland, add a week of rain, a chinook in the mountains - instant flood. Are you prepared? Is the city prepared? Hope so! Thirty years ago there were three breakouts on the Coppei. FEMA fixed two and I told them about the third above me, but they said they didn’t have the money to fix it. W...
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By Don C. Brunell Darned if you do, or darned if you don’t! That’s the dilemma elected officials face in determining whether to offer tax incentives for companies to locate in their city, county or state. That conflict played out recently with Amazon’s decision to cancel its second headquarters (HQ2) in New York City. On the surface, it seems like a no-brainer. The city and state would extend $3 billion in tax relief to Amazon in exchange for $27 billion in new taxes and 25,000 good-...
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