Opinion
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Letters to the Editor
To the editor, After attending the last Library Board meeting, it seemed clear that the Library Board has no intention of acting on the concerns of parents who want sexually explicit books out of reach of small children. I was told that a board...
Guest Commentary
By Chris Corry The ongoing battle over Washington’s unconstitutional capital gains tax continues. The Freedom Foundation has filed a Petition for Writ of Certiorari with the US Supreme Court. The petition asks the US Supreme Court to overturn the...
Letters to the Editor
To the editor, I find it interesting that you want to shut down the library because you don't like some of the books that are on the shelf. When I was a teenager, they had an adult only section in the library. I couldn't check out any books from...
Letters to the Editor
To the editor, I am concerned about the current situation with our library. It makes no sense to me that anyone would want to close such a valuable resource in our county. When the first petition to close the library showed up at the Senior Center,...
Guest Commentary
By Eric McKeirnan Guest Columnist It was asked of me if I had thoughts about the upcoming indictments of former President of the United States, Donald Trump. I do have thoughts on the subject, but it was unclear if I was to respond to the fake...
Washington's latest CO2 auction shows residents will continue to pay "outrageously more" than California
OLYMPIA–The state held its special auction for CO2 allowances last week. When the results were announced, they indicated that higher gas prices may be coming. As part of the state's new tax on CO2 e...
Guest Commentary
By Sandra Renner There’s a certain charm and nostalgia related to farmers markets in rural communities. The tradition of farmers, gardeners, artisans, and bakers bringing their wares to town to sell at the market has been around for hundreds, if...
Guest Commentary
OLYMPIA–Rep. Mary Dye, R-Pomeroy, and ranking Republican on the House Environment and Energy Committee, issued the following statement in response to a news conference held by Gov. Jay Inslee today...
OPINION
By Eric E. McKeirnan Guest Columnist I write this on behalf of the Knights of Columbus, the 1460 here in Pomeroy, and our Round Table brothers in Dayton and around Columbia County. We had a sausage, pancake, scrambled egg, muffin, applesauce, and fre...
Commentary
By Charlotte Baker As I was breezing through Facebook recently, I read a message by one of my friends (unnamed for privacy reasons) questioning the pool district. I wanted to bring this to people who do not have internet, Facebook, or do not use...
Letters to the Editor
To the editor, Dayton Library system and Columbia County citizens, I am a native of Dayton, Wash.; the Class of 1975; Columbia County property owner since 2000; raised on the family farm in Columbia County; and a retired first grade teacher of 34 yea...
Letters to the Editor
To the editor, Shame on You. For those in our community who have spread lies and misinformation about our library director should be ashamed of themselves. If there was even a thread of evidence to your lies, you had every right to report them to...
Letters to the Editor
To the editor, As I have mentioned before, don't let "their" opinion be yours. Take time to visit the library, talk to Todd, the director, and see how much the library has to offer. In a recent conversation with a friend, they mentioned the library h...
Letters to the Editor Encouraged
The Letter to the Editor space on the opinion page provides a forum for local residents to express their opinions and concerns about matters of public interest as part of the "community conversation." Letters may be mailed to Letter to the Editor,...
Olympia Update
By Sen. Mark Schoesler, R-Ritzville, Rep. Joe Schmick, R-Colfax, and Rep. Mary Dye, R-Pomeroy 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...
Olympia Update
When our state's budget surplus reached approximately $15 billion last year, many of us felt it was time to give some of that back to taxpayers in the form of meaningful property tax relief. Unfortunately, that didn't happen. Instead, Democrat budget...
Olympia Update
As you read this, House Bill 1498, approved unanimously by both the House and Senate, is on its way to the governor. This is the bill I authored that would ensure our local fire departments are...
Olympia Update
OLYMPIA–With the April 23 conclusion of this year's legislative session just days away, it sadly appears the Legislature will not pass a bill to implement the exemption for farm fuel and certain...
Olympia Update
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...
Commentary
The Washington State Supreme Court bucked the Constitutional standard and interpretation by ruling overwhelmingly to uphold the politically motivated Capital Gains Tax, a synonym for the new Washington State income tax, that will negatively impact...
Olympia Update
OLYMPIA–In my 30 years as a state legislator, there have been times when I have correctly predicted that something Olympia did would turn out badly for Washingtonians. The "cap-and-tax" program...
OPINION
It is Sunshine Week–a national observance of transparency in government. It is fitting, then, that I got the first installment of public records requested from the Governor’s office regarding the buffer bills of the last two years late last...
Olympia Update
OLYMPIA–As Washington state seeks to find a financial solution to fund road construction projects, address backlogs in transportation maintenance and preservation needs, and fix crumbling infrastructure like bridges, one idea that has gained...
Guest Commentary
By Eric E. McKeirnan Guest Columnist Since this administration has yet to have one good idea, let us kick around forgiving student debt for a while, because the odds are, in this deluded person’s favor, that someday he will get something right, if...
OPINION
Masking requirements for Washington’s health care, long-term care and correctional facilities will end April 3, says the Washington state Department of Health. The ability for those facilities to continue mask precautions and the ability for indivi...