East Washingtonian - Your Hometown News Source

To the editor, With the election just behind us, assuming that even 40% of it is true, it gives me a sad expectation of what is ahead. I would have lost money on this bet. Most people in the country apparently want high fuel prices and an economy in...

POMEROY–A couple very important transactions occurred recently, both being something that the people of Pomeroy should really appreciate. In my view, the impact of these 2022 occurrences will be enjoyed for generations to come. Underscoring it all...

By Howard Smith A drive down memory lane… If my memory serves me right, I had Mrs. Watson for Third Grade, Mrs. Manning for Fourth Grade, Mrs. Cox for Fifth Grade, Mr. Kirk for Sixth Grade, Mr. Hewlett for Seventh Grade and Mr. McGee for Eighth...

Last week I participated in a live online debate with Tim Garchow, Executive Director of the Washington State School Directors Association. We were asked to debate the question: "What does it mean to have local control over educational decisions in...

Forest health, climate change, and a plan that got almost no input before being announced is at the heart of the “carbon project” announced by the Washington State Department of Natural Resources last week. The project, developed by Finite...

For months I’ve been asking the Department of Revenue (DOR) if it plans to collect the capital gains income tax that was ruled unconstitutional by an Inslee-appointed judge on March 1. The answer has consistently been: “That decision has not...

POMEROY–It is time to fall back one hour on Sunday, November 6, 2022 at 2 a.m. Do you remember having one less hour of sleep last March 13, 2022, when we moved our clocks forward by one hour? I do. It made things tough for a week or two while I...

Nine hundred and seventy five days later, the Governor’s emergency orders related to COVID-19 are finally ending after today. Now begins the next steps for legislative reforms and a court date before the state Supreme Court. The state Supreme Court...

Have you seen the advertisement in which a Labrador turns into a wolf? A narrator tells the viewer, “All dogs, no matter what breed, are descended from wolves …” The trouble with advertisements like that is the implication that wolves are...

The Citizen Action Defense Fund (CADF), a local government watchdog nonprofit in our state that files lawsuits, sent the Department of Revenue (DOR) a letter today demanding the agency stop its rule-making activities to implement the capital gains in...

To the editor, Where has the sportsmanship gone? Since we moved to Pomeroy a couple years ago, I'm surprised and disappointed to see how our Pomeroy football team continues to run up scores week after week. I don't see it with other sports but...

OLYMPIA–Unless the legislature decides to step in and require transparency for state government employee compensation talks, they will continue to be conducted in secret based on an agreement the Governor's office recently reached with union offici...

To the editor, “Society has gotten to the point where everybody has a right, but nobody has a responsibility.” John G Stevens The State of Washington has been run by one party for the last few years. A dictator with executive power has kept our...

In August, I wrote about Washington state Gov. Jay Inslee negotiating away a COVID-19 booster requirement that he placed on some state workers in June. He said the requirement would bring a public health benefit and “ensure the health of our...

To the editor, Have you noted, like I have, that when evil cracks a door it is never satisfied until it forces that door to its limits. Let's look, look at abortion on demand. It started out in 1973 that an abortion could only take place in the 1st t...

Governor Inslee announced today that he will finally end governing under an emergency order, after more than 900 days, on October 31. When the legislature next convenes it should ensure that this type of ongoing emergency governance without...

On February 29, 2020, Governor Inslee issued a declaration of an emergency related to the COVID pandemic. Since then, the Governor has issued numerous emergency orders either waiving various laws and/or imposing restrictions on citizens and...

Updated guidance from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention said COVID-19 recommendations will no longer differentiate based on vaccination status. CDC officials told reporters the new guidelines acknowledge that most Americans have some...

By Jomo Thomas ‘If Covid were a battlefield, it would still be warm with the bodies of the unvaccinated.” Thankfully the mandates are letting up, and both sides of the war stumble back to the new normal. The unvaccinated are the heroes of the las...

OLYMPIA–Ever since gas prices shot into the stratosphere, I’ve been hearing a chorus of apologists declare that elected officials aren’t responsible for high gas prices. Well, I happen to be an elected official, and I don’t think that’s...