Your Hometown News Source
Your Hometown News Source
Sorted by date Results 101 - 125 of 616
After Washington drivers endured record-high gas and diesel prices for much of last year, fuel prices dropped substantially across the state during the final months of 2022. But you may have noticed they have risen sharply again in recent weeks. The reason for this latest spike is one of Governor Jay Inslee's environmental laws, approved by legislative Democrats two years ago. In early January, I was informed by a friend who works in the fuel distribution industry that wholesale gasoline and...
A. F. Branco...
As noted by Benjamin Franklin, “in this world, nothing is certain except death and taxes.” For some taxpayers in just a few states, that quote can be changed to include taxes for dying as well. Washington is one of just 12 states that impose an estate tax (commonly referred to as a death tax) and is the only state without a personal income tax to have one. To make matters worse, our estate tax currently has an inoperable inflation index, meaning more and more taxpayers are falling prey to it. The reason for this is that the federal report our...
OLYMPIA–Various surveys conducted around the state over the last year continue to show that public safety is high on the list of concerns for the average Washingtonian. It doesn't matter if it's someone living in downtown Bellevue or someone residing in the 9th Legislative District. People are feeling less safe and less secure in their homes and communities. According to annual statistics compiled by the Washington Association of Sheriffs and Police Chiefs (WASPC), the numbers support this f...
OLYMPIA–The State Supreme Court heard oral arguments in Chris Quinn v. State of Washington on Thursday, January 26, the case challenging the constitutionality of the state's new income tax on capital gains falsely labeled as an "excise tax." Washington Policy Center's President and CEO, Mike Gallagher was there alongside Jason Mercier, WPC Center for Government Reform Director as well as WPC Treasurer Nathan Rimmer and WPC Chair Kevin Bouchey. Justices aggressively questioned what actually t...
To the editor, Equal Justice in Asotin, Garfield and Columbia Counties. A former Judge was convicted last summer for Assault in the Third Degree with Sexual Motivation and Assault in the Fourth Degree with Sexual Motivation in Asotin County Superior Court Case No. 19-1-00066-02. He was just given a slap on the hand for punishment with only 15 months is prison. He presided over many bench trials in Asotin, Garfield and Columbia Counties. It is a constitutional right that all those that had bench...
By John Sattgast OLYMPIA–Rep. Mary Dye has introduced legislation that would create a new Washington State Commission on Boys and Men tasked to address the well-being of boys, male youth and men across the state. "There are many issues that impact men and boys. Yet, there is no unified voice that would tackle these issues at the state level," said Dye, R-Pomeroy. "If adopted, this legislation would create the first of its kind boys and men's commission in the nation right here in Washington s...
By Sen. Mark Schoesler, Rep. Joe Schmick and Rep. Mary Dye OLYMPIA–We are back at the state Capitol for the 2023 legislative session, which began Jan. 9 and is set to last 105 days, ending April 23. After being forced to endure a virtual legislative session in 2021 and last year due to restrictions caused by COVID-19, we're encouraged that the Legislature has returned to near-normal in terms of how committee meetings and floor sessions are conducted. In the two previous legislative sessions, cit...
Washington, D.C.–Eastern Washington Congresswoman Cathy McMorris Rodgers (WA-05) responded to reports that the Biden Administration is considering banning natural gas stoves nationwide, saying "The reported efforts to ban gas stoves in American households is just the latest in a long line of power grabs by the radical left and Biden administration. "It is not about public safety," McMorris Rodgers said. "It is about telling the American people the federal government knows best and will decide w...
WASHINGTON D.C.–U.S. Senator Patty Murray (D-WA) issued the following statement on House Republicans doubling down on their extreme attacks on Americans' reproductive rights with anti-abortion votes today and more expected soon as the new Republican majority signals its top priorities for the 118th Congress. "Last fall, voters sent a clear message when abortion rights won in every single place they were on the ballot. Unfortunately, less than a week since they took the gavel, House Republicans a...
To the editor, I would like to respond to last week's letter. I am pro-choice, although I believe the choice needs to be made before having sex. Everyone in the USA is entitled to express their opinion and I like a good policy discussion. I do not appreciate when anyone attacks an individual personally when they disagree with an opinion. I think when an individual attacks another individual personally rather than disagreeing with the opinion, it means they don't have confidence in their own...
An act of unselfish commitment to the love of God and Country was viewed by millions at an unlikely venue, an NFL Monday Night Football game between the Buffalo Bills and Cincinnati Bengals. Number 3, Damar Hamlin, the Bills’ safety, experienced a heart attack after bouncing up after making a tackle. After walking a couple steps, Hamlin collapsed, which resulted in him being resuscitated by a medical team on the field. It was a shock to all who watched this healthy, strong, 24-year-old, fall to the ground, lifeless. In my observation and o...
OLYMPIA–Two environmental laws from the Democratic-controlled Legislature and Gov. Jay Inslee that took effect Jan. 1 are already causing fuel prices in Washington to rise, says state Sen. Mark Schoesler, R-Ritzville. Schoesler, who represents eastern Washington’s 9th Legislative District, said he was notified by the Washington Independent Energy Distributors Association. that wholesale gasoline and diesel prices have risen in Washington as a result of the “cap-and-tax” law and the law creatin...
To The editor, The December 15, 2022 edition of the East Washingtonian contained a Letter (or is it a rant) from Mr. Eric McKeirnan. At the very least I believe the editors should require a purpose of the communication to be stated or at least evident prior to publishing writers’ thoughts. The random sarcasm and cynicism expressed in this letter do not constitute coherent thought. At the very least Editors should exercise their responsibility to their readers to focus the message. For example, realizing that abortion is a sensitive topic why p...
Washington state has been granted a waiver to federal law allowing it to offer health insurance and subsidies to noncitizens who unlawfully reside in the United States but who live within Washington state’s borders. The Dec. 9 announcement from the federal government allows the state to suspend a portion of the Affordable Care Act so it can provide access to health insurance to some 105,000 Washington residents who are currently ineligible because of their immigration status. Gov. Jay Inslee said in a statement, “This waiver is an imp...
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 the crapper. We support the suppression of free speech and make easy the path for dangerous drugs to freely cross into the country. We celebrate misguiding young people as to what gender they are and vow to assist their decision to surgically alter t...
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 is recent news that a start-up here will be closing soon. I’m talking about Brad and Lisa Gingerich’s recent sale of the Pomeroy Pharmacy to a home-grown product, Tory Knebel, and Sean Thurston of Elk Drug in Dayton. And last August, Mark Schmidt’s sale of Pomeroy Foods to the father-and-son team of...
SEATTLE–Proposals to remove the four Lower Snake River (LSR) dams: Ice Harbor, Little Goose, Lower Granite, and Lower Monumental, to aid in salmon recovery efforts would transform Washington from a state with some of the lowest electricity prices in the country to a state with much higher costs. These proposals received a boost when Washington's Governor Jay Inslee and U.S. Senator Patty Murray released their joint recommendations stating that salmon and other species in Washington state face a...
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 Grade. Quite a daunting line up that would remain etched in stone as I moved on in life! Of course, my MVP, who I had the honor of visiting five years ago on my first visit back to Pomeroy in 45 years, was with Mrs. Cox. A lot of firsts were packed into those school days. My first paddling for getting i...
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 Washington state?" Local control describes the current system of electing school board directors to govern the schools in each one of the 295 school districts in Washington state. Our discussion was ably moderated by Elizabeth Van Clark of the...
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 Carbon, proposes to set aside 10,000 acres of forest in Western Washington, once set aside for marbled murrelet habitat and then cleared for logging, for carbon offsets that can be purchased by large companies in trade for their greenhouse gas emissions. The act of setting aside 10,000 acres of forest as “pr...
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 been made yet.” Yesterday, however, the Attorney General (AG) helped definitively answer that question by filing a motion with the state Supreme Court asking the justices to allow DOR to collect the capital gains income tax before a final ruling on the case. In fact, the AG argues that those chall...
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 established a new sleep/wake routine. Oh, what the heck, I wake up at 2:30 a.m. anyway. What’s an hour here or there…? This fall on November 6, we will retake that hour when we return to standard time. Most people will turn back their clocks by one hour when they go to bed, and habitually awaken to a...
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 announced last month that it has agreed to hear a case challenging the authority for the Governor’s emergency powers, as well as reviewing if some of his prior orders violated Washington’s constitutional protections for contracts. The case is Gonzales, et al. v. Jay Inslee & State of Wash. According...
The annual Ernst and Young report to the Council on State Taxation (COST) continues to illustrate the struggle business owners in Washington State are having to meet the ever-increasing tax burden and maze of regulations that the state legislature mandates. Ultimately, a new regulation or tax on a small business is passed onto the consumer as a price increase in products and services provided. The report highlights that business paid $23.5 billion in total state and local taxes in fiscal year...