In the Aug. 22 editorial “Construction ahead: WSDOT’s budget is wearing thin,” WSDOT shared concerns about stretched budgets for state road and bridge funding. As a local elected official, with almost 20 years of experience, I have seen firsthand, “Band-Aid” approaches to highway maintenance…
When I became Yakima County commissioner in 2020, my priority was to defend the businesses, schools and churches of Yakima County from government overreach in the wake of the COVID pandemic. My stance has not changed.
The COVID-19 pandemic hit our communities hard. When cases started appearing in Washington last March, the labor movement mobilized, fighting for workplace safety protections, personal protective equipment and hazard pay for essential workers. In labor, we talk a lot about the union differen…
The ongoing transition in Afghanistan is challenging to our national identity as the superpower of our modern world. Our propensity to call this transition a failure and to find blame in past and present presidents and military leaders is misplaced and shortsighted; our withdrawal from Afgha…
While Gov. Jay Inslee has repeatedly said how important it is for Washingtonians to get vaccinated against the COVID-19 disease, his unilateral vaccine mandates, which many view as a violation of fundamental freedoms, are shifting many of the people we represent from vaccine hesitancy to vac…
To the editor -- Your Sept. 17 editorial from the St. Louis Post Dispatch is disgusting and borders on treason. When the military circumvents the authority of the president of the United State…
To the editor -- Congrats to Tri-Cities for attracting 1,500 new jobs to be created by Amazon's construction of two new warehouses. This while the city of Yakima continues to languish under no…
To the editor -- If Julie Montgomery believes vaccine requirements are blackmail (Aug. 22 letters to the editor), then she doesn't have to get one. But calling someone brainwashed because you …
20 years later, the lessons remain vivid
To the editor -- Personal rights, you say? Give me a break! You have to stop at red lights, wear clothing in public, and follow rules and regulations all day long. Why single out the most dang…
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George W. Bush’s best moments as president came nine days after his worst, nine days to wade through the horror and toxic disbelief, nine days to sort out the origins, meaning and terrifying implications of a nearly unimaginable morning that went into history as its own numerical shorthand, 9/11.
Whether you are religious believer or an atheist, it’s galling to realize that some people are feigning religious objections to COVID-19 vaccines to avoid compliance with mandates. And since the law requires that religious beliefs be “sincere,” it’s tempting to argue for strict policing of the legitimacy of requested objections.
It was after dark at the border, and a U.S. Border Patrol agent used his body to shield a migrant father and child in his custody from Anthony Agüero, a Jan. 6 Capitol rioter who was trying to film them to spread QAnon-style propaganda about child sex trafficking at the border.
As the risk of severe climate change rises, and efforts to reduce carbon emissions ramp up, serious thought must also be given to the movement of people that climate change stands to provoke. This migration looks to be disruptive, but it may also significantly affect the long-term economic consequences of climate change — and not necessarily for the worse.
Folks always say there’s an episode of “The Andy Griffith Show” for everything. I think I’m starting to believe them.
It’s only a few cents more. Less than a latte a day.” It’s the same thing we’ve heard time and time again supporting tax hikes in Washington.
In the Aug. 22 editorial “Construction ahead: WSDOT’s budget is wearing thin,” WSDOT shared concerns about stretched budgets for state road and bridge funding. As a local elected official, with almost 20 years of experience, I have seen firsthand, “Band-Aid” approaches to highway maintenance…
I was concerned to see several significant errors in Linda Iasella’s Aug. 28 “Saturday Soapbox” article, titled “Homelessness or Hope? What’ll it be, Yakima?” Chief among my concerns was the unequivocally false statement that “Our county Human Services Department has decreased the funding fo…
When I became Yakima County commissioner in 2020, my priority was to defend the businesses, schools and churches of Yakima County from government overreach in the wake of the COVID pandemic. My stance has not changed.
The COVID-19 pandemic hit our communities hard. When cases started appearing in Washington last March, the labor movement mobilized, fighting for workplace safety protections, personal protective equipment and hazard pay for essential workers. In labor, we talk a lot about the union differen…
Every legislative session in Olympia, there are several highly publicized and controversial bills that become law. But there also are consequential bills that advance through the Legislature and receive the governor’s signature without much news or attention during their journey.
We are a loosely structured group of retired physicians who have lived and practiced in Yakima for three and four decades. We have become increasingly concerned about the state of medical care in our community over the past decade.
Yakima County Superior Court recently declared a mistrial in a homicide case because of juror misconduct. The purpose of this writing is to explain what occurs when a court declares a mistrial and the effect it has on the court, the parties, the witnesses and the Yakima taxpayers.
“I wish my parents understood that being sad doesn’t mean I’m being lazy.”
This month marks the one-year anniversary of the creation of the Washington apples specialty license plates by the Legislature. The first plates became available on July 1.
The second impeachment trial of Donald Trump was a remarkable civics lesson on constitutional issues of free speech. The meaning of the words “fight“ and “fight like hell” were debated at length. It is certainly true that these words are routinely used in political speech and are not, in the…
For nearly three decades, we’ve been grappling with diminishing salmon runs, and these fish are running out of time. Now, thanks to Congressman Mike Simpson, R-Idaho, our hopes for the future soar as we contemplate a proposal that combines salmon recovery with true infrastructure modernizati…
As Yakima residents know, water issues here in the West can be contentious — discussions can quickly become arguments. We’re now seeing something quite different in Yakima County. We’re finding some consensus on water issues, with conversations becoming easier as we start from points of agre…
I do not know how U.S. Rep. Dan Newhouse deals with reality, but his statement to the Yakima Herald on Dec. 29 leads me to believe he needs a reality check. Newhouse said, "As our national debt grows, it is more important than ever that we focus on reopening our economy and getting Americans…
If you are a regular reader of the letters to the editor, it should come as no surprise that the most frequently addressed topic is our president, Donald Trump. All other topics were a weak second place until COVID-19 showed up last spring.
A Dec. 16 article in the Yakima Herald-Republic states that I am “repeating unspecified concerns” about the legitimacy of the 2020 presidential election. This is simply not true, and frankly I take offense to the allegation that, as a U.S. representative, I would sign my name to a legal docu…
During the first weeks of November, Washington state reported several record-breaking days of new COVID cases — averaging more than 1,500 cases a day. At the same time, we’re hearing encouraging news about vaccine trials and effectiveness.
For adults who have been thinking about earning their GED or learning to speak English, now is the time to act. Strengthening the skills that employers are demanding is more critical than ever in today’s uncertain, rapidly changing economy.
Just eight years ago, Washington state led the nation in working to improve access to justice for the average American by creating a new category of licensed legal professionals — the limited licensed legal technician. LLLTs were modeled after similar successful human resource additions in t…
The oppressive gray blanket that covered the Yakima Valley lifted just enough Saturday to offer hope.
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