Opinion
Sorted by date Results 1 - 25 of 593
Olympia Update
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 interaction is always key for working relationships and good workable solutions to our state's...
Letters to the Editor
To the editor, Last year I read an article about some people going to rebuild the Starbuck arena and they obtained a grant in the amount of $98,000 to get this project going. I saw where they were hoping to have a rodeo last September, 2022. I have...
By 
Olympia Update
By Rep. Joe Schmick 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...
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...
Letters to the Editor
To the editor, I walked into the library, saw Todd and said: "I think you are great, even if others don't agree." My first recollection of a library was at Jefferson grade school in Richland, when the librarian told me I could not check out that...
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...
Letters to the Editor
To the editor, Regarding efforts to defund the library, I question if the real reason is that "they" think the library has more reserves than needed, therefore, no more tax money should go to fund it? If that is the reason, then, in my opinion, the l...
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...
Letters to the Editor
To the editor, The Dayton Memorial Library has been a hot topic of conversation for months now. These conversations are important. Expressing our concerns is a part of civic discourse as long as we do so respectfully. My concern is access to...
Olympia Update
OLYMPIA–Washington held its first carbon allowance auction on March 7 under the new cap-and-invest law passed in 2021. Results from the first auction were announced on March 14, in which industry...
Letters to the Editor
To the editor, As many Columbia County residents know by now, there is a petition circulating that proposes to put dissolution of the Columbia County Rural Library District on the ballot. Dissolution of the district would result in the permanent...
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...
Commentary
By Loyal and Charlotte Baker We have an old Kenmore washing machine. We think we’ll keep it. It replaced a Maytag. You know, the one with the lonely repairman, his life ebbing away as he awaits a call that (supposedly) never comes. The Maytag...
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...
Letters to the Editor
To the editor, In the past two weeks I have had conversations, seen, and heard comments and have been in discussions regarding the library meeting of February 27. I believe clarity is more important than agreement and that sometimes clarity leads to...
Olympia Update
Too many Puget Sound lawmakers never look beyond their grocery stores to understand the struggle of our farmers to keep those stores supplied. It's why Sen. Mark Schoesler, Rep. Joe Schmick, and I...
Letters to the Editor
To the editor, I serve on the Board of Trustees for the Columbia County Rural District Library. I would like to speak to the issue of books in the library that some members in the community want removed from the shelves. At our regular meeting a...
