Most Recent Stories
Points well taken
Points well taken I was very pleased to read Karen Allen’s recent letter to the Safety Valve (May 16) titled “Medical research needs support.” I am in full agreement with her that we should all support medical research.
Consistency lays the foundation for success
A second mistake I commonly see is inconsistency — inconsistent meals, inconsistent schedules, inconsistent application of rules, inconsistent discipline. Consistency makes everything easier because there is no second guessing and therefore no argument. Consistency builds habits, and habits lead to automatic behavior.
Friend’s getting what she plays for
“Melody” has been my best friend since we were in the fourth grade. (We’re now in our 30s.) Over the past few years, Melody’s life has changed. She separated from her husband, lives alone and shares custody of their three children. She started dating almost immediately after her separation, going out with almost anyone who showed her a little attention. She’s now involved with a man who told her he’s bisexual and has never taken her out on a date. (Still, he never hesitates to call and ask her to clean his bathroom or cook him a meal.) She’s always crying on my shoulder because she ends up with losers, yet the picture she has on her profile on all the dating sites shows her in a skimpy bikini.
A little carol history
The Christmas carols that have been such a part of this season will soon be gone. But what a history they have had. “Silent Night” of course was German. “Jingle Bells” is not a carol, but it dates to 1857, when it received a copyright. “O Little Town of Bethlehem” dates to 1868 after the composer had visited that town. “I wonder as I wander” came from a young girl singing in North Carolina and collected by folk singer John Jacob Niles in 1934.
Magical children
Magical children I had the opportunity to visit out local elementary school recently, and was reminded once again of the almost magical qualities of innocence and enthusiasm that children have.
Brainstorming for the arena
Brainstorming for the arena I am a resident of Cashmere and am concerned as to the problem of the funding of the Town Toyota Center because a default will affect us as well as Wenatchee. I am no bond expert and don’t know if a possible solution I am proposing is legal or viable. If you set up the bonding for Wenatchee as payment for the interest and the bonding of the PFD as payment for the principal, then could it not be together a payment as a mortgage where you pay more in principal at first and less as interest as the years go by?
Unfriendly climate
Unfriendly climate For the past year we have been hearing, “Why isn’t the economy creating jobs?” We hear about the huge amounts of money that businesses are “sitting on” and wonder why this is happening when our economy needs them to be out producing. As a small business owner with two small companies, may I offer my observations?
Colonial times helped shape modern American lifestyles
This week, the Answer Man takes a look at our nation’s colonial history:1. What is John Peter Zenger remembered for? 2. What is the nation’s oldest newspaper still in publication?
Legislative roll call
Here's what our lawmakers have been up to.
Legislative roll call
ESSB 5251, which passed the Senate by a vote of 30-16, imposes a $100 annual fee on electric vehicles in order to mitigate the impacts of the diminishing motor vehicle fuel tax. This new fee would apply to all new electric vehicle registrations, as well as to all renewal registrations as of March 1, 2012. The bill does provide an exemption for vehicles that do not travel faster than 35 mph, such as electric golf carts. In addition, ESSB 5251 outlines the distribution and use of revenues collected from the fee, after collections reach $1 million, in the following manner: 70 percent to the Motor Vehicle Fund, 15 percent to the Transportation Improvement Account, and 15 percent to the Rural Arterial Preservation Account. Language in the bill would repeal the fee if a vehicle mile tax or fee is imposed. ESSB 5251 is now before the House Transportation Committee for further consideration. Sen. Bob Morton, R-Kettle Falls, yes.