Ellington

GRANDMA GREEN SAYS: Exercise your right to vote

Regarding voting, or the lack thereof in Grant County, I read the Columbia Basin Herald’s edition of Aug. 20 to learn that only 34% of voters took the effort to vote in the primary election. Fifty-nine percent of those 65 and older were the highest number of voters. Those 25-34 were the lowest number at 14%. Why is the voter turnout so dismal? Maybe people should educate themselves as to what their forefathers (women too!) did to ensure our right to vote, to govern ourselves and to live in a democracy – not in a kingdom with a king or queen ruling over us. The Pilgrims fled to our shores seeking freedom to worship as they chose and to govern and live as they wanted. So many things have been accomplished by working together via the judicial way.

GUEST COLUMN: Consumers say BG Wealth / DSJEX turned trust into a crypto trap

A few months ago, my colleague's mom was invited to invest in a crypto exchange by members of her church family. Surrounded by friends who said they were watching their own money grow, she said yes. A few months later, she had lost everything. Since January, the Better Business Bureau’s Scam Tracker has logged more than $1.1 million in reported losses from a crypto scheme operating as BG Wealth and DSJEX. The danger in that scheme lies in who delivers the pitch. The invitation comes from a sister, a son, a fellow church member, or a community leader. And they all seem to be getting rich. The offer sounds simple. Open an account, deposit money into a crypto-linked wallet, and then enter trading codes shared by a “professor” and their assistant twice a day. After that, you watch the balance climb.

LETTER: Boys & Girls Club welcomes new CEO

LETTER: Campaign signs are free speech

While angry and frustrated, I am also deeply disappointed in the individual(s) who are violating my right to free speech. After obtaining a permit at City Hall, my husband and I have spent enthusiastic but tiring hot hours placing campaign signs. As of Aug. 25, 10 had been removed. One sign had the wood frame to which it was attached broken in two. The First Amendment of the Bill of Rights regards written text as an aspect of free speech. RCW 29A.84.040 states that anyone who removes or defaces lawfully placed political advertising (such as yard signs or billboards) without authorization is guilty of a misdemeanor. Candidates will attest that signs and advertising are not cheap. It would be nice to have the signs returned, but I don’t expect that to happen in today’s political climate.

LETTER: Why not rebuild the Hansen Road overpass better than before?

I have asked officials from the city of Moses Lake and the Washington State Department of Transportation a straightforward question about the Hansen Road overpass replacement: Why is the new overpass being built to the same dimensions as the bridge designed and constructed in the mid-1950s? Based on the drawings available online, the proposed overpass appears to be narrower than the city’s four other crossings. This matters because cyclists may have only about 18 inches of clearance when two semi-trucks pass each other on the overpass, creating an unsafe and intimidating situation.

LETTER: A thank you to our community from Southgate Pharmacy

In 2010, when Food Pavilion closed its doors, our father, Lateef Olaniyan, published a heartfelt letter in the Columbia Basin Herald thanking the customers and community for their support of the pharmacy he operated. Sixteen years later, as another chapter closes, we felt it was only right to do the same on his behalf. When Lateef opened Southgate Pharmacy in 2010, it was a new venture and a significant leap of faith. It came with the uncertainty of wondering whether a community he had come to call home would embrace him. Moses Lake answered that question beautifully. From the beginning, this community welcomed Lateef as a pharmacist, business owner, and friend. You gave him the opportunity to build something of his own, and in return, he devoted himself to serving the community that had welcomed him. He loved Moses Lake, and the kindness shown to him made it easy for him to call this place home.

LETTER: Well, well, well

Well, well, well, what are those Democrats up to now? They have total endorsement of the Democratic Socialist Party of America to join their cause. What, Really? Naw, can’t be. The Dem Party of FDR, JFK and Bill Clinton is no more, gone. Now it’s the party of AOC, Bernie Sanders and Elizabeth Warren. After years of brutal fighting to keep them out of America, the Dems have now placed them on your ballots. Any vote for any Democrat, in any capacity, at any level, is your sign of acceptance and approval. Now is the time to think, “Is my hatred of Donald Trump more powerful than my love for America?” Time to put your Trump Derangement Syndrome away.

GRANDMA GREEN SAYS: Thoughts on the current scene

As I drive around town, I see a busy, peaceful community, a community which has been ours for well over 56 years. Little Moses Lake is a safe haven for many, as are most communities in America. I think at age 85, I’m seeing things from a whole new perspective. What if we failed to read a newspaper, watch the television news or interact with social media? We would be oblivious to what is actually going on in the world.

Grandma Green says: Nobel prizes and streamed executions

It seems as though I’m always struggling to find a topic to write about, then voila! Someone was talking about the Nobel Peace Prize but had no clue as to basically what it was. Actually, there are different Nobel Prizes: physics, chemistry, medicine, literature and peace. But I think the Peace Prize is one of the most coveted. How did the Nobel Prize come into being? The Nobel Prize was established by the Swedish chemist and dynamite inventor Alfred Nobel, who finished his will in 1895, leaving the majority of his fortune to fund annual awards for those who confer the “greatest benefit on humankind.”

LETTER: Thanks to MLPD for skilled, professional help

To the chief of police and the officers of the Moses Lake Police Department: I am writing on behalf of the Solidarity Sisters of Grant County to express our sincere gratitude to the officers who were on duty during the No Kings rally at Broadway and Alder on Oct. 17. Managing a public gathering presents unique and significant challenges. During the event, your officers demonstrated remarkable professionalism, restraint and skill when dealing with an agitator attempting to disrupt the peace. Their quick and calm de-escalation successfully prevented a tense situation from escalating further, ensuring the safety of everyone present.