LETTER FROM THE EDITOR: Be brave enough to speak openly and thoughtfully...
Recently, the Columbia Basin Herald covered a protest organized and held by Moses Lake High School and Vanguard Academy students, as well as a protest by Ephrata High School students.
COLUMN: It’s amazing what you can learn ...
Four years ago, almost to the day, my wife and I closed on the first home either of us have owned, a stunningly Pepto-pink house in Ephrata with what we thought of at the time as “character.” It turns out, that character is really, in many ways, a lot of work. Work I hadn’t done much of since helping my dad out when I was a kid a few decades ago. Still though, all of the work I had to relearn or learn – thank goodness for the folks at Ace, Lowe’s and experts on YouTube – has been incredibly rewarding.
Opinion: Proposed tax on advertising would have widespread consequences
In the Senate’s tax bill, SSB 6113, a small paragraph poses devastating consequences to our communities: it would create a new tax on advertising that has until now been intentionally excepted.
COLUMN: Reporting on the Frontier tragedy
MOSES LAKE — I wasn’t born, yet, at the time of the 1996 Frontier Middle School tragedy, but I grew up in the long shadow of school violence. I remember the blue glow of the TV during Sandy Hook coverage, the volume lowered when I walked in, the hush in classrooms after every new headline. I remember lockdown drills – the click of the door, scuffed linoleum under my knees – and the crisp Montana wind when my middle school was evacuated for a bomb threat.
LETTER FROM THE EDITOR: On affordability, both sides are failing us...
Last year, we started running a weekly news piece on the cost of fuel in our area. We examined average costs for fuel in Grant and Adams counties and compared it to the rest of the country.
LETTER FROM THE EDITOR: Live life in-person ...
Suicide and depression have decided to develop an undercurrent in my life lately with several people I care about, and whose privacy I’ll respect here, discussing their struggles with depression and suicidal ideation.
LETTER FROM THE EDITOR: Don’t dismiss the views of youth...
Children never cease to surprise us. Whether they have an interesting insight at the age of four or their opinion on a topic doesn’t line up with what we expected given where they were raised and who raised them.
LETTER FROM THE EDITOR: Concerns about the SAVE Act
There’s a lot of talk right now about the SAVE Act, a proposal in the other Washington with the fancy buildings and national museums to ensure only qualified Americans can vote. Honestly, that’s a good thing. We don’t want or need non-citizens voting in our elections. They should be, and are, secure. Data from secretaries of state throughout the nation show that our elections are secure with very little voter fraud.
LETTER FROM THE EDITOR: One final word...
Four and a half years ago, I took a job that didn’t turn out as I expected. I accepted a position as a reporter with the Columbia Basin Herald, thinking that I’d be walking away from an editor’s position at a Texas newspaper. The idea, at the time, was to get a bit more work-life balance and return to the Inland or Pacific Northwest to be closer to family.
A LETTER FROM THE PUBLISHER: Why local journalism matters more than ever
There are moments when it’s worth taking a step back and asking a basic question. What really keeps a community united? Is it our schools, our businesses, our neighborhoods, or the shared experiences that shape where we live? The answer is all of those things. But there is something that connects them, documents them, and gives them meaning over time. Something that informs, challenges, records, and reflects the life of a community every single day.