Industries could fill gaps on fair funds - It was a swipe against motherhood and apple pie, or so it seemed, when Washington state legislators looked at cutting all funding to agricultural and youth fairs in the 2011-13 biennial...MORE...

05/17/12 Letters to the Editor - Beware facility chargeTo the editor -- Next time you visit a medical professional, watch your back (pocket). Because of a change in insurance, I've just been hit by the "facility charge" gimmick. Since health-care providers are required to provide discoun...MORE...

05/16/12 Letters to the Editor - Protections erodedTo the editor -- Ladies, just when you thought it couldn't get any worse, House Republicans passed HR 4970 out of committee. HR 4970 is laughably titled the "Violence Against Women Reauthorization Act of 2012." In truth, this bill evisce...MORE...

Sunnyside veterans memorial gets its due attention - This editorial appears in the Yakima Herald-Republic, May 16, 2012.Two key state officials will drop into Sunnyside today to highlight a massive veterans memorial that quietly has been going up in Sunnyside since February. Mike Gregoire, the husband of...MORE...

05/15/12 Letters to the Editor - To the editor -- We're now seeing the benefit of Obamacare requiring, depending on the size of the employer group, health insurers to spend 80 percent to 85 percent of the policyholder premiums on health care....MORE...

05/14/12 Letters to the editor - To the editor -- Re: The May 8 article on the gang member who got five to six years for shooting a grandmother and her grandson and separate shooting of a 6-year-old girl! Initially, it was reported to be just three years. I say, is tha...MORE...

A response to editorial criticism of state vehicle management - The May 3 editorial "Shut off engine of state workers' vehicular waste" gives an incomplete account how state government manages its vehicle fleets, specifically at the Department of Enterprise Services. A few additional facts about severa...MORE...

05/13/12 Letters to the Editor - To the editor -- Re: The April 26 letter, "What schools should do."Making the statement that services in schools such as food services, grounds, maintenance and transportation should be contracted out, shows a lack of u...MORE...

Quick Yakima decision could well turn out to be the right one - Well, that was quick. For a city body frequently accused of spinning its wheels, the Yakima City Council moved into overdrive when it hired a new city manager.In late April, Anthony O'Rourke flew into tow...MORE...

Saturday Soapbox -- Yakima Valley fire departments could use a few good volunteers - Sit back and use your imagination for me. An obnoxiously loud, unfamiliar noise wakes you at 3 a.m. The air is warmer and breathing difficult. There's a glow around the door, which is hot, and your bedroom is filling with smoke....MORE...

05/12/12 Letters to the Editor - To the editor -- I'm excited about reporting some good news. The Salvation Army Home League, a ladies group, hosted its 57th annual nursing home luncheon....MORE...

05/11/12 Letters to the Editor - Tangible proof of GodTo the editor -- The nonreligionist said in his April 28 Saturday Soapbox, "in truth there is no tangible evidence God exists."Being a Christian like Doubting Thomas, when a church problem, years ago, came, I prayed "God, are you rea...MORE...

Governor can chart sustainable fiscal course - State workers have an ardent defender in Gov. Chris Gregoire. While having benefited from the financial and political support of the unions who represent those workers, she also...MORE...