Serving Franklin County, WA

Articles from the February 29, 2024 edition


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  • Keep public records open to the public

    Updated Feb 29, 2024

    Public records must remain open and accessible A special report urges the mobilization of civic leaders, organizations, businesses and all residents to work together to save the state’s Public Records Act. The report is available online for viewing and downloading at washcog.org. State lawmakers and the courts continue to whittle away at the landmark public records law, which was adopted overwhelmingly with a citizens’ initiative in 1972. Since then, state legislators have passed more than 650 exceptions and have tried repeat...

  • Dam compact words matter

    Roger Harnack, Whitman County Gazette|Updated Feb 29, 2024

    Let’s take a few words that should be on the minds of all Eastern Washingtonians concerned over efforts to breach Snake River dams — agreement, restoration and sovereign, to name a few. Last Thursday in the White House, President Joe Biden signed onto the “Commitments in Support of the Columbia Basin Restoration Initiative and in Partnership with the Six Sovereigns” agreement. The so-called “sovereigns” refers to the states of Washington and Oregon, and four tribes — th...

  • World's Worst Disasters

    Updated Feb 29, 2024

  • Air Quality

    Updated Feb 29, 2024

  • How a national shortage of truck parking impacts more than just truckers

    Stacker, Dom DiFurio, Data Work By Emma Rubin|Updated Feb 29, 2024

    In 2023, a Greyhound bus exiting an Illinois highway collided with three semi-trucks parked along an exit ramp, killing three bus passengers. That same year, a woman in Modesto, California, crashed into a parked truck and subsequently died. In 2021, a man in North Carolina was hospitalized after hitting a trailer while swerving to miss a parked semi-truck. His car then caught fire. According to the U.S. Department of Transportation, there is only one truck parking space for ev...

  • The county receiving the most Small Business Administration loans in each state

    Stacker, Paxtyn Merten|Updated Feb 29, 2024

    The Small Business Administration backed loans worth $27.5 billion through its primary lending program in 2023—rising well above pre-COVID-19 pandemic levels as government officials aim to stabilize the economy. Many small businesses get their start and scale up with SBA loans, which increased lending to Black, Latino, and women entrepreneurs in the past few years in step with efforts to become more equitable. Flippa found the county within each state where applicants were a...

  • People in these 19 industries donated the most money to Donald Trump

    Stacker, Aine Givens|Updated Feb 29, 2024

    As the Trump campaign actively courts deep-pocketed donors, it's worth looking at which groups and industries have donated most heavily to him during the current election cycle. Stacker examined Federal Election Commission data compiled by OpenSecrets to find the 19 industries that contributed the most to Trump's 2024 campaign committee, as well as any super PACs or hybrid PACs working on his behalf, as of Feb. 2. The list is ranked based on the portion of that industry's...

  • House Bill 2114, rent control, appears to have died in the Washington State Senate

    Mark Harmsworth, Washington Policy Center|Updated Feb 29, 2024

    House Bill 2114, otherwise known as rent control, that passed the Washington State House of Representatives February 13 on a party line vote, appears to have died in the Senate and failed to pass out of committee. HB 2114 would have limited rent and fee increases to 7% and would have increased the notification period to 180 days for increases over 3%. The tenant would have been able to terminate a lease within 20 days and if the increase is over 7%, the tenant would have...

  • Hunters may comment on proper rule changes

    Franklin Connection|Updated Feb 29, 2024

    OLYMPIA — Hunters can comment on a proposed rule change governing seasons for the next three years. State Department of Fish and Wildlife employees are proposing changes to game-management unit boundaries, landowner hunting permits, pelt inspection and sealing requirements, weapon and hunting attire requirements, trapping and various rules related to big and small game and gamebirds. A substantial number of changes are proposed and can be reviewed online at https://wdfw.wa.gov/sites/default/files/about/reg...

  • The US airlines most likely to arrive on time in the last year

    Stacker, Olivia Zhao|Updated Feb 29, 2024

    Picture the scene: Your alarm wakes you at the crack of dawn. The suitcase you packed the night before stands accusingly in the corner. You brace yourself for the long ride to the airport and the even longer queue of security checks. To make matters worse, after dashing to the airport and getting through TSA, you discover your flight has been delayed. There are many reasons delays happen: maintenance or crew problems, extreme weather, air traffic, etc. But, according to data...