Commentary
Giving thanks to America’s medical community for life-saving vaccines
If we were not still in the grip of a deadly pandemic, with the seven-day average U.S. death toll from the coronavirus hovering just over 1,100 a day, I probably would not have thought of giving thanks this year for the medical researchers who have given this country protection against many life-threatening illnesses. Back in […]
Education support professionals are the bedrock of our schools. Let’s recognize their contributions
Underpaid and overworked. That’s the theme of being a classified educator across the state of Idaho. This is not a new theme. However, it is becoming a louder cry as many classified staff in education are leaving the profession and districts are struggling to find people to fill these crucial positions. Today is National Education […]
GOP leadership takes a test drive of a full-time Legislature for Idaho
Make no mistake about it, the reconvening of the 2021 legislative session is a test to see whether the Idaho Legislature can get away with meeting throughout the year, without having to amend the Idaho Constitution. The idea of a full-time Legislature has been a twinkle in the eye of some legislators for years. At […]
It’s time for the Idaho Legislature to dispense with the vitriol and support educators, students
As the Idaho Education Association celebrates American Education Week, Nov. 15-19, we encourage Idahoans to reflect on the many benefits public education provides, along with what needs to be done to ensure that our state has strong and vibrant public schools for generations to come. There are both opportunities and challenges ahead for Idaho public […]
Veterans Day should be truly celebrated in the same ways as other federal holidays
As I scrolled through my social media feeds Thursday, I saw an outpouring of support for United States veterans. Friends posted photos of parents and relatives who served, and many veterans changed their profile pictures to their service photos. And, of course, there is the awesome tradition of restaurants and bars offering a free drink […]
Veterans did not put our lives on the line just to watch our country be torn apart from the inside
Maj. Keith Painter and I had exchanged a couple of letters and phone calls, first in 1990 and again in 2020, but had never actually seen one another since I left our artillery unit in August 1969. After the passage of 52 years, we finally got together for lunch in Bountiful, Utah, on Oct. 19. […]
The forgotten pandemic: Health advocates to come together to recognize World Diabetes Day
Sunday is World Diabetes Day, but hold off on the celebration. It is not a day for parades, backyard cookouts or the kind of large family gatherings that go with holidays. In fact, World Diabetes Day – created in 1991 – is not officially a holiday. It’s more of a somber reminder about a global […]
Our health care workers’ commitment defines the best of who we are as Idahoans. To them: Thank you.
I started my career in health care as a critical care nurse, so I know firsthand both the exceptional demand and the deeply rewarding nature of the job. No one gets into medicine for the accolades or because they think it will be easy. They choose the field because they want to help people. But […]
Nope, the economic world isn’t going to hell in a basket for Idaho
Lo and behold, the Idaho economy isn’t going anywhere except up and to the bank. Whiners and complainers want you to think all we need to do is “drain the swamp” in Boise and things will be sunrise and roses. But the real numbers show Idaho is already doing fine on the economic front. Almost […]
Idaho’s closed Republican primary election has got to go
Comparing the Idaho legislative session this year with those I have observed over the last half century, this was decidedly the worst. Legislators variously proposed or passed unconstitutional bills, tried to make the initiative and referendum unworkable, refused to take the COVID-19 crisis seriously, shot down funding bills for no valid reason, tried to solve […]
Remembering a true Idaho broadcast news pioneer who ‘practiced journalism in all the best ways’
For a time in the 1970s and early 1980s, Idahoans who cared about government and politics, and who would lead the state after the next election, had a standing weekly date. They tuned in at 6:30 p.m. Fridays to KTVB to listen as Sal Celeski and a panel of reporters on his weekly “Viewpoint” program […]
Twin Falls to Salt Lake City flights getting trimmed shouldn’t surprise anyone
It shouldn’t come as a surprise to anyone who flies in and out of Twin Falls or other southern Idaho airports that Delta Air Lines is trimming its Salt Lake City daily flights from three flights to one for Twin Falls. The COVID-19 pandemic has affected the airline industry all across the country as fewer […]