Letters to the Editor

One of the first things we did when we moved to Stevens County was visit the library and sign up for a library card. We were so excited to know that our new community had a good library. As we helped raise our grandkids for a few years, it was an incredible help to us and knowledge for them. And over the years, our library system has only gotten better.
I like to call it my home office, but it is a community hub buzzing with activity all the time. People are using the computers or the Wi-Fi, program events are drawing people in, community meetings are planned. Like me, people are there to print or scan documents, authors are speaking, a patron comes in for notary services, children's story time is happening, game nights are on, and people are borrowing books, it provides a site for people to show their art and is open for the 4th Friday Artwalk, people are borrowing kitchen equipment, and more. Let us not forget someone is sitting in a comfortable chair with a coffee reading in peace a book, hopefully in the sun. There is so much there for everyone. I hope that we can keep it that way. It is an Institution that must stay for now and the future.
The increase requested is such a small amount to invest in our communities. On April 28, please vote “yes” for our libraries.

The world continues in its chaotic spin. Each day brings new revelations of horrific bombings in a confusing war. With all the lies and cover-ups by unqualified administrators, the truth is elusive. Except that the war is a disaster.
The astronomical costs of war, essential domestic program cuts and an unstable president are worrisome. Many believe entering war was a distraction from the Epstein scandal. The timing sure makes sense. While one day Trump threatens destruction of civilization, the next he
grossly mischaracterizes the negotiations. Why hasn’t Congress acted? Why does Mike Baumgartner act like the president is doing a stand-up job?
Meanwhile, on the home front, the U.S. Forest Service is being dismantled; our National Forests logged. Those in the admin who were selected to protect our forests, wildlife, water, and scenic beauty, are executives in the mining, oil, and gas industry. Does anyone think they are going to
protect public lands?
The federal government has seen fit to close or gut 57 of 77 USFS research facilities that are essential for forest protection and health. Thousands of Forest Service and Parks employees have lost their jobs. With a climate crisis that has surpassed predictions, we are currently in a drought emergency. We can’t afford to cut the agencies that keep our lands and waters safe, help farms keep producing and prevent our taps from running dry. Action is needed.
For more info visit saveUSFS.org. Call your reps. Vote. And please conserve energy and water.

As a graduate of Jenkins High School and past user of the Chewelah Library, I’m asking you to vote “yes” on the levy happening April 28.
As a child, I checked out literally every book on sharks or dinosaurs, and read my way through every Hardy Boys mystery on the shelf. As a bookish high schooler, I took refuge in the library and read until sports practice was over and I could get a ride home.
This is not a unique story – it’s a very average story of a publicly funded public good where people can access knowledge and have skilled professionals help them print court documents or passport applications, discover a new book or e-book, or get online with high speed internet for Zoom classes. The Libraries of Stevens County do this every day and have never had a levy increase since formation in 1998. Inflation, gas prices, labor costs, and more have gone up in 28 years, and as frugal as the library has been, increased costs mean that without this levy there will be reduced hours and staff, full day closures, and fewer new books, e-books, and other materials.
It doesn’t have to be this way. Vote “yes” on April 28 to help families and kids learn to love reading and learning. Vote “yes” to bring back weekend hours at the library for the next decade. Your ballot is already in your mail box, so return today to avoid any delays with USPS.

The Libraries of Stevens County has been quietly serving its communities, without hesitation and in the face of tremendous financial difficulty, for decades. It’s safe to say that your dollar has never gone further than when in the hands of your local librarian. The dedicated staff at LOSC (of which I was fortunate to be a part of for several years) have provided books and movies and reference services yes, but also: tech help for anyone, effectively bringing a “genius bar” into Stevens County; storytimes and early learning for our little ones when daycares and preschools are almost impossible to find; materials pick-up in lockers in almost every community, bringing access right into your neighborhood; Wi-Fi and portable hotspots in a county where more than 60% of households lack adequate internet; updated facilities and a brand new library in Loon Lake (without asking for money from Stevens County taxpayers); not to mention, countless other services and resources to meet the unique needs and challenges of living here.
That they are finally asking for help in the levy election on April 28 is proof that they understand more than anyone just how difficult times are right now. Vote “yes.” Libraries are the last place left where your tax dollar goes right back into your pocket.
For detailed information on the actual cost of this measure, please visit thelosc.org/levyinfo. Thank you!

Whether it is purposeful obfuscation or actual ignorance, I am appalled by Representative Michael Baumgartner’s statements in the April 1 article on “State Leaders Not Looking to Suspend Gas Tax.” He stated, “Washingtonians are not just paying the price for Iran’s rogue behavior…” I guess he needs to be reminded that this war was started by the current U.S. administration, not by Iran. In 2015, the Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action imposed strict limits on Iran’s nuclear program in exchange for broad sanction relief. In 2018, under this administration’s first time in office, the United States withdrew from that accord, and Iran was basically freed from those limits. On February 28 of 2026, the U.S. and Israel began airstrikes against Iran. Not the other way around.
The other statement that showed a shocking lack of awareness was, “This climate change surcharge is little more than a vanity project to make people in downtown Seattle feel good about themselves…” Apparently he is so unaware of what his agricultural constituents are facing with the realities of climate change. He has spent so little time here he is unaware that we have no snowpack to feed our water systems for the summer, increasing catastrophic wildfire risks and threatening our agricultural sustainability. Open your eyes, Michael, and look out the window to see what the people of eastern Washington are facing as a result of climate change.

Justice Center Location
Thank you Mayor Smith for speaking out against the option that would affect Birch/Columbia. The justice center will leave a large and lasting footprint on our community. While there are undoubtedly many considerations, doesn’t it make sense to place the center where it would impact/affect the least number of local residents? When the public hearing is scheduled, please allow in person and remote input (telephone, online, etc.). Thank you.

We live in the fifth largest county in the state. It encompasses 2,477 square miles of land and 63 of water. Ours is the 23rd largest by population (46,455) with 17 zip codes serving 59 cities. As residents, we are all aware of the travel distance to obtain “services,” and that is one reason our county library system is important to so many of us.
In addition to hard copy books, we have access to audio and e-reader options to thousands of books and magazines. With a Kanopy account, you can watch movies from your own devices. Additionally, they provide a place to socialize and take part in events.
Scroll the menu at thelosc.org to discover the available options, the About Us page even explains property taxes.
Other cool things to “check out” at your local library include a seven-day Discover Pass, a Spokane Mobius Discovery Center pass, good for two adults and four children, or a Kindle Touch device pre-loaded with your choice of reading genre.
For more levy info visit /thelosc.org/levyinfo. For less than the cost of a latte per month your support enhances the lives of your neighbors.
All of this is brought to our communities by us. A community that continually demonstrates the value it places on “taking care of each other” in this wide and diverse landscape of this county we call home. Your vote for the Stevens County library levy is part of that community care. Thank you!

I would like to add to Scott Thompson's and Rick Moore's excellent letters to the editor from April 1 in support of the Libraries of Stevens County levy. I want to emphasize how the Library District has developed essential programs not only for children but also for adults.
Before retiring, I taught at the Colville campus of the Community Colleges of Spokane. Many of the students were adults returning to education; some were the first in their family to attend college. I felt it was essential for students to become familiar with their local, county library which would support them as life-long learners. Students also learned that the libraries make books, audio recordings, and videos easy to check out in person or through the Libby online service. And library card holders can watch free streaming high-quality movies on Kanopy.
The Libraries of Stevens County also sponsored poetry readings in all the county libraries, and students in my English and literature courses could earn extra credit for attending. The readings gave students and community members exposure to the works of local and regional writers as well as the Washington State Poet Laureate and helped spread an appreciation for our American culture.
The few additional dollars a month this levy will cost property owners ($3 per $200,000 property) is small compared to what the Rural Library District provides to all of us who live in Stevens County.

Dear Editor:
In the early 1980s, I was driving around this area, interviewing my Sinaikst elders, much like my close relation, Dave Wynecoop, did in the 1960s. Dave told me that much of our tribal oral history would be lost if we didn’t do that.
The following is part of an interview that I had with my Sinikst elder, Mary Auraphkin Marchand, grand-daughter of Chief Andre Aurapahkin and his wife Nancy Williams. This was on October 7, 1983.
“Some had different ways before the marriage ceremony. They had to have a cape. They were expensive capes – made out of furs. After about 13, she wore a cape and it was tied in different places, and she wore it until she was married. The man that she is marrying has to untie those little knots. When the cape is taken off they are married. Of course, the parents are there for the ceremony. The cape would reach to the waist. The parents talk about the two people and make sure that the man can provide for the bride. He has got to be a good provider. There was a dowry required. A certain value would be given to the bride’s parents.”

Thank you for another successful day of No Kings demonstrations.
Thank you to every single person that showed up and stood with us at the No Kings rallies in Chewelah, Colville, and Kettle Falls. We had incredible turnout with 120, 355, and 75 people in attendance at each event respectively.
We live in a district where speaking up isn't always easy. It can be uncomfortable, inconvenient, isolating, and even intimidating. Despite this, you all showed up – and that reflects immense courage. It shows an understanding that we the people have an extraordinary and real role to play in shaping our future.
What you did was more than just attend a rally, and it wasn't as pointless as some would have you believe. You affirmed that participation isn't reserved for the comfortable. Our democracy was built by those that showed up despite discomfort.
You are doing the right thing. What you say and what you do matters. Conversations are shifting, and we are making a difference. Your willingness to stand together matters in the fight for democracy – but it also matters to your neighbors. It matters to the people that have been ostracized from our community for not sharing the popular opinion.
Thank you for your courage, your energy, and your commitment. Keep speaking up, and keep being the change you want to see.

In some cases brevity is called for, this is such a case. Libraries of Stevens County (LOS) was created 28 years ago. LOS has served us well under increasing hardship. LOS will continue under increasing financial stress unless the voters of Stevens County vote “yes” on April 28. Let us do the right thing.

Representative Baumgartner, our 5th Congressional District Congressman, has, for the past month, been running ads non-stop on Spokane television. They claim he is here to assist our armed services veterans. “I am here for you” he states, to help veterans navigate the Veterans Administration (VA) bureaucracy to get benefits and assistance to which they are entitled. Sweet, such compassion. But big problem: Baumgartner’s votes in Congress the past 14 months have contributed (remember the Big Beautiful Bill) to drastic cuts and elimination of both funding and staffing of programs the VA provides to our veterans. Not only have his votes helped cause cutting, if not gutting, the amounts of services provided, but also in the downsizing of numbers of veterans eligible for treatment, chaotic confusion in delivery of services, and worse, reducing the actual quality of medical care and treatment – putting the health and lives of our veterans at risk. Shame on you Baumgartner. What hypocrisy. Help to get no help. Would be way better instead if our veterans helped you. Help get you and your Republican colleagues in Congress to finally pass legislation fully funding VA and veteran programs. If not, mid-term’s coming up, lickety-split. Time for change. I think maybe a vote for Carmela Conroy is the solution.