Letters to the Editor

Are we great yet? It sure doesn’t appear so. In fact, it seems more like we are quickly moving in the opposite direction.
In just over two weeks, federal agents have created chaos in Minneapolis. On Saturday, Border Patrol agents executed Alex Pretti. While documenting their terror and assisting a woman who had been pushed to the ground, Alex was pepper sprayed by Border Patrol. Then, multiple agents riddled his body with bullets as he held a camera in one hand and tried to block the spray with the other. His legal, concealed handgun was pulled from his waistband by an agent. He never brandished it. But he was murdered anyway. And just like Renee Good, who was shot in the head and killed by ICE on Jan. 7, he was cruelly mischaracterized as a domestic terrorist by Trump’s spokespeople. The truth is that he was an ICU nurse at a VA hospital and, like Renee, was praised as an upstanding citizen and a compassionate person by those who knew him.
Fifty-three detainees have died since the current admin took office. Even young children are being swept up. Conditions are dehumanizing, overcrowded and filthy.
The horrible treatment provided has not gone unnoticed. Faith leaders are speaking out. Students and workers are walking out. Massive crowds are gathering to protest and express their outrage. The disregard of our Constitution and the Rule of Law is unacceptable. Please join the growing resistance and make sure you vote in November.

Michael Baumgartner asked me this week if I think the U.S. should take Greenland. He framed it casually, as if asking whether I think he should wear green or blue tomorrow, equating the independence of a sovereign country to a click-bait opinion poll.
That Baumgartner would use, in this manner, a topic of such dire consequence to the world, illustrates, as always, just how unfit for office this depraved man is. Through inane performance, he chooses to denigrate the people of Greenland and our Danish allies rather than understand his serious responsibility to his country and constituents as a member of congress. It’s not a game Mike.
Baumgartner also continues to portray his betrayal of CD5 constituents as “winning” by touting the crumbs Republicans offer to our agricultural community. Farmers don’t want handouts; they want markets. But the Republicans killed the markets by allowing Trump’s disastrous tariff taxes, with Baumgartner’s full-throated approval. Yes, tariffs are a tax on us; no one else is paying them.
And with Baumgartner’s baseless request to begin “program-integrity” reviews of Washington’s Medicaid services, child nutrition programs, and child-care subsidy systems, he aims to further sabotage our systems here in eastern Washington. I guess it’s the second act, after torpedoing healthcare.
How did we elect such a repugnant individual to be our reflection of CD5 in Washington DC. Let’s not make that same mistake this November. Vote him out.

OSPI approved a spending plan for an Enrichment Levy, not for the EP&O Levy that Mary Walker is asking voters to approve.
In 2027, it increases our tax 44% over our 2025 tax, increasing to 64% in 2030. This increase of 84% since 2021 is unsustainable.
This levy is a blank check that has no defined budget or goals. Its spending plan does not pay for sports, transportation, operational costs, maintenance, safety or teachers for regular classroom instruction. The plan authorizes salaries for staff and programs that have produced disastrous results.
Of students entering the ninth grade in 2025, 93% did not have consistent grade level knowledge in Math and 76% in Language Arts. Of 11th-grade students, 94% were not on track in Math and 76% in Language Arts.
Not voting “no” may enable highly motivated special interest groups who want your money to pass this levy.
Please take the time to vote “no,” joining me and others to oppose special interest groups and defeat this massive, unsustainable tax increase.
Ask your neighbors to vote “no.” If they want to donate to the district, encourage them to do so, but ask that they not force you to take money from your family budget to support failure.
Voting against this levy is in the best interest of students, families, voters and our community. Working together, our district can be better.
Do not be misled by their deceptive marketing to get an extra million yearly. Visit 4freedomwa.com for state data, concerns and facts.

I have noticed in the last few issues of this paper that there seems to be a lot of opposition to the president and his administration. As I see it, he is doing what he was elected to do. It appears to me that there are a lot of citizens who have drunk the fruit juice supplied by the Demos and their publicity arm, the mainstream media. For those who missed my reference here, it is likened to the followers of Jim Jones in Jamestown. I find it difficult to fathom how sane citizens can be in favor of supporting the illegals in this country and villainize the law enforcement trying to remove them. The call for immigration reform is not needed; the immigration system is not broken. The ones complaining are only looking for a way to justify open borders. Those citizens who justify the actions of those breaking our laws seem to be only drinking more and more fruit punch. The people who were brought here years ago by their parents are not exempt from being illegal; they have had years to apply and go through the process to become citizens.

Thank you to the Miners!
I am uplifted and grateful to Lynn and Becky Miner, who live outside of Chewelah, and who donated their 100-acre tree farm to Washington State University Extension Forestry. The Miners bought this land in 1992 and found the land had been mismanaged through poor logging practices, and needed loving attention. Not knowing anything about forestry, they did research and learned what they needed to do to restore the land and to make it habitable for birds and other wildlife.
And so, with the labor of love, they planted thousands of ponderosa pines and western larch trees on their land, and supported wildlife by hanging up hundreds of nest boxes for birds and small animals.
In speaking with Lynn Miner, he shared that he and his wife Becky wanted to leave the land they so love to an organization that would use it to teach wise management of the land. Although they could have made a personal fortune by selling it, they chose the path of honoring our earth and educating people in good stewardship of the land. Their generosity is an inspiration to me. Thank you, Lynn and Becky Miner!

Letter to the Editor:
In the Jan. 8, 2026 issue of the Chewelah Independent, an article noted that our 7th Legislative District (LD) Representative Andrew Engell was selected by the bi-partisan Council of State Governments to be an “early career state legislator” participant in its December 2025 Western Legislative Academy. The training focused on rules of legislative institutions, effective communication, negotiation, and conflict management. As Engell stated, to better his approach to work “thoughtfully, professionally, and with respect for the institution and people we serve.”
Engell feels his participation reflected both his commitment to serving all constituents in the 7th LD and advancing sound public policy. His goal is the use of honest conversations, searching for “solutions to improve people’s lives, not destructive politics that divide us.”
He's a legislator who hopefully will live up to the expectations of both the council and voters, like myself, that he will indeed search for sound bipartisan solutions to the urgent challenges (including overcoming the current massive billions-of-dollars state budgetary shortfall) facing the citizens of Washington State and our rural 7th LD, many living in a crisis battle-for-survival mode. That he will reach across the aisle in Olympia and work with his Democratic counterparts. That he will vote his conscience, not lock-step, frog march to the Trump party line rhetoric. That he will not pull a Baumgartner. That he won’t just talk the talk. But vote the walk. And help take us forward to a life that is both sustainable and affordable!

To The Editor:
As a retired 84-yr old police officer, I have seen a lot in my lifetime that was both good and bad. This is now how I see what’s happening to the great U.S.A. We are losing our love for God and country. What has happened to our common sense? We are allowing many anti-Christians into the country who want to destroy our Christian values. As Christians, we need to push back on what is destroying our country.
First a notice to all Catholics and Christians. If you vote as a democrat you cannot be Catholic or Christian, you are either one or the other. The Democratic party is very much against Christian values. They are anti-U.S. citizens, anti-public-safety, pro-illegal immigrant, pro-abortion, pro-gay marriage, pro-sex change, pro-LBTQ, and many other anti-Christian teachings.
Backed by Democrats, there are now many protests against our federal law enforcement officers who are trying to protect us against criminals and illegals to make us safer.
When George Floyd and Renee Good died, it was because of their own doings. They put themselves in harm’s way and suffered the outcome.
The only unjustified police killing was by the D.C. Police officer Ashley Babbitt, who should have been charged with 1st degree murder. Where were the protests against him for that killing?

Last week, Rep. Michael Baumgartner shared on social media that he announced Washington State University’s new football coach on the floor of Congress. Folks around here love WSU as much as anyone, but that moment raises a simple question: is that really what Congress should be focused on right now?
People in rural communities expect their representatives to take their jobs seriously. When someone is sent to Washington, D.C., it’s to stand up for constituents, protect basic rights, and keep an eye on federal agencies that have real power over people’s lives.
Across the country, there are growing concerns about immigration enforcement, due process, and accountability. Reports of people being detained without clear justification – including U.S. citizens – and of deaths occurring in federal custody should concern anyone who believes in the Constitution and limited government overreach.
At a time when trust in government is already thin, symbolic or lighthearted moments in Congress can feel out of step with what many Americans are experiencing. This isn’t about party politics. It’s about whether elected officials are focused on the work they were sent there to do.
Congress is not meant to be a stage. It is meant to be a check on power and a voice for the people. Washington’s 5th District deserves representation that reflects that responsibility.

The cowardice of Rep. Michael Baumgartner is on display nearly every day. Afraid to do his job or even advocate for his supposed moral values, he slinks around D.C. and Spokane silently, and then not so silently parrots administration talking points on subjects such as ICE, Venezuela, and Greenland.
Twice in the past few weeks, he featured members of the local Afghan community in his weekly newsletter, but when Trump threatened to deport them all, Baumgartner was silent. And then, when Trump uttered vile comments regarding the death of Rob Reiner, Baumgartner remained silent. When Trump and HHS Secretary Noem slandered Renee Good after her murder, he had nothing to say.
When the Trump Administration failed to produce the Epstein files in violation of a law he voted for, Baumgartner was silent. When asked to provide an accounting of expenditures by ICE, he was silent and provided nothing. When given yet another opportunity to support his constituents by voting to extend health insurance subsidies, he voted “no”, silently condemning his neighbors to poorer health. And when voting for appropriations bills last week, he not so silently crowed about how some communities in his district would benefit while at the same time bragging about saving $2 billion, money he silently directed to his wealthy benefactors.
After reading his comments in the Spokesman-Review on Jan. 11 and again on Jan. 16, I can understand why he is silent so often. Opening his mouth invariably results in lying, rationalization and kowtowing.

House Bill 2239 "to enable creation of family burial grounds on privately owned property" is set for a public hearing on Friday, Jan. 23 at 10:30 a.m. In your reflections on your own mortality, have you ever found yourself wanting to be buried at your own home? Maybe you've lived some of the best years of your life on a piece of ground you love, that you know as well as the back of your hand – a place you feel like you never want to leave. A place where you would like your body to rest for eternity in familiar surroundings, close to your family.
This bill outlines a pretty procedure – one that would be available to many private landowners in the state. The bill states, "it is the intent of the legislature to enable creation of family burial grounds on privately owned property in order to provide greater flexibility and options for individuals in choosing where to be interred."
If you believe Washingtonians deserve a recognized legal right to bury loved ones at home, please support this bill. It is being co-sponsored by Representatives Abell, Bernbaum, Chase, Simmons, Walsh, Burnett and Engell. Since this bill has a hearing scheduled already, you may sign up to testify or submit written testimony. Visit tinyurl.com/home-burial. Use the tools available on the legislature's website to voice your support for this option at life's end for you and your fellow Washingtonians.

The USPS has implemented new procedures which mean letters, bills, tax forms, and yes, your ballots will be postmarked when they are processed through sorting facilities instead of when they are dropped in any mailbox, whether at home or your local post office. Additionally, under the new rules, no evening mail pickup will occur for towns more than 50 miles from the processing center at the Spokane Airport. The significance of this is that mail dropped in Colville is not postmarked until at least the following day. This may create real challenges for rural consumers dealing with deadline-driven mail, from IRS filings, property tax payments, and Medicare documents, to mail-in ballots, grant applications and government benefit notices. These rule changes affect about 70% of all zip codes.
Small businesses are impacted as well. Some of you may have noticed the Statesman-Examiner arriving late in addresses outside of Colville this past month. It turns out that with no evening mail pickup at the post office, the paper was delayed by a day. Small businesses that mail tax returns, payments to vendors, or other legal documents near a deadline may find the official postmark date is after the due date, potentially leading to late fees, penalties, or rejected filings.
So while election ballots may be the most publicized aspect of these rule changes, they have broader implications. That the USPS did little to inform us of the changes is indefensible.

One day after Renee Good was shot in the face by an ICE agent in Minneapolis, Michael Baumgartner sent a letter to Health & Human Services Secretary RFK Jr. requesting a “program-integrity review” of federally funded Washington state programs. Not because he alleges misconduct, but because he has jumped on the Minnesota fraud investigation bandwagon. That mess was initially discovered in 2013, and Minnesota then began investigations/prosecutions. The reason it’s in the news now is due to a debunked, dare I say FRAUDULANT, video posted by a MAGA influencer.
Baumgartner noted that “recent developments in Minnesota highlight a recurring risk profile that is not unique to one state or program.” So true, Mike! I know you were probably working on that letter for a few weeks but, in light of the shooting of Ms. Good, maybe you could have anticipated the tone-deafness of your timing and redirected your concern to an agency (or administration) that is facing allegations of abuse of power, financial indiscretions, murders, and jack-booted thuggery. The truly appalling “recent developments” in Minnesota are related to the Department of Homeland Security, not Somali-run daycares.
It’s hard to find evidence of “integrity” when one’s concern about the possibility of fraud takes precedence over the egregious gaslighting of the U.S. citizenry, and the protection of a murderer. No one is safe in this country when a white, suburban, home-schooling mother of three can be shot in broad daylight with impunity.