Nethercutt Defends His Voting In Rookie Year CV History Students Put Congressman On Spot

Two years ago, Meredith Nethercutt told her father he was crazy to run against House Speaker Tom Foley.

But George Nethercutt, a Spokane attorney, ran anyway and narrowly unseated Foley.

Last week, Nethercutt was back in Spokane to field questions from Central Valley High School history students about his first year in office.

More than 100 students drilled Nethercutt about his stance on such issues as the repeal of the assault weapons ban, the national debt, line-item veto and the government shutdowns.

“My fundamental purpose in going to Washington, D.C., was to say we’ve got to stop spending more than we take in,” Nethercutt told a multipurpose room audience packed full last Thursday morning.

The first-term congressman renewed his vow to tackle the $5 trillion debt plaguing the nation before opening the floor to questions.

Anna Bersagel, a senior, was troubled by the two government shutdowns and asked Nethercutt for an insider’s explanation.

Six unsigned appropriations bills caused the shutdown, Nethercutt explained. President Clinton vetoed three of the six twice, lengthening the shutdowns, he said.

“As we went through the negotiation process, it became very clear to us that there was a wide difference between what we wanted to spend and what the President wanted to spend,” Nethercutt said.

Satisfied with the explanation, junior Wayne Michael was anxious to move on to the repeal of the assault weapons ban. How did the National Rifle Association’s $80,000 in campaign contributions affect Nethercutt’s decision, Michael wondered.

Nethercutt, a Republican, explained patiently that he received over 1,000 letters from Spokane residents reminding him of their constitutional right to bear arms.

He weighed their rights against rising gun-related crime statistics before voting in favor of lifting the ban. The gun owner, not the gun pulls the trigger, Nethercutt reasoned.

“That was a tough vote emotionally for me. I was here during the Fairchild shooting,” Nethercutt said, referring to the 1994 shooting rampage at the Fairchild Air Force Base hospital during which four people and the gunman were killed.

Being a congressman means making tough choices, Nethercutt continued. And sometimes that means voting against a family member’s wishes.

“My own wife doesn’t agree with me on this one,” Nethercutt said.

Super principal at Seth

The Northeast Elementary Principals Association of Washington has named Pam Francis, principal of Seth Woodard Elementary School, as Principal of the Year.

Francis has worked as an educator for 30 years, in schools as large as 3,400 students - a high school in Anchorage - and as small as 255 - Seth Woodard.

Info on four-period day

Central Valley School District is running another set of meetings tonight on the proposal that the high schools use a four-period day.

Meetings will start at 7 p.m. at Evergreen and Horizon junior high schools. Members of Central Valley’s staff expect to present the proposal to the school board at the end of May.

Music at St. Paschal’s

Five students from St. Paschal’s School have been named members of the Catholic Middle School Honor Band. They are: seventh-graders Anthony Jay and Sara Biesen and eighth-graders Nick Hagarty, Casi Reisenauer and Nicole Villalobos.

The band traveled recently to Seattle for competition.

Horizon pilots conferences

Parents at Horizon Junior High School have a date tonight.

Principal Roger Fox has organized the school’s first-ever parent teacher conferences, from 5:30-8:30 p.m. in the school’s gym and cafeteria. No appointments are necessary.

Fox’s goal is better communication between parents and teachers.

We knew her when, Part II

Grace Williams, a junior at West Valley High School, placed first recently at the Washington Junior Science and Humanities Symposium in Seattle. Judy Chang, a sophomore, and Rebecca Lorang, a junior, also entered the competition. All are students in Bob Bohlen’s science projects class at West Valley.

Speaking of success

Valley Christian School students competed recently in a regional elementary speech meet for Christian schools.

The following students won excellent ratings:

First-graders Mary Willard, Anna Takisaki, Danny Heden, Janell Oberg, Nicole Davis and Rory Beckstrom.

Second-graders: Bethany Hooper and Joseph Arnhold.

Fourth-grader Nick Wisenor.

Fifth-graders Mindy Rice, Tiffany Stager and TerryLynn Sjole.

Sixth-graders Tim Herring and Ben Bryan.

Seventh-grader Natalie Lewis and eighth-grader Matt Bolster.

Think summer … school

Enrollment is open for West Valley School District’s summer school.

Summer school will run from June 24-July 19, with July 4 and 5 off.

Classes for kindergarten through sixth-grade will be held at Orchard Center Elementary. Cost will be $75 per class.

Seventh- through 12th-grade tuition will be $90 per class. Those classes will be held at West Valley High School.

Information about or registration forms can be picked up at any West Valley school. Or contact Joe Dawson, 922-5467, for more information.

Who’s wonderful?

If you want to deliver a pat on the back to a Central Valley parent, booster or organization that has done a lot for the school, fill out a nomination for the district award for meritorious service. But time’s a’wasting. Applications must be in by Monday. The award will be presented in May. Applications are available at the district office. For details, contact Skip Bonuccelli, 922-6938.

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