Idaho Gov. Butch Otter has sent out a guest opinion entitled, “Leaner, more focused government must be our new normal,” that already has appeared in the Capitol Hill newspaper “Roll Call,” in which he says Idaho sets “an example of responsible governance for the rest of America.” Otter says the state did that by not raising taxes and balancing its budget. “It wasn't easy, and it wasn't always popular,” he writes. Click below for his full opinion piece.

Publisher Harlan Beagley of the Hagadone Newspaper-owned Columbia Basin Herald of Moses Lake, Wash., issued this ap-hollow-gy for running an op-ed piece by a reporter critical of the community's education system: “The Columbia Basin Herald apologizes for negative comments made in the “My Turn” column about an experience at Moses Lake High School. “This newspaper does not agree with or support (reporter) Lynne Lynch's opinions about our public school system,” said Publisher Harlan Beagley. “We find it offensive and in no way do we endorse it.” Lynch wrote her opinion about why she was choosing private school over public education in the Moses Lake School District in the weekly “My Turn” column. She included personal observations of a teacher's wardrobe, a staff member's hygiene, two students swearing in a parking lot and the annual salary for a teacher. Lynch said she was trying to illustrate a few areas she perceived as problems.” More here.

Question: Was the paper right in throwing reporter Lynne Lynch under the bus for her guest opinion about the Moses Lake school system?