Letters To The Editor

Wed., May 3, 1995

SPOKANE MATTERS

Thanks for impressive generosity

We are proud to have been a small part of the huge outpouring of money and prayers so many offered to the people of Oklahoma City and the Red Cross Disaster Relief Fund.

Yearly, The Spokesman-Review and radio and TV stations raise money for many worthwhile organizations. However, never in our lives have we seen a people so generous and responsive to the immediate needs of others. While the aftermath of the Oklahoma City bombing is still unfolding, we feel the recent outpouring from our area is a sure sign of healing.

On behalf of the local media, we thank you for being an American community at its best.

Scott Valentine and staff KEYF AM/FM, Oldies 101.1

Blocking condo makes no sense

Our government is in debt about $5 trillion and overspending about $3 billion each year. To cover this, it has to borrow the overspent amount at 7.5 percent interest a year.

Our City Council seeks a federal grant to purchase the Ronald property across from the library. The grant it seeks does not cover expenses the Ronalds have lost in engineering and design to build a condominium on their property.

The $600,000 grant would be added to the national deficit and national debt. This would cost taxpayers an additional $45,000 interest each and every year until the deficit is eliminated - if it ever is.

Allowing the condominium to be built and having tax revenue coming to the city is the clear choice.

The Ronalds have generously included a public viewing area closer to the falls than the library with public offstreet parking included.

Let’s return the library to its traditional purpose of being a place to borrow books, do research and read, and let the condominium development bring revenue to the city instead of giving taxpayers a long-term burden. Floyd Swenson Moses Lake

Sterk’s OK; Hasson’s another matter

A few weeks ago I was quoted, accurately, by your paper that I do not support Spokane County Commissioner Steve Hasson’s current or future political career. I believe his recent choice of a replacement for Mike Padden ignored the will of the people of the 4th Legislative District, as expressed by their duly elected precinct committee officers.

However, I want to emphasize my support for Rep. Mark Sterk. Rep. Sterk was my first choice for this position. I believe he is representing and will represent the 4th Legislative District with honor, honesty and a genuine belief that fiscal conservativism is essential for good government.

It is very important that we Republicans give our support to Rep. Sterk and not allow one man’s agenda to divide our party. Richard M. Munson Spokane

Great jazz a little-known attribute

In the last several years, Spokane’s cultural climate has experienced important growth with new restaurants, new clubs, new media and a renaissance of the arts. One beneficiary of this growth has been Spokane’s jazz community.

As a result, Spokane enjoys jazz music that is on a par with, and that is frequently even better than, what you can find in San Francisco, Seattle, Portland or Vancouver, B.C. I travel to those cities regularly and continue to be surprised at the comparative quality and diversity of jazz available right here in Spokane.

For example, a small downtown gem called Hobart’s Lounge consistently offers jazz of a variety and vitality uncommon on the West Coast. I do not think anyone would have expected great jazz to come from Spokane, but Hobart’s proves that great jazz talent certainly is here.

Clearly, the various jazz musicians who play Hobart’s love what they do, frequently turning an average evening into a memorable event. As a jazz fan, I think it is rare and wonderful to find such music so easily available. And yet, as is typical of many rare gems, the people who play at Hobart’s remain a local secret.

But surely as our city continues to grow, this impressive community of jazz musicians will, alas, be “discovered” and, I fear, pulled away to larger cities. For now, their music and their contribution to our town is another element of what makes Spokane a great place to live. I thank them all. Bill Munroe Spokane

IN THE PAPER

News coverage threatens jobs

I am writing in response to recent articles regarding Wismer Martin. My main concern is for the employees of Wismer Martin. I don’t believe Spokane’s economy needs to have 90 more people unemployed.

We employees of Wismer Martin are still here servicing our national client base and, despite The SpokesmanReview, we hope to continue serving clients and collecting our paychecks. I am not concerned about grudges against current management people, as they are not the ones ultimately hurt by the articles; the employees and the clients are.

A second concern is that Spokane-area business tries very hard and at great expense to attract new business to Spokane. If these businesses are reading the newspaper, I think they would be a little hesitant to move to a city where the primary news source tries to run hometown business into the ground. Karen Franks-Harding Spokane

Listen to company loyalists, too

For the past 22 years I’ve been fortunate to call Spokane my home. It’s been a great place to raise three children and two stepsons and provide a home for two foreign exchange students. I’d like to continue to live and work in Spokane and watch my grandson grow up.

I’ve worked at Wismer Martin for over four years. I’ve made many friends there. My family doctor of 22 years is a client of ours, as is my dentist of 10 years.

I’m proud to be part of the Wismer Martin team. We’ve survived change many times and we’re working hard to continue to be successful and keep our clients satisfied.

The changes in management since the first of the year have brought about a stronger sense of job commitment which has been an excellent antidote for stress and a cure for the pain of change. Our 92 employees work from the heart, have invested themselves passionately in their jobs and have recommitted quickly to the change that has reshaped their work.

Before any more articles are printed showing only negative views of a few former employees of Wismer Martin, Michael Murphy should interview the 92 employees working hard for the continued success of Wismer Martin. Some of these 92 Spokanites have lived here all their lives. We own homes here, support various charities, attend church, pay taxes and support the schools and school functions. We love Spokane. So come and get the other side. Stop trying to put 92 Spokanites on unemployment and welfare. Pat Bushnell Spokane

Giving Shoe the boot was a misstep

I have read the daily comics for more than 55 years. There have been several additions to the comics page this past year, one replacing Shoe. I have given them all a fair shake.

Not only does each tend to address a single subject, the cartoon drawings are of poor quality. They tend to be sarcastic rather than funny and use a simplistic presentation to carry a message. I do not want a message; I want a chuckle.

In contrast, Shoe mixed the subject matter, dealing with old cars, computers and politicians in general, instead of politics, and several other timely subjects. It was almost always funny. The strip was meticulously drawn.

Among Jeff MacNelly’s awards are three Pulitzer Prizes and the Reuben, the highest honor of the National Cartoonists Society. One wonders why a MacNelly strip was dropped in favor of a strip of much lesser quality.

Please reconsider. Dick Winters Spokane

CHEMICALS, HEALTH AND SAFETY

Drycleaned clothes not a hazard

“Sleeping with the enemy,” (Spokesman-Review, April 16) stated that perchloroethylene (perc) poses a risk to humans when recently-drycleaned clothing is taken into the home. The article also advised hanging drycleaning outside for a few days to allow any residual perc to evaporate.

This caution may have been well advised a few years ago, but current technology makes hanging clothing outside unnecessary.

For example, the American Conference of Governmental Industrial Hygienists allows maximum exposure to perc at 50 parts per million (ppm) during an eight-hour period. Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA) permits 100 ppm for the same period of time.

One local drycleaner, Scollard’s, has installed two state-of-the-art, fully self-contained drycleaning machines that clean the air inside the drying chamber to nearly zero parts per million. For that reason, Scollard’s is the only EPA-certified drycleaner in Spokane and one of only three in Washington.

Hopefully, this will dispel any fear of perc the article may have produced. Ron Lahue Spokane

Only budworms need be concerned

An April 17 letter from Deer Park which criticized plans to use our insecticide product to treat forest land against the destructive effects of the spruce budworm may have done a disservice to your readers.

While we understand and want to act on potential concerns about spraying, we also want to correct any misunderstanding about the insecticide product, SEVIN brand carbaryl.

Carbaryl is one of the most thoroughly reviewed and carefully tested insecticides in the world. It has been subjected to more than 300 health and environmental studies by regulatory agencies and independent scientists in recent years. It does not cause cancer in humans nor does it cause birth defects or any other health problems when used according to directions. It does not persist in the environment.

In addition to its use in agriculture to control pests, carbaryl has a proven role in public health for use in controlling the deer tick which transmits Lyme disease. It has also been used to control human and animal lice and other vermin without adverse effects to human health or our environment.

When we look at all the options and we review scientific information objectively, carbaryl has proven to be a responsible means to protect our forests against highly destructive pests. Rick Rountree Rhone-Poulenc Ag Co., Research Triangle Park, N.C.

Think before spraying weeds

A friend was cornered by her neighbors in suburbia the other day in regard to her dandelion-infested lawn. She politely acknowledges their concern each year but allows the brightly colored harbingers of spring to coexist in her otherwise well-mown habitat.

She prefers a chemical-free environment for her two small children. Recent studies detail the link between illness, including cancer, and the exposure of children to herbicides.

Her choice, however, won’t prevent chemical exposure to her innocent young ones at parks, playgrounds, roadsides, school yards, or by drift from her neighbors’ lawns. Our children are routinely put at risk.

Some spraying is necessary to control the spread of noxious invaders. But the routine application of herbicides without warning signs is negligent.

Perhaps no signs are posted in parks and along roadsides because it costs too much or would make the public worry unnecessarily. After all, the big chemical company says it’s safe.

Humans have lived with nature’s toxins for eons. The man-made chemical revolution is new. We have very little knowledge of the human immune system’s response to this chemical assault, especially on growing children.

What we are learning is frightening. Many counties have banned or strictly control the use of these substances.

Weeds won’t be totally controlled. We can poison the Inland Northwest until everyone chokes and dies - and the weeds will endure.

The impact of noxious weeds can be mitigated without putting ourselves at risk. Denial of the dangers of herbicides won’t help. Think about the innocent young children you may be putting at risk. Mike Lee Bayview, Idaho

Meet Our Journalists

Jesse Tinsley

Meet Jesse Tinsley. As a certified drone pilot, this veteran Spokesman-Review photographer often can be seen capturing beautiful aerial photographs of our region. Sometimes though, the job requires getting down with the dogs.
Jim Meehan

Jim Meehan is no stranger to Zag Nation. As the lead writer covering the Gonzaga men’s basketball team, he tells the stories behind the game and gets fans a bit closer to their favorite players.
Molly Quinn

There is no artist in Spokane like Molly Quinn. Her whimsical style is instantly recognizable to readers of The Spokesman-Review. She has painted gorgeous illustrations that instantly elevate the journalism accompanying it. She brings to life the stories that defy photography. She makes our pages better.
Rob Curley

Spokesman-Review editor Rob Curley loves to talk with people and learn about their lives, whether it's a best-selling author or a stranger he meets downtown on his walk to lunch. It's that inquisitive nature combined with a playful sense of storytelling that helps make our newspaper different than most.