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Opinion > Column

Sue Lani Madsen: Need the right metrics to steer response to Spokane’s dual housing crises

UPDATED: Wed., March 22, 2023

Somewhere in the drive for more housing and more affordable housing, Spokane is losing its way, according to Realtors, builders and landlords. Spokane is finally on the right track with new tenant-landlord ordinances and higher impact fees to pay for infrastructure for an expanding city, according to some City Council members and tenant advocates.

Opinion > Column

Sean V. O’Brien: Parents’ rights must be affirmed to put students first

Wed., March 22, 2023

By Sean V. O’Brien

Opinion > Column

Faith and Values: The first Buddhist principle, abstaining from taking life, meshes with vegetarian lifestyle

Mon., March 20, 2023

“Aware of the suffering caused by the destruction of life, I undertake to cultivate compassion and learn ways to protect the lives of people, animals, plants, and minerals," the principle says. "I am determined not to kill, not to let others kill, and not to condone any act of killing in the world, in my thinking, and in my way of life.”

Opinion > Column

Spin Control: Cute kids, a would-be state dinosaur and willing Legislators – only one thing is missing

Sat., March 18, 2023

Legislative sessions rarely pass without the esteemed lawmakers being asked by a group of school children to pass a law they really care about.

Opinion > Column

Dear Kiantha: Even after death, friend’s love lives on

UPDATED: Thu., March 16, 2023

Dear Kiantha,

Opinion > Column

Front Porch: Younger cat wants to spend all his lives in her presence

Thu., March 16, 2023

My husband looked distraught when I returned home after my Saturday errands.

Opinion > Column

Sue Lani Madsen: Single-party domination of Legislature denies good ideas a hearing

UPDATED: Thu., March 16, 2023

In a single party-dominated Legislature, the future of any bill is often predictable along partisan lines. The majority party controls access. It’s an easy excuse to just say there’s not enough time, or the issue is too controversial, or it won’t have enough votes to pass so why bother. Sometimes the majority just doesn’t want to talk about controversial issues challenging their version of the world. Good bills sponsored by the minority party are often denied even the courtesy of a hearing.

Opinion > Column

Book review: Ammi Midstokke’s ‘All the Things’ teaches us how to live a happy life

Wed., March 15, 2023

Ammi Midstokke is like the mythical guru living on a mountain top providing practical proverbs that steer us towards happiness.

Opinion > Column

Faith and Values: Totalitarianism and its roots in hate and fear

Mon., March 13, 2023

In time, all humans in the system will be stripped of their humanity. When we treat others as nothing more than objects to be used for the dominant group’s own purpose, then this dehumanization leads to the killing of innocent people.

Opinion > Column

Spin Control: If the results of a new Washington tax poll were a steak, it would be cooked ‘Well, duh’

Sun., March 12, 2023

You may or may not have heard of the proposed new “wealth tax.” Supporters argued during a legislative hearing last week the proposal would have strong public support based on a recent poll that suggests some two-thirds of voters would back a new tax on the “very wealthy.”

Opinion > Column

Dear Kiantha: You don’t have to stay stuck in self-sabotaging behaviors

Fri., March 10, 2023

Dear Kiantha,

Opinion > Column

Front Porch: For age, mental math often isn’t accurate

Thu., March 9, 2023

How old do you feel inside your head?

Opinion > Column

Sue Lani Madsen: Libraries are supposed to challenge us

Thu., March 9, 2023

Forget battling over book banning, focus on book adoption. The American system of government by the people needs public libraries filled with useful, entertaining and sometimes challenging or uncomfortable ideas. But which books belong in a particular library serving a particular community, and who decides?

Opinion > Column

Spin Control: With the results always ignored, Washington’s tax advisory measures may be dropped from the ballot

Sat., March 4, 2023

Washington voters were asked 38 times over the past 11 years whether they thought a tax the Legislature had passed earlier that year should be kept or repealed.

Opinion > Column

Shawn Vestal: Burgess, GU’s original All-American, also stood at the center of a fair housing case in Spokane

Fri., March 3, 2023

As the clock runs out on Frank Burgess’ scoring record at Gonzaga, it’s a good time to revisit a short but revealing chapter from his life in Spokane in the 1960s.

Opinion > Column

Dear Kiantha: Pain mother inflicted lives on after her death

Fri., March 3, 2023

Dear Kiantha,

Opinion > Column

Front Porch: One month is too small to hold all the love readers feel for libraries

Thu., March 2, 2023

It’s not February anymore, so technically Library Lovers Month is over, but I didn’t have enough space in my last column to highlight reader responses.

Opinion > Column

Sue Lani Madsen: HB 1333 and the Church of Wokeism

Thu., March 2, 2023

In a classic 1969 Monty Python sketch, a young Michael Palin bursts in on a proper British couple to announce, “Nobody expects the Spanish Inquisition!” If HB 1333 makes it to Gov. Jay Inslee’s desk, don’t be surprised to find Attorney General Bob Ferguson’s inquisitors knocking at your door.

Opinion > Column

Faith and Values: Carla Peperzak sacrifices her comfort so that others may learn of the horrors of the Holocaust

Mon., Feb. 27, 2023

A Holocaust survivor herself, Carla’s desire that we “never forget” is bone-deep. She and her immediate family were spared, but two-thirds of her family were victims of the Nazi campaign of Jewish extermination. At 19 years old, Carla joined the Dutch Resistance and saved many Jews while helping to disrupt the Nazi presence in the Netherlands.

Opinion > Column

Dear Kiantha: Drop expectations when it comes to social media and friendships

Fri., Feb. 24, 2023

Dear Kiantha,

Latest Stories

Sue Lani Madsen: Need the right metrics to steer response to Spokane’s dual housing crises

Sean V. O’Brien: Parents’ rights must be affirmed to put students first

Faith and Values: The first Buddhist principle, abstaining from taking life, meshes with vegetarian lifestyle

Spin Control: Cute kids, a would-be state dinosaur and willing Legislators – only one thing is missing

Dear Kiantha: Even after death, friend’s love lives on

Front Porch: Younger cat wants to spend all his lives in her presence

Sue Lani Madsen: Single-party domination of Legislature denies good ideas a hearing

Book review: Ammi Midstokke’s ‘All the Things’ teaches us how to live a happy life

Faith and Values: Totalitarianism and its roots in hate and fear

Spin Control: If the results of a new Washington tax poll were a steak, it would be cooked ‘Well, duh’

Dear Kiantha: You don’t have to stay stuck in self-sabotaging behaviors

Front Porch: For age, mental math often isn’t accurate

Sue Lani Madsen: Libraries are supposed to challenge us

Spin Control: With the results always ignored, Washington’s tax advisory measures may be dropped from the ballot

Shawn Vestal: Burgess, GU’s original All-American, also stood at the center of a fair housing case in Spokane

Dear Kiantha: Pain mother inflicted lives on after her death

Front Porch: One month is too small to hold all the love readers feel for libraries

Sue Lani Madsen: HB 1333 and the Church of Wokeism

Faith and Values: Carla Peperzak sacrifices her comfort so that others may learn of the horrors of the Holocaust

Dear Kiantha: Drop expectations when it comes to social media and friendships

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