Latest news with #JoelMartinez
Yahoo
a day ago
- Politics
- Yahoo
Richland Council, leave trans student policy to the schools
The May 6 Richland City Council meeting included discussion of whether the mayor should sign a letter about trans participation in school sports. Although the City Council has absolutely no authority over education policies, they felt that addressing a matter outside the sway of city government was worthy of extended public comment and pontificating from the mayor. Whether one agrees or disagrees with the letter is immaterial; signing it is not good governance. Good governance is about competence, not ideology. Sitting on their platform expressing personal opinions about issues other than those directly impacted by their actions is simply an effort to impose values on our community. This is not a council member's job, and it is not a privilege of their job. But the Richland City Council is not alone; the Kennewick and Pasco councils have also wasted time and energy discussing and signing the letter. I am shocked at how easily our local officials can be manipulated. Watching them so eagerly jump to engage in useless performative governing over a 'dog-whistle' issue outside their control is disappointing and embarrassing. Council members, stick to your job. Marie Noorani, Richland First of all, a huge thank you to Jeff Morrow for acknowledging our Tri-Cities high school golfers. These athletes work so hard, and they love the recognition from the Tri-City Herald! We personally have printed off articles as a keepsake for both of our kids in past years. I noticed Joel Martinez with Chiawana was mentioned in the article, but Beyora King and Moira Laird with Chiawana were not mentioned. Like Joel Martinez, Moira and Beyora also qualified as individuals for the state tournament in DuPont, with Moira Laird shooting an 89 on day one, which qualified her for day two, where she shot a 91. After factoring in all of the tied scores, this placed Moira in a two-way tie for 21st in a field of 116 golfers across the state. Both of these Chiawana Lady Riverhawks have had outstanding seasons, with Beyora King (a senior) making the MCC All-Conference First Team, and Moira Laird (a junior) making MCC All-Conference Second Team. These golfers definitely deserve to be acknowledged along with their peers. Thank you for your time, and thank you again for acknowledging student-athletes. Ashley Laird, Pasco According to Morning Joe analyst Steve Rattner, the 'Big Beautiful Bill' passed by House Republicans will deliver a 3.7% increase in after-tax dollars to the top 10%. The average bottom 10% American will lose $800 because the tax relief is so small and the loss of safety net benefits so large. The 60% in the middle won't feel much difference either way. The cuts to Medicaid and food stamps in the bill are historically large, but it still would increase the deficit by $3.8 trillion. Rattner also says that if the 2017 tax cuts were allowed to expire only on those Americans making over $500,000 annually, it would save $1.1 trillion over 10 years. That would be enough to pay for the Medicaid and food stamps that the 'BBB' cuts. The GOP pretends that tax cuts that exclude the very wealthy are liberal extremism though. The bill was hastily passed in the wee hours without the normal process of evaluation. Rep. Dan Newhouse voted yes and claims to be proud of it, but really? The hot mess will next be considered by the Senate where even the Republicans reportedly think it stinks, but nobody's betting on their integrity. Greg Carl, Richland I was hopeful but not naïve about Rep. Dan Newhouse. But it still hurt when he lied outright to us about not cutting Medicaid. That was a lie. What made it worse than lying was that he exulted and reveled in the lie. He was untruthful with us before, but in a typical misleading way. This was not that. His trumpeting of the lie as something good and great made it so much worse and mean-spirited than anything before. That hurt. His vote was cruel but also wasteful. This budget bill does not reduce the deficit but gives more money to rich Americans by removing an estimated 9 million poorer Americans from insurance. Apparently, in Republican land, this is to be trumpeted as a great accomplishment. Cruelty and incompetence are celebrated. Poorer Americans are kicked to the curb, richer Americans are undertaxed and the deficit grows. To Newhouse, this is great news. In Republican-speak, the deficit is reduced and waste, fraud and abuse are addressed. None of which is true. But Republicans today, and now Newhouse, do not deal in truth. They deal in falsehoods, lies and cruelty. Never again, Newhouse. And shame on you. I am done with you. Chuck Henager, Kennewick
Yahoo
11-04-2025
- Health
- Yahoo
Community supports Chicopee Police officer battling cancer
CHICOPEE, Mass. (WWLP) – A fundraiser for a local frontline worker Thursday night, battling cancer. Chicopee Police Officer Joel Martinez was diagnosed with cancer more than a year ago. Family, friends, and local officers from across the region gathered at the Elks Lodge in Chicopee for a benefit dinner. More than 125 tickets were sold at the event to help support his treatments. Travis Odiorne with the Chicopee Police Department told 22News, 'It's always great to show that the community comes together to support us when we need it we do a lot for the community and it reinforces the fact that we need it cuz they always come out to support us when we need it.' A donation page has also been set up to help Officer Martinez. WWLP-22News, an NBC affiliate, began broadcasting in March 1953 to provide local news, network, syndicated, and local programming to western Massachusetts. Watch the 22News Digital Edition weekdays at 4 p.m. on Copyright 2025 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.
