06-04-2025
Crime in Kennewick is getting out of control. Here's what we can do to push back
Why is Kennewick's crime rate so high? Why do we tolerate it? This past Sunday, my mom called me, crying — her garage had been broken into through the adjacent condo's storage room. The responding patrolman, though kind, shrugged off the incident due to lack of video footage.
This isn't his fault. Our police confront society's worst daily and endure criticism regardless of their actions. They want to help but lack empowerment from local leadership.
We must hold prosecutors, judges, city leaders and ourselves accountable. Crime will not vanish unless we take proactive steps and stop expecting police to solve all societal issues. With a potential decrease in drug supply, street prices will spike, leading to more desperate crimes — a simple matter of supply and demand. What can we do?
Secure our homes, report crimes and engage in community discussions to drive better policies and leadership. Vote for change, because current strategies are failing us.
Patrolmen, increase your presence — engage with the community, even the vagrants. Your presence deters crime and fosters safety. City leadership, Kennewick has a failing crime grade. Are you okay with this? How can we address these issues and make our community safer?
Let's start now, where we are.
Preston Trotter, Kennewick
Dear Rep. Newhouse: I am disappointed in your guest opinion piece about cuts to Medicare, Medicaid and SNAP. How dare you accuse media of 'rampant misinformation' when you yourself are engaging in misleading wordplay.
No, the budget resolution passed by the House does not specifically mention cuts to Medicaid. However, it is widely reported that the $880 billion in cuts to the Energy and Commerce committee budget over 10 years that was approved cannot be achieved without cutting Medicaid and/or Medicare!
You state that the federal government made $162 billion in improper payments last year and over half of those payments occurred in Medicare, Medicaid and SNAP. You would have to eliminate 100% of that waste every year (maybe $80 billion to the programs mentioned?) to come close to achieving that budget.
How will that be achieved with cuts to the federal workforce and firing the people responsible for identifying that waste, like inspectors general? Why don't you be honest with us about where those cuts will come from?
Likely states like Washington will have to make up much of the loss, but we are already facing a significant budget shortfall. You insult our intelligence with this column.
Nancy Krupin, Kennewick
RE: Washington's state gas tax: Is everyone paying their share to support all road and street construction and repairs? Electric/hybrid vehicles? How? Every vehicle using taxpayer-funded streets and roads should share. Please explain how this is being addressed by our elected officials in Olympia.
Dorothy Rawson, Kennewick
Democracy is messy. We zigzag left-right like a sailboat tacking against the wind, but that's okay. I try not to sweat the momentary swings.
Foreign policy, however, is a different story. It was always said, 'Politics ends at the border,' because it takes years to build international trust. Is the U.S. stable? Predictable? Do we know their priorities and values? Should we partner with them? In this regard, America has become a disaster!
Our president has declared war with nearly every ally. We'll take Greenland by any means, including the military. We want Canada to be our 51st state. We're 'taking back' the Panama Canal. All this is a nod to Putin and Xi: Bully other countries. It's what we do! Worst of all, President Trump rails against Europe and Ukraine while making new business deals with Russia!
Never mind that Putin is a lying dictator who has broken every treaty, stolen billions from his own, assassinated many political rivals, closed all free press, nightly bombs the hell out of Ukrainian apartments, and even conducts double-taps to target rescue workers. This (is what ) our president won't condemn. Who are we becoming, America? It will take years to be trusted again.
Mark Douglass, Kennewick
To: Rep. Dan Newhouse: People in the developing world are dying from loss of USAID funding. At home, a gutted NIH and CDC, combined with the loss of Medicaid, will allow pathogens to flourish.
In the absence of health care and vaccines that would have been created, Americans will die. Is the death of your constituents a MAGA cost-cutting strategy and why do you support it?
Kenneth Foreman, Kennewick
One of our cities' school boards has filed a complaint against trans women competing in sports. Today we are learning that many people who are born a specific sex, are still different from each other in physical ways (amount of testosterone, types of chromosomes, etc).
In fact, sex is more of a spectrum than we have previously thought. Therefore, we should look at transgender people and sports differently; there will always be people within our random categories that will be stronger, more flexible and faster than others because of how their bodies developed. (Also consider the way females are raised and coached compared to males.)
Safety and 'fairness' should always be considered. Therefore, instead of fighting to suppress a group of athletes, we should think outside the box and come up with a better way to separate and label our sport categories. We don't need to suppress the rights of either our cisgender or transgender female athletes if we listen to biological and social sciences.
We must see trans people as human beings, look beyond 'male vs female' systems, and realize that change is part of the human experience, in order to find a fair and safe solution.
Pat Reeve, Richland
Questions for Congressman Dan Newhouse:
Do you think the polio vaccine is dangerous?
Is Robert F. Kennedy Jr. fit to run Health and Human Services?
Do you know that tariffs are taxes on your constituents?
Do you know the continuing resolution you supported will raise the national debt by trillions of dollars?
Do you agree with President Trump that tariffs will make prices go up, but that's okay?
Are you proud that you voted to impeach President Trump? You sent a note before the 2024 election reminding my household you did so.
Richard Johnston, Richland
