“How can I be the wrong Alice, when this is my dream?” Alice Kingsly was a very distracted girl, she thought of six impossible things before breakfast. This movie will surprise, confuse and amaze you.

Occupying 327,000 acres to the north and east of Selah, Yakima Training (Firing) Center wants to first and foremost be a good neighbor and partner with our local community. Periodically I’ll update readers on what’s going on at the training center, and also address any of your issues and concerns.
Some of you may have read recently that two of our large military bases in Puget Sound have merged. Fort Lewis and McChord Air Force Base, as part of the 2005 Base Realignment and Closure Commission’s recommendations, officially became Joint Base Lewis-McChord (JBLM) on February 1st. It is now one of the largest bases in our military. Yakima Training Center (YTC) is a sub-installation of JBLM. What does that mean for us, and for you? Right now, we don’t expect any change in our mission, in who trains at YTC, and the frequency of that training. Our customers and our support to those customers, our service members, remain unchanged.

Because Richland is home to the only nuclear power plant in the Pacific Northwest, those of us who live here in Central Washington know that nuclear power is a safe, efficient and non-carbon emitting source of energy.  As part of an all-of-the-above energy solution, building more emissions-free nuclear energy means good-paying jobs and reliable electricity.

Earlier in the month Selah Police Chief Stacy Dwarshuis gave me the opportunity to write an article for the paper. I was told I could write about anything I wanted. Now, I have no delusions of winning the Pulitzer prize award for my work here, but I do want to talk about a select group of people who deserve to win a prize. You see, there really is (and never was, for that matter) any other topic I would rather write about then reserve police officers.

In a dark foggy night in the Big Apple as you cast your fishing pole in the polluted delta where the Hudson River meets the East river just outside in the New York harbor you realize that the giant shadow 50 yards away is not the shadow of the fish of your lifetime. It is a man, albeit he’s oh… 80 or so feet of raw muscle still with a heart the size of the pick-up truck you used to get there. Then imagine you’re a really old guy who’s probably suffered a stroke or two.

Wednesday December 6, 1973: Susie Salmon, a fourteen year old girl from Pennsylvania, was walking home from school when she was confronted by her neighbor Mr. Hanley. She was then invited to the clubhouse he had built underground. After a few minutes of awkward conversations Susie tried to escape the clubhouse but didn’t succeed. Soon after, Susie was murdered and her lifeless body was stuffed in a bag and shoved into a safe. Every night he would stare at the safe replaying that night in his head. Soon after the murder Susie’s dad Jack, who was desperately looking for clues to her murder, found film from her camera. After several months of looking for Susie the police gave up all searches. Even though Susie was dead she still hadn’t passed into heaven, Susie was determined to help her family find her murderer. Will she help her parents successfully solve the murder?

“Let me show you how much I’ve enjoyed it.” The captivating film of “Sherlock Holmes” is sure to be one of the top films of the year as it kept me drilled to my notepad leaving me no time to rest as I hear the audience taking in deep gasps of breath every time there was a fight. Turn, or twist of events. This spine tingling movie intrigues me to read the novels of Sherlock to find out how the old character compares to this new superb character.

The Selah School District Board of Directors authorized a Replacement Levy Election, with mail-in ballots due by Tuesday, Feb. 9, 2010.  This operating fund levy is often called a replacement levy because it replaces the levy that expires at the end of 2010.  The levy is also referred to as a Maintenance and Operations levy since the funds are used to maintain and operate current programs.  Replacement Levy funds cannot be used for construction or modernization of schools.  Only Capital Project Bonds can be used for that purpose.  Remember, levies support “learning” and bonds fund “buildings.”

After reviewing the movie "Old Dogs,” I walked away very surprised with the quality and comedy of the movie. My favorite part is when Dan (Robin Williams) is making a life-changing decision of staying with his newfound children, or closing the business deal of a lifetime. Dan bends down and whispers to his kids, "I know you want me to be a superhero, but I'm not. I'm just a guy in marketing.”

The Selah Fire Department celebrated 70 years of service to the greater Selah community at our weekly fire drill on Wednesday, Jan. 13, 2010. The members met for their annual State of the Union address from their Chief Officers, and had a birthday cake decorated with a large department logo made at the local Save-On-Foods bakery.