Next week this newspaper will celebrate the first anniversary of publication – launched July 4, 2007 – the Selah Independent is here to stay.

With all the talk of “change” we’ve been hearing for what seems like forever, already, and we’ve still got five months to go, some of you may have been wondering what kind of “change,” specifically, was being talked about. If so, you’ll be glad to know I’ve unearthed some specifics, and significant ones, at that, if you agree that our foreign policy is significant.

I know there are lots of people who think this country is great because of government. There are lots of others who think it’s great because of the people who live here, because of their individual initiative and a willingness to struggle and strive in search of achievement. I’ll concede there are some things government is sometimes reasonably good at. For example, many members of Congress are pretty fair at getting themselves re-elected term after term, whether they deserve it or not.

If you’ve been worried about having enough to eat, you’ll be relieved to know that scientists have decided that there’s an easy answer to deal with any potential shortage of food. Eat insects. We’re told that the little critters are “delicious” with the right recipe, and they’re rich in nutrients. And in addition to keeping us healthy, some scientists say eating bugs would help keep the planet healthy, by offering a way to “put less strain on increasingly scarce resources.” They said lots of people around the world eat bugs routinely, and some are considered delicacies. The bugs, that is.

There is an old saying that the two things certain in life are death and taxes.  Sometimes those two converge. 

This weekend, you’ll have the opportunity to see history in the making. Or maybe I should say history in the painting, but history, nonetheless.
And interestingly, that’s true literally, because some very talented and hard-working people will be painting about a historic event, and true figuratively, because those people will also be creating something that will be a historic event in its own right. Don’t be surprised, though, if you come down to watch it happen before your very eyes and you don’t have much company.

I know it’s a presidential election year, and I know I should expect to hear more rhetoric than usual, but I’ve heard some stuff this year that is a little – no, way more than a little – over the top.

In the wake of an earlier column about our state rejecting a $13.2 million education grant, people are asking, “What is going wrong in Washington?” Why was Washington the only state of seven to reject funding to improve math and science learning for public school students in advanced placement programs?

Have you ever wondered what could happen to the economy of the Evergreen State if the good folks in Olympia spent as much time and money encouraging Washingtonians to find new ways to improve their personal finances as they do encouraging them to buy Lotto tickets?

And so it is in the newspaper world.

For example, on April 23, I wrote a story about Selah Police Officer, Scott Boyd. When I laid out the second part of the story on the last page, I accidentally cut off three words. Not a lot, but enough to upset some readers.