Letters for April 6

Our 5th District

The fifth District of Washington is Red. I get that. But can we find just one Republican who can replace Baumgartner and truly represent the people and our ideals in Eastern Washington? Someone with ethics, integrity, courage and who fully understands, supports and will defend the Constitution and the rule of law. A person who the current administration would call an out-of-step “Reagan Republican” or RINO or traitor.

Please. I beg you. Step up.

Doug Kaer

Spokane

Protect our girls

The WIAA Representative Assembly has a vote soon about changing the rules allowing transgender athletes to participate in girls’ sports. A recent article (“WIAA says vote to ban transgender athletes would violate state law,” April 2) suggests the WIAA shouldn’t pass this because nothing will change anyway because they can’t go against state law.

By passing the rule change on transgender athletes, even if it doesn’t change anything, the state will be put on notice that this is not OK. Go watch one sport where this is happening, and you will see why it is unfair. As a local coach, I have to watch girls navigate this weekly because adults won’t do the right thing.

One argument for this being allowed is that there aren’t very many transgender athletes. That is not an argument. If there is one girl affected, it is too many.

Washington allowed this starting in 2007. At that time, hormone or surgery was needed. A group of 10 people decided that wasn’t fair, and they changed that rule. All it takes to get into girls’ sports is you identify as a girl.

The state and WIAA need to do the right thing. The public is seeing what is happening, and they don’t like it. Our next step is to fight this at the state level. Think of that precious granddaughter or your daughter or your niece and protect them! They deserve to be in their own sports.

The government works for us! Not the other way around. It is time to get back to that. Please start speaking!

Dori Whitford

Chattaroy

Thorpe Road ponderosa peril

One step thinking again imperils our ponderosa, Spokane’s official tree. Our city was built with ponderosa wood and then burned down leaving few old growth trees. Trees that mitigate rain and snowstorm flooding, gather smoke and dust particles improving our air quality while providing shade to reduce the heat islands in and outside of town.

Limited access to Highway 195 is already a concern only to be increased if the Thorpe Road project is allowed to eliminate one of the few natural spaces that remain.

Here we go again sacrificing another stand of ponderosa for houses with inadequate infrastructure even for existing homes. In the current era, there seems to be no limit to stupid decisions affecting our future.

Carrie Anderson

Spokane

Defunding of cancer research and care

My friend has been courageously battling leukemia for three years. Much of her treatment has been at the Fred Hutch Cancer Center in Seattle, which is globally recognized for its cancer care and research center.

But now, the White House administration has taken steps to drastically reduce funding from National Institute of Health by almost $6 billion that allows cancer research and treatment centers like Fred Hutch to improve outcomes for cancer patients. This is critical for Fred Hutch because 85% of its funding for research is federally funded.

I was really upset when I learned of this impending defunding of Fred Hutch. I asked my friend what she would do now to find the treatment she so critically needs. She replied that she had not yet figured just how this will impact the care she got at Fred Hutch and the University of Washington Medical Center, but she was even more concerned about the defunding of critical research that results in more effective medications, treatments and cures for many kinds of cancer, which are being negatively impacted by the defunding of cancer centers all across the country.

Things you can do:

Write to your representatives and let them know what a drastic impact such cuts will have on cancer care, research and future cures.

We can’t just sit back and allow this kind of harm to come to our fellow Americans. And who knows when you or I might need the kind of care the Fred Hutch Cancer Center provides?

Jo Stowell

Spokane

Thank you and hang in there, Spokesman-Review

We recently received a note saying that your subscription rates were going up a bit. Brace yourself for my reaction: I am happy to pay that! In the past 35 years, your paper has been a model of local journalism. You have insisted on informing the public, especially about abuses of power; your steadiness has resulted in a bit more justice in our world.

Your paper provides thoughtful analysis from all over our country. The “Further Review” page never fails to fascinate. The “100 Years Ago” column provides helpful perspective. And your local coverage continues. If I may single out one of your excellent reporters/columnists, Ammi Midstokke never ceases to amaze me. Her writing is superb, as is her ability to meld the outdoors, morality, wisdom and humor. She is a gem!

We all know how hard it is for local, independent journalism to survive. Thank you and hang in there.

Monique C. Lillard

Moscow

Spokesman-Review needs political diversity

Over the past decades, I have watched The Spokesman-Review progressively downsize.

Both in content and even the very physical size of the paper. This is not unique to our local paper. The advent of the internet and podcasts, get the news out first. Craigslist and online advertising have hijacked a major source of newspaper revenue. I remember a decade ago, Spokesman writer Doug Clark saying that he could fire a cannon across the city room and not hit anyone. Wonder what it looks like now?

Additionally, the editorial content seems to be committed to alienating more than half their readership by offering only predominately left-wing political perspective. A suicidal tactic in an extremely competitive market.

Spokesman management, if you want to survive a few more years, hire some conservative editors. A one-sided viewpoint makes for a boring paper. It needs some editorial fireworks.

Dave Barker

Spokane