Port board needs to slow down
As a proponent of alternate energy, and because I’m part of the farm community in Whitman County I think it would be great to have a canola biodiesel facility nearby. But the proposed location is not acceptable for Pullman residents because of the odor associated with canola processing and spill, and because the property should remain residential to address Pullman’s housing needs.
Agtech OS claims their plant won’t smell bad because: 1. They will process indoors with HVAC; 2. They will have four products (?); and, 3. “Our (Palouse) canola doesn’t stink”. To my knowledge, this would be the first canola facility ever without an offensive odor — even “pleasant smelling” according to AgTech OS.
Much venture capital is being poured into AgTech startups. The goal is often to establish small businesses that are sold to larger companies resulting in handsome profits for the initial investors. Vittera — the plant in Warden, started as a partnership between the port district, with a loan from Washington state, and “agtech” partner Glencore. Sound familiar? The plant was sold within seven years to Vittera.
I would like the Port of Whitman to pursue a location away from residential areas and close to rail and water. Our governor is very supportive of such projects and I don’t buy into the reasons provided by the port board that we had to rush to grab funds. One thing I heard the port board chair repeat after being grilled about past failures was “we did what we did with the information we had at the time.” Port board members, slow down. Get the information that you need so that you don’t make poor decisions on taxpayers’ behalf. Listen to what the community wants and needs and be wary of sales pitches by those who may just be passing through.
Mary Hoffman
Colton
Firing squad not the answer
Right now Idaho legislators are considering a bill that would reinstate the firing squad as a method of execution here in Idaho. I am against this bill, and would encourage my fellow Idahoans to contact their legislators and express their opposition.
Although I agree that the brutal crimes of some are certainly worthy of death, I think we would be wise to consider that murderers are not the only casualty of an execution.
The firing squad is an incredibly brutal scene. I can personally attest to this. As a veteran U.S. Army combat medic, I am intimately familiar with the effects of a lethal gunshot. The trauma of these execution scenes is evident: South Carolina was forced to put a trough beneath the execution site to collect the inmates’ pooling blood. Utah draped their execution chamber in black to hide the splattering blood. This trauma will be experienced first hand by our corrections officers.
A recent story by NPR found that corrections officers who participate in executions are very likely to experience post-traumatic stress disorder and the aftereffects of this trauma. If this is true for traditional executions (lethal injections) how much more so for a firing squad? Is the Idaho legislature really asking these men and women to do the unthinkable … put a bullet in another human being’s chest?
Colton Bennett
Moscow
A shameful Pullman proposal
We have lived in Pullman for 30 years and take pride in the development of our city during this time. We have never written a public letter until now when it appears that our elected representatives have forgotten to be straight with their constituents.
It is a shame that the Port of Whitman County commissioners could only find a company as far away as Connecticut (AgTech OS) to subsidize with their Community Economic Revitalization Board loan funds. They are selling the concept by showing videos of the very successful Port of Whitman County Industrial Park in Pullman without mentioning that the companies there are all home-grown, some having germinated in Washington State University research laboratories. In fact, WSU and the University of Idaho are a prominent part of the port commission hype, although on questioning, it turns out the local universities have nothing to do with and will not benefit from this plant.
It is even more astounding that the WSU assistant vice-president in charge of commercializing WSU research is the designated pitchman for this Connecticut technology at public meetings. One must presume that such a role has been approved by the WSU leadership even though WSU is among the world leaders in biodiesel research. WSU, the largest employer in Pullman, has not taken a public stance on this plant proposal whereas SEL has already strongly opposed this idea both on procedural and material grounds.
It is a shame that this whole proposal has been developed in secrecy and the Pullman residents were shocked last week that they will be living next door to a biodiesel factory. It beggars belief that the Pullman City Council was unaware of this plan and the strong protests now from their constituents have so far been met with a deafening silence.
Francy and Anjan Bose
Pullman
Here’s your freedom march
The Klu Klux Klan used to sneak at night under sheets and dunce caps, oppressing minorities; now they post anonymously. Several Pullman businesses have suffered discriminatory attacks, but were afraid to go on record — except one.
Three years ago, Maria and Esteban Ferrer opened Luisabella Beauty in Pullman. In the spirit of, “I pledge allegiance to liberty and justice for all”, she opened her shop to everyone, including all ethnicities, races, genders, members of the LGBTQ+ community, etc. Shortly thereafter, the state of Washington was notified that the salon was operating without a license, despite the fact that it was fully licensed.
She advertised that she had hired a Black barber. Within 15 minutes she received eight emails saying, “Why are you bringing Black people and their crime to Pullman? Shame on you.” We’ll deal with this Confederate propaganda in another letter.
The online KKK reported her to the providers of online services for having “nudity and explicitly sexual content,” while flagging nothing more than Halloween-inspired fingernails and an eyelash photo. One lost soul complained that it was “the worst salon that she had ever gone to, and it was overpriced,” then she destroyed her nails and posted a picture on Facebook Marketplace. They posted so many complaints and reports that Luisabella Beauty’s social media providers deactivated the accounts through which the Ferrers had advertised and communicated with her clientele, according to reporter Josie Goodrich’s report in the Daily Evergreen, Jan. 26-Feb. 1. These KKK are not nice people.
Luisabella Beauty is at 755 South Grand Ave. They are: a nail expert, a braider, a makeup artist, and a barber. Wouldn’t it be satisfying if the better folk in Pullman were to turn out en masse to support Luisabella; and liberty and justice for all? For those who want to participate in American history, here’s your freedom march.
Wiley Hollingsworth
Pullman
