Our take on the news

Is it surprising just how much innovation is required to build a community, or a school? Learning that some 4,000 concrete blocks will build a retaining wall for the new school site, one is tempted to draw analogies to the building blocks of community.

As we enter fire season, remember to be careful out there. I don’t ever want to see fire descending the hillsides around town again, as we did last year, but I’m afraid we may yet again in our lifetimes. Yes, our climate is changing; it’s obvious. A firefighter who has been in that business since the mid-1970s remarked to me recently that back then what was considered a major fire around here consumed about 1,500 acres or more. Now they’re not big until they get to the 20,000-acre mark.

We hope the new (possibly ground-breaking) collaboration between Elmer City and the Colville Tribal Police Department goes well. Elmer City residents deserve police protection but have been dependent on the county sheriff on the other side of the mountain for years.

Scott Hunter

editor and publisher