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Cornell Clayton: “The Towering Man from Spokane”

By Cornell W. Clayton, professor of political science and director of the Thomas S. Foley Institute for Public Policy and Public Service at Washington State University

Cornell Clayton.
Clayton

Tom Foley would have turned 90 today. What he would have thought about last week’s hearings in the House Oversight Committee? Donald Trump’s former lawyer, Michael Cohen, called the president a racist, a con man and a cheat, and acknowledged he had been directed to pay off a porn star during the 2016 election.

No one seemed fazed. No one said “Have you no decency?” Not to Cohen, the president, or misbehaving members of Congress. Foley, who cherished Congress, surely would have agreed with committee Chairman Elijah Cummings, who gaveled the meeting closed saying “we are better than this. We really are. As a country, we are so much better than this.”

Tom Foley devoted his life to public service, starting in the state attorney general’s office, as a staffer to Sen. Henry “Scoop” Jackson, and then for 30 years representing Washington’s 5th Congressional District in the House, followed by service as ambassador to Japan and chair of the Trilateral Commission.

It’s impossible to list all that Foley accomplished while serving the people of Eastern Washington. A master at bipartisan cooperation, he passed legislation for family medical leave, AmeriCorps and food stamp programs, as well as other programs reducing hunger and protecting the elderly. He brought millions of research dollars to the region’s universities, leading to the development of new crops, healthier farming techniques and a burgeoning wine industry in our state. Foley obtained funding to build crucial highways and infrastructure across Eastern Washington, and was a driving force behind many Spokane landmarks such as Riverfront Park and the University District.

Foley was a warm, affable man. But the dignity with which he treated his office was no accident of temperament. It grew from his belief in the nobility of government service itself. He believed Congress could do good, that public service was a privilege, and honoring your office required respecting others, including those with whom you disagreed.

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The Spokesman Review

Badger mountain may be home to a future landslide

Geologists at Washington State University, Tri-Cities have been looking into landslides throughout the area and found there could be a possibility of one at Badger Mountain.

Stephen Reidel.
Reidel

Stephen Reidel and Karl Fecht have been following the landslide activity for almost 40 years.

The two have been following the landslide on Rattlesnake Ridge for over a year now and that slide is still moving at just over a half a foot each week.

“These ridges are giant fault zones rocks have been broken up as the ridge grew,” Reidel said.

But both say there may be a possibility of a landslide in the Tri-cities at Badger Mountain due to it’s history.

They said that over 10,000 years ago landslides did happen on the mountain as the Earth shifted and glacier ice accumulated.

With houses being developed on the mountain and the increase in water supply, a chance of a landslide is more likely.

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NBC Right Now

Does CBD Work for Pain Relief?

While the scientific research behind CBD for pain relief is still lacking, what we do know is very promising. Believe it or not, marijuana has been used to treat pain as far back as 2900 B.C. More recently, scientists have started to discover that specific compounds found in marijuana, including CBD, are to thank for its pain-relieving effects.

Many studies suggest that how CBD works to relieve pain all comes down to the brain. Essentially it boils down to neurotransmitters in the brain. One theory is that it desensitizes a certain receptor that is known to be involved in pain – the TRPV1. This is the receptor that creates a kind of burning sensation of pain that you could feel from something like nerve damage. This is one particular type of pain that CBD could affect, and one which researchers are trying to learn more about.

Rebecca Craft.
Rebecca Craft

There is plenty of anecdotal proof when it comes to CBD and pain relief. Thus researchers have often focused on figuring out if that’s because of the placebo effect, says Rebecca M. Craft, professor of psychology and the director of the Experimental Psychology Doctoral Program at Washington State University

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Salon

WSU scores big at 2019 Lionel Hampton Jazz Festival

WSU Jazz Big BandWSU music student soloists and ensembles won several first place awards at the 2019 Lionel Hampton Jazz Festival this past weekend in Moscow, Idaho.

Ensemble winners include WSU Jazz Big Band I, and WSU combos: Jazz Wires and God’s Harmony. Student solo winners include Raul Blanco, piano; Brandt Fisher, tenor saxophone; Joel Roeber, guitar and Outstanding Soloist, Adam Hureau, clarinet.

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WSU Insider

Yasinitsky composition JEN-TEN premiered by All Star Big Band

Greg Yasinitsky.Greg Yasinitsky’s commissioned big band piece “JEN-TEN,” written in honor of the 10th anniversary of the Jazz Education Network, was premiered at the keynote session of the 2019 international JEN Conference in January.

It was performed by the JEN All Star Big Band with Yasinitsky, a WSU Regents professor, conducting, and featured some of the most acclaimed musicians in the world.

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WSU Insider