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Dec. 2: Environmental ethics, waste on the Palouse discussed

Bill Kabasenche
Bill Kabasenche

The impacts and ethics of waste disposal on the Palouse will be discussed at 7 p.m. Tuesday, Dec. 2, in Todd 116 as part of the WSU Common Reading Tuesdays lecture series.

The free, public talk will be presented by professor Bill Kabasenche and five students in his environmental ethics class (Philosophy 370).

“Where does that bottle, leftover food or old laptop go when you dispose of it?” Kabasenche asks. “Our trash is out of sight but should it be out of mind? What are the ethical issues we should think about in disposing of our waste?”

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Nov. 20: Symphonic band, winds present concert

Students will participate as guest conductor and soloists during a free Symphonic Band and Symphonic Wind Ensemble concert at 8 p.m. Thursday, Nov. 20, in Bryan Hall at WSU Pullman.

Graduate student Christopher Nelson will guest conduct David Holsinger’s “Havendance.” “A Movement for Rosa” by Mark Camphouse, honoring the memory of Rosa Parks, and “Dance of the Jesters” by Peter Tchaikovsky will follow.

The evening will close with David Gillingham’s “Concertino for Four Percussion and Wind Ensemble.” It will feature four student soloists.

Details in WSU News

Nov. 19, 25: Tri-Cities art exhibit, reception showcase women

Ursa Major with Stars by artist Mary Dryburgh
Ursa Major with Stars by artist Mary Dryburgh

“Women artists from the Columbia Valley,” a month-long exhibit, will open Nov. 19 at the Art Center in the WSU Tri-Cities Consolidated Information Center, 2710 Crimson Way, Richland. A free, public reception will be at 6 p.m. Tuesday, Nov. 25.

Featuring 64 contemporary female artists, the exhibit is a broad survey of the robust talent and creativity of women working in a variety of media across the Columbia Valley area and state of Washington, said Peter Christenson, assistant professor of fine arts.

“Historically ‘women in art’ have been unfairly marginalized,” he said. “This is an opportunity to proudly support and celebrate some of the underrepresented artists in our region.”

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Company town celebrates 100 years

Laurie Mercier
Laurie Mercier

Wishram, Wash., is just one example of the communities along the Columbia River, from Coulee Dam to Astoria, Ore., that originated as company towns in the past two centuries. Wishram’s shifting fortunes as a railroad town is a familiar story for Laurie Mercier, a history professor at WSU Vancouver. She has written extensively about towns built around one company or one industry.

A lot of small company towns have struggled with reinventing themselves: logging towns, mining towns, fishing towns and even agricultural towns.

“One advantage the Pacific Northwest has over places like Pennsylvania or Ohio—the ‘Rust Belt’—is the landscape,” Mercier said. “Leavenworth (a former mining town) re-creates itself as a Bavarian village. White Salmon takes advantage of wind surfing.” In Idaho’s Silver Valley, “Kellogg is trying to become a tourist mecca through skiing.”

Learn more about company towns along the Columbia River

Jazz fest draws high school students

Area schools, musicians hold day of music, learning

Greg Yasinitsky
Greg Yasinitsky

Rich golden notes and glints of similarly colored instruments lit up Bryan Hall Theatre at WSU Pullman on Wednesday during the School of Music’s Jazz Festival Gala Concert.

The day-long music festival has taken place each autumn for at least the past 22 years, according to Greg Yasinitsky, director of both the WSU school of Music and WSU Jazz Big Band.

Yasinitsky, who founded the festival and has been with WSU for nearly 35 years, said it has changed a lot since its inception.

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