Newhouse visits Moses Lake egg facility, discusses fed budget
JOEL MARTIN | Hagadone News Network | UPDATED 2 years, 6 months AGO
Jim Dean, CEO of Versova, parent company of Willamette Egg Farms, cuts the ceremonial ribbon at the company’s expanding Moses Lake facility, flanked by CFO Matthew Dean, left, and Rep. Dan Newhouse, R-Washington, right, and surrounded by Willamette Egg Farms personnel and Moses Lake Chamber of Commerce members.
JOEL MARTIN/COLUMBIA BASIN HERALD
U.S. Rep. Dan Newhouse talks with Versoval Chief Financial Officer Matthew Dean, left, and Chief Executive Officer Jim Dean at Willamette Egg Farms’ Moses Lake facility Tuesday.
Joel Martin has been with the Columbia Basin Herald for more than 25 years in a variety of roles and is the most-tenured employee in the building. Martin is a married father of eight and enjoys spending time with his children and his wife, Christina. He is passionate about the paper’s mission of informing the people of the Columbia Basin because he knows it is important to record the history of the communities the publication serves. | February 27, 2024 6:32 PM
MOSES LAKE — Rep. Dan Newhouse, R-Wash., was in town Tuesday for a ribbon-cutting at Willamette Egg Farms’ expanding Moses Lake facility and to chat with community members about what’s happening in Congress.
“I so hate to put a pall on a happy day, but I’ve got to be in Washington, D.C. tomorrow morning,” Newhouse said.
The reason, he explained, is that the battle over the federal budget in the House Appropriations Committee, on which Newhouse serves, is threatening to lead to a government shutdown. If a compromise isn’t reached by Saturday, Newhouse said, a partial government shutdown will occur, and a week later, the whole government could close.
“I've been through several government shutdowns, and it ends up costing us money,” he said. “It’s very hard on a lot of people that depend on the government to come through with veterans or Social Security benefits – a lot of different things. People like to curse the government, but it does perform some functions.”
Besides partisan wrangling over how much money to spend, this year’s budget is affected by foreign events, including military actions in Ukraine and Israel.
“Russia invading Ukraine is a direct threat to not only European countries and members of NATO, but to the United States, and democracy in the world,” he said. “So it's absolutely imperative that we do all we can.”
China’s threats against Taiwan are very real as well, he added.
Matthew Dean, chief financial officer of Versova, Willamette Farms’ parent company, asked Newhouse for his thoughts on the farm bill.
“We're asking, over on the Republican side, to try to utilize some of the money that was invested through COVID spending packages and repurpose that for farm bill purposes,” Newhouse responded. “As you can imagine, the other side doesn’t like that much.”
Jim Dean, founder and CEO of Versova, said research into avian flu should be a priority in agricultural legislation.
“Losing birds to avian influenza is no benefit for anybody,” Jim Dean said. “It's bad all around. It’s bad for the consumer, paying higher prices; it’s bad for the producer it’s bad for the corn farmer that’s selling that corn to (feed) that chicken … We don't want to have to euthanize those birds. It's psychologically hard on people to have to euthanize those birds and dispose of the animals that they're taking care of. They spend their lives making sure those birds are taken care of properly, and then they have to euthanize, it makes a psychological impact.”
Newhouse is currently running for reelection against fellow Republican Jerrod Sessler. Voters are encouraged to review both candidates' platforms and positions on important issues before casting their ballots.
U.S. Rep. Dan Newhouse talks with Versoval Chief Financial Officer Matthew Dean, left, and Chief Executive Officer Jim Dean at Willamette Egg Farms’ Moses Lake facility Tuesday.ARTICLES BY JOEL MARTIN
Quincy National Night Out scales down
QUINCY — Quincy’s National Night Out was more compact this year, which worked out well, said QPD Sgt. Joe Westby, who’s in charge of event planning for the Quincy Police Department. “National Night Out is a big event, and the fact that we’re able to shrink it up is like a breath of fresh air,” Westby said. “If you're always doing the same thing, it's kind of nice to switch things up and see how it works.” National Night Out took place Thursday on the block of C Street next to the police station, a shift from previous years when it was held at Lauzier Park. The smaller space meant fewer emergency vehicles for children to explore, but it also meant less walking for attendees. Grant County Fire District 5 brought a fire truck, and the Grant County Sheriff’s Office had a patrol boat. Renew, the Grant County behavioral health agency, had a booth and so did Quincy Partnership for Youth. Veterans Operation Creation sang the national anthem, and the Quincy Animal Shelter brought kittens that piled over each other making friends with passersby. As before, the QPD served grilled hot dogs.
Quincy Police retirements leave big shoes to fill
QUINCY — There are some big shoes to fill at the Quincy Police Department. “We’re losing 48 years of experience between them,” Quincy Police Chief Ryan Green said at the retirement party for Capt. Jorge Trujillo and Det. Damon Powell Thursday. Trujillo, who grew up in Sunnyside, has been with QPD for 19 years, he said, coming on as a patrol officer fresh out of the military. From there he served as a field training officer, a detective and finally captain. “I consider him my left-hand man,” Green said. “He runs the operations side of the house … He knows the agency very well, and he knows the community.” Trujillo has some projects around the house to tackle now that he’s retired, he said.
Big fun on a small scale
Wheat Land Communities’ Fair opens Thursday
RITZVILLE — The Wheat Land Communities’ Fair isn’t as big or as flashy as some of the county fairs around central Washington, but the folks who keep it going like it just the way it is. “It’s somewhere you can go and get an old-time traditional feeling, and you’re comfortable letting your kids roam the grounds and experience all that it has to offer,” said Board Member Lori Williams. “It’s more of a feeling than (one) specific thing,” The fair starts Thursday in Ritzville and runs through Sunday. Starting Friday, the 56th Ritzville Rodeo will take place alongside the fair at the rodeo grounds. This year the entertainment budget was expanded, Williams said, to be able to offer more fun that’s covered by the cost of admission. For the kids, there’s face painting, balloon art, Lego crafts, races, contests and games. Children can also ride on a little train towed around the fairgrounds behind a tractor.