It must have been an agreeable task for the Columbia Basin College presidential search committee.

Spring is (finally) in the air and the close of the school year is drawing near.

David Webster is finally back where he belongs: prison.

Let's all get high -- again.

Are you one of the thousands of climbers on Badger Mountain during any week?

The bipartisan energy bill signed three years ago by President Bush has been off to a slow start.

The governor blew it.

Before our eyes, Earth is now showing obvious signs of buckling under the weight of humankind.

It is clear the current administration supports the promotion of democracy throughout the world as a moral idea.

As Dino Rossi has campaigned for governor around Eastern Washington, he always has been quick to bring up the proverbial "Cascade Curtain," the metaphorical divide that so seemingly splits Washington state politically.

I agree with Jim Stoffels (In Focus, April 27) that President Bush and his advisers did not prepare for winning the war in Iraq.

After reading the column by Richard Barrett and Thomas Power on Monday's Voices page, I first must admit that I'm not especially qualified to agree or disagree with their fundamental position on the need for reducing CO2 generation.

It was May 1, 2003, when President Bush appeared on the deck of the aircraft carrier USS Abraham Lincoln under the banner proclaiming "Mission Accomplished." Only a couple months later, U.S. troops - who were predicted to go home quickly - were stuck in an escalating, unconventional guerrilla war. It was way back then that the term "quagmire" was applied to the president's war of aggression in Iraq.

Jason Kintner evaluates Barack Obama's speech concerning the Rev. Jeremiah Wright's sermon (In Focus, April 13). Kintner's conclusions, I believe, are based upon some rather serious misunderstandings, and demand a response.

KABUL, Afghanistan In Afghan areas where the international aid groups fear to tread, the National Solidarity Program (NSP) is one of the country's most successful development initiatives. The community-led approach to reconstruction and to rural infrastructure has made achievements in empowering local people, strengthening democracy, and increasing faith in the Afghan government. Yet it risks being underfunded.

Lawsuits are not the best way to force the public into solving planet-size problems such as climate change. In most cases, political consensus - as Al Gore is trying to achieve - brings the most fitting solutions. But the environmentalists who sued on behalf of polar bears likely knew that and shouldn't be surprised at what their suit has wrought.

WASHINGTON Ron Paul and his 1 million supporters aren't going away. And that's probably a good thing for America's future.

The 2001-2002 economic crash in Argentina remains a landmark moment in this South American nation, always in the back of people's minds, as in "Could it happen again?" and "Should I be getting ready for the next one?"

The video game "Grand Theft Auto IV" arrived in stores April 29, accompanied by the usual outrage. The new game is part of a series in which players control a villain and guide him through a life of crime. Players are rewarded for stealing cars, murdering civilians, killing police officers, and other acts of mayhem.