Our Voice: Thumbs up, Thumbs down
Preserving Hanford history
On Nov. 10, federal officials will conduct a signing ceremony in Washington, D.C., to formally establish the Manhattan Project National Park. The park will include Hanford’s historic B Reactor and Manhattan Project facilities at Los Alamos, N.M., and Oak Ridge, Tenn.
Our world changed forever on Aug. 6, 1945, when the United States dropped the first of two atomic bombs, developed through the Manhattan Project, on the Japanese city of Hiroshima. Three days later, the second atomic bomb was dropped on Nagasaki, Japan, effectively ending World War II.
Those bombings are well documented in the annals of history for the benefit of future generations. But until now, no provisions were made to preserve the amazing story of Manhattan Project itself and the men and women who were a part of accomplishing what, at that time, was unfathomable. National park status will help preserve that story.
Thumbs up to all of the the people of the Tri-Cities who made this happen. It would not have happened without the dogged determination of former U.S. Rep. Doc Hastings, who pushed the park across the legislative finish line. Two thumbs up for Doc, and two thumbs up for the volunteers of the B Reactor Museum Association, who for decades, have quietly preserved what will be the crown jewel of this new park system.
Serving those who served us
Organizations throughout the Mid-Columbia will honor our veterans in many ways this week. A schedule of events can be found in the local news section on our website, and a special Veterans Day tribute section will appear in the Tri-City Herald on Wednesday.
Some of our veterans, however, need more than just our respect, they need a helping hand. That’s why the Columbia Basin Veterans Coalition organized a “stand down” event Friday at Kennewick’s Southridge Sports Pavilion. The event provided local veterans with goods and services that ranged from flu shots and haircuts to meetings with area employment services.
With proper identification on Nov. 11, veterans can get a free meal at Texas Roadhouse on Columbia Center Boulevard in Kennewick from 3:30 to 9:30 p.m. Great Clips also will give veterans a free haircut at their Kennewick and Richland locations, and a free roast beef sandwich awaits veterans with proper identification at Arby’s.
Teen screen time
According to a recent study, teens spend an average of nine hours a day engaged with media, including TV, music and social media. The study didn’t say how many hours the average teen is engaged in conversation with a human being. We bet it’s, unfortunately, far less.
This story was originally published November 8, 2015 at 5:06 PM with the headline "Our Voice: Thumbs up, Thumbs down."