Our Voice: Thumbs up,Thumbs down
Science superstars
The Laser Interferometer Gravitational-Wave Observatory (LIGO) north of Richland made headlines around the globe last week when officials announced that gravitational waves had been detected for the first time.
Albert Einstein predicted the existence of gravitational waves in his general theory of relativity in 1916, but none had been detected until Sept. 14. The Hanford LIGO detected them seven milliseconds after they traveled past a twin LIGO in Louisiana.
According to Fred Raab, head of the Richland facility, gravitational waves give scientists a new way to examine the very essense of space and time.
“What we have done for the first time is build a receiver that can receive and measure space quakes,” he said. “Humanity now has a new way to explore the universe around us … and discover things that are inconceivably different that the world we live in.”
Optical astronomy tells us there are only three dimensions, he said. But maybe there are more.
Television crews from Brazil and China are visiting the site and science buffs from all over are flocking to the Tri-Cities where one of the most important scientific discoveries in our time has been made.
Jason Jones of Seattle drove 200 miles to tour the site, saying the discovery “could fundamentally change our view of reality.”
“I’m in awe of the science that happened in this place,” he said.
Delays in dispatch consolidation
It’s been nearly three years since the commissioners in Benton and Franklin counties agreed to hire a consultant to develop a plan that would consolidate their emergency dispatch centers.
It’s been 19 months since communication difficulties caused by having separate dispatch centers led to what was described as “very dangerous” problems for law enforcement officers during a standoff in Pasco.
“We actually had one commander from Kennewick, who actually had a bullet come within a foot of his head as he’s coming in, not knowing where the scene was because we couldn’t communicate,” said Bob Metzger, Pasco police chief in a July 2014 story in the Herald.
Franklin County received a $623,000 federal grant to equip its sheriff’s department and other agencies with 800 MHz radios, so all law enforcement can now communicate.
Benton County and Kennewick have agreed to interlocal agreements outlining the regional 911 approach. But no formal agreement will happen until Franklin County and the city of Pasco decide if they will sign on as full-fledged co-owners of the center or be subscribers, like the city of West Richland and Benton County fire districts.
Little progress was made on that issue during a meeting of the Multi-Agency Three Rivers Information and Communications Services steering committee.
The committee, which includes the city managers of Richland, Kennewick and Pasco, and Benton County Commissioner Jerome Delvin and Franklin County Commissioner Brad Peck, met briefly last week. They adjourned with no firm plan on how to move forward.
The group needs to resolve their differences before someone gets hurt, or worse.
This story was originally published February 17, 2016 at 5:35 PM with the headline "Our Voice: Thumbs up,Thumbs down."