Student
Media fee passes, Evergreen to continue printing daily
Fee passed
with 50.8 percent majority vote, 48.9 percent against
By YASMEEN
WAFAI, Evergreen reporter
March 7,
2018
Undergraduate
WSU students approved a referendum to increase fees in order to help fund the
Office of Student Media, which houses The Daily Evergreen, the Chinook yearbook
and the Visitors Magazine.
The ballot
measure passed with 50.8 percent of the vote, with 78 students tipping the
scale.
Undergraduate
students will now pay $5 in the fall and spring semesters to help fund Student
Media. Had the referendum failed, The Daily Evergreen would have reduced print
production to four days a week.
“I’m so
happy that it passed,” Editor-in-Chief Madison Jackson said.
Graduate
and professional students still have until 5 p.m. Thursday to cast their votes
on the $5 fee increase.
Other
sources of revenue Student Media has considered are a faculty and alumni
subscription service, a newsletter.
“The
newsroom has never been stagnant,” she said.
The
Student Media Board voted to cut Summer Evergreen print entirely if the
referendum did not pass. With the fee, the summer paper will continue to print.
Jackson
said this journey has been crazy and emotional, but she is grateful she was not
going through it alone. She said Gabriella Ramos, Student Media outreach
coordinator, has helped take care of the campaign while Jackson has helped out
in the newsroom. The Student Media
marketing department has also been helpful, she said.
Ramos said
she hopes that after a few years the paper will be able to backfill its
reserves, get new equipment and improve operations. For the immediate future,
she said, the focus will be on completing another year of the paper, hiring
more students and serving the public.
“I’m just
super proud of us,” Ramos said.
::::::::::::
WSU
students OK fee to bolster newspaper
The Daily
Evergreen will keep printing five days per week
By JOSH
BABCOCK Lewiston Trib March 8th in the year 2018
PULLMAN -
Washington State University's student newspaper, The Daily Evergreen, will
continue printing news five days per week.
A
referendum asking students to pay a $5 fee per semester to fund the daily
production and staffing of the newspaper narrowly passed Wednesday night, with
50.8 percent approval.
Former
Daily Evergreen Editor-in-Chief Gabriella Ramos, who helped spearhead the
effort to get the referendum on the ballot, said the passage means
"everything" for students pursuing a journalism career at WSU.
"We
all get to continue what we came into this newsroom to do, and it's not based
on deficit projections," Ramos said. "We want to do the real work of
journalists, and we all get that opportunity now; we're grateful to the
students."
With about
20,000 students enrolled on the WSU Pullman campus, the fee will raise about
$200,000 each year. That money will be used by the Office of Student Media to
pull the Evergreen out of a financial deficit that prompted talks of reducing
print production from five to three days per week.
At the
beginning of fiscal 2018, the newspaper had a negative beginning balance of
$184,710, with only about $7,000 in reserves. With cuts made earlier this
school year, the newspaper trimmed that deficit to $147,172. With at least
another $19,042 in expected reductions, the projected year-end balance is
expected to be about a $128,130 deficit.
"This
is the only place on campus where we are actively out there in the field,
holding the administration accountable, and attending university events,"
Ramos said. "We need the students to know what this means, and how we
serve the community, and what's at stake for them if they lose the Daily
Evergreen."
Had the
referendum failed, the weekly summer print edition of the newspaper would have
been discontinued and one day of production would have been eliminated
beginning March 23.
The Daily
Evergreen has been published five days a week since 1980.
//////////////////////////////
Bring
mental health awareness to rural farmers
Toxic
masculinity, poor access to healthcare leads to depression, high suicide rates
for rural communities
Men living
in rural America often feel isolated without having an outlet to express their
feelings due to social stigma.
By Alaina
Beaulaurier, Evergreen columnist
March 8,
2018
Men in
farming communities around the nation are suffering. According to a review of
hundreds of studies by Jameson Hirsch, an associate professor in the psychology
department at East Tennessee State, suicide rates for men in rural farming
communities are much higher than in urban areas.
Toxic
masculinity creates an environment that does not allow men to talk about their
suicidal thoughts and depression. This stigma, in combination with the
strenuous nature of the farming industry, creates an environment that fosters
suicide and depression at higher rates than almost anywhere else in the nation.
Ashton
Stevens, a recent graduate of WSU, talked about her experience growing up in a
small rural farm in Eastern Washington. Her family has been farming the same land
for the last five generations.
“It’s a
really silent problem,” Stevens said. “There’s probably a lot more going on
than we even realize.”
Farming is
a tough job that requires rigorous amounts of manual labor with unpredictable
outcomes. Stevens said these conditions cultivate a heavy responsibility on the
head of the household.
“With
farming specifically, there are no sick days,” Stevens said. “There’s no boss
to help you out. You are really, truly on your own. If you can’t get up and do
something, there’s no one else who can.”
Stevens
explained that this responsibility can cause men to shut down emotionally.
“It’s the
man that everyone looks to,” she said. “They’re the head of the family. If he
can’t get up and do what he needs to do, then the family is really going to
struggle.”
There is a
stigma attached to men in traditionally masculine careers like farming, Stevens
said. Because the predominant family structure places men in a position where
they must provide for their family, a lot of the stress falls on them. Often
men must be strong for their family or they are seen as failures. It is seen as
weak to admit to feeling symptoms of depression.
“You would
be deemed as kind of crazy if you admit that you are struggling,” Stevens said.
“So you just tell everyone that you are tired and worn out. Once you admit that
you are actually struggling mentally, you’re admitting that you are weak and
that you can’t support your family.”
Stevens
explained that toxic masculinity is not the only issue rural farmers face.
Alcoholism is an aggressive problem in these secluded communities.
“I have an
uncle who’s divorced,” Stevens said. “The men that he surrounds himself with
are a lot of other single men. They drink a lot. Just constant drinking.”
Stevens
explained that while therapy sounds like an excellent possible solution to
alcoholism and depression, there are many barriers that stand in the way.
“A big
issue is health insurance,” she said. “Farmers are self-employed. They have to
secure their own benefits. Even to this day, my family does not have dental or
eye insurance.”
The
isolated nature of farming also influences the search for mental health
professionals.
“If my dad
were to go see a therapist, he would have to drive at least 20 to 30 miles,”
Stevens said. “Then our insurance wouldn’t cover it on top of it all.”
Affording
anything, from health insurance to groceries, is difficult due to the
unpredictable nature of farming. Stevens said that during times of stability,
her mom would tell her to pick out anything she wanted at the mall, while other
times they would go a year wearing torn-up shoes because they couldn’t afford
new ones.
Hirsch’s
review found the most aggressive spikes in depression and suicide among farmers
were during periods of sudden financial loss.
The issues
go unheard. Farmers across the nation remain strongly silent while carrying
these burdens. A discourse needs to be opened that allows male farmers to talk
about alcohol abuse and depression.
Just
because these individuals live in rural America, that does not mean that they
should remain out of sight and forgotten.
::::::::::::::::::
Hancock: a
Cougar from the start
Senior’s
grandfather (daily newspaper sports editor) covered WSU Cougars when he was
growing up
Then-junior
outfielder JJ Hancock leads off second base against Arizona on April 9 at
Bailey-Brayton Field.
By RYAN
MOSHER, Evergreen
March 2,
2018
Senior
right-fielder JJ Hancock has ties to Pullman and WSU that extend beyond the
school he attends and the team he plays for.
Hancock
grew up as a fan of the Cougars thanks to his grandfather. Hec Hancock, a
former sports editor who frequently covered WSU for the Tri-City Herald. He
attended games with Hec from a young age, long before he picked up a bat.
“I learned
the fight song before I learned the alphabet,” Hancock said.
The sport
management major started all 51 games he appeared in last season, and finished
the season hitting .298 with 23 RBI. Hancock said he wants to focus on his
hitting this year, and he has set goals for himself to improve every day and to
help the team be more successful.
Hitting
coach Jim Horner said Hancock makes his job easy, describing him as a great
defender and speedy through the bases. Even when the harsh Pullman winds blow,
it doesn’t stop him or his ability to throw out runners, Horner said.
“He can
really, really defend,” he added. “He’s probably … the best defender we have in
the Pac-12 in right field,” Horner said, “It’s a lot of fun [coaching JJ]. He’s
just a really good kid, he’s got a good personality.”
Horner
said that sometimes when he is coaching Hancock, he has to “loosen him up,”
because he can be too hard on himself. Hancock agreed with Horner, saying he
has to relax and not stress himself out.
Hancock
said Head Coach Marty Lees has made a huge difference for the team since his
first season at the helm in 2016.
“He’s
changed our mindset,” Hancock said. “When I first came in we were at the bottom
of the [Pac-12], and we kind of accepted it, but Marty does not accept stuff
like that. He’s pushed us … to get better and better each day.”
Hancock
said it can be difficult to find time to unwind during the season. But when he
does, he uses it wisely.
“I tend to
just do nothing,” Hancock said. “I overthink things on the baseball field, so
when I get away from the baseball field I want to be relaxed. What I usually do
is watch more baseball.”
In high
school, Hancock was a member of the Kansas City Royals Area Code team, a summer
league in Long Beach, California.
“It was
kind of a big deal … I got the invite, and came in as a scrub, came in with no
batting gloves,” Hancock said. “I ended up making it, we ended up flying down
to Long Beach and it was just the coolest thing ever.”
The
Kennewick native starting playing baseball at a young age, encouraged by his
father, who also played as kid. Hancock said he wants to return home and coach
at his high school after he earns his degree. Hancock said he plays baseball
for the sport’s unique qualities.
“I started
really enjoying more of behind-the-scenes kind of things,” Hancock said. “The
smells, the sights. It’s just a special feeling you feel around baseball.”
>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>
JJ HANCOCK PHOTO
……………………
Sinatro
dives for a major league dream
Outfielder
comes from family rich with history of playing baseball
Danny
Sinatro explains how he stays focused on baseball and how his coaches encourage
him to play better on a daily basis. He has stolen three bases this season.
By RYAN
BLAKE, Evergreen
March 8,
2018
The
Sinatros have a particular affinity for baseball. Matt Sinatro played in the
MLB from 1981 to 1992 and coached the Seattle Mariners under Lou Piniella from
1995 to 2002. His eldest sons, Jimmy and Matt Jr., recently finished their
baseball careers for Gonzaga University and University of San Francisco,
respectively.
Due to
this, it comes as no surprise that Matt’s youngest son Danny Sinatro has been
turning heads in Pullman with his overt athleticism in the outfield and
infectious personality in the locker room.
Sinatro
attended Skyline High School in Sammamish, where he was a two-sport standout in
baseball and football. He was named all-conference as a cornerback his junior
year and was first team All-State his senior year in football.
As good as
he was on the football field, it was in baseball that he helped his high school
win the state title during his senior year while earning All-State honors. The
Cleveland Indians selected him in the 40th round of the 2016 MLB Draft
following his high school career, but he elected to come to WSU instead.
“I thought
I could kill two birds with one stone, playing baseball and going to school,”
Sinatro said. “Education has always been big for me because it’s important to
my family. My dad was drafted out of high school. Selfishly, he wanted me to go
to college too because he missed out on the college experience, and it’s tough
because you got to grow up real quick being in the minors.”
Sinatro
was thrust into action immediately his freshman season. He started 30 games and
hit .226 in 2017.
Head Coach
Marty Lees said many freshmen struggle during the initial transition from high
school to college baseball, and learning how to adjust to the game at the
Pac-12 level can be a daunting task.
Sinatro
was also learning a new position, moving from shortstop to centerfield.
“I told
Marty [Lees] coming into [WSU], I don’t really care or have a preference where
I play,” Sinatro said. “I just want to work hard, get better and hopefully
play.”
In a game
against University of Alabama earlier this season, a line drive off the bat of
Alabama freshman center Sam Praytor looked destined for the gap. Sinatro chased
down the ball and dove, extending fully to make the catch and save a double.
Praytor could be seen jogging off the field with a smile that expressed a
mixture of frustration and amazement.
“We’re
fortunate he’s out there,” Lees said. “He’s going from gap to gap. He’s making
catches we hope that Pac-12 centerfielders can make, but he goes above and
beyond. When you have a guy like that out there running around, it saves a lot
of doubles and saves a lot of runs.”
Sinatro
said his experience playing cornerback in high school helped his footwork and
ultimately helped his transition to the outfield.
“Honestly,
you’re just catching a different ball,” Sinatro said.
In
addition to his defense, Sinatro has steadily improved offensively, both in his
approach and his swing mechanics, and has a better idea of what opposing
pitchers are trying to throw him in certain counts, Lees said.
The
adjustments appear to be working. Sinatro is hitting .320 with three stolen
bases and two doubles in eight games.
Lees said
ideally Sinatro will hit at the top of the order behind junior Andres Alvarez,
with the hope that both can get on base for the middle of the order to drive
them in. His speed on the base paths is another weapon they hope to utilize in
2018, Lees said.
Sinatro is
not just a positive force on the field for the Cougars. His off-field presence
is not lost on his coaches and teammates.
“Danny is
really fun to watch because he’s one of the most gifted athletes I’ve seen, and
also he’s a pretty funny character,” said senior outfielder Derek Chapman.
“It’s fun having him out on the field and back in the dugout.”
Senior
first baseman James Rudkin said Sinatro is always lifting up his teammates in
the locker room and keeping them loose.
“He’s the
life in the locker room,” Rudkin said, “always playing music, making the jokes
and making everyone laugh.”
Sinatro is
able to balance his likeable personality with the competitive edge he learned
growing up in a household with two older brothers. Whether it was wiffleball,
football or video games, the three were always vying to outdo each other.
“All in
all, it was just like any other family,” Sinatro said.
Playing in
the MLB is the ultimate goal for Sinatro but for now he is focused on the
season ahead.
“I just
want to have fun, remember why I play the game and soak it up,” Sinatro said,
“because it goes by quick.”
………….
In Las
Vegas, WSU's late-game scoring drought allowed Oregon to climb back in game,
end Cougars season
By JACKSON
GARDNER, Evergreen
March 8,
2018
WSU men’s
basketball controlled the game for most of the night but let its lead slip late
resulting in a 64-62 overtime loss to University of Oregon in the first round
of the Pac-12 tournament on Wednesday.
Oregon got
out to a slow start, allowing the Cougars to lead by as many as 10 points in
the first half. None of the Ducks could find a rhythm from the field. As a
team, Oregon finished the first 20 minutes shooting a touch below 30 percent
with a season-low 17 first-half points.
While
Oregon came out of the gates sputtering, WSU found their stroke after a few
minutes of play. Junior forward Robert Franks, fresh off a Pac-12 Most Improved
Player of the Year award, led the way for the Cougars to start. He hit two deep
three-pointers and racked up 10 points in the first half.
The
Cougars hot shooting only lasted so long as they closed out the half on a
four-minute scoring drought where they missed their last six shots. As for the
Ducks, their shooting woes continued as they finished the half with a scoring
drought of their own, lasting three minutes.
In the
second half, the Ducks sped up the pace of play with a full-court press, which
caused the Cougars to commit eight second-half turnovers.
With the
Cougars struggling to find much offensive success, Oregon slowly closed in on
WSU’s lead. Oregon would take the lead for the first time when sophomore point
guard Payton Pritchard hit his fourth three-pointer of the game with about two
minutes left.
With less
than a minute left and the Cougars down by three, sophomore point guard Malachi
Flynn rolled over the top of a screen to catch and shoot a long three-pointer
to tie the game up and eventually send it to overtime.
Flynn
would continue to hit big shot after big shot in the overtime period, keeping
WSU’s hopes alive.
Late in
the overtime period, Pritchard took Flynn to the rim and finished to give the
Ducks a one-point lead. Flynn tried to counter with a drive of his own but was
met at the rim by freshman center Kenny Wooten. WSU would end up fouling
Pritchard, sending him to the line with 10 seconds left.
Pritchard
ended up missing both of his free throws, but the Ducks would land on the loose
ball. WSU then sent Oregon’s freshman guard Troy Brown to the line for two more
free throws, where Brown would hit one of two.
Down just
two points after Oregon had missed three of its four free throw attempts,
redshirt freshman guard Milan Acquaah attacked the basket but was met at the
rim yet again by Wooten to seal the loss for WSU and put an end to the Cougars
season.
:::::::::::::::::
Pac-12
women’s basketball touney leaving
Seattle and moving to Las Vegas in 2019
Originally
published March 8, 2018 at 6:58 pm Updated March 8, 2018 at 7:41 pm
Commissioner
Larry Scott says the Pac-12 will consider returning to KeyArena once
renovations are completed.
By Percy
Allen
Seattle
Times
After a
six-year run in Seattle, the Pac-12 women’s basketball tournament is moving to
Las Vegas in 2019.
Due to the
pending $600 million renovations at KeyArena, Commissioner Larry Scott said
Thursday the women’s tournament will be played at MGM Grand Arena next year and
the Mandalay Bay Events Center in 2020.
Scott also
announced a one-year extension on a deal that will keep the men’s tournament at
T-Mobile Arena until 2020.
“Moving
the women’s event here was precipitated by some exciting things happening in
Seattle with our partners there at Key Arena … as they get ready for a possible
NHL franchise and other events that are there,” Scott said. “So we had to look
for other options, and we didn’t have to look very far.”
The
schedules for both tournaments will remain the same with the women’s tourney
being played a week before the men.
“This will
give us an opportunity to showcase the best of Pac-12 men’s basketball and
women’s basketball over a two-week period,” Scott said.
The Pac-12
women’s basketball tournament was held at McArthur Court in Eugene, Ore. during
its inaugural year in 2002.
It had a
six-year run (2003-08) at HP Pavilion in San Jose, Calif. before moving to Los
Angeles for a four-year stint. Galen Center hosted the tournament for three
years (2009, ’10 and ’12) and it was played at Staples Center in 2011.
The men’s
tournament move to Las Vegas in 2013 and sagging attendance in LA for the
women’s tournament prompted the conference to move the event to Seattle. The
ascendance of the Pacific Northwest schools’ women’s basketball programs helped
the tournament enjoy its highest fan turnout.
The
Washington Huskies drew 10,000 fans and the first tournament sellout in 2017.
In the past two years, the championship game attracted 6,829 in 2017 and 5,387
in 2018 – the most in tournament history.
Oregon
State, the 2016 tournament winner, played in for the championship in three of
the past six years and Oregon claimed the title last week.
………………..
Frankie
Luvu came out of WSU's Pro Day on Thursday with two private workout invitations
from NFL teams, Jamal Morrow says his broken foot is mending well, Robert
Barber makes a surprise return and Dylan Hanser talks about his bonus special
teams skills
By Stefanie
Loh Seattle Times
Washington
State welcomed 27 NFL teams to its pro day in Pullman on Thursday. Sixteen
Cougars met with scouts, included Robert Barber, who graduated in 2016 but
never signed with an NFL team.
The only
NFL teams that did not come to WSU’s pro day were the Chiefs, Broncos, Texans,
Bengals and Saints.
Quarterback
Luke Falk did not put on an official scripted passing workout, but he threw
casually for his teammates in drills meant to showcase Gerard Wicks and Robert
Lewis’ receiving abilities, and lofted some passes for the trio of WSU
defensive backs who worked out for scouts in the Cougars’ indoor bubble.
Falk will
have a complete pro day on March 28 at Utah State.
(Note from
CougGroup Central: Luke Falk is from Logan, Utah. Utah State University is in
Logan.)
Offensive
lineman Cody O’Connell, who was a unanimous All-American after his junior
season in 2016, was not invited to the NFL Scouting Combine but said he tried
to use the snub to his advantage.
“It
sucked, but I can’t do anything about it,” O’Connell said. “I got an extra week
to train for everything.”
O’Connell
weighed in at 352 pounds and managed a pro day-best 28 reps in the 225-pound
bench press – and two more than his teammate, WSU tackle Cole Madison, did at
the combine.
O’Connell
said he didn’t know the rest of his pro day results but that he was pretty
satisfied with how he did in both the combine drills and the position drill
segments.
“I think
it went pretty good,” O’Connell said. “I showed how well I move.”
O’Connell
was a two-year starter at right guard for WSU, but said NFL scouts seem most
interested in evaluating him as a right tackle.
O’Connell,
Falk, Wicks, Lewis and Madison were the five offensive players who participated
in pro day, along with kicker Erik Powell.
WSU’s
contingent of draft-worthy players is heavy on defense this year. Three
defensive tackles (Barber, Daniel Ekuale and Garrett McBroom), three pass
rushers (Hercules Mata’afa, Frankie Luvu, Dylan Hanser, and three defensive
backs (Marcellus Pippins, Robert Taylor and Kirkland Parker) worked out on
Thursday.
Barber has
been training in the Seattle area since last spring, when a potential contract
with the Carolina Panthers fell through due to a pending court case. Barber was
later found not guilty of assault. He’s now hoping to revive his NFL dream,
said his agent, Anthony Bendana.
“This pro
day was the best opportunity for him to get re-introduced to teams. He can sign
with a team as a free agent,” Bendana said. “He’s in amazing shape, he’s 310
pounds, he improved his 40 time and he did well.
“He’s
mentally happy and at peace with what was resolved.”
Pippins
and Taylor both put up numbers that compared favorably with what other
defensive backs managed at the NFL combine.
Taylor’s
4.03 20-yard shuttle would have put him in the top 10 of all defensive backs at
the NFL combine. Pippins impressed scouts with a 39.5-inch vertical jump that
would have been seventh among all defensive backs at the NFL combine.
“I could
have had a 40,” Pippins said. “But we only get two jumps.”
Pippins
said he also did 12 reps on the bench press, hit 10-feet on the broad jumped,
and ran a 40-yard dash of 4.56 seconds.
Taylor
said scouts told him he was timed between 4.38 to 4.46 in his 40, and he had a
10-foot-4-inch broad jump and a 39-inch vertical jump.
“I think I
showed my strength,” Taylor said. “I think it went great, I had a solid day. I
showed some explosion in the vertical jump and broad jump.”
LB Isaac
Dotson is done with football
LB Isaac
Dotson was a notable omission from WSU’s pro day lineup. In an Instagram post
on Wednesday night, Dotson announced that he is retiring from football.
“I made
the difficult decision to walk away from the game that I have loved playing my
entire life,” Dotson wrote. “Unfortunately in football, concussions can happen,
and they happened to me more than a few times in my career.
“While I
did have aspirations of playing at the next level, I decided, after consulting
with doctors, trainers and family to do what I feel is best for my brain in the
long run and hang ‘em up.”
RB Jamal
Morrow on the mend
Running
back Jamal Morrow only benched at pro day – he hit 17 reps – but said his
broken foot is healing well and that he was just cleared to start running.
Morrow,
who signed with the same agency as WSU QB Luke Falk, said he’s working to get
back in shape and hopes to perhaps work out for scouts either privately, or see
if he’ll be allowed to participate in pro day at one of the Southern California
schools.
Morrow
said he’s had interest from a few NFL teams whom he met with at the NFLPA
collegiate bowl game practices, and that they all stressed that he should take
his time to ensure he’s fully healthy before he tries to work out.
Morrow
broke a metatarsal bone in his foot during WSU’s Holiday Bowl game.
“I want to
push it along as much as possible, but I want to be able to get right without
having any pain and not have questions about anything,” Morrow said.
More pro
day notes:
Rush
linebacker Frankie Luvu said he was happy with all his pro day results and that
a handful of NFL teams have already invited him to come out for private
workouts, though he declined to name the teams. DraftAnalyst.com reported that
Luvu clocked 4.79 in the 40, and has been invited to work out for the Lions and
Raiders.
Rush
linebacker Dylan Hanser said he ran his 40 in the “high 4.5 to low 4.6-second”
range, managed 19 reps on the bench press, had a 33-inch vertical jump and a
broad jump of 9-feet-8-inches. Hanser did linebacker drills, but also did some
long snapping for scouts. “He really attacked the special teams route,” said
his agent Anthony Bendana
DT Garrett
McBroom had 23 reps on the bench press, while RB Gerard Wicks hit 22 – which
would have tied him in fourth place with all running backs at the combine.
………
Pullman
Transit seeks public input on four-year plan
Though
it's not currently a possibility, officials anticipate questions about possible
Moscow-Pullman transit route
By Scott
Jackson,
Moscow
Pullman Daily News staff writer Mar 8, 2018
A public
transit route linking Moscow and Pullman could be on the distant horizon,
officials say, but it's not something they're prepared to address anytime soon.
Pullman
Transit and the Palouse Regional Transit Planning Organization will hold a
roundtable discussion at 5:30 p.m. today at Umpqua Bank in Pullman to identify
projects to be included in their coming four-year plan. Officials say public
transport between Moscow and Pullman is a perennial topic at such gatherings.
Wayne
Thompson, transit manager for Pullman Transit, said for the region to
collaborate this way, they would first need to establish a metropolitan
planning organization to take over funding management from the RTPOs.
"That's
not coming soon, I would say," Thompson said. "If the area continues
to grow and we evolve into a metropolitan instead of a regional planning
organization, that might be the time to talk about expansion."
Thompson
said if the 2020 census finds that the combined populations of Moscow and
Pullman exceeds 50,000, transit agencies in the two towns would qualify for
direct federal funds. He said he believes the towns have already exceeded that
number, but it must say so on a formal census. If the 2020 census goes as
expected, Thompson speculated Moscow and Pullman could link their services at a
transfer point on the border where riders could switch from a Moscow bus to a
Pullman bus, or vice versa. He said this practice is already in use in many
areas with similar conditions.
"Other
areas do that, they deal with county lines or state lines, much like what may
happen here down the road," Thompson said. "I guess I can say it's
probably just a matter of when. Whether it's two years or 20 years, the
requests are there."
Daniel
Gray, executive director of Moscow's SMART Transit, agreed the two agencies
would probably collaborate more under a metropolitan planning organization but
would remain independent. Gray said Lewiston and Clarkston successfully merged
services, though he notes those two particular cities are built right against
one another.
"From
a transportation standpoint, I know it's certainly one of the things our riders
(have) talked about is being able to provide more regular transportation access
back and forth," Gray said. "The establishment of something like an
MPO - at least using Lewiston and Clarkston as an example - seems to smooth
things out quite a bit there."
Gray
speculated that Moscow and Pullman share enough commerce and patronage that
they would have a good case to make for forming an MPO.
Thompson
said the switch to incorporate a Moscow-Pullman service would be complicated.
Even if the census were to exceed expectations, he said it would take at least
two to three years to implement changes. Thompson said the possibility for a
Moscow-Pullman service is not on the table for this particular meeting, but he
expects to field questions about it nonetheless.
Thompson
said the PRTPO will use the meeting to help solidify and prioritize a list of
future projects it hopes to fund in the coming four years. He said this list is
key to accessing state and federal funds.
"We
need this as a reference tool when we write our grants," Thompson said.
"If our grants can't be referred back to this planning document, they're
not likely to succeed."
PRTPO
Director Shaun Darveshi said these kinds of public meetings are supposed to
invite feedback on every aspect of public transportation services. He said in
order to know where to improve and how to rank each project, residents should
be prepared to bring forward concerns anywhere from stop locations to
recommendations for technological improvements. He said they have conducted
similar meetings throughout the region.
"Our
office here oversees five different public transit agencies we have in the
counties that we serve," Darveshi said. "We serve Asotin, Columbia,
Garfield and Whitman, and Pullman Transit is a part of the agencies that we
oversee for funding."
Darveshi
said in the past two years, the PRTPO helped supply Pullman Transit with
operations funds, and in the past year it has provided money for Saturday
services and general expansion.
Darveshi
said RTPOs in Washington are to consider the variables and submit a set of
funding items that the state assembles into a list from highest to lowest
priority.
Darveshi
said the meeting will address large-scale projects, but residents should feel free
to bring up any concerns they have, no matter how minor.
"We
are looking at the bigger picture of where the services should be, where the
expansion is needed (and) where the services are being provided that's not
necessary," Darveshi said. "How would we know that unless we do the
public input?"
::::::::::::::::::::::::
Pair of
blocked shots in the final 13 seconds lifts Oregon over WSU
By John
Marshall March 8, 2018
LAS VEGAS
(AP) — Payton Pritchard scored on a
runner late in overtime and Kenny Wooten had a pair of blocked shots in the
final 13 seconds, lifting Oregon to a 64-62 victory over Washington State in
the opening round of the of the Pac-12 tournament on Wednesday night.
Washington
State (12-19) led by three late, but Oregon’s Troy Brown scored on a hard drive
and Pritchard put Oregon (21-11) up 63-62 on his runner.
After
Wooten blocked Malachi Flynn’s drive, Brown — after Pritchard missed two free
throws — got the offensive board and was fouled, making 1 of 2 to give the
Cougars a final chance.
But Wooten
swooped in to erase Milan Acquaah’s drive just before the buzzer sounded.
Oregon
moves on to play No. 3 seed Utah in today’s quarterfinals.
Pritchard
and MiKyle McIntosh had 18 points each to help Oregon rally from a dismal first
half.
Flynn had
22 points and Robert Franks added 16 for Washington State.
Oregon had
a 20-win regular season and a winning record in the Pac-12, yet still is
considered a fringe NCAA Tournament bubble team.
The Ducks
need a good run in the conference tournament, possibly all the way to the title
game.
The first
step there was the second game against Washington State in six days. The
Cougars won that last game 78-76 behind a superb all-around game by Flynn.
And in the
rematch, Oregon’s push didn’t get off to a very good start. The Ducks missed
their first six shots and didn’t score in the opening 5:15.
Oregon
continued to clang — 4 for 15 — and Washington State started to find the range
after a slow start, building a 10-point lead.
But the
Cougars lost the range after that, going scoreless over the final 4:16 to allow
the Ducks to keep within 24-17 at halftime despite shooting 7 of 24.
Oregon’s
struggles carried into the second half. The Ducks opened 2 for 11 from the
floor and trailed by 11 in the early going.
Oregon
kept the Cougars within reach behind its defense — more than 4 scoreless
minutes — and pulled within 34-33 after going on a 12-2 run.
Washington
State played a gritty game in its finale, particularly on defense, but came up
one play short.
Oregon
kept itself in an ugly game with its defense, finding a way to win and keep its
slim NCAA Tournament hopes alive.
Washington
State’s season is over.
WASHINGTON
ST. (12-19)
Franks
6-11 2-2 16, Bernstine 2-4 1-2 5, Skaggs 1-3 0-0 2, Flynn 7-19 5-6 22, Daniels
1-4 3-4 6, Chidom 0-1 0-0 0, Pollard 0-0 0-0 0, Hinson 0-2 0-0 0, Acquaah 3-5
4-4 11. Totals 20-49 15-18 62.
OREGON
(21-11)
T.Brown
2-10 4-6 8, White 2-2 2-3 6, McIntosh 7-14 2-5 18, Pritchard 7-16 0-2 18,
E.Brown 4-14 0-0 10, Smith 1-2 0-2 2, Kigab 0-1 0-0 0, Wooten 1-2 0-0 2, Bailey
0-1 0-0 0. Totals 24-62 8-18 64.
Halftime—Washington
St. 24-17. End Of Regulation—Tied 53. 3-Point Goals—Washington St. 7-22 (Flynn
3-8, Franks 2-4, Acquaah 1-2, Daniels 1-4, Skaggs 0-2, Hinson 0-2), Oregon 8-22
(Pritchard 4-7, McIntosh 2-5, E.Brown 2-6, Kigab 0-1, T.Brown 0-3). Fouled
Out—Bernstine. Rebounds—Washington St. 27 (Bernstine 9), Oregon 37 (T.Brown
11). Assists—Washington St. 9 (Bernstine 5), Oregon 10 (White 5). Total
Fouls—Washington St. 19, Oregon 19.
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