Olympia Farmers Market accepting vendor applications for 2013

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• USDA hopes to settle discrimination suits by Hispanic and female farmers

  USDA hopes to settle discrimination suits by Hispanic and female farmers

  Hispanic farmers in Texas and California’s Central Valley planted the seeds for a billion-dollar payout when they charged the Agriculture Department with discrimination. Their lawsuit has struggled in court, but it scored politically. Now Agriculture Department officials are scrambling to distribute some $1.33 billion to Hispanic and female farmers with discrimination claims.

• Our Voice: Labor shortage spurs Mid-Columbia farmers to get innovative

  Our Voice: Labor shortage spurs Mid-Columbia farmers to get innovative

  We've all heard the stories about the shortage of farm labor in our state.

  And we know that despite some seemingly positive signs coming out of Washington, D.C., the issue of immigration reform is not going to be solved quickly. It is a massive and complex problem and a political lightning rod.

  Knowing that improvements are not forthcoming, we admire the recent decision by the Washington Farm Labor Association to work in a proactive way with the system we've got.

• Volunteer opportunities for March 25

  Volunteer opportunities for March 25

  Volunteer Opportunities

• Legislator’s new post offends Democrat

  Legislator’s new post offends Democrat

  VANCOUVER — Republican state Sen. Don Benton of Vancouver was picked Wednesday to become Clark County’s director of environmental services.

• Legislature putting politics before people in killing water-rights bills

  Legislature putting politics before people in killing water-rights bills

  State laws can impact your quality of life. So, you should have a voice in the creation of our laws. This is a fundamental tenet of how government should work. Unfortunately for citizens of Whatcom County, that is not how it is working this week.

  At the request of local farmers, I introduced a bill that improves their lives and jobs. Yesterday, I received some bad news about this bill; it's going to be killed. It won't go out with a bang. As a matter of fact, if I hadn't written this, you may never have even heard of it. But, for the farmers who needed this legislation, it's still important. This bill will die quietly by not receiving a vote in a fiscal committee. The chair of that committee, Rep. Zack Hudgins, has said that he will not schedule the bill for executive session so it can be voted on before the deadline, Friday, March 1.

  I have no good reasons to give you, as none have been given to me. However, we can be sure that politics is being picked over people. Political maneuvering is complicated