SERVING ALL OF KLICKITAT COUNTY
Goldendale, Washington
WEDNESDAY, DECEMBER 29, 2021
Vol. 142 No. 52
$1.00
Goldendale resident on The History Channel’s ‘Forged in Fire’
See our new feature “Athlete Spotlight,” showcasing great sports boys and girls from Goldendale schools, page B6.
KVH gets grant for telehealth services
TAYLER BRADLEY FOR THE SENTINEL
It is always exciting when a local goes out and does something amazing. And that is exactly what happened when we found out that Goldendale’s Wade Plumlee was going to be competing on the History Channel show “Forged in Fire.” The show, running since 2015, is about world-class bladesmiths re-creating historical and iconic edged weapons, meaning swords and knives. Four master bladesmiths compete each week on the show to win coveted recognition for their weapon-forging skill. The winner gets $10,000 and the title of “Forged in Fire Champion.” Wade is a union sheet metal worker who does some bladesmithing as a hobby. He really got into bladesmithing when he started watching the show back in 2015. He was hooked and decided to build his own forge and begin building his skills. With the love of this show and his hobby of forging, as well as the casting call that “Forged in Fire” put out, Wade thought, “If all these guys with basic tools can compete on the show, then I would at least have a chance.” And thus began his journey to being chosen to compete. He reached out, filled out questionnaires, did some interviews, and was accepted shortly after. Wade
took time to practice some of his skills and to stay up on the techniques. He chose to do things in certain time constraints just like on the show—they never tell you in advance what you will be making, so he practiced being prepared for any type of weapon as best he could. Then back in May he got a last-minute call to compete when another smith wasn’t able to come. He quickly jumped on a plane, flew to New York, drove to the set in Connecticut, and made it right before filming began. He was allowed to bring some of his own personal tools but most everything was there that he would need to build his weapon. Wade really enjoyed the experience. “Though we were filming,” he says, “it wasn’t much different than forging at home, except for the giant clock letting you know that you had to hurry up.” Each smith began building the same weapon. Due to the episode not being released yet, Wade wasn’t able to tell us what weapon they were building. He did let us know the episode he competed in was a judges takeover, and all the challenges were thought up by judge David Baker. The judges would send one of the smiths home after each round, eliminating down to the final two. They would then go home and build a different weapon with their own forge and bring it back, when the judges would
pick a winner. After each day of filming, the contestants had to do interviews. Wade says, “That was the hardest part. After rushing through the challenges, I would have to remember what I was doing, what I was thinking, and why I did certain things.” Each smith took turns doing this because they weren’t allowed to be too close when they weren’t filming due to Covid rules. Each had his own trailer where they spent time when they weren’t on set or doing interviews. It was a little chaotic, but Wade says he really enjoyed himself and was excited to get to use some of the equipment he didn’t have access to at home. This happened to be his favorite part as well. They had great powerful equipment, and it was a different experience than using his hammer and anvil at home. The biggest takeaway from this experience for Wade was, “You never know what you can do until you give it a try.” He would’ve never guessed that the one email he sent to the show would take him this far. Wade made some good new friends who he still stays in touch with. They’re through filming, but Wade isn’t allowed to share how he did until after the episode airs. It will air today (Wednesday, December 29) at 6 p.m. on the History Channel. Be sure to tune in and support one of our local residents.
U.S. Senator Maria Cantwell (D-WA) last Tuesday announced that a total of $2,689,733 in grants have been awarded to Klickitat Valley Health (KVH), Seattle Children’s Hospital, and Summit Pacific Medical Center to expand access to telehealth services for patients in underserved communities throughout Goldendale, Seattle, and southwest Washington. KVH (Goldendale) Klickitat Valley Health was awarded $711,739 for the purchase of tablets, webcams, and remote monitoring kits to enhance its telemedicine offerings as the only health care provider in a sparsely populated area. Seattle Children’s Hospital (Seattle) Seattle Children’s Hospital was awarded $1,000,000 for the purchase of telehealth software and equipment to minimize exposure to COVID-19 via telehealth and use virtual care to maintain the care of less acutely ill children in their own communities. Summit Pacific Medical Center (Elma) Summit Pacific Medical Cen-
ter was awarded $977,994 for the purchase of tablets, laptops, and remote monitoring kits, including Bluetooth-enabled oximeters and blood pressure monitors, to deploy mobile and stationary kiosks in community centers, community halls, and schools throughout its rural service area to increase equitable access for its low-income patient population. The grants were awarded through the Federal Communications Commission’s (FCC) COVID-19 Telehealth Program. The program was first established in the 2020 CARES Act. Additional funds were appropriated by Congress as part of the Consolidated Appropriations Act of 2021. Since the pandemic began, Cantwell has announced more than $7.8 million in funding for telehealth services to health care entities throughout Washington state. At a Senate Commerce Committee hearing in May 2020 on the state of broadband infrastructure in America, Cantwell emphasized the importance of telehealth healthcare services throughout the COVID-19 crisis.
MOLLIE LANCASTER - FACEBOOK
COMPLETE ARC: A rainbow in the snow is unusual enough. But a complete, whole arc of a rainbow? Mollie Lancaster in Centerville captured this unique shot.
2021 closes with record snow, cold across western U.S. The onslaught of storms that have marched into the western United States has undoubtedly created headaches for travelers and residents at times, but it has also proven to be very beneficial in building up an expansive snowpack across most mountain ranges in the region. Looking ahead to the final week of 2021, the cold and unsettled weather regime is expected to continue. Across Washington’s Cascade
Mountain Range, most basins are within 10 to 20% of their historical snow water equivalent at this point in the season. Record-challenging cold weather will remain in place across the Northwest early this week, resulting in impressively low snow levels. In some locales Sunday morning, snow was reported down to sea level in Washington. Heavy snow was reported in the Seattle metropolitan area during the pre-dawn hours on Sunday and snow continued throughout much of the day. Snow dealt a severe blow to operations at the Seattle-Tacoma International Airport on Sunday. At one point Sunday afternoon, more
than 360 flight delays and almost 290 cancellations were reported as crews worked around the clock to clear runways and deice aircraft. “Snow totals for the Seattle area ended up being generally on the order of 2-4 inches on Sunday, with northern areas experiencing locally higher accumulations,” AccuWeather Meteorologist Mary Gilbert said. While the consistently unsettled weather regime has greatly benefited the mountain ranges, it has also resulted in numerous weather-related headaches for residents that reside at lower elevations. The stormy pattern across California has been a blessing
for easing drought concerns so far this fall and winter, with the entire Sierra Nevada Mountain Range now running above historical snowpack averages. With consistently cold conditions slated to remain anchored over the mountains, those numbers will continue to rise as the calendar turns to 2022. Reservoir levels across the lower terrain and foothills of California have also continued to experience an uptick in water levels, as consistently stormy weather has bumped levels upward. Both Los Angeles and San Francisco have observed around 200% of average rainfall so far this month, resulting in episodes of
flash flooding and travel nightmares at times. Through Dec. 25, San Francisco has had 14 days with measurable precipitation, tallying up a whopping 8.57 inches. Across the Southwest, places like Flagstaff and Phoenix, Arizona, have experienced their fair share of wet weather as well, as both cities observed an inch or more of precipitation on Christmas Eve. Looking ahead, there’s more on the way across the West. A similar snowy scene is expected to extend down the Interstate 5 corridor from Washington southward through Oregon. —Accuweather