145 YEARS OF HEADLINES & HISTORY Goldendale, Washington
WEDNESDAY, JANUARY 3, 2024
Vol. 145 No. 1
$1.00
Meteor and fireworks in the sky Goldendale Observatory Administrator Troy Carpenter shares this information on the picture he contributed (above): Exactly as last year, New Year’s Eve was filled with cold fog, but it didn’t creep far enough up the hill to spoil our evening Observatory program. This image depicts the lucky coincidence of a late Geminid meteor and fireworks [lower right in the picture] illuminating dense fog right before the clock struck midnight. The prominent star near the center of the image is Sirius, the famous “dog star” of winter and the brightest star in Earth’s sky (not including the Sun). For reference, the supposedly brilliant “North Star” is only 47th brightest.
Unlike many other holidays, New Year’s is not directly associated with an astronomical phenomenon. However, on January 2, Earth achieved Perihelion, its closest approach to the Sun for 2024, a distance of roughly 91 million miles; this is about as soon after New Year’s as this event can occur. Aphelion occurs on July 5 this year, with a distance of roughly 94 million miles, one day after another non-astronomical holiday. Remember that seasons are caused by Earth’s 23.5-degree tilt, not our proximity to the Sun, and the summer and winter solstices denote the high and low extremes of the Sun’s apparent altitude in the sky.
Police constrained on some drug action LOU MARZELES & GRACE BLAND Law enforcement is often frustrated by the legal limitations placed on them in pursuing drug arrests. Last week The Sentinel ran a story that mentioned a citizen in Goldendale who provided police with inside information on an imminent drug sale, hoping the act would be caught and the dealer arrested. But both Police Chief Mike Smith of the Goldendale Police Department and Klickitat County Sherriff Bob Songer say that, under the law, that information could not be acted on. “We do go off every lead,” Smith says. “The problem with narcotics now is we have to have an informant who goes in and does the buy and is able to testify. We’ve got to be able to prove it in court.” A tip from someone in town does not suffice for proof in court. Too many questions could arise— who is the source of the tip? Is the person credible or “swatting” (calling police to make them go somewhere on a false report). The legal system, while potentially irritating at times, tries to ensure ironclad cases against perpetrators. There are, at least, a few teeth in current drug laws in Washington State, as opposed to earlier years when state law pretty much allowed any possession of any drugs. Today it’s a gross misdemeanor to possess or use even small amounts of drugs in public. Police now have the option of making an arrest or potentially diverting people into addiction treatment. A gross misdemeanor is punishable by 180 days in jail and/or a $1,000 fine. There are issues sometimes with referrals to addiction treatment, a topic to be covered in detail in an upcoming Sentinel article. Songer affirms Smith’s statement about valuing tips. “They are helpful,” he says. “We want— we encourage—people to give us tips. We may not always be able to act on them immediately, but the information is valuable.” “We definitely want more information coming in,” Smith adds. “We love to put drug dealers in jail. If people have enough information for us to build a case, you bet. We want it.” Smith stresses the usefulness of confidential informants while
See Drugs page A8
State ushers in new laws RODGER NICHOLS
LOU MARZELES
A NICE DIP: New Year’s Day was perfect for a quick stroll into the Columbia River at Maryhill State Park for the annual Polar Plunge. A larger than usual crowd made the dash in and out of the river.
GRACE BLAND FOR THE SENTINEL
NEW OWNER: Charity Haven prepares to cut the ribbon at her “new” store (formerly McCredy’s).
New ownership of old store GRACE BLAND FOR THE SENTINEL
Main Street resembled a ghost town on the morning of New Year’s Day, except for one bright neon open sign buzzing in the window of what locals knew as
McCredy’s. The store has been a part of the community for what feels like forever, but 2024 will be a year of change for the little shop. Charity Havens recently bought the store from the previous owner, Dan McCredy, and held the grand opening on the
first day of the new year. “We moved here about five years ago,” Charity shared, describing her family’s move from Astoria, Oregon, to Goldendale. “I discovered the store and fell in love with it while Dan had it.”
See Store page A8
FOR THE SENTINEL
The Washington legislature passed more than 450 new laws last year. Most of them took effect earlier, but a few debuted Monday with the new year. Here are some of the new laws for Washington. House Bill 1143 expands the background check and 10-day waiting period requirement for the purchase of any firearm. Previously, the waiting period applied only to pistols and semiautomatic weapons. Senate Bill 5123 blocks employers from conducting drug tests for marijuana while making hiring decisions. They can still test for other drugs before hiring, and they can test for marijuana in certain situations, such as after an accident or if they have suspicions that a worker is impaired while on the job. Senate Bill 5606 imposes tougher penalties for street racing. Those caught can have their car impounded for 72 hours on the first offense and forfeited on the second one. It also allows authorities to charge those who aid and abet street racing. And Senate Bill 5199 helps support the news media by exempting them from the state Business and Occupation (B&O) tax. Newspapers currently pay a lower B&O tax rate than most businesses, but that was set to expire in July this year. The new law fully eliminates the B&O tax for newspaper publishers and printers and for digital and online news outlets if they had printed publication as recently as January 1, 2008. The latter provision means the break is extended to The Seattle Post-Intelligencer, which moved online after a final print edition on St. Patrick’s Day, 2009.