Ballot
Bickleton holds surprise thank-you party
Every small town has a go-to person, and Bickleton has theirs in Jennifer Wilson. Jennifer has actively committed herself to the community for years without ever seeking recognition for her efforts, so on Saturday she was truly surprised when she walked into Bickleton Market Street Cafe to a crowd of cheering folks for her ‘Thank You, Jennifer’ surprise party. Audrey Haines of Bickleton thought it was well past time to show Jennifer how much their town appreciates her. Audrey put the whole shindig together with a giant cake, punch, balloons, and a huge thank you sign. The most amazing part was it was kept a secret from Jennifer even though it was put on in her own business. Jennifer was raised in Kennewick, Washington, “when it was still small.” She said, “I had never even been to Bickleton until I
went to a birthday party at the Bluebird,” where she met her future Bickletonian husband, Greg Wilson, in April of 1988. Their first date was a smashing success at the annual Demolition Derby at the Benton County Fairgrounds. It went so well, Greg invited her to go to Bickleton for their second date to help him feed cows. Jennifer thought it sounded like fun, and there was no turning back. They were married on December 8 that same year. They are well-matched as Greg also is community-minded and has a heart for giving of himself to help others.
Jennifer has been involved in volunteer work of some kind in whatever town she has lived in.
“My whole life I’ve been community-minded,” she states. “My dad’s parents were very involved in Poulsbo, Washington, and my parents were as well. My mom was my Girl Scout leader.” When
she was in junior high school, she helped run a bookstore and volunteered at a nursing home.
The Bickleton Market Street Cafe entered Jennifer and Greg’s life in February of 1999 after having closed in the fall of 1998. They talked things over and decided it would be a fine idea to open it again. They received a lease from co-owners Tom Juris and Dick Wilson, who purchased it in the 1980s, and the deal was done. A lot of clean-up work ensued and some hoops jumped through with the Washington State Health Department (the Klickitat County Health Department had not been formed yet). By April they had legally changed the name from The Country Kitchen to Bickleton Market Street Cafe and opened the door for business.
“We might own it, but it is such a community hub—a real community café,” states Jenni-
Jail transition moving ahead
RODGER NICHOLS FOR THE SENTINEL
Klickitat County Commissioners received an update on the jail situation from HR Director Robb Van Cleave at their July 23 meeting. He began by saying he is not planning an update at the July 30 meeting but definitely will on August 6. He will be joined on that date by Island County Jail Chief Administrator Jose Briones, who has been evaluating the situation at the Klickitat County Jail. Briones’ report will not be ready by the 6th, but it gives the Commissioners a chance to meet him and ask questions.
Here’s how some of the other components stack up:
• New jail administrator: “If we can get resolved the challenges and opportunities,” he said, “it will be posted Friday [July 26], with a review date of September 1.” He also planned to post the job opportunity with the Washington Association of Sheriffs and Police Chiefs and with every corrections team in the states of Oregon and Washington.
• Transfer of control: “The last piece for the resolution is the finance piece. We had a discussion with the Finance Committee on Friday. They’re going to review that, and then the resolution will be ready to go whenever the Commission is ready to make the actual formal transfer.”
• Originating Agency Identifier: “We have to have this to identify the jail to the FBI for background checks and fingerprint training and supplies. We may be able to temporarily use the current one the Sheriff has.
It’s my understanding that the
information I provided to the State Police has been forwarded to the FBI, and they’re going to do an initial review to see if we can get that number established and set aside until needed.”
• Lexipol, where jail policies are posted: “I talked to the rep this morning. They’re going to set up a new account and have it inactive until the transfer date. Then they’ll activate it and move over all of the policies and information.”
• Background checks, polygraph, and psychological assessments: “I reached out, and we’re good to go for any background checks for new employees.”
• New credit cards for the department: “The auditor’s office has the application. I submitted that after the last meeting.”
• Fuel cards: “I’m working with Wex [a payment processing service] and Pacific Pride to get accounts for the two new vehicles.”
Other items on his list included reconfiguring the computer network and adding some new drives.
“A new one we added was body cams,” Van Cleave said. “The Sheriff has the software. We either need to set up a separate account or just split the bill.”
Commissioner Dan Christopher expressed some concern about that idea. “I’m not necessarily advocating for not splitting the bill,” he said, “but if the contract was under the Department of Corrections, at least then we can apply for grants on it, and [the sheriff] could pay half of whatever we’re paying.”
The transition will also affect deputizing the corrections officers, which will no longer be done by the sheriff. Van Cleave
said that takes another process but did not elaborate.
Finally, he said jail expert Briones, who has been through this process before, has agreed to look over the task list to make sure all the bases are being covered. In other actions, commissioners responded to a public comment request that the county provide badly needed daycare facilities for the county’s “daycare desert.”
“I don’t think government should be in charge of operating child care,” Christopher said. “I think private entities did a wonderful job with it when they weren’t overregulated to high heaven, forcing them into bankruptcy.”
He cited Idaho as an example of a state he said has fewer regulations. Idaho only requires a license for those providing care to more than seven children.
Commissioner Jacob Anderson was an ally on this issue. “I can agree with Commissioner Christopher,” he said, “that childcare is not a core county function. It’s not something the Legislature directs us to spend taxpayer dollars on.”
He said the county had asked the Small Business Development Center to run a business analysis on creating a child care facility.
“The problem with all the rules and regulations Mr. Christopher was talking about,” he said, “is the cost. Somebody has to supplement it to the tune of about $500,000 a year, and I think that was for just 40 to 50 kids. We don’t have that
county,
Northwest’s precarious but hopeful future
NATHAN WILSON COLUMBIA
GORGE NEWS
U.S. Sens. Maria Cantwell, Ron Wyden, and several leaders of regional energy organizations discussed the future of Northwest power during a meeting on July 15, which focused on increasing electricity demand, climate change, and cleaner solutions.
Since 1983, the Northwest Power and Conservation Council (NWPCC) has developed a power plan for Idaho, Montana, Oregon, and Washington. But a key metric in the 2021 Power Plan, designed to begin a renewable energy transition, was off base.
NWPCC predicted the region would require an average of 25,895 megawatts (MW) of electricity in 2041, under its highest-use scenario. However, the Pacific Northwest Utilities Conference Committee (PNUCC) estimated electricity needs will top 33,000 MW in 2033—a 30% increase from current usage (23,700 MW) in eight fewer years. As a result, the region may not have enough power to go around without drastic action.
“That projected increase in demand is primarily due to data center development; high-tech manufacturing growth, which is driven by incentives for onshore manufacturing; and the continued trend toward electrification,” said Crystal Ball, executive director of PNUCC, in Seattle.
Oregon has the fifth-largest data center market in the country according to a report by Cushman and Wakefield, and these facilities require massive amounts of water and electricity. For instance, Google opened its first of five data centers in The Dalles in 2006, and five years later, the amount of electricity provided to primary service customers rose tenfold. In 2021, Google’s data centers sucked up 355 million gallons of water, or
29% of the city’s total water consumption, as reporting from The Oregonian shows. KC Golden, vice chair of NWPCC, reaffirmed that electrifying technology, from home heating systems to cars, is another major driver of energy insecurity. “This is not just a power forecasting and demand forecasting uncertainty. [Electrification] is a policy. It’s a future we’ve chosen, both because it’s the only way we know how to respond to the climate crisis effectively and get our carbon emissions down fast enough.” According to NWPCC’s recent assessment of the 2021 Power Plan, the northwest may need to develop new resources, like additional solar, wind and storage capacity, more aggressively than expected to ensure an adequate power supply by 2027. “There is currently no clear plan or set of projects underway that are sufficient to meet the overall need,” said Ball. By causing more extreme weather, climate change makes reliable power and a strong electric grid critical. In January of this year, an ice storm that froze transmission lines and transformer boxes led to massive outages throughout the Willamette Valley and Southwestern Washington. Heatwaves and wildfires pose similar risks, but climate change also jeopardizes our electricity supply.
Largely thanks to the Columbia River Basin, PNUCC estimates that 61% of Northwest electricity comes from hydropower. In 2023, though, data from the U.S. Energy Information Association revealed that hydropower production in Oregon and Washington fell to its lowest level in over two decades. The drop was likely caused by low precipitation in fall and winter, and above average summer temperatures that rapidly melted snowpack.
KLICKITAT COUNTY AUDITOR’S OFFICE IT MOVED: People have wondered where the ballot box that used to be on Columbus Avenue went to.
OFFICE OF SEN. MARIA CANTWELL
ENERGY FUTURE: Along with seven industry leaders, U.S. Sens. Maria Cantwell (center) and Ron Wyden (center left) unpack the challenges of sustainable, secure
SURPRISE!: Jennifer Wilson of the Market Street Cafe in Bickleton
KVH utility upgrade nearing completion
Jordan Mayberry
For The SenTinel
Outside the front entrance of Klickitat Valley Health, a new structure has been under construction for months. This sleek, brick extension to the existing facilities is a critical part of the ongoing central utility plant upgrade project, which is still underway and crossing major milestones.
“The project is a central utility plant upgrade,”
KVH Support Services
Director Jonathan Lewis explains, “It has all the electrical system as a part of it. It also has boilers and the chiller systems to keep the hospital cool, so it’s the central heating, cooling, and electrical system.”
These systems, while often operational, were reaching advanced age and were in need of an upgrade. “Some systems from the ’60s, some from 2006, and some of the systems were from the ’40s as well.” The effort has
The Washington state Office of the Secretary of State (OSOS) has invested in a
campaign to highlight the safety and security of the state’s voteby-mail process ahead of Washington’s August primary and November general election. Created with agency partner Happylucky, the campaign uses stylized, rootedin-place imagery, and animation to promote the integrity of a process that has enabled accessible and secure voting throughout Washington for more than a decade. This campaign’s positive messaging helps voters understand how voteby-mail works, celebrate
taken some time, as Lewis describes: “We’ve been working on this project for the last seven years.”
Funding concerns were at the forefront of the project since its inception. “We got a grant from Rep. Gina Mosbrucker, specifically for electrical upgrades,” Lewis recalls. “That included money for a hydrogen fuel cell to back up some of our electrical systems.
The whole project is $10 million. We got $3 million from Mosbrucker, $2.5 million from Sen. Patty Murray, $500,000 from the Sunderland Foundation, and $500,000 from the Department of Commerce. For the remainder we took out a low-interest loan from the Washington State Treasury Department’s Local Loan Program.”
The added construction for the project is multipurpose, Lewis states. “The whole central utility plant upgrade is made to support a future wing of
their democratic rights, and encourage participation.
“Washingtonians should know our elections are conducted securely and transparently by trained and dedicated election officials,” Secretary of State Steve Hobbs said. “These elections administrators, in every county, are our neighbors and deserve our trust. By partnering with Happylucky, we can inform voters statewide of the safe, secure, and transparent processes we use to conduct every election.”
Although a survey conducted in 2022 found a majority of Washington voters trust the state’s voteby-mail system, falsehoods
the hospital, which will save money on a future bond request. We’ve gone out to bond four times for the new wing, 100% designed and ready to go,” although funding for the new wing has confronted obstacles. The last bond vote fell short . “We were 29 votes shy of 60% approval,” Lewis says. The hopeful new wing for Klickitat Valley Health would house a new patient wing and a hopeful long-term care facility.
“Our current patient wing was built in the ’40s and upgraded in the ’60s. This new wing would replace the patient wing, then we would turn our existing patient wing into long-term care. There is currently no long-term care facility in the county. The new wing would also house a new surgery center; our current surgery center is also from the ’40s and ’60s.”
The central utility upgrades aim to enhance efficiency and reduce
about its security persist, particularly in state and national elections. The public awareness campaign by OSOS and Happylucky provides an uplifting, straightforward approach to reach audiences where their confidence is fostered: within their local communities.
The campaign utilizes traditional and digital channels plus communitybased partnerships with an additional focus on rural, historically marginalized, and entry-level voters. Copy and imagery directly connect to slices of home, leaning into whimsy and humor, with versions provided in English,
emissions. “Many of these projects have an energy efficiency component. We expect to save around $75,000 a year on energy costs,” says Lewis. This improvement not only benefits Klickitat Valley Health economically but also has ecological advantages. These goals align with broader projects in Klickitat County outlined by the Goldendale Climate Resilience District. A key component is the awaited delivery of a hydrogen fuel cell, a collaboration between Toyota Motor North America and Kohler Power Systems.
“The fuel cell is put together by Kohler using Toyota’s fuel cell,” Lewis explains. “If the grid goes down, we can use the hydrogen to create electricity and continue providing power and services to patients. We are also getting new diesel generators and a 350kw generator that will provide most of our backup power.
Spanish, Vietnamese, Traditional Chinese, and Simplified Chinese. A newly created animated character, “Mark the Ballot,” leads the campaign, spreading information and enthusiasm to voters by showing the journey of a ballot, providing education on how voter rolls are updated, and sharing Washington’s history as the second state to adopt voteby-mail.
“Our goal was to imagine a vibrant world where the ballot springs to life, infused with a generous dose of eccentricity for an edutainment approach,” said Guy Cappiccie, associate creative director
The new fuel cell will supplement that.”
As for the central utility plant upgrade project, significant progress is being made. “We’re in the home stretch,” Lewis affirms. “We hope to be done by October; we’re still in progress.”
With the incoming delivery of the new fuel cell and the completion of electrical system upgrades, completion of the project is within reach. While a
at Happylucky. “It’s about making civic engagement feel less like a duty and more like a collective journey.”
OSOS invested $1.8 million in the campaign, as part of its critical role to deliver accurate elections information statewide. The
one phase of greater visions to come. With the region in a transitional phase with its energy infrastructure, projects such as the Goldendale Climate Resiliency District and local governance will continue to modernize infrastructure with efficiency and resiliency as keys to the mission.
G OLDENDALE ’ S A TTIC
Answer to last week´s Mystery Picture
This week’s Goldendale’s Attic Mystery Picture
Chums. In the military. Judging from the bars on their caps, lieutenants. Air Force? Only if this was after World War II; before that, it would have been the Army Air Corps. But they do have those wing-type thingys on their shirts. Who are these guys? Where was this taken? When? Why? All we know
is this picture ran in The Sentinel sometime, lost in the annals of yesteryear. If you know anything about it, please send us an email (info@goldendalesenti-
nel.com), or give us a call (509-773-3777), or drop in at the office—and remember, you’re welcome to come in and take a look at the original photograph.
L OOKING BACK
July 27, 1899 – 125 Years Ago
Attorney N. B. Brooks and the editor left Goldendale about 3:30 Saturday for Biggs, where they took the southbound train about 7:00, this being their fi rst ride over the Columbia Southern to its present terminus at Moro, the county seat of Sherman County.
July 31, 1924 – 100 Years Ago
An incinerator is to be constructed on the vacant property back of the Sentinel office for the purpose of burning trash. Contributions for its construction have been made by businessmen in the vicinity.
July 31, 1924 – 100 Years ago
Goodnoe Hills watermelons are beginning to be brought to town in quite large numbers. Lincoln Huot has commenced making regular trips and brought in his fi rst load several days ago. They have been retailing at four cents per pound.
August 16, 1934 – 90 Years Ago
Freeman Grow, manager of the Safeway store, was winner of this year’s dance ticket offer by Maurer Bros. for the most suitable title for their new dance hall in the former Goldendale Garage building. “The Utopian Ballroom” will henceforth be the cognomen of the new upstairs dance palace.
August 3, 1944 – 80 Years Ago
Joe Princen of Yakima flew here Saturday afternoon to view the proposed landing strip located at the south city limits in Robison field. After his investigation of the strip, he approved it for an airport designation number. Helen Baxter, who plans to establish a fl ight school here, was flown Wednesday to Pocatello, Idaho, to ferry back her Tailor craft CBL plane. A windsock has been placed at the proposed field.
July 29, 1954 – 70 Years Ago
Electronic speed checking came to Goldendale Thursday when a state patrol car from Vancouver arrived here to make a radar check on Columbus Avenue. Most of the drivers were well within the 25-mile-per-hour limit, but a few speeders had to be chased down and given warnings or citations.
July 16, 1964 – 60 Years Ago
The dream of telephones that see as well as talk has moved closer to everyday reality. The American Telephone and Telegraph company plans to start “Picturephone” service between New York, Chicago, and Washington D. C., in mid-June. The “see while you talk” telephones will be installed in special booths at central locations in the three cities. The Washington picturephone service originates from the National Geographic Society’s handsome new headquarters building, just a few blocks from the White House. The location is appropriate, since Alexander Graham Bell, inventor of the telephone, was the second president of the National Geographic Society, Dr. Bell’s grandson, Melville Bell Grosvenor, is president and editor of the Society.
—Richard Lefever Klickitat County
Points to ponder:
Butcher: “Sorry, sir, we have no duck today. How about some chicken?”
Man: “Don’t be silly. I can’t tell my wife I shot a chicken.”
Did you hear about the office worker who had used up all his sick days, so he called in dead?
I used to drive an Eclipse. It was a nice car, but I couldn’t look directly at it.
Before they invented drawing boards, what did they go back to?
I’m out of my mind, but feel free to leave a message.
Hippopotomonstrosesquippedaliophobia: fear of long words.
This picture has been colorized. Ez Kaiser was the all-around consensus as to the identity of the man on the right in last week’s Goldendale’s Attic Mystery Picture. The man on the left is said to look like George McCready but the ID was very tentative. Ez Kaiser was Sheriff of Klickitat County for many years. While researching him in our archives we ran across a “Looking Back” section written by Richard Lefever, which mentions both Kaiser and McCready. The original article was published 69 years ago on January 6, 1955: The atomic age came to Goldendale Monday and stirred up a general scare. Not the least scared was Sheriff Ez Kaiser, who got the assignment of taking an atomic rocket into custody. But the weapon turned out to be harmless—much to the sheriff’s relief. A frantic call came to the sheriff Monday morning from Camp Hanford that a rocket had been seen at the
Jackson Service Station here and reported to Army authorities. The sheriff was told the weapon might be atomic—a highly secret weapon. Ez and Deputy George McCredy rushed to the service station to pick up the rocket. It had been found in a wrecked plane at Moses Lake Air Base by Harold Jackson while he was in the service and brought it home. Harold told the officers the rocket had been relieved of its explosives before he found it. He planned to make an ash tray out of it and was working on the 18-inch long missile when the officers arrived. Kaiser took the rocket to the sheriff’s office and locked it in the safe. Then came another call from Camp Hanford army men, warning the sheriff the weapon might be very dangerous. Ez took no more chances. He delegated McCredy and city police chief Bill West to bury the bomb on the hillside north of town. This was done.
Dear Savvy Senior,
OpiniOn
How are Social Security benefits handled when someone dies? After a long illness, my 68-year-old father has only weeks left to live. I am helping my mom figure out her financial situation going forward, including what to do about my dad’s Social Security after he passes away but could use some help.
Only Son
Dear Only, I’m very sorry about the impending loss of your father. To help you and your mom understand what Social Security provides and what needs to be done when a family member dies, here are some key points you should know.
Savvy Senior, Jim Miller
Your first order of business will be to make sure the Social Security Administration is notified when your father dies, so his monthly benefits will be stopped. In most cases, the funeral home providing his burial or cremation services will do it. You’ll need to provide your dad’s Social Security number to the funeral director so they can make the report. But, if they don’t offer that service or you’re not using a funeral home, you’ll need to do it yourself by calling Social Security at (800) 772-1213.
When benefits stop
There are a couple of things to be aware of regarding your dad’s Social Security benefits. For starters, you need to know that a person is due no Social Security benefits in the month of their death. With Social Security, each payment received represents the previous month’s benefits. So, if your dad were to pass away in August, the check for that month –which would be paid in September – would need to be returned if received. If the payment is made by direct deposit, you would need to contact the bank or other financial institution and ask them to return any benefits sent after your dad’s death.
Survivor benefits
When your father passes away, your mother may be eligible for survivor benefits on his record if she’s at least age 60 (50 if disabled). Here’s how that works depending on her situation.
If your mom is currently receiving Social Security benefits based on your father’s work record, her spousal benefit will automatically convert to survivors benefits when the government gets notice of your dad’s death. She cannot receive both spousal and survivor benefits at the same time.
Widows are due between 71 percent (at age 60) and 100 percent (at full retirement age) of what the husband was getting before he died.
If, however, your mom is eligible for retirement benefits (but hasn’t applied yet), she can apply for retirement or survivors benefits when her husband passes away and switch to the other (higher) benefit later. Or, if your mom is already receiving her retirement benefits on her own work record, she could switch to survivors benefits if it offers a higher pay-
THE GOLDENDALE SENTINEL
Official newspaper of Klickitat County, Washington
Established 1879 • Published every Wednesday from offices at 117 W. Main Street • Goldendale, WA 98620 • Telephone: (509) 773-3777
Emails: news@goldendalesentinel.com (News, editorial, Letters)
Obits@goldendalesentinel.com (Obituaries)
Classifieds @goldendalesentinel.com (Classified ads and inquiries) Ads @goldendalesentinel.com
(Display advertising information and inquiries)
Legals @goldendalesentinel.com (Legal and public notices)
Payables@goldendalesentinel.com
Receivables@goldendalesentinel.com
Events @goldendalesentinel.com (Events and activities)
Editorial:
Lou Marzeles, Editor & Publisher
Business and office staff:
Owned by Tartan Publications, Inc.
Leslie Geatches, President, Financial management, Special Section production, Ad Design Naomi James, Bookkeeping
ment. She cannot, however, receive both benefits.
To apply for survivors’ benefits, your mom will need to call Social Security at (800) 772-1213 and schedule an appointment. She can’t do it online.
You should also know that survivor benefits are available to former spouses and dependents who meet SSA qualifications – see SSA.gov/benefits/survivors.
Also note that if your mom collects a survivor benefit while working, and she’s under full retirement age, her benefits may be reduced depending on her earnings. See SSA.gov/pubs/EN-05-10069.pdf for details.
Death benefit
In addition to survivor benefits, Social Security will also pay a one-time payment of $255 to your mom (the surviving spouse) if she was living with your dad at the time of his death. If they were living apart, she may still receive this one-time payment if she’s collecting spousal benefits on his work record. In the absence of a surviving spouse, the lump-sum payment can go to a son or daughter who is eligible for benefits on the deceased’s work record.
Burn-out has got to go
The Festival of Wheels gave it another try this year. It seems the attendance has dwindled to much lower levels than when the event was new, 10 years ago. There are a lot of competing car shows this time of year, so it doesn’t surprise me . This year Goldendale Motorsports Association and ABATE brought back the burn-out, which was tried several times in the past with questionable benefits to the town. This year someone had the brilliant idea to use the old skateboard park as a place to stage the return of the burnout. It was held on the concrete slab, a tempting medium for anyone inclined to bum rubber. Rednecks of many degrees, punk kids or maybe the little old lady from Pasadena. I personally was left with a bad taste in my mouth and lungs. Even though I made it a point to stay away from the burn-out and was at my home where I thought I would escape the noise and smoke, when the toxic cloud rose from the park and drifted over the Little Klickitat River Park (the swimming pool) on to the kids and families at the pool and on to me while I was sitting on my property. We were contaminated by the toxins in the smoke, and my eyes and throat were imitated, and my lungs filled with carbon monoxide and other cancer causing toxic compounds
for three hours.
I think the city of Goldendale needs to rethink supporting burnouts in our park. Next year don’t issue a permit to any group that wants to burn-out. There are places in the county where it could be held, just not in the city please. I hate toxic smoke, and you should too.
On Sept 4 I will be asking the mayor and his administration to make an ordinance forbidding anyone from reckless unsafe burnouts in any ones neighborhood or any street in the Goldendale city limits. I would appreciate some support from like-minded citizens at the council meeting. Let them know how you feel.
Ken McKune Goldendale
I contacted the bank for an explanation. The answer was essentially that “we wouldn’t do that.” Then why is it in your documents, I asked. The answer was to send me up the chain of command. The second person gave the same answer as the first and then was to have me contacted by some-one higher up. That person has not contacted me after more than a week so I am following through on what I told the bank contacts I was going to do—write a letter to the editor to be sure local folks are aware of how Columbia Bank is choosing to deal with its account holders.
Letters from the community
True traditional values
The candidate statements that appear in the Voters’ Pamphlet are printed as submitted to the Office of the Secretary of State. Any candidate can say what they want in their statement, which go out to voters exactly as written.
In the case of Dan Newhouse, a candidate for Congressional District 4, U.S. Representative, the statement reads, “Dan votes to ensure health care is accessible, affordable, and that decisions remain between a patient and doctor.” Page 21, 2024 WA Voters’ Pamphlet.
I recently received an updated “Terms for Business and Deposit Account Agreement” from Columbia Bank. I am not in the habit of reading the fine print but for some reason this time I did. I came across an “added” line that I found very concerning. Again, this line is both for personal and business accounts. It reads: “We may refuse to open and account and may close your account at any time for any reason or for no reason at all.”
United we vote
My concern is that a comment as broad as this opens the door for abuse. I have had no difficulties with our local branch and am sorry that the headquarters has decided to take such a hard line. It ap-pears I will need to look for a bank that does not behave in this manner.
Ken Margraf Goldendale
I quote President Joe Biden: “We are the United States of America”. A politician whose only talking point is division is not worthy of holding office in a united country. That is the choice. United we stand, divided we fall. My vote will go to the united Thomas Wilson Goldendale
“For No Reason At All” I particularly found offensive.
Given Newhouse’s voting record, his poor rating with pro-choice groups, and his high rating with ultraconservative groups, I’m guessing what he means is a male patient and doctor. Nothing in his record suggests that a female patient has any such right to privacy. For example, Planned Parenthood rates Newhouse 0% between 2015 and 2020, 12% in 2022, and 18% in 2024. With the backlash from women voters hitting politicians after the Dobbs decision, he seems to have compromised somewhere. By comparison, the National Right to Life Committee rates him 100% every year from 2015 to 2024.
In all fairness, the statement in the pamphlet includes mention of his endorsement by “pro-life organizations” in the last paragraph, referring to his traditional values. To me, a traditional value since 1973 was my right to make my own health decisions with my doctor. I vote with that in mind.
Virginia Hartnett White Salmon
Disrespect for women
We know everything we need to know about Donald Trump simply by the man he chose to be his running mate, JD Vance.
While Trump is trying to distance himself from the disastrous Supreme Court decision to abolish women’s reproductive autonomy, in Vance he chose a potential vice president who has called for a national abortion ban. Vance also asserted that women in physically abusive marriages should stay put. He refers to women who choose not to have children as “childless cat ladies.”
None of this misogyny should surprise anyone. Trump doesn’t have a great record of respect toward women, either. He stacked the Supreme Court with justices who took away women’s reproductive rights and has repeatedly bragged about it. He’s been found liable for sexual assault and was caught on tape bragging about sexual assault.
I don’t see how anyone who respects women can vote for the Trump-Vance ticket.
Rick George White Salmon
Guidelines for Letters
Has he read it?
Following the attempted Trump assassination by a Republican gunlover being blamed on Democrats at the Republican Convention, remember it’s Donald Trump and followers who have overwhelmingly praised the use of violence.
Trump advocated for shooting Black Lives Matter protesters following the murder of George Floyd (tinyurl.com/y73wnm65). Trump called Boogaloo Boys-influenced Kyle Rittenhouse, who killed unarmed BLM protesters with an AR-15, “a nice young man.” Trump espouses dehumanizing fear and mistrust of migrants, independent government institutions, and election workers whose lives have been threatened. Trump defended the chants of “hang Mike Pence” as “common sense” during the January 6 insurrection he promoted and led on the Capitol.
Trump champions lies and incendiary rhetoric about “stolen election” psychopathic conspiracy theories and enlisted support from armed anti-government extremist Proud Boys and Oath Keepers to “take the country back” and “drain the swamp.” Support for political violence by Republicans has gone from 28% in 2021 to 33% in 2023. This sentiment increased from 7% to 13% among Democrats. Convicted felon, sexual assaulter, and pathologic liar, Trump claims to be a Christian and often poses with a Bible—but obviously has never read it: “For whatsoever a man soweth, that shall he also reap.” Galatians 6:7.
Bob Yoesle Goldendale
Letters to the editor should be original and comment on an issue. Deadline for letters is noon Monday for the same week’s paper.
Requests to keep letters exactly as they were written when published cannot be honored. All letters are subject to editing for grammar, spelling, clarity, and/or brevity. There is a suggested length limit of about 300 words, though more may be allowed if there are fewer letters.
Unsigned letters (including anonymity requests), letters with fictitious signatures, letters with multiple signatures, or letters to public officials are not accepted.
Please keep the tone of letters free of rants, wild speculation, unsubstantiated claims, or pointedly personal comments. Letters that go overboard in these directions may be refused publication.
Writers must include name, city/town of residence, and phone number for verification purposes. (Street address is not required, only city or town.)
H ometown
Last Saturday evening a fire began in the Dallesport area. Resources from various county fire departments were requested. Jon Cole, our Glenwood Fire Department chief, informed me that our department sent one brush truck to that fire. They had already dispatched a brush truck to the Big Horn Fire near Bickleton last Thursday. Jon says, “There are several fires in the region. Fire danger is high and firefighting resources are getting limited.” The Glenwood Fire Department is always looking for volunteers! If anyone is interested in joining, swing by the fire hall on the second and third Wednesdays at 7 p.m. During this time of very high fire danger and limited resources, everyone is cautioned to be very careful with equipment in fields, brush, or timber.
Glenwood High School students recently completed the 2024 Youth Engaged in Sustainable Systems (YESS) program. This program is made available through the Pacific Education Institute (PEI), which states, “The YESS program model is grounded in collaboration between PEI, school districts, skill centers, and local community partners. YESS high school participants earn school credit and a stipend while building their job skills and exploring careers in natural resources or education. Over their program, students’ classroom time is paired with hands-on service activities at community partner sites.
Upon course completion, teachers provide each student with a signed “document of competency” that rates their proficiency in a variety of entry-level industry-related skills. These documents of competency were designed by PEI with guidance from industry leaders and research on natural resource or education work-
Jim White
For The SenTinel
Our last full month of summer is here. Even though it is warm, days are getting shorter and nights longer. At the start of August, sunrise comes at 5:49 a.m., with sunset at 8:34 p.m. By August 31, sunrise will move up to 6:26 a.m., with sunset at 7:44 p.m. We lose almost an hour and a half of daylight— and gain that much in night skies.
Once again, bright planets are pretty much confined to the early morning skies. Saturn now peeks above the eastern evening horizon by about 10 p.m. early in the month and is up shortly after 8 p.m. at the end of the month. If you look low in the southeast it will be easy to pick out, much brighter than surrounding stars. September will present better viewing of Saturn, as it rises higher in the evening sky. Venus will be visible right after sunset in August, hugging the western horizon.
If you are up early, check out the eastern morning sky. You’ll find the planets Jupiter and Mars in the constellation Taurus. Just above them will be the star cluster Pleiades. On August 26, the Moon will be just to the left of Jupiter. On the morning of August 14, Mars will be very close to Jupiter, just above and to the left of the solar system’s giant planet.
August’s new Moon will come on the 4th, with full Moon following on the 19th.
The Moon and Saturn will be close to each other on August 21. The popular Perseid meteor shower will be at maximum on Sunday, August 11 and Monday
force development trends. Students can use this document to craft their resumes and better articulate their skills when applying for jobs.”
This year three Glenwood students, Christian and Tomei Tomeo, and Giana Jackson participated, gaining new skills in forestry and ecosystems management. I had the privilege, once again, of attending their end-of-program presentations and was very impressed with all three. They created slide presentations showing where their assigned timber plots were located, what tree species their plots contained, what posed threats to the trees, and how they would treat their plots to maintain a healthy forest.
The students took a field trip to Mt. St. Helens to see the effects of the timber devastation 44 years after the eruption and what has been done to restore the forest and ecosystem there. They also traveled to the Lava Nursery in Parkdale, Oregon, to see how tree seedlings are grown for distribution to forests in the Pacific Northwest. I spoke to our new superintendent/principal, Mr. Rogers, the next day to see what he thought of the program and the presentations. He said he was very impressed and feels it’s a great program and a great opportunity for our high school students.
August 12. Best viewing will be after midnight. The waxing crescent Moon will be in the evening sky but will set by 11 p.m. (August 11) and by 11:30 p.m. (August 12). If you are eager to see shower and want to stay up late, the Goldendale Observatory will have its gates open for viewing after midnight until 4 a.m. early Monday morning. Check the Observatory web page (www. goldendaleobservatory.com) and look under “special events” for details. If you do not have reservations for the Sunday evening program, you’ll have to wait until midnight before the gates open. An interesting little constellation in our August evening sky is Delphinus, the dolphin. Although small and not composed of very bright stars, Delphinus can easily be picked out in dark skies with a cluster of 4 stars making a diamond shape. Add a fifth star to the right of the cluster, and you have the shape of the dolphin (OK, use your imagination a bit). Find Delphinus just to the left of the bright star Altair, and below the bright star Vega, in the eastern evening sky. Check out the picture with this column for help. The brightest star in the constellation is on the right side of the diamond and is named Rotanev. The star at the top of the diamond, to the left of Rotanev, is called Sualocin. They were named in 1814 by an Italian astronomer, Nicolaus Venator, an assistant at the Palmero Observatory in Italy. Can you guess how he came up with those names? Yup, they are his first and last names spelled backward!
Enjoy August’s skies!
A huge thanks goes to Ms. Eldred and Mrs. McFall, the Glenwood School science teachers who oversaw the summer program. Also, thanks to Dave Wasgatt for taking the students to the tree nursery and to Mt. Adams Resource Stewards and the Department of Natural Resources for helping make this program possible.
One of our local cowgirls, Peyton Sanchey, continues to have great success in rodeos this summer after returning from the National High School Rodeo Finals. Last weekend was a busy one for Peyton. Saturday she competed in the Thunder Mountain Rodeo in Longview, Washington, where she placed second in women’s barrel races. She then traveled to Long Beach to compete in that rodeo. Unfortunately, her horse threw a shoe, and she finished 10th. It wasn’t the finish Peyton hoped for, but she is experienced enough to know those things happen, and she’ll be ready for the next rodeo coming up. Her dedication to barrel racing really shows and we are very proud of her here.
Our other young cowgirl just back from National Finals, Joslyn Arnold, continues to recuperate from the rough ear/throat infection that plagued her during the finals. She plans to be back on the rodeo circuit next weekend. Good luck and have fun, Joslyn. We’ll be rooting for you.
tamara Kaufman For The SenTinel
Preventing financial stress for rural families was a primary goal of the recent Financial Wellness Fair series put on by Community Enrichment for Klickitat County (CEKC) and Washington Gorge Action Programs (WAGAP) with the help of area partners. Over 200 people participated.
Another major goal was making the fairs accessible to underserved communities and populations. The team hosted three events across Klickitat County. In Klickitat and Wishram, the event focused on low-income families and included an emphasis on outreach to the Native American population. In Trout Lake the event was held in Spanish with additional outreach to migrant farm workers and their families.
“WAGAP Community Health Workers have exceeded all expectations for developing and implementing a financial wellness program,” said Vern Harpole, vice president of CEKC. Twenty partners came together to offer financial literacy training, legal aid, and assistance with financial goal setting.
“The Hispanic Community has very little information about these types of resources being available, especially due to the language barrier,” said Mary Solorio, one of the Pathways Community Health Workers. “It is very important for me to inform the community of all the services available to them, so the Trout Lake event was significant.”
Recognizing that evening activities can strain families, free dinners and childcare were available. The groups also provided gift cards to assist with financial burdens and compensate for their time and effort.
Organizers invited participants to complete a survey at the end of the evening to identify areas where families were struggling financially. It also captured thoughts on the usefulness of the information provided.
Food topped the list of needs. General expenses were next, followed by housing and transportation. Comments
included notes that the event was helpful and that it can be hard to know what to ask for if someone doesn’t know a service exists. Most appreciated bringing resources together at one event to draw attention to programs that can assist rural families.
A major contributor was Mid-Columbia Housing Authority, whose staff demonstrated its free financial education course. Participants received education materials and were welcomed to sign up for the series of four courses offered monthly in both English and Spanish. Classes are offered in person at the MCHA office and are also available via Zoom. Topics include Budgeting and Savings; Building, Repairing and Protecting Credit; Banking Basics; and Debt and Predatory Lending. For more information, or to sign up, call (541) 296-5462.
Other partners supported outreach to local communities, and many set up informational tables at the events. They shared a wide range of information and access to various services that could assist families in taking the stress out of their individual situations.
Harpole explained that the series was part of the work that CEKC, an all-volunteer nonprofit, does in efforts to increase rural resiliency. In 2023, the organization was awarded a two-year grant from the Washington State Department of Commerce for asset building in rural and poverty-stricken areas, bringing $145,000 to Klickitat County to support the work. The group focused on developing a financial wellness program and identified local communities in Klickitat County where it could have a tremendous impact. CEKC’s board brought in WAGAP’s Pathways team of Community Health Workers, whose professional staff added capacity and access to a deep list of contacts to organize the events.
“CEKC provided advisors and logistical and financial support, and WAGAP provided all the planning and execution,” Harpole said. With the first year of the grant under its belt, the team is now planning for year two and hopes to broaden its reach. “This pilot program will be expanded with more sites and services next year,” Harpole said. “We can’t wait to continue our work with WAGAP.”
Among the financial partners were Riverview Bank, First Interstate Bank, and Rivermark Community Credit Union, with the Initiative for Working Families Tax Credit. WorkSource Columbia Gorge, People for People, and Oregon Human Development Corporation (OHDC) represented employment. Klickitat Valley Health and Skyline Health provided insurance navigators, with One Community Health also participating. Other programs included Nch’i Wana Housing, Washington State Commission on Hispanic Affairs, Klickitat County Senior Services, Northwest Access Fund, Fort Vancouver Regional Library, and Klickitat County Childcare Committee. Prevention programs included the Klickitat-Lyle Against Substance Abuse Coalition (KLASAC) and the Coalition for Preventing Abuse in Klickitat County (CPAKC).
This Calendar of Events listing is free, email your event to events@GoldendaleSentinel. com or call 509-773-3777.
Are you in need of an eyecatching display ad to highlight your event? Email us at ads@ GoldendaleSentinel.com. Our friendly, helpful staff would love to help you find an advertising package that works for your needs and fits your budget! We offer online ads as well— with over 14,000 unique hits on our website each month, this is a great way to reach even more people.
WEEKLY AND MONTHLY EVENTS
Every Wednesday,Monday, and Fri- day
• Alcoholics Anonymous, Goldendale United Methodist Church, 7-8 p.m. Monday
• Popup Café – 10 a.m. – 2 p.m. Lunch and support group at the Masonic Lodge on Columbus until further notice. Café is open weekly on Monday and Wednesday.
• Programs for Peaceful Living Domestic Violence Victim support group via zoom Mondays 10 a.m. 509-773-6100 or 509493-1533.
• The Coalition for Preventing Abuse in Klickitat County (CPAKC) 4 p.m. every 2nd Monday via Zoom. 509-773-3776 or CPAKC on Facebook.
• Goldendale City Council meetings 6 p.m. 1103 S Columbus 1st and 3rd Monday of every month except on holidays.
• Book Discussion Group meets every third Monday at 11 a.m. – Goldendale Library
• One on One Tech Help 1st Monday of the month 10 a.m. – 1 p.m. at the Goldendale Library, call to set up an appointment 509-773-4487
• Goldendale School Board Work Session: 2nd Monday of the month at the Primary School Library.
• Goldendale School Board Meeting: 4th Monday of the month at the High School Cafeteria. Tuesday
• EPIC Youth Center at 1106 S Roosevelt in Goldendale is open from 10 - 11:30 am for grades 5 – 8. Come enjoy indoor and outdoor activities such as soccer, volleyball, dodge ball, pickleball, table tennis and more. Meet new people and make new friends. For updates, check out our website at epicyouthcenter.org.
• Wellness Warriors 3 – 4 p.m. on the 3rd Tuesday of each month at the Goldendale Library on Burgen Street. Join us as our local health department nurses teach us about different wellness topics to keep ourselves safe an healthy. Topics include: Hand Hygiene, Nutrition, Physical Activity, Emotional Health, & Safety/Injury Prevention. All ages are welcome, topics will be covered at an elementary school level.
• Board of County Commissioners meeting every Tuesday Klickitat County Courthouse, 205 S Columbus Goldendale. Visit www.klickitatcounty. org/643/Board-of-CountyCommissioners for information, agenda, and link for Zoom meeting.
• TOPS Club Inc. – Taking Pounds off Sensibly 10 a.m. the Nazarene Church on Grant and Allyn. Questions? Sally/ojala@ gmail.com.
• Goldendale Junior Community Chamber 7 p.m. 2nd Tuesday of every month at Umpqua Bank. Call 509-250-0625
• Goldendale Photo Club 2nd
Tuesday of Every month 105 West Main 6 p.m. Jeanne Morgan 10-5 M-F at 509-772-2717
• KC Fair Board Meetings 1st Tuesday of the month is a Workshop, 3rd Tuesday of the month is a Board Meeting.
Community Events
• Soroptimist International of Goldendale, 5:30 p.m. the second and fourth Tuesday of the month. Dedicated to helping women and youth in our community and worldwide. All welcome. Contact Betty 509-250-3746.
• BINGO night: 3 p.m. on the 2nd Tuesday of the month at the High Prairie Community Center on Struck Rd. Meals and cards for purchase (discounted kids’ meals) Come meet your neighbours and enjoy some family fun!
Wednesday
• Healing Song Circle: 6:30 –7:30 p.m. every 4th Wednesday of the month, Missing Corner in BZ Corner. Song in healing for our hearts, our communities, and our world. Please come join us for this monthly community offering. We will be hosting and inviting many songwriters to share their songs too! Super excited to see you there! By donation $10-20, no one turned away. RSVP at laurarosedoctor@ gmail.com, 509-637-9425.
• Learn and Play! – 2 – 3 p.m. every 4th Wednesday of the month at the Goldendale Library. Fun and learning for you and your little ones!
• Family Fun Night at the Goldendale American Legion on Broadway St. 4th Wednesday of every month at 6:30
• Free Youth Cooking Classes: 4-6 p.m. every other Wednesday, beginning Sept. 20th, 2023 – June 2024 at The Harbour 125 W. Main St. Goldendale. Children 13+, come join us at the Youth Drop-In Center for free cooking classes. 509-281-0288 or email cassidy@wagap.org
• Snowden Community Council Meetings – 1st Wednesday of the month at 6:30 at the Cherry Lane Fire Station
• Kiwanis 7 a.m. Simcoe Café 1st and 3rd Wednesday of the month.
• Gorge Farmers Co-op Pickup 4 – 6 p.m. Columbia Grange 87, Lyle
• Beginning Quilt class 10 a.m. – 12 p.m. call 3C’s Fabric to sign up 509-261-2815
• Trivia at the American Legion – (on hold through summer) every week 6:30 p.m.
• Family Story Time at 10:30
– 11:30 a.m., Goldendale Library
• Popup Café – 10 a.m. – 2 p.m. lunch and support group at the Masonic Lodge on Columbus until further notice. Café is open weekly on Monday and Wednesday.
• Lyle Community Council Meetings are the 2nd Wednesday of the month at 6:30, Lyle Activity Center (308 Klickitat). Meetings also available via Zoom https://lylewa.com/about-us.
Thursday
• Drinking Democratically 6 - 7:30 p.m. the third Thursday of the month. Food and drink available for purchase. Call Carol for location 971-404-1935
• EPIC Youth Center at 1106 S Roosevelt in Goldendale is open from 10 - 11:30 a.m. for grades 1 - 4. Come enjoy indoor and outdoor activities such as floor hockey, balloon volleyball, dodge ball and more. Meet new people and make new friends. For updates, check out our website at epicyouthcenter.org
• EPIC Youth Center at 1106 S Roosevelt in Goldendale is open for all youth from 6:30-8 p.m. for indoor and/or outdoor activities. Meet new people, have fun playing soccer, dodge ball, gaga ball and more! For updates, check out our website at epicyouthcenter.org or follow us on Facebook.
• Al Anon Group meets at 7 p.m. at the Nazarene Church 124 W Allyn in Goldendale. Call 509-310-3377 with questions.
• Learn and Play! 10:30 –11:30 a.m. at the White Salmon Library. Stories, songs, puppets, crafts and more for young children (birth through 5yrs) and their parents or caregivers presented by White Salmon Valley Community Library Staff. Free
book for each participant provided by the FVRL Foundation.
• Goldendale Grange #49 Meeting – 4th Thursday of the month at 6:30 p.m. at 228 E Darland in Goldendale
• New Parent Support Group
– 10 a.m. weekly 120 W. Stuben at Mugs Café in Bingen. Join us for community support at our weekly meeting at Mugs Cafe in Bingen. We meet in the back room. Children are welcome & encouraged. There is a small play area to keep little hands busy. We’d love to see you there!
• Bingo - on hold until the end of Summer. Goldendale American Legion Thursdays - card packets go on sale 6:30 p.m. game starts 7 p.m. Food available
• Bingo - High Prairie Community Center, 2nd Thursday of every month, doors open at 6, starts at 6:30. Questions contact Lori Sweeney 503-260-7129
• WAGAP Mobile Food Bank – 1st Thursday of the month: 9-10:30 a.m. Wishram school, 10:45 - 11:30 Wishram Heights Housing, 12–2 p.m. Dallesport Community Center, 3-5 p.m. Lyle Lions Club. 3rd Thursday of the month: 9-11 a.m. Trout Lake Baptist Church, 12-2 p.m. BZ Corner Community Building. Call 509-493-2662 ext 208 for more information.
• Narcotics Anonymous, 7 - 8 p.m. weekly at the United Methodist Church, 109 E Broadway Goldendale.
Friday
• Bingo – 2nd & 4th Friday of the month, Mt Adams Elks Lodge 124 NE Church Ave, White Salmon. Doors open at 5:30, Bingo at 6 and the Salmon Run Grill is open from 5:30 –7:30
• Beginning Quilt Class 5:30 p.m. – 7:30 p.m. call 3C’s Fabric to sign up 509-261-2815
• Knitting and Stitching Circle – 10 a.m. – 12 p.m. White Salmon Community Library
• GamerNoon for teens 3 – 5 p.m. at the Goldendale Library. Come play tabletop and board games.
• Crafternoons at the Library –every 4th Friday 2:30 – 4 p.m. for ages 7-10 (all ages welcome at the Goldendale Library).
Saturday
• Hope Neighbourhood 4:30
- 6 p.m. 115 E Main Street, Goldendale at the Goldendale Senior Center. A time of fellowship, bible reading, and discussion for those seeking to learn and grow in God’s word.
• Art Club: Saturday at 1 p.m. at Apollonia Book Store in Goldendale
• Lyle Lions Pancake Breakfast 1st Saturday of every month 7 a.m. -10 a.m. Omelettes and ham and eggs cooked to order. Endless Pancakes. Location: Lyle Lions Community Center 5th & State Street (Hwy 14).
• Columbia Grange meets the 2nd Saturday of every month.
• Goldendale Aglow Lighthouse meets from 2 - 4 p.m. at the Senior Center 3rd Saturday of every month –, 115 E. Main St. Goldendale
• 3rd Saturday Dinners –Bavarian Deli 5 – 7 p.m. Local Beef brisket $25
• Family Storytimes 10:30 –11:30 a.m. 1st Saturday of the month @ the Goldendale Library
FARMERS MARKETS
Goldendale Farmers’ Market
9 a.m. - 2 p.m. every Saturday at the Goldendale Chamber office on Broadway.
Lyle Farmers & Crafters Market 10 a.m. - 2 p.m. July 14,& 28, August 11 & 25, and September 15th. Located at the Lyle Community Center.
White Salmon Farmers’ Market 4 - 7 p.m. every Tuesday in Rhinegarten Park
High Prairie Farmers Market 701 Struck Road, Lyle (between Centerville & Lyle), the 1st and 3rd Saturday of the month 10 a.m. – 2 p.m. June
– September. Vendors, please contact Bea Wilson 509-6370584.
MUSEUMS
Presby Museum 127 West Broadway in Goldendale. Open May 1 - October 13 from 10 a.m. - 4 p.m., Closed on Mondays. Visit https://www.presbymuseum.com/or call 509-773-4303 for more information.
Gorge Heritage Museum 202 E Humbolt Street in Bingen. Call the Museum at (509) 493-3228 or email ghm@gorge.net for hours. Twin Bridges Museum 403 Klickitat Street in Lyle. Open every Saturday from June through September from 12 - 5 p.m. Visit https://twinbridgesmuseum.wordpress.com/ Carousel Museum 4 East Market Street in Bickleton. Open Friday and Saturday from 10 a.m. - 3 p.m. and Sunday 12 - 4 p.m. Visit https://www.bickletoncommunity.org/carousel-museum or call 509-896-2007
Whoop-N-Holler Museum 1 Whitmore Rd in Bickleton. Open Monday - Friday 10 a.m. - 4 p.m. 509-896-2582
Maryhill Museum of Fine Art 35 Maryhill Museum of Art Drive, Maryhill. Open 120 a.m.5 p.m. March 15 - November 15. https://www.maryhillmuseum. org/visit
Klickitat Historical Museum Klickitat - more information coming.
COMMUNITY EVENTS
August 1, 2024, 2024, Summer Party: 5:30 - 8 p.m. at Zepher Inc, 310 Larch St. in Bingen. Get ready for the gorge tech community’s best party of the summer! Enjoy Murphy’s brisket while enjoying cold beverages and chatting with GTA members and friends. It’s the best way to network… in a relaxed summer atmosphere! Register here https://www.eventbrite. com/e/2024-gta-summer-partytickets-934541547927
August 3, 2024, Annual Back to School Bash: 10 a.m. - 1 p.m. on the Courthouse Lawn in Goldendale. Free school supplies will be given away. Drawing for 3 free backpacks. Food, games, inflatables and school supplies. Come join the fun! This FREE event is organized by Goldendale Church of the Nazarene 509-7734216.
August 6, 2024, National Night Out: 5:30 - 7:30 p.m. on the County Courthouse lawn in Goldendale. Fun for the whole family! Come meet our local law enforcement
August 6, 2024, Mom and Baby Yoga: 10:30 - 11:45 a.m. at the Missing Corner, BZ Corner. Getting to places on time with a baby can be a challenge, so feel free to come and go with the timing of what is best for you and your baby. This is a gathering for Mother’s and their babies to stretch out, strengthen, relax, while helping to realign our posture and breath, playing and interacting with your bundles of joy!
Guided by Rebekah Lukey a massage therapist for 22 years, yoga teacher for 20, and mother. If anyone has any questions or suggestions,email loveriverflowers@gmail.com
August 7, 2024, Red Cross First Aid, CPR, and AED course: 4 - 8 p.m. at The Missing Corner, BZ Corner. Train for Moments that Matter - Safely, Effectively & Confidently. Whether you need First Aid, CPR, and AED training that satisfies OSHA-mandated job requirements, workplace, or other regulatory requirements, or you just want to know how to keep your loved ones safe, the American Red Cross is your “go-to” source of emergency and safety training for more than a century. More than 5 million people choose our award-win-
ning courses to learn life-saving skills each year.
Instructor: Scott Cascella Cost: $85 Sign up Link: https://www.pdxraft.com/ CPR
August 8, 2024, Free Sports Physicals: 1 - 5 p.m. at the Goldendale High School cafeteria. We’ve teamed up with KVH to bring you sports physicals, Impact Testing and the option to purchase your GHS ASB all in one place! All GHS & GMS athletes need to complete their registration for 2024/25 athletic participation in Final Forms! https:// goldendale-wa.finalforms.com YOU DON’T WANT TO MISS THIS! (Any student-athlete 7 - 12 grade who will be participating in athletics this coming school year is required to have a current physical on record with GSD.) *Authorization form signed by parent / guardian is required.
August 8, 2024, Friends of the Goldendale Library Ice Cream Social: 5 - 7 p.m. at the Goldendale Community Library. Join us on the library lawn for an evening of ice cream, music, and community as we also celebrate the Friend’s 50th Anniversary!
August 10, 2024, Mat Warming Open House and Potluck BBQ: 442 Harms Road, Centerville at the Sunshine Jiu Jitsu Academy. 10 a.m. - 12 p.m. Jiu Jitsu, 12 - 2 p.m. BBQ potluck, 2 - whenever social time. For those of you following our progress this is a huge milestone for us!!! We’d love for you to come out and see what we’ve been up to! RSVP to zachary@sunshinejiujitsuacademy.com
August 14, 2024 End of Summer at your Library party: 2:30 - 4:30 p.m. at the Goldendale Community Library.
August 14 - 18, 2024, Klickitat County Fair and Rodeo: visit https://www.klickitatcountyfair. com/ for the full schedule.
August 20, 2024, Family Swim Night: 6 - 8 p.m. at the Goldendale Pool on King Ave. Join CPAKC, KC Central Parks & Rec, and WAGAP for a free family swim night. Hot dogs, snow cones, and drinks provided. For more information call 509281-2330.
August 27, 2024, Homeschool Hangout: 1 - 2 p.m. at the Goldendale Community Library. This is a drop in program with hands on activities designed for at home learners and their caregivers. Meet other homeschool families and explore our library homeschool resources.
August 28, 2024, Fist Day of School for Goldendale.
August 31, 2024, Bickleton Community Day: 9 a.m. - 3 p.m. downtown Bickleton. Join us for our annual community day. There will be a meet and greet for all types of classic vehicles, , live music, arts and crafts, a pie sale, flea market, and vendors. Information call 509-896-2007, vendors call 509-896-2113.
August 31 - September 2, 2024, Maryhill Ratz presents the 2024 RVOD Freeride visit https://www.maryhillratz. com/2024/06/2024-rvod-freeride/ for more information. The Maryhill Ratz and Skate School are teaming up to bring you the University of Maryhill. As part of the RVOD G-Ride, Headmaster Joe Lehm and his world class coaching staff start on Friday afternoon and continue throughout the weekend, with on-course coaching and difficulty options for ALL skill levels. This weekend is also the Tour de Maryhill. The top 24 qualifiers per class will race. Your qualifying time is made up of one solo run plus the average of your 2 fastest times between approximately 1 p.m. and 3 p.m. on Saturday, this time window will be announced ahead of time. You must have at least 2 runs within this time period to qualify for the Tour de Maryhill. The maximum
racers per class is 24. If there are more than 24 racers in a class, only the top 24 times will race.
September 7, 2024, Splendour of the River: 5 - 9 p.m. at the Maryhill Museum. Support Maryhill Museum’s mission to ignite a journey of educational enrichment in the Columbia Gorge! Together we hold the keys to an enchanting future. Tickets available and sponsorships available at www.maryhillmuseum.org or 509-773-3733. September 6 - 8, 2024, Huckleberry Festival: Daubenspeck Park, Bingen. Join us for the annual HuckFest where we celebrate all things Huckleberry! Music starts at 5 p.m. Friday night and continues throughout the weekend. There will be a firemen’s breakfast Saturday morning. Parade starts at 11 Saturday as well. Find a seat on the sidewalks of Steuben between Walnut and Maple. For the kids there will be games like a watermelon eating contest, hula hoop contest, gunny sack racing and the infamous egg toss from 2:00 – 4:00 p.m. on Saturday, north of the playground. Visit https:// huckleberry-fest.com/for a full list of musicians.
September 17, 2024, Full Harvest Moon Celebration: 7 - 9 p.m. at the Field of Stars Boutique 514 S Columbus #4 Goldendale. Join Us for a celebration of the full moon. We will be doing 1 large craft and 3 small crafts. Refreshments served. Call Field of Stars Boutique for more information 509-261-2641.
September 21, 2024 Black Ties and Blue Jean Dinner and Fundraiser: 5 - 10 p.m. 108 Grant Street at the American Legion in Goldendale. Mingling and lots of fun & laughter! Funds raised will support KVH optometry. Tickets are $60 each. Dinner, music, no-host bar, raffle, auction, mingling and lots of fun and laughter.
September 27 - 29, 2024, Klickitat County 4-H Adult Horse Camp: Klickitat County Fairgrounds. Come vacation with your horse for fun and learning. Clinicians: Hailey Prest and Neal Slater. Cost $300 for 2 classes per day. Paint night and silent auction. Contact Martha Parsons 509-637-4016 or Patricia Shamek at 541-993-9560.
October 11, 2024, Goldendale Chamber’s 2024 Annual Membership Meeting: 6 - 8 p.m. at the Goldendale Golf Club, 1901 N. Columbus, Goldendale. We cordially invite our members to an evening of distinction and camaraderie—the Goldendale Chamber’s Exclusive 2024 Annual Membership Meeting. As valued members, you are at the heart of our vibrant business community, and this event is our way of celebrating your unwavering support. Visit https://members.goldendalechamber.org/ ap/Events/Register/EqFYjDaHgC6C9 to RSVP for this event. October 19, 2024, Klickitat County Harvest Festival: 11 a.m. - 5 p.m. at the Klickitat County Courthouse in Goldendale. The fall season is upon us and with it comes the annual Klickitat County Harvest Festival! This year’s festival promises to be an exciting event for your family and friends to enjoy. So mark your calendars and get ready to experience a day filled with fun, laughter, and memories. You will be greeted by a lively atmosphere filled with vendors, food stalls, and various activities for all ages. A hay maze, escape room, scavenger hunt, parade, haunted house, as well as the annual trunk or treat are a great way to have fun with your loved ones and support local businesses and organizations. Contact the Goldendale Chamber for vendor booth information.
COMMUNITY
OBITUARY
HarlandLeroySchuller
Cremation arrange-
Harland Leroy Schuller grandchildren Noservices passed away on July 22, arescheduledatthistime 2024, in Yakima, Washington Harland was born on ments are under thedirecMarch 9, 1934, in Ellens- tion of Columbia Hills burg, Washington He is Memorial Chapel, 300 W survivedbyhiswifeEvelyn Broadway, Goldendale, Schuller; daughtersSandy (509) 772-2636 Visit www
(Bob Butler) Gunkel, Judy gardnerFH com to share (Marty) Weber; six grand- a story or leave a note for children and nine great- family
SecretaryofState’s
officedistributesfundsto countyelectionsoffices
In the second year of a statewidefundingprogram to help counties improve theirelectionssecurity,the Washington state Office of the Secretary of State has provided approximately $2 million to 30 elections officesstatewide,withfinal calculationspending Theprogram’sthirdyear offundingis now open As in prior years, each county’s elections office can receiveupto$80,000topay for improvements to local electionsecurity
“Countyelectionofficials and employees around the state work hard to ensure our election systems are fairandsecure,”Secretary of State Steve Hobbs said “This additional funding willgoalongwaytobolster securityefforts”
Counties can use this funding to purchase or upgrade elections security software and hardware, hireITsecuritypersonnel, make structural improvements, and more Among thecountyelectionsoffices thatreceived2023-24funds, notableusesincluded:
Snohomish invested in monitoring devices,securitymeasures forballotdropboxes,buildingsecurity and upgraded cybersecurity measures andtraining Voters in Snohomish County and across our state can continue to take pride in our fair and accurate elections,” Snohomish County Auditor Garth Fell said “Our elections aresupported by stateand localgovernmentresources thathelpkeepourelections securitytop-notch”
accessibleareas
With these resources, Stevens County has successfully implemented significant security improvements in our newly rented ballot processing space,” Stevens County Auditor Lori Larsen said “The additions, including seethrough wire mesh barriers, large monitors, and a lobbymanagementsystem have enhanced transparency and security for our election processes, ensuringasecureandobservable environment for our interestedelectionobservers” In Thurston County physical securityimprovementsincludingpermanent vehicle barriers will keep electionsofficessecureand resilient
Ben Winters was 2024 Flying Cross,13 Air MedGrandMarshalforthe46th als(awardedforsingleacts KlickitatCanyonDayslast of heroism or meritorious weekend Ben moved to achievements) and the Klickitat at age five and CombatReadinessMedal graduated from Klickitat Ben Wintersis thequinHigh Schoolin1957 After tessential Klickitat alum earning his bachelor’s He worked hard to stay and master’s degrees, he connected to Klickitat by taughthighschoolforfour attending Canyon Days yearsand thenenlisted in yearlyandkeptincloseconthe US Air Force, where tact with his classmates he flew fighter jets for 20 He repeatedly invested years Whilein the USAF, in the Klickitat Museum, helost over 60 of his pilot donating his entire flight friends to enemy fire or suit, photos, and plaques accidents and even had to honoring local military eject from a jet that had personnel He also helped caughtfire,but,ashesays, support the museum by “My love of flight kept me providing things such as going”Heservedasaflight a bigscreen TV and items instructorandeventuallya for museum fundraisers he gave away shirts with and it still holds my most flight examiner, ensuring Ben also loves creating a pictureof theswimming precious memories” The all pilots west of the Mis- custom gear specifically holeand“thegreenspot” townofKlickitatwasproud sissippi River were main- oriented to Klickitat such Ben says, “Although I to have Ben as its Grand tainingthehighestlevelof as pensand shirts, to give have lived in many places Marshal as an expression proficiency Asapilot, Ben tohis Klickitat classmates onthisglobe,Ihavealways ofgratitudeforhiscommitearned the Distinguished at Canyon Days One year, consideredKlickitathome, menttohishometown
LocalbusinessessupportCommunityNeedsAssessment
TAMARA KAUFMAN
Washington
last assessment was con- ishedreportfortheirwork, tion, the goal is to collect ductedin2020 It’stimewe which often complements atleast600surveysfroma reevaluate our communi- WAGAPactivities Gorge ties’needssowecanfocus
incentives For every com-
“Wearedeeplygratefulfor
Pauletto said that pro- pleted survey,one per per- everyone who participates gram funding comes from son, Beneventi’s Pizza in andforBeneventi’s,Tony’s, a wide range of sources, Bingen and Tony’s Pizza and A&J Market for offerincluding Federal, State, in Goldendale are offering ing a little something to
informationaboutthechal-
ForTheSentinel widerangeofresidents Surveys are open to “We know surveys are ActionPrograms(WAGAP) onprogramsthatwillhave adults aged 18 and over not exciting, but they are is conducting a new Com- the biggest positiveimpact Localbusinessesareteam- essential to our mission mumty Needs Assessment on low-incomeindividuals ing up to offer some fun at WAGAP,” Pauletto said now through September andfamilies” 30 to align its strategies and service priorities with current needs Surveys in English and Spanish are org/snrwv^r'at nnp ' nffhp anc^ L°cal grants, which onefreeslice of pizza, and make it worth the10 minWAGAPFoodBankOffices have vari°us eligibility A&J Market in Stevenson utestimethatacommunity in Rinppn qtpvpn«nn nr requirements Theupdated is offering a $5 coupon at memberwillspendsharing Goldendale ’ assessment will help itshotdelicounter
When WAGAP hosts a lengesandopportunitiesof
To learn more about
The Stevens County Auditor’s office has added multiple key physical improvements to publicly
This funding was vital to our acquiring barriers for our new voting center in the form of large concrete planters,” Thurston County Auditor Mary Hall said “These will protect both staff and voters duringanelection” Secretary launched this program in November 2022 $1.57 million was awarded to 25 counties in the 2022-23fiscalyear
“AsaCommunityAction WAGAP maintain its eliAgency supporting the gibility with funders such table at local events over everyday life in our two needs of Skamania and as the Washington State the next few months, they counties” Klickitatcounties,wemust Department of Commerce willalsohave papercopies stay in contact with the Itisalsoa very usefultool and QR codesavailablefor WAGAP’s’ mission and people weserve,” saidJen- for other partners in the the public to quickly find programs, visit wagaporg nifer Pauletto, WAGAP’s service area who draw thesurveyonline Togeta for information and office executive director “Our information from the fin- good sampling of informa- locations
Hobbs County
“I am grateful for the opportunitytoworkclosely with election officials to betterprotectourelections from cyber threats and other bad actors” SecretaryHobbssaid “Witheach new election cycle these threatscontinuetoescalate infrequencyandseverity”
To be eligible, a county musthaveanAlbertsensor in operation to monitor its network for cyber threats and attacks The deadline for countyelections offices toapplyisMay2 2025
CWurcW Directory
GRACEBRETHREN NEWLIFEASSEMBLYofGOD CommunityGraceBrethren 1180S Roosevelt Goldendale PastorAaron Wirick 509.7733388 SunSvc 10:30amin person Tue:Youth Group6-8Pm Wed:AWANA 2Pm GoldendaleGracecom Watchuson FacebookLive: Facebook com/GoldendaleGrace "Learning - Living - Loving JESUS "
1602SColumbus,Goldendale;PastorKevin Gerchak 509.7734650; Sun School 9:30am; Morning Worship Service 10:30am; Family Night on Wed 7pm with programs for ages 3 yearsthroughadult
*I BAPTIST ColumbusAvenueBaptist,SBC 815NColumbus,Goldendale, ^ 509.7734471; PastorDavidBe^ seler SunSchool9:45 ship llam,Sun BibleStudy 6pm,PrayerMeeting Mon 6pm,Youth&Children'sgroupsWed6pm; ColumbusABCorg YouTube FaceBook ColumbusABC@embarqmail com
RIVERofLIFECHURCHofGOD
NON-DENOMINATIONAL SunWor-
LUTHERAN
CATHOLIC - HolyTrinityCatholic 307Schuster Goldendale; FatherWilliam Byron,509.7734516 Sat EveMass5:30pm; Sun Mass9am&10:30am Eveof Eloly Days 7pm;Holy Days9am Daily MassMon-Fri9am CCDClassesWed2:15-3:30pm K thrugrade6; Wed7-8:30pmgrades7-12 Confessionsevery otherSaturday noon-lpm
EASTERNORTHODOX
Ss Joachim&AnnaOrthodoxMission 301 NW2ndSt,Goldendale,907-317-3828; RevJohn Phelps;Sat:5:30pmVespers;Sun: 8:15amOrthros,9:30amLiturgy; Wed:7pmYouth Group; Fri:9pmCompline
ChristtheKingLutheran S Columbus & Simcoe Dr Goldendale; Vicar Ann Adams 509.7735750 Worship services 10 Everyonewelcome
METHODIST- UnitedMethodist Columbus&Broadway Goldendale;Pastor Kendra Behn-Smith; 509.7734461 Service times:Worship9:00 ;Adultclasses10:45 ; Fall&WinterAllarewelcome Call the church forregularlyscheduledevents
NAZARENE - ChurchoftheNazarene 124WAllyn Goldendale;PastorEamieWinn and PastorGretaSines 509.7734216;Sunday worship 10:45 ;Sunday School all ages9:30 ; goldendalenaz@gmail com
2023PipelineRd Goldendale;Pastors Rod &CathySmith,509-250-0222, SundayWorship10:30am;Wednesday BibleStudy7pm RiverofLife222org
SEVENTH-DAYADVENTIST
1/2 mileeaston Bickleton Hwy Sabbath SchoolSat 9:30am;WorshipService llam; PastorMichaelSmith;509.7734381
ContactTheSentinelat509.7733777or Ads@GoldendaleSentinelcomtoinclude yourchurch sservices&offerings
CentervilleCommunityChurch 508DallesMountain Road,Centerville,WA 98613;509-637-3068;PastorPattiMcKern; pastorpatti53@gmail com:SundayWorship Celebration 10am "Find refreshment for your soul and friends for your journey
Father’sHouseFellowship
207 S Klickitat Ave, 509.7734719 Basic BibleFellowship9:30am;Worship 10:30am; Tue 6:30pmFreedom Now Meeting “AGospel-CenteredChurch”
Christopher wanted to adjust the language of the resolution to specify lithium-ion batteries, which have an alarming tendency to spontaneously catch fi re. Anderson suggested that there were several other types of lithium batteries, and it was agreed to modify the language to refer to all batteries containing lithium.
Under the consent agenda, commissioners approved:
• An agreement with the Washington State Administrative Office of the Courts to reimburse the county’s costs of resentencing and vacating sentences required by
PARTY from page A1
ifer There have been baby and bridal showers, birthday parties, and general get-togethers. “I used to host the Valentine Prime Rib Dinner every year until the pandemic,” she added. “It would be good to start that up again.”
To prove her statement of “I like being busy,” not only is Jennifer running the Cafe, but she is also currently involved with the local food bank, working with a group out of Mabton. She goes down twice a month to pick up boxes for people having a hard time in town. She is a Rebekah with the Odd Fellows Lodge, a Grange member, and a volunteer for the Bickleton Fire Department. She and Lori O’Leary are co-superintendents of the Exhibitor’s Building for the Klickitat County Fair, and she is the Concessions Chairman for the Alder Creek Pioneer Association. She supports Greg in his multiple volunteer positions and will don her husbandhelper hat if extra hands are needed with the cattle on their ranch. “If someone asks how I do all this, I can’t really say,” Jennifer declares. “It’s truly a Godgiven gift.”
The most important position Jennifer has had is that of mother. She and Greg have been giving their hearts as role models of true charity to their two children, Jamison
State v. Blake, a 2021 Washington Supreme Court decision that ruled the felony drug possession law unconstitutional.
• A ground lease allowing CGRA Hangars, LLC, to build two new hangar buildings at the Columbia Gorge Regional Airport.
• An agreement with recruiting company Prothman to conduct sourcing and outreach service for a jail administrator.
• A resolution making appointments to the Klickitat County Solid Waste Advisory Committee.
and Kelli, both of whom are married and living their lives as community minded citizens—Jamison and Chelsea in Bickleton and Kelli and Nick in The Dalles.
There isn’t much Jennifer doesn’t know about what is going on in Bickleton and the surrounding area. If you have a question, she is quick to offer what she can to answer. “Sometimes it’s a matter of knowing where to send a person for what they need,” she states. It is important to her to make sure she has done all she can to help, even if she doesn’t know the information personally.
Unassuming is a good way to describe Jennifer as she goes about fulfi lling her calling in Bickleton. For a person with so many irons in the fi re, she has the innate quality of portraying calm in harried situations. With her ready smile and contagious laugh, she can make a person feel as though she has all the time in the world to devote to the time she has with you. If you feel the need to take a drive, the Bickleton Market Street Café is a great destination for a bit of local country banter, lots of smiles and friendly hellos, and a chat with Jennifer. She’ll also be happy to fi x you up something to eat.
—Peggy Woodard
Washington households could see electricity bills reduced by $200
The Department of Commerce Monday announced the Washington Families Clean Energy Credits grant program. This program provides a $200 energy bill credit to eligible electricity customers across Washington and is funded by the state’s Climate Commitment Act (CCA).
“We are committed to ensuring that the benefits of the state’s clean energy transition reach everyone, especially those most burdened by energy costs,” said Gov. Jay Inslee, who joined Commerce Director Mike Fong and others today for the announcement in Seattle. “The Climate Commitment Act is helping thousands of low-income families and communities reduce their home energy costs through things like weatherization, heat pumps and solar installations. While we continue to make those tools available for more people, this credit offers an immediate benefit.”
More than 675,000 low- to moderate-income electric utility customers throughout Washington state, or approximately 20% of all residential customers, are eligible for this program.
How it works
Utilities across the state will distribute a one-time $200 bill credit directly into eligible customer accounts by September 15, 2024. Credits will be applied automatically to certain customer accounts, and other customers will need to apply. Each utility may have slightly different criteria and processes.
• Apply with your utility. Anyone can go to wacleanenergycredits.com and see if they qualify for the $200 credit. You’ll need to know the name of your utility and your account number. If you qualify, the easy automated system will walk you through the rest of the process to get your
All these factors—data center growth, increased electrification, lackluster capacity building and climate change—paint a precarious picture of the Northwest’s sustainable energy future. While panelists sounded alarms, they came with a caveat: Climate-forward legislation and emerging technologies will help us catch up.
“The northwest has the ability to actually do it. We have the ability to put together a coalition and make it possible,”
said Wyden who, along with Cantwell, was a key architect of the 2022 Inflation Reduction Act (IRA). Notably, the IRA allows citizens and companies to deduct up to 30% of renewable energy system costs from their federal taxes.
The Infrastructure Investment and Jobs Act (IIJA) of 2021 also provided the U.S. Department of Energy with $62 billion for new renewable energy
credit.
Some customers may receive an SMS text message from their utility pointing them to the same website (wacleanenergycredits. com). If you receive a text message, you will see that your account number is already entered when you go to the website, making it one step easier to apply for your credit.
• No application needed for automatic credits. Some customers will see the credit appear on their statement automatically. These customers include those enrolled in their utility’s ratepayer assistance programs, such as senior, disabled or LowIncome Home Energy Assistance Program (LIHEAP), or customers who have enrolled in assistance programs through local community agencies, such as home weatherization or nutrition assistance. Customers can contact their utility to confirm if they’ll automatically receive the credit or if they need to apply.
The Washington Families Clean Energy Credit program requires participating utilities to prioritize customers at or below 80% of the area median income (AMI), with the possibility to expand eligibility up to 150% AMI if there’s enough funding. In areas such as Seattle, Everett, and Vancouver, the qualifying income for a four-person household ranges from $110,950 to $226,050. For a family of four living in areas with the lowest cost of living, this equates to a household income of $72,000, and up to $135,000 as funding allows.
“The state’s largest as well as the smallest utilities have an equal chance to support the communities they serve by providing these credits,” said Commerce Director Mike Fong. He reported that nearly all of the state’s
projects and establishing a modern, resilient electric grid. Ball said that building new transmission lines is the biggest barrier to expanding the northwest’s renewable capacity.
“Here’s this moment: We’ve got the policies, we’ve got the money, and we’ve got companies that are willing to take risks because the government’s going to back some of these investments,” said Chris Green, president of the Pacific Northwest Hydrogen Association.
Green’s nonprofit organization is one of seven nationwide hydrogen hubs funded by the IIJA and has eight planned projects in the northwest, including two upriver in Boardman, Oregon. Once fully operational in 2033, the projects will produce carbon-free hydrogen through electrolysis, the process of splitting water into hydrogen and oxygen rather than producing it from natural gas, and will power a range of sectors,
60 electric utilities with residential customers have signed on to the program and will receive grants from Commerce to fund distribution of the credits to customers. More than 99.6% of all residential customers are served by participating utilities.
“City Light is committed to connecting our customers to valuable resources to help reduce their electric bills,” said Craig Smith, Chief Customer Officer with Seattle City Light, who attended the announcement event today in Seattle. “We are excited to partner with the Washington State Department of Commerce to provide this much needed $200 bill credit for our income qualified customers.”
“Housing affordability goes beyond brick and mortar. Utility costs can put a big strain on household budgets, making it even harder for families to keep their homes,” said Patience Malaba, Executive Director, Housing Development Consortium of Seattle-King County. “Many families in our state are burdened by high energy costs, which hit our most vulnerable communities the hardest.
Ensuring that everyone has access to affordable energy is not just an economic necessity, but a moral imperative.”
Some customers have already received the credit directly from their utility and have written or called to express how much it means to them.
“This is a big help. I get less than $12,000 a year. I’m disabled and my medical expenses leave me with so little income. This goes over the top for me and makes me happy; one less thing I have to pay cash for,” said Peggy, a City of Centralia utilities customer.
“If I could reach through the phone right now, I would give you a hug. This help was very much needed,” said Zita, a Clark Public
from agriculture to transportation. However necessary, Reuben Martinez, energy program director for the Affiliated Tribes of Northwest Indians, expressed skepticism over these large-scale projects, considering the devastating effects of dams and hydropower on Indigenous peoples in the region. “We are a placebased people, and ensuring the environment, culture, health, and safety of our citizens is paramount,” said Martinez, who called for meaningful tribal consultation and representation in energy planning. Apart from expanding renewable energy capacity, officials emphasized that investing in energy efficiency measures,
Utilities customer. Additional energy-related state and federal incentive and rebate programs can be found at climate.wa.gov. Report: 250,000 Washington households spend more than 6% of their income on energy
The Washington Families Clean Energy grant program aims to directly assist those most impacted by energy costs, acknowledging that these communities also often face the highest energy burdens, including pollution that can affect health.
Energy burden, defined as a percentage of household income spent on energy bills, disproportionately affects low-income households, communities of color, rural households, renter households, and households living on fixed incomes. As the Department of Commerce’s 2023 Energy Burden Report shows, about 250,000 households in the state spend more than 6% of their income on energy costs.
Statewide, the report found that energy-burdened households equate to annual costs of $844 on average per household or $234 million after bill reductions from energy assistance programs. The Washington Families Clean Energy Credits program is designed to help alleviate some of that burden, making energy more affordable and accessible for all.
The Clean Energy Credits for Washington Families Grant Program is supported with funding from Washington’s Climate Commitment Act. The CCA supports Washington’s climate action efforts by putting cap-and-invest dollars to work reducing climate pollution, creating jobs, and improving public health. Information about the CCA is available at www.climate.wa.gov.
like upgrading heating and cooling systems or insulation in buildings, could dramatically reduce electricity demand and improve energy security. Other emerging technologies include longduration energy storage and advanced nuclear power.
Judd Virden, the associate laboratory director at Pacific Northwest National Laboratory, aptly summarized the core challenge facing regional energy organizations: “We understand the problem and solutions really well. But how do we get it and bring it together so that everyone can see it the same way and take actions quickly?”
Effective collaboration and cooperation will be key.
E XTRA
WAGAP director leaves for greener pastures
LOU MARZELES EDITOR
Leslie Naramore has been at WAGAP (Washington Gorge Action Programs) since 2013 and its executive director since 2017. But now the energetic leader of that organization has stepped down and contemplates a life in Portugal.
Yes, Portugal.
The lifestyle shift reflects what led her to leave WAGAP. “After the COVID19 pandemic, I felt myself getting really burned out after,” she recalls. “And I know I’m not the only person in human services to say something like that. So I talked to the board about two years ago and let them know I was going to be ready to move on soon. That’s when we brought on Jennifer [Pauletto, the new WAGAP executive director].
At that time, I requested that position become fulltime instead of just part of succession planning. She became associate director.”
WAGAP underwent an enormous explosion of outreach, programs, and employees in recent years.
The organization had about 25 employees a few years ago. Now it has 57. With the expansion came greater responsibility, particularly for Naramore. “It’s just too
much for one person,” she shares.
She remembers when she knew it was time for her to go. “I knew I was burned out. And I knew it wasn’t not fair to the community or the staff for me to stay in a position and be burned out,” she says. Asked what being burned out looked like, she states in no uncertain terms: “We help people, and I love doing that. But I reached a point where I was dreading going to work. I just had so much more on my plate than I had previously; we added new programs, we grew. When I came into this position, I said I wanted to be there for six to eight years. We’re at seven years, seven months, so I’m coming in right under my goal.”
Naramore plans to reincarnate as a family person, focusing on family in a faraway land. “My husband can work from anywhere,” she says, “so we’ll still have income. I might go back to some work. Before I worked for WAGAP, my husband and I ran a company together. But fi rst and foremost, I just want to focus on my kiddos for a little while.”
And what’s in Portugal?
“A beautiful place,” she responds. “We just chose to live there. When we started
thinking about moving internationally, it was a lot easier to get a visa to Portugal. It’s not as easy anymore, but that’s still the place we want to be.” The Naramores will get to learn Portuguese—which they do not presently speak.
They won’t be on the Iberian Peninsula, though. They’ll be on an island belonging to Portugal called Madeira.
“It’s actually closer to the coast of Morocco than to mainland Portugal,” Naramore says. “It’s subtropical, in the Atlantic about 400 miles off the coast of Morocco. It’s beautiful there. It reminds me a lot of the Gorge. It’s very mountainous, very green. Doesn’t get too hot. Doesn’t get too cold.”
She’s looking forward to having her children—15 and 11—enjoy an international experience. “We’re going to do online school for one year so we’re not just throwing them into something they don’t know,” she points out. “Then hopefully after the one year, they’ll be in a place where they can either go to an international school or a public school there.” She and her family are going on a two-year visa.
As she leaves WAGAP, Naramore considers some of the bright spots of her
term there. “I’m so proud that the agency was part of welcoming the Southwest Washington Accountable Communities of Health Swatch, our community health workers,” she says. “We were part of the pilot [program] for that. When we fi rst started out, we had two community health workers and one supervisor, and we now have nine community health workers. I think that program’s going to continue to grow because the work that they do is so important
“And I’m really proud of the team for bringing the domestic violence shelter to the county. Kirsten Poole was the program director. She worked really closely with Rep. [Gina] Mosbrucker, and we were able to do the capital budget request, and that’s how we were able to purchase a home and turn that into a domestic violence shelter.”
The shelter is in Klickitat County, though its specific location is not revealed for security reasons. The shelter housed 31 survivors in 2023.
“The other thing I’m really proud of,” Naramore continues, “is the three prevention grants that WAGAP has. We have the Drug Free Communities, which covers all of Klickitat County. And we
have the CPWI coalition— Community Prevention and Wellness Initiative—up here in Goldendale.”
There have been challenges as well, of course. “Just trying to keep everyone happy,” she says.
“We work in two counties, and the two counties are very different. Even in
County, you go from one end of the county to the other, and they’re very different. Just trying to do the best work you can do and keeping everyone happy, but knowing when you have to take a stand, and when people aren’t going to be happy with you, but it’s the right thing to do.”
Washington residents can help stop greenwashing
Today, buzzwords fly around us like mosquitoes on a sultry summer night— “sustainable,” “plantbased,” “eco-friendly.”
More and more businesses are describing themselves, their products, and their practices using one “green” term or another. The environmental impacts of purchasing decisions have many thinking about making the most responsible choices possible. But good intentions can cause more harm than good when people are being misled, which is why it’s important to recognize greenwashing. Greenwashing is the attempt to capitalize on the consumer demand for eco-friendly products by falsely promoting their product’s environmental or sustainable benefits. This includes benefits that are more natural, healthier, free of chemicals, recyclable, or less wasteful of resources. It’s all too common in today’s marketplace.
A term that was coined decades ago, “greenwashing” was first used to describe hotels that promoted reusing towels as “saving the environment.”
In reality, these policies saved the hotels money by playing to customer’s environmental values
without much positive impact. While reducing water and reusing items are important, the marketing didn’t align with the hotels’ other actions that harmed the environment.
Not all environmental marketing is greenwashing.
Many businesses with a genuine culture of ecofriendliness are pioneering new technologies and ideas that are true to their word. The challenge for consumers is learning how to tell the difference.
Compostable product labeling
Compostable products have undergone tremendous growth and advancements in the last few decades. And for good reason. The problems with traditional singleuse plastic items are wellknown and inspired policies that promoted recyclable, reusable, and compostable alternatives. Compostable products are not immune to greenwashing, which is one of the reasons Washington adopted plastic product degradability standards as part of the Organics Management Laws. The law helps protect consumers and business owners from greenwashed products.
Go to our compostable product labeling webpage
for details. In general, unless a product is made of wood or paper, our state law requires three things on products claiming to be compostable:
The certification logo from a third-party who has tested the product to meet industrial composting standards.
A color signal of green, beige or brown. This could be all-over coloring, tinting or design, or as minimal as a one-quarter-of-an-inch stripe.
The written word “compostable.”
Washington law now says how compostable products must be labeled and bans certain greenwashing acts, including:
“Compostable” is the only term that is acceptable. No other terms may be used, such as “biodegradable.”
Non-compostable film bags cannot use green, beige, or brown color schemes.
Compostable products cannot be labeled “Home Compostable” only:
they must also have the certification logo from a third-party for industrial composting.
Products that have not been certified by a third party cannot be labeled “compostable.”
Report products that violate the law
If your regular coffee shop or food truck uses compostable products, you may have noticed changes over the last few months. The labeling law went into effect Jan. 1, 2024. Some product manufacturers have been working to meet our state’s new standards— others haven’t.
There are still many products available to Washington consumers and businesses that don’t meet our laws’ requirements. Getting these products out of our state will take all of us. Now, you can report products that don’t meet Washington standards for compostable products, including the greenwashing violations listed above. The observation form is linked at the top of our compostable
product labeling page and is designed to work from a mobile or desktop device.
When we receive an observation, we’ll review the product and contact the producer to discuss the law, if the product is in violation.
The producer will have 90 days to make changes before new observations can be considered. Future observations for the same product and violations may result in escalated enforcement. Unlike the single-use serviceware and plastic bag ban complaint forms, we will address violations with the products’ producer instead of the business using or selling the product.
Check local rules before composting
Even though your favorite restaurant gives you a compostable product, it doesn’t mean you should put it in your organic collection
bin. If you subscribe to organic collection service, pat yourself on the back! Then make sure you have the most up-to-date list of accepted materials from the county, city, or your service provider.
Only some facilities in our state accept compostable products such as bags, plates, and bowls. If you put compostable products into a collection bin where they are not accepted, the facility considers them contamination and picks them out. Facilities spend as much as 25% of their operating budget removing contaminants, so check local lists of accepted materials.
Compostable products should be placed in the trash if they are not accepted by your organics collection service.
Klickitat
WAGAP
HEADED ABROAD: WAGAP former Executive Director Leslie Naramore on why she left WAGAP and where she’s going next.
National Friendship Day
On the first Sunday in August, we celebrate National Friendship Day to encourage people across the world to connect with friends. Expand your view of the world by making a new friend or reconnecting with an old friend on National Friendship Day.
Friendships come in many forms, and we begin developing them when we’re very young. Throughout our lives, friendships and their meanings evolve. Our classmates and neighborhood pals explored the world with us. Together we shared experiences and made plans for the future. Eventually, paths diverge and new friends find a place in our social experience. Our world expands and our culture changes.
With each new friend, we expand our view of the world. Their experiences contribute to new meaning in our lives. Through friendships, we grow and broaden our horizons. Eventually, the world becomes smaller and more connected.
How to observe National Friendship Day Celebrate the friends you have and the new ones you have yet to meet!
• Get in contact with your friends for a chat or visit.
• Accept an invitation to meet new people. You might make life-long friendships.
• Share a memory with old friends to spark a fun conversation.
• Tell your friends how much you appreciate them.
• Challenge your circle of friends to share an experience they think none of your other friends have had. You’ll discover new things about your friends and find out just how unique each of them is.
• Mail a card to your friend. Post on social media using #NationalFriendshipDay to encourage others to connect with each other. —NationalDayCalendar.
com
History of National
Friendship Day
Starting out more than 100 years ago as simply a
way to encourage people to send a card to friends to show that they care, National Friendship Day has morphed and evolved over the past century. Less than a decade after the Hallmark Card Company was started in 1910, founder Joyce Hall was working to find creative ways to encourage people to send more greeting cards. Friendship Day began as one of these ideas in 1919, to add to other days like Mother’s Day, Father’s Day and Sweetest Day. By 1922, the idea was brought to the Greeting Card Association, and it became widespread. By 1935, the United States Congress followed suit, making National Friendship Day the first Sunday of August. Though the popularity of National Friendship Day fizzled out a bit in the United States in the 1940s, perhaps related to global events, it seems to have been making a comeback in recent decades. In fact, in 2011, the United Nations began its recognition of the International Day of Friendship, which
runs along the same vein and is set to be celebrated a few days sooner than National Friendship Day.
a cup of coffee, have a chat over an ice cream cone, or even just go for a walk in the park. Practice being a
No matter how it began or where it has gone along the way, the idea for a day of friendship is meant to recognize and appreciate the bond of friendship between humans. A shared spirit of solidarity is vital when facing the pressures of the world today. Deepening bonds of trust and camaraderie among people, young and old, can help to provide stability and safety that help to make the world a better place. More ways to observe National Friendship Day offers a special opportunity to go above and beyond the normal, everyday appreciation of friends. Take some time out to show someone how much their friendship is treasured by celebrating with one of these ideas: Spend time with a friend
Beyond cards or gifts, truly the best way to show a person how much their friendship means is by spending quality time with them. Offer to take them for
good listener and be an encouragement. Create and send a card to a friend
to be only about lining the pockets of the car companies, but the day can still serve as a nice reminder to tell someone they are loved.
For those who want to forego buying a card, it might be fun to create something personal with a handmade card.
Get creative with drawing, stamping, painting or cutting out pictures to make a collage. It might even be fun to get super crafty and make handmade paper to write the note on. Grab an envelope, put it in the mail, and let that friend know how much they are appreciated on National Friendship Day!
Make a new friend
One amazing thing to do in celebration of National Friendship Day would be to make a new friend ! While it might feel intimidating, perhaps consider asking someone to get a cup of coffee or go for a walk. Maybe it’s a neighbor you’ve been meaning to connect with or perhaps it’s the barista who is so kind getting your morning coffee.
Bake Friendship Bread
A tradition started by Amish people, friendship bread is made from a sourdough starter that is often given by a friend. Each time a loaf is made, a small portion of the starter is kept aside for the next loaf,
the friendship bread starter is placed in a warm area where it is stirred daily and can “grow”. Keeping the starter alive means adding a few ingredients on certain days, like flour, sugar and milk. It usually takes about ten days for the starter to be ready to make another loaf.
Once a person has the starter (or has patiently made one from scratch), this is a yummy bread that is fairly easy to make, including ingredients like flour, eggs, baking soda and cinnamon. Because it uses a lot of sugar to make the yeast grow, Amish Friendship bread has a delightfully sweet flavor to it, suitable for toasting or simply eating slathered with butter.
Learn how to make Friendship bracelets
For more than 50 years, these little colorful bracelets have been given and received to represent the connection that friends have between one another. These handmade tokens can be large or small, intricate or simple, but what is most important is that they are made with love. Some people don’t know that the colors of friendship bracelets have special meanings. For instance, red is for good luck, passion or adventure while yellow represents creativity, optimism, and friendliness. Try some of these color combinations for making friendship bracelets that represent certain attributes for National Friendship Day:
• Green, Blue, and White Green represents hope, nature and compassion, blue is for peace, loyalty, and inspiration and white is for truth, kindness and clarity.
• Purple, Black, and Pink Purple expresses sophistication and luxury, Pink is about kindness, affection, and love, and black shows confidence, power and energy.
• Brown and Orange
people might
which is perfect for National Friendship Day. Because it contains yeast,
This blend of colors is earthy and cheery as brown means stability, reliability, and comfort while orange speaks for excitement, happiness, and joy.
Some
consider holidays created by greeting card companies
Check It Out
Jan Johnston, Collection Manager Fort Vancouver Regional Library District
You can email Jan at readingforfun@fvrl.org
The 2024 Summer Olympics, of cially the Games of the XXXIII Olympiad, have begun in Paris, France. Olympic athletes are competing for gold, silver, and bronze medals in 32 sports including a brand-new addition to the competition, breaking aka breakdancing. Four sports that debuted at the 2020 Summer Olympics will return this year: sur ng, skateboarding, sport climbing, and 3x3 basketball. If you’re like me, and associate the Summer Olympics with gymnastics, swimming, and eld and track, well, there’s whole lot more going on! I’m going to date myself, here, but the rst Summer Olympics I
remember watching on television was in 1976 when the games were held in Montreal, Canada. Like many young girls, I was hyperfocused on a tiny gymnast named Nadia Comaneci. When she was awarded the rst perfect score of 10.0, I along with a million other young girls, made up my mind that I wanted to be a gymnast. The glory, the adoration – what a life! Unfortunately, it took just two weeks at a basic gymnastics class, held in the recreation center of my small hometown, to con rm that my future did not include a vault or uneven bars (by the way, the balance beam is crazy scary.) Fast forward forty-eight years, and I’m very happy to be a librarian instead of a gymnast. Plus, I will be able to watch Simone Biles, an absolutely incredible athlete, perform her gymnastics magic in Paris. I may not be able to attend or participate in the Olympics, but I can offer some Olym-picks from the library’s collection. Feel like a gold medal winner by adding one or more of today’s suggestions to your reading list.
• “The Boys in the Boat: Nine Americans and Their Epic Quest for Gold at the 1936 Berlin Olympics” by Daniel James Brown.
• “Bravey: Chasing Dreams, Befriending Pain, and Other Big Ideas” by Alexi Pappas.
• “Courage to Soar: A Body in Motion, a Life in Balance” by Simone Biles.
• “The Games: A Global History of the Olympics” by David Goldblatt.
• “Just Add Water” by Katie Ledecky.
• “The Three-Year Swim Club: The Untold Story of Maui’s Sugar Ditch Kids and Their Quest for Olympic Glory” by Julie Checkoway.
New at the Library
FICTION
“The Beautiful People” by Michelle Gable. “Farewell, Amethystine” by Walter Mosley. “Galway Con dential” by Ken Bruen.
NONFICTION
Quick, delicious breakfasts to start your day with a bang
(Family Features) If you’re looking for a little motivation to take on a busy day or fueling up for an adventurous weekend with the family, there’s no better way to start the morning than with a filling breakfast. However, not everyone takes full advantage of this ever-important opportunity to prepare for the day ahead. For some, skipping breakfast is due to a lack of time in the morning. For others, it isn’t about a lack of hunger or time; it’s boredom from quick solutions like cereal or a bagel.
Take your breakfast to a whole new level—without sacrificing too many precious morning minutes—with recipes you can get excited about like Basmati with Apricots, Walnuts, Yogurt and Honey. Jam-packed with flavor, it takes 5 minutes to prepare so you can serve your whole family a nutritious, filling meal even if you’re in a rush.
A long-grain rice that’s common in India, basmati is fragrant with a nutty flavor and fluffy texture that pairs well with the sweetness of dried fruits like raisins, cranberries, apricots and dates for a combination of flavor and nutrition at the breakfast table. Better yet, you can enjoy it during busy mornings with Minute Instant Basmati Rice which is ready in just 5 minutes on the stove or in the microwave for quick, delicious, aromatic dishes.
When you’re in need of a single-serve meal that’s big on flavor but short on prep time
before heading to the office, it’s hard to top a comforting breakfast scramble. This Tomato, Bacon, Onion, and Cheddar Scramble is sure to awaken your taste buds while providing the energy you need to take on the day.
Fully cooked Minute Chicken & Herb Seasoned Rice Cups offer homestyle taste with carrots, onion and garlic. Ready in only 1 minute, the delicious combination of chicken, vegetables and herbs with hearty rice serves as a perfect base for savory omelets and scrambles. Plus, the BPA-free cups are a great option for an on-the-go power-up. For an even easier solution, you can eat the flavored rice right out of the cup so the breakroom or kitchen will stay clean while you enjoy a pick-me-up. Discover more recipes that can fuel your mornings at MinuteRice.com.
Basmati with Apricots, Walnuts, Yogurt and Honey
Prep time: 3 minutes
Cook time: 2 minutes
Servings: 4
• 1 cup Minute Instant Basmati Rice
• 1/3 cup dried apricots, diced
• 1/3 cup walnut pieces
• 1/4 cup plain yogurt
• 1 teaspoon honey
• 1/4 teaspoon ground cinnamon
• 1/3 cup fresh apples, diced (optional) Heat rice according to package directions.
In cereal bowl, mix rice with apricots, walnuts and yogurt. Drizzle with honey and sprinkle with cinnamon. Top with diced apples, if desired, and serve.
Tomato, Bacon, Onion, and Cheddar Scramble
Prep time: 5 minutes
Cook time: 5 minutes
Servings: 1
• 1 Minute Chicken & Herb
Seasoned Rice Cup
• 1 tablespoon butter
• 1/8 cup diced onion
• 1 egg, lightly beaten
• 2 strips bacon, cooked and crumbled
• 1/4 cup diced tomato
• 1/4 cup shredded cheddar cheese sliced scallions or parsley, for garnish (optional) Heat rice according to package directions.
In medium, nonstick saute pan over medium heat, heat butter. Add onion and saute 1 minute.
Add egg to pan and cook, stirring frequently, until scrambled and cooked through.
Add rice, bacon and tomato to pan; stir to combine until heated through. Stir in cheese. Garnish with scallions or parsley, if desired, and serve.
“The Art and Science of Connection: Why Social Health is
the Missing Key to Living Longer, Healthier, and Happier” by Kasley Killam.
“The Ikaria Way: 100 Delicious Plant-Based Recipes Inspired by My Homeland, the Greek Island of Longevity” by Diane Kochilas.
“Traveling: On the Path of Joni Mitchell” by Ann Powers. CHILDREN “My Best Friend’s Bangles” written by Thushanthi Ponweera, illustrated by Maithili Joshi.
“The Monarchs of Winghaven” written and illustrated by Naila Moreira. “Mummies
One of my favorite stories as a child was “Stone Soup.” I don’t know if you know it or not. It’s an old European folktale, and there are a lot of variations, but in most of them, two soldiers come into a town during a war. They ask for food, and everyone tells them they have nothing to eat. So the soldiers build a fire, and they ask an old woman if they can borrow a pot because they are going to make stone soup.
“Soup from a stone?” the old woman asks.
“Yes,” they say. “We are going to make stone soup!”
So the old woman loans them a pot, and they fill it with water, and they start cooking a stone. “Soup from a stone!” the old woman exclaims. “Imagine that!”
Pretty soon, a small crowd gathers. No one had ever heard of making soup from a stone.
“Stone soup is wonderful,” one soldier casually mentions. “But it’s even better with a little onion.”
“Oh! I have an onion,” someone offers, and throws it in the pot.
“Carrots are also nice,” the soldier adds. And, a few minutes later, someone throws some carrots in the pot.
Soon, a little beef is put in, and a few other ingredients are added as the crowd grows. Before long, there is a large pot of soup, and everyone in the village is fed, including the two soldiers. A village where everyone said they had no food eats a meal together—a meal that would not have existed if it were not for a stone. I told my friend, Wally, this was a favorite story of mine.
“I see men coercing others to get what they couldn’t get themselves!” Wally said. This astonished me.
“But everyone ate!” I told him. “No one even knew they had soup—and they didn’t—without first believing it was possible.” Wally is not convinced that any good comes from telling a lie. But I never saw it as a lie.
Because I believe in stone soup.
A couple of months ago, I went to a beautiful little theater in Mexico, in the town where I spend the winter, and I met with a producer there. Suddenly, I saw the possibility of doing a show in this space. The whole thing was completely real in my imagination before I’d written a word. So I worked on the script and planned all the costumes and the music and everything needed for the show. The show became as real on the page as it was in my mind. Yesterday, I learned it wouldn’t be possible to do my show in the theater as planned. I was very disappointed—for about 12 hours. And then I realized I had a pot of stone soup.
The theater and the producer had never made it a show. The show was made of all the things I’d put into that simmering pot. It was the belief that I could make a show—if I just added enough ideas, if I stirred those ideas long enough, if I kept the fire going.
The soup was never about the stone. The stone was the excuse to make the soup. I have no idea where this show will be performed, but I am absolutely certain it will be, because this soup is filled with good things, put together in a way I believe people will enjoy.
In the story, after everyone has eaten, the old woman shakes her head. “Soup from a stone,” she says. “Imagine that!” Imagine that.
To see photos,check out CarrieClassonAuthor on Facebook or visit CarrieClasson.com.
Invasive Species
An invasive species is an organism that is not natural to an environment. These species can reproduce as well as grow very quickly. Fungus, bacteria, plants, animals and insects can be invasive species. They can cause harm in many ways. They can cause harm to the environment, food sources, carry disease and change the food web of an area. Around the world, invasive species cause billions of dollars in damage each year. People can be blamed for the introduction of invasive species most of the time. Many people want exotic pets. We are fascinated by their colors, personalities and looks. Some people get the animal home and find they can not take care of it, or they get tired of the work it takes. Instead of giving the animals away or selling them, people release the animals into the wild. Some of these animals die but others thrive in their new environments and end up causing a lot of damage. Do not ever release your pet into the wild. That frog, snake or fish could kill off the local animal populations. What can we do to help out?
A good example of an invasive species is a saltwater fish called the lionfish. The lionfish is causing a big problem in the Atlantic Ocean along the Florida coast and in the Caribbean Sea. This fish is native to the South Pacific and Indian Oceans. It has no native predators in the Atlantic and Caribbean. A female lionfish can release 50,000 eggs every three to four days while other fish only release eggs once a year. This means they reproduce very fast. They are also big eaters. This puts native fish populations at risk. The lionfish has 18 venomous spines that they use for defense. Their venom can be very painful and other fish have learned to stay away. How did lionfish get in the Atlantic? It is believed that people who had lionfish in their aquariums released them into the ocean.
The state of Florida has the perfect climate for abandoned tropical pets and they are causing massive amounts of damage. There are at least three different species of monkeys and residents are warned that they can become aggressive and do carry diseases. The monkeys were released on purpose as a tourist attraction. Iguanas are also a problem. Three different species of iguanas have been identified. Their major impact is they poop everywhere, and they dig big burrows and can cause property damage. The Burmese python may be the most impactful of all the invasive species. It has no native predators and it will eat just about anything including small mammals, birds and even alligators — no joke. These snakes can get up to 23 feet long. Both the lizards and snakes were probably pets that were released into the wild. Florida has at least 19 invasive animals.
Invasive species problems happen not just in the United States but all over the world. Australia has a toad problem. This isn’t just any toad, but a poisonous toad. In 1935, 102 toads were brought to Australia by the government to control beetles that were killing sugarcane crops. The toads did not get that memo, but they did eat everything else in sight and reproduced so effectively that there are now more than two million cane toads. They can get as big as 6 inches long and weigh 3 pounds. What these warty looking guys don’t eat, they poison.
Other invasive species come here by accident. It doesn’t matter where you live in the world, a large part of what you buy came from somewhere else. Most of the time it arrives on a ship. Those ships often have stowaways hitching rides from the other side of the world. Insects, crabs, mussels, jellyfish, seaweed and more have found homes where they shouldn’t be. In bodies of water it is easy to mess up the ecosystem and getting rid of these unwanted hitchhikers can be very expensive.
Check out these books at your school or city library!
Burmese Pythons (Invasive Species) by Emma Huddleston
High Point Saddle remains a coveted prize Goldendale Golf Club celebrates 100 Years
Jordan Mayberry
For The SenTinel
Once a mere incentive program for local athletes, the High Point Saddle has become a prestigious symbol of competition for the rodeos of Klickitat County and their dedicated participants.
In the mid-1990s, members of the Glenwood Ketchum Kalf and the Goldendale Rodeo Committee met to discuss creating a Klickitat County High Point incentive saddle. This saddle would be awarded to a county resident who outperforms others in the local rodeos. Representatives Oop Burgin, Harry Miller, Skip Mulrony, and Kay Carr worked to establish the original by-laws. After the initial meeting, Bickleton was included, and further fundraising was completed to support the program.
Centerville School District
Principal Kristin Cameron detailed the inclusion: “From the onset, it was decided that the three amateur rodeos would be active participants. So, adding Glenwood and Bickleton was the plan from the onset. The initial idea stemmed from some Glenwood Rodeo Committee members.”
Rulings established by the committee and representatives were set in place. Cameron describes them in brief: “The committee has continually awarded the saddle, following the by-laws established in the mid-1990s: 1, you must be a county resident, based on your address provided to the rodeo committees; 2, you must enter and compete in all three of the county rodeos—Pioneer Picnic and Rodeo in Bickleton, Glenwood Ketchum Kalf Rodeo, and the Klickitat County Rodeo in Goldendale; 3, you can only win the saddle one time.”
Explaining the award’s status, Cameron says, “The High Point saddle is a coveted prize. The cowboys and cowgirls are very aware of who has won, who has not, and who is a new contender who may have moved into the county. Many people keep their unofficial score after the first performance of Bickleton and encourage others who may be in the running for the saddle. The past winners often bring out the saddle and ride it at the rodeos just to show it off and claim their past award.”
The prestige of the award has inspired younger athletes: “I think that many young rodeo athletes see the winners as heroes and an inspiration to continue the tradition of competing in rodeos,” Cameron continues. “The county contestants often enter multiple events to improve their chances at winning.”
Mike Thiele, one of the original representatives,
was first awarded the High Point Saddle in 1995 and continues to be a respected competitor in Northwest rodeos. Competitors often lead successful careers after winning the High Point Saddle: “Many of the past winners continued onto the professional level of competition,” Cameron points out. “A start in their local community, with family and friends around, is always a great way to start a strong career. Many of the past winners are now our local ranchers, ranch hands, or family relations to our ranchers. It is a way of life in our county, and it is a strong tradition amongst our cowboys and cowgirls.” Cameron reflects on the competition’s nature: “Each year it seems that the saddle points are tight. It seems like it goes down to the last event on the last day at Goldendale until we have a winner. We try to keep it a secret until we connect with the winner and their family to report to the arena for the saddle presentation. Sometimes we have to have several participants on standby until the last rider competes so we know the winner. It is a friendly competition but one that everyone who rodeos in Klickitat County wants to win.” She also noted the interaction between generations. “The competition is always tough. Many of the local cowboys and cowgirls are of the older generation, but they have already won the saddle, and you can only win once in your life. So we really are seeing the new, young, upand-coming ‘kids’ who are winning more and more. We also are seeing our new community members come in and be competitive. Many new people don’t know about the award until it is talked about at Bickleton and Glenwood, then they for sure enter Goldendale to be in the running.”
Cameron highlights a key funding source. “Since the early 2000s, Goldendale Tire Factory, owned and operated by the Garner family, has been the main financial supporter of the Klickitat County High Point Saddle program. The late Phil Garner was a huge supporter of youth and community activities around Goldendale, and he stepped up to the program as the primary financial support when asked. His son, Justin Garner, followed in the family tradition of community involvement and supported the program until his passing. Now, Karlee Garner, Justin’s daughter, is continuing in the sponsorship of the saddle. Along with Goldendale Tire Factory, the county rodeo committees contribute funds to purchase a beautiful and most coveted trophy saddle that is the envy of many local rodeo athletes.” Regarding future plans, Cameron adds, “The High Point Saddle program will remain in effect until we lose funding. We hope our major sponsor, Goldendale Tire Factory, will continue their long-standing tradition to support the cowboys and cowgirls of our county.” With no signs of stopping, the program will continue to incentivize and bring together local rodeo athletes. Beyond the joy of the competition and the coming together of those who participate or are interested in rodeo, the Saddle provides one more reason to preserve the fire of the sport which has rooted itself in the history and the culture of Klickitat County.
Organized in the summer of 1924, the Goldendale Golf Club (CGC) recently celebrated 100 years. This historic occasion was marked by two events. The first, over Goldendale Community Days, was with several members driving their golf carts in the parade. A gathering at the golf club was open to the public and included food vendors, games, and fun. Many locals came out to see the course and play in the water to seek relief from the more than 100-degree day.
The final event was held on Friday, July 26, and was attended by more than 90 people. The Men’s Club provided steaks for all, and the members provided their best potluck food for all to enjoy. Potluck dinners have been the backbone of the social events for all 100 years of the club’s existence.
Certificate holder Roger Telford and Club President Rich Marshall shared information from stories submitted to The Goldendale Sentinel in 1959 and 1972. Highlighting the history included the meager start of the club with enough land to create three holes. The members had trouble with tall weeds and used sheep to clear the pasture. That lasted about as long as the players could stand dealing with the “hazards” the sheep left behind. More land was acquired over the years to bring the course to its existing 49.98-acre measure. Sand greens were the best way to get a putting surface and were gradually upgraded to grass in the middle to late ’50s once irrigation was readily available. An irrigation system with 394 outlets was installed with total volunteer labor in the ’50s and
allowed for the beautiful green fairways you see as you drive out North Columbus.
The existing clubhouse was remodeled inside and out in the early ’60s and has hosted many club events, wedding receptions, graduation parties, and the like over the years. It is available for rent when club events are not scheduled and provides a beautiful location for your celebration.
Butch Beyerlin got the nod for having the longest membership tenure, having grown up as a kid on the course, in addition to becoming a certificate holder in 1963. He and his wife Nancy and son Brett have played some really good golf over the years at GGC. Paul and Marilyn Enwards, Roger and Joan Telford, Dan and Sherrye Morrison, and Jim Wallace were also recognized for being members for close to 50 years.
Jodi Bellamy shared interesting information from articles she read in The Sentinel, bringing some laughs from the crowd. The club did a good job reporting their happenings over the years, often providing good entertainment for the readers. Bellamy also presented a lively video of photos and articles from over the century that capped a fun evening of reminiscing and celebrating.
The original membership of the club was about 25 folks, open to men and women and the cost was $10. The course was built on the member’s hard work. They were highly motivated, even bringing in horses pulling “stone boats” to clear the land of large rocks on the west side of Bloodgood Creek, known
today as the “back side.” GGC is a testament to hard work and volunteerism. Word traveled fast in the early days and many visiting players have made their way around what became a solid 9-hole track. The greens are small with lots of break. There are many mature trees that often get in the way, and combine that with the wind, and a challenging round awaits you every time you tee it up.
The club’s flagship event, the annual Member-Guest Tournament, will kick off its 50th edition the second week of August. The field is already full, and the membership and its guests are eagerly anticipating another great tournament.
GGC celebrated its resilience of the past, having survived events like the Great Depression, World War II, the closing of the local aluminum plant, the housing crash of 2008, and Covid. Many tight budgets were the focus of the directors to make ends meet for our “champagne” golf course that survives on a “beer” budget.
The future is bright with a new crop of young members getting involved in the club. In closing the celebration party, it was announced that Roger and Joan Telford have gifted the club with a sizeable donation for its operating fund. This gift will surely help make the next 100 years of GGC better and stronger. All are welcome to come and discover Goldendale Golf Club! Golf lessons are available, as well as a junior program every summer. Why not come and see what all the fun is about and get involved over the next 100 years?
—Jodi Bellamy
Contributed
A CENTURY CELEBRATED: The Goldendale Golf Club recently observed its 100th anniversary. F
HIGHLY PRIZED: The High Point Saddle is sought by rodeo participants every year. In 2021, Evan Olinger (center, holding baby) took the prize.