Goldendale Sentinel March 13, 2024

Hong Kong website runs refurbished news story on Goldendale city council

Good news, Sentinel readers! Our town is making news in Hong Kong!

Last Tuesday a story about the Goldendale city council meeting of February 20 ran on a website called BNN Breaking. Its slogan is “The People’s Network.” It’s based in Hong Kong. The story was actually a fairly comprehensive report on the meeting, citing the discussion about a 1912 city water supply agreement.

The story ran under an old, but striking, picture of Klickitat County Sheriff Bob Songer. You know, because he works for the City of Goldendale. Yes, we’re kidding, but that reveals the depth of knowledge about Goldendale shown by the website. There isn’t even a caption identifying Songer under the picture.

Here’s how the story opened:

“At the latest Goldendale City Council meeting, a historical 1912 agreement resurfaced, sparking discussions over the city’s water supply and the eligibility of certain landowners to access this essential resource. Concurrently, the Police Chief reports an unusually hectic month, underscoring the small city’s challenges and resilience.”

The site obviously did not follow Associated Press (AP) style, which most newspapers do, since it capitalized “Police Chief” in mid-sentence when it should have been lowercase. Strange, but some news media have their own house style, which The Sentinel does. But they did use the word “concurrently,” so kudos on vocabulary.

The author of the story was indicated to be one Wojciech Zylm. Wait, wasn’t he one of the Oompa Loompas in “Willy Wonka”? If there is such a person, apologies for the joke. But it’s very unlikely that a human wrote the story.

BNN Breaking was launched in 2022 by an Indian (Asia Indian) American businessman named Gurbaksh Chahal. Not one of the Oompa Loompas. The site is accused by many media experts of being an aggregator—a site that compiles content from other legitimate news sources—and of using artificial intelligence to generate

much of its content, pulling from published sources.

In the case of this story, the copy was almost certainly generated from our reporter’s excellent coverage of the city council meeting. But the site took Rodger Nichols’ copy and rewrote it—pretty convincingly, truth be told—and passed it off as original.

Another telltale sign of this being bogus is the mere fact that a city council meeting in a tiny town in rural Washington State is hardly the stuff that makes for compelling reading for audiences in the Far East. One must imagine readers in China (okay, Hong Kong; but let’s face it, Hong Kong is no longer the stalwart lone bastion of freedom from mainland China it once was) aren’t likely to be reading about Goldendale water rights over their morning coffee and going, “Oh, they’re finally getting that resolved!” One might also imagine that the paranoia of communist China might very well lead to someone there reading this story and being offended by some of these comments. Oh, well.

If curiosity to see the story is driving you crazy, here’s where to find it: tinyurl.com/4bcbykjj.

Silver Alert missing driver found

LOU MARZELES

EDITOR

Janet Smith got in her car with her dog last week and drove. And drove. And drove.

The 90-year-old Goldendale resident kept heading out Cedar

Valley Road until she realized she had no space to turn around and kept driving, looking for someplace to reverse direction.

What she didn’t realize was that a Silver Alert had been issued for her, since she’d been missing for 24 hours. Many in Goldendale

were deeply concerned. Sheriff’s Department aircraft were poised to begin search flights. Out past the Bolon Monument, Janet hit snow. Still no place to turn around, so she still kept driving. Finally she ended up in

Students get a good read on literacy

The Goldendale Primary School has three events throughout March to encourage students to foster their love of reading. March 2 to 6 was Read Across America Week, which started on the birthday of Theodor Geisel—better known as Dr. Seuss. Goldendale Primary School students participated in dress-up days such as Wacky Wednesday, Fox in Socks Day, and Cat in the Hat Day. The students love to dress up, and it gets them excited about reading.

First-grade teacher Lisa O’Leary stated, “Celebrating Read Across America with Dr. Seuss celebration days is an extra incentive to encourage all students—even the most reluctant readers—to pick up a book and read. Especially if a child is a new or beginning reader, they can always find a few words they are capable of reading with his repetitive and often decodable text.” The National Education Association wants to promote reading and inform people about its advantages, particularly for kids and teenagers. Schools and organizations across the country host events to encourage the same.

“I love reading, and I love the joy that I see in my students when they read,” says Goldendale Primary School Principal Angie Hedges. “We take advantage of every opportunity to celebrate reading, connect with

characters, places, and problems to build curiosity and wonder. Literacy is the foundation for learning. It provides access to deepening understanding about the world around us. We learn to read so that we can read to learn. It is the foundation of lifelong learning. Oh, the places you can go if you read!”

Students in Pre-K through 6th grade are encouraged to read for pleasure through the Silverwood Read 2 Ride program. The Read 2 Ride program’s objective is straightforward: encourage students to get engaged and enthusiastic about reading at a young age in order to foster the next generation of lifelong readers. Readers can earn a free ticket to Silverwood Theme Park in Athol, Idaho, for logging 10 hours of reading time. Each year about 100 kids earn a ticket throughout the Goldendale School District. There are also a select number of homeschooled kids that join this event and hope to read enough to win the prize.

“The Goldendale Primary School has been participating in the Silverwood Read to Ride Program for more than 10 years,” says 2nd grade educator Alison Azevedo. “This program was designed to help empower young readers as it also benefits the community. Locally we continue participating each year in an effort to develop a better mastery of language in our students and to help enrich family bonding.”

Student Jameson Dahl stated,

County meeting focuses on Title updates

RODGER NICHOLS FOR THE SENTINEL

More than 60 people joined on Zoom and another dozen were in the room for the Klickitat County Commissioners meeting on March 4. Most were there for the public hearing on adopting state-mandated updates to Title 15 and Title 16 of the county building codes.

Title 15 covers “New construction, additions, change in use or occupancy, exempt items, fireworks stands, demolitions, solar and miscellaneous,” while Title 16 deals with “factory assembled structures.”

While counties are required to update their codes to match changes in state legislation and agency rulemaking, they are allowed to impose additional, stricter, requirements. That was the idea behind a new lo-

cally generated chapter 15.30 regulating industrial-scale solar farms. Many local citizens have opposed a proposed large-scale solar farm in the county and thought such a chapter would add controls or even discourage the whole project.

Building Director Lynn Ward carefully noted that her authority only deals with building codes for structures. “I have nothing to do with planning, zoning, or critical area ordinances,” she said. “None of that.”

In a phone call Friday, Ward explained some of the nuances involved.

“The panels themselves are to a degree still considered a structure,” she said. “So I do receive engineering on the solar panels for their method of being connected to the ground, but I don’t do anything with the electrical

Below is a summary of resolutions from the Superior Court criminal docket for the month of January, 2024, provided by Klickitat County Prosecuting Attorney David R. Quesnel. Superior Court criminal dockets are generally the first and third Mondays of the month.

• State of Washington v. Tonya W. Brewer, No. 23-100057-20, defendant pleaded guilty to Forgery, RCW 9A.60.020, date of offense 8/08/23, and on 1/02/24 was sentenced to 15 days work crew and 12 months DOC supervision under a firsttime offender waiver, RCW 9.94A.650.

• State of Washington v. Tim E. Depaepe, No. 23-1-00059-20, defendant pleaded guilty to Residential Burglary DV, RCW 9A.52.025 and 10.99.020, and two counts of Protection Order Violation

The Washington State Department of Commerce 2023-25 Housing Trust Fund 2024 Supplemental budget includes three million dollars ($3m) in direct appropriation to Columbia Cascade Housing Corporation’s (CCHC) Assisted Living Facility in western Klickitat County.

This $3M award is intended to leverage additional federal, state, and local resources to construct the facility.

Paul Blackburn, CCHC’s Board President, states “There are not enough

DV, RCW 7.105.450(1), date of offenses 12/10-14/23, and was sentenced to 90 days in jail and 12 months DOC supervision under a firsttime offender waiver, RCW 9.94A.650.

• State of Washington v. Tazmond R. Bly, No. 23-100060-20, defendant pleaded guilty to Possession of a Stolen Motor Vehicle, RCW 9A.56.068, and VUCSA – Possession of Methamphetamine with Intent to Deliver, RCW 69.50.401, date of offenses 12/12/23, and was sentenced to 32 months in prison and 12 months DOC supervision.

Below is a summary of resolutions from the Superior Court criminal docket for the month of February, 2024, provided by Klickitat County Prosecuting Attorney David R. Quesnel. Superior Court criminal dockets are generally the

options for aging folks to find an affordable place to live while receiving appropriate services in Klickitat County. CCHC’s development will address this significant unmet need. We are grateful to Sen. [Curtis] King, Rep. [Gina] Mosbrucker, and Rep. [Chris] Corry who recognize the importance of this development for our community and fought to keep this communityinitiated project in the State’s capital budget.” Klickitat County acquired the 7-acre parcel

first and third Mondays of the month.

• State of Washington v.

Jaden E. Pacheco, No. 23-100016-20, defendant pleaded to amended charges of Criminal Trespass 1st DV, RCW 9A.52.070 and 10.99.020, and Malicious Mischief 3rd DV, RCW 9A.48.090 and 10.99.020, date of offenses 12/26/23, and was sentenced to 30 days in jail.

• State of Washington v.

Jorge Hernandez Torres, No. 23-1-00033-20, jury could not reach a verdict on the charge of Assault 2nd and a mistrial was declared. Trial has been rescheduled for 5/08/24.

• State of Washington v.

James A. Cruse, No. 23-100055-20, defendant pleaded guilty to two counts of Theft 2nd, RCW 9A.56.040, date of offenses 4/21/21, and was sentenced to 8 months in jail.

• State of Washington v.

just north of White Salmon and immediately leased the property to CCHC expressly for the purposes of community development. Since acquisition of the property, CCHC has advanced predevelopment and design efforts for the 52 unit facility where 16 units will provide memory care services and the remaining 36 dedicated to assisted living. Not less than 25% of the development will be affordable to households earning at or below 50% of the area median income.

Joel Madsen, executive

Dillon S. Simmons, No. 23-100061-20, defendant pleaded guilty to Malicious Mischief 2nd Degree, RCW 9A.48.080, DUI, RCW 46.61.502, date of offenses 12/22/23, and DUI, RCW 46.61.502, date of offense 1/20/20, and was sentenced to 4 months in jail and legal financial obligations.

• State of Washington v. Major V. Phillips, No. 23-100058-20, defendant pleaded guilty to amended charge of Assault 4th DV, RCW 9A.36.041 and 10.99.020, date of offense 12/03/23, and was sentenced to 17 days in jail.

• State of Washington v. Jackson, D. Sparks, No. 23-100002-20, defendant pleaded guilty to Burglary 2nd, RCW 9A.52.030, and Theft of a Motor Vehicle, RCW 9A.56.065, date of offenses 1/21/24, and was sentenced to 60 days in jail and 12 months DOC supervision.

director of CCHC, acknowledges, “We will need to keep focus on raising the rest of the capital needed in order to make this development happen. Our community is anxious to see the project moving forward and yet we know we have a ways to go before we can break ground. CCHC remains committed to advancing this development and we welcome our community’s support and investments— financial resources and other—to help make this happen.”

USDA cites two Washington counties as Contiguous Natural Disaster Areas

G OLDENDALE ’ S A TTIC

Answer to last week´s Mystery Picture

This week’s Goldendale’s Attic Mystery Picture

We’re going to out on a limb here and say this picture has something to do with basketball. We’ll even go so far as to say it’s probably a team of people who

play that sport. It’s a gift. But who are these kids? What was the occasion for the picture? When was it taken? Where? We have no idea. All we know is that

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@goldendalesentinel.

com), or give us a call (509773-3777), or drop in at the office—and remember, you’re welcome to come in and take a look at the original photograph.

BACK

March 13, 1923 – 101 Years

County Game Warden McEwen has fi nished making nine ponds at Bloodgood Springs in which to rear young trout before releasing them into the streams, a consignment of trout is expected next month when the rearing ponds will be tried out.

March 22, 1934 – 90 Years

Ralph and George Nickerson are the new operators of the Island Lunchroom and Standard Oil Service Station at the corner of Broadway and Columbus. They have purchased half interest in the business of Virgil McEwen, former partner in the venture with attorney John R. McEwen. [The Island Lunchroom was eventually moved to the east city limits and transformed into the original Oasis Café.]

March 18, 1954 – 70 Years Ago

Work on the Bloodgood Creek water supply development was started last week and a small crew is now on the job doing excavation. Equipment now in operation includes a large power shovel and a cat. All the six- and eight-inch pipe for the job is on site. But how long the project will take isn’t known as the contractors do not know how much rock they will encounter in excavation. When the new line is completed, it will give Goldendale a supplementary water source for emergencies and for use in dry seasons.

March 19, 1954 – 70 Years Ago

A.O. King Promise 105, a two-year-old Hereford Bull bred raised by Stanley Crocker, Centerville, has been purchased for the government of Iwate Prefecture, a sub-division of Japan, for use at their experiment station. The bull will be used in a breed improvement program of the Japanese government. The bull was shipped from Tacoma Friday, March 13, on the steamer Yanakiku Maru of Yokohama, Japan. The trip will take 14 days. Stanley delivered the bull to Tacoma where it was crated and loaded. According to Crocker, a little difficulty was experienced in explaining to the Japanese attendant the correct feeding program that was to be followed en route. It was hard to put some of the common American livestock management terms into Japanese.

March 1965 – 59 Years Ago

Seven seniors, all members of the 1964-1965 Timberwolf Football team, played their last game for Goldendale on November 11. They beat the White Salmon squad 39 to 6. Senior team members: Gary Tyler, Steve Feeley, Terrance Atkins, David Counts, Denny Jaekel, Mike Alkire, and Chuck Amidon

March 15, 1984 – 40 Years Ago

The new Klickitat County jail will hold a two-day open house Friday and Saturday, March 16-17, and is expected to become a “closed house” the following week. Tours of the structure will be led three times each of the two days. County Sheriff John Anderson said he expects the non-security segment of his department to shift to the new building the week of March 19. However, the sheriff added, “We’ll have to wait for state inspection and acceptance of the jail before we can start moving prisoners in.

—Richard Lefever Klickitat County Historical Society

Bickleton Pioneer Sets Fast Pace At Sheriff’s Posse Race Trials – May 28, 1942

A 69-year-old eastern Klickitat pioneer who doesn’t drive a car but knows how to ride a horse set the pace for his fellow Sheriff’s Posse members at the Timberline Lodge race trials here Sunday. He is H. Shattuck, of Bickleton, who rode his four-year-old Klickitat bred saddlehorse the 20 laps around the fair grounds track for the day’s best time.

On the basis of his ride, Shattuck will be one of the Klickitat Posse riders in the Timberline–Lake Oswego pony express race June 28. Other riders and horses for the Timberline race will be announced later. Edward Abeling, chairman of the race committee said.

A total of 12 horses entered in the competition at the fairgrounds. Three different heats with four horses in each heat were run off. Later in the afternoon five horses were sent over the steep Pipeline Road. Horses used in this race were competing for places on the mountain laps in the Timberline race.

More than 200 people were at the fairgrounds for the race trials. Following the trials over 100 Posse members and their wives from White Salmon and Goldendale attended a luncheon served in the organization’s club rooms

at the fairgrounds.

H. Shattuck, the Bickleton pioneer, came to this county in 1880 from California. He has spent virtually all his life in Eastern Klickitat where he operates a large ranch. He says he could ride the entire 72 miles of the Timberline race and the way he rode Sunday he probably could. Shattuck hasn’t driven a car more than half a dozen times in his life.

Ted Lehmann, of White Salmon, who rode his horse in the same heat with Shattuck turned in the days second best time. Others in that section were Frank Riley and Earl Dooley, who rode Archie Radcliff’s horse.

In the second section Harry Dunn rode for Pat McEwen. Others in the section were Dean Gillenwaters, Ted Guinan and Roy Kaiser. Gillenwaters and Dunn finished in a dead heat.

In the third section Oscar Scherer, Harry Dunn on Abeling’s horse, Waldo Klein and Frank Riley fi nished in that order. On the pipe line course Floyd Powell on Paul Davenport’s horse fi nished fi rst. Others were Mrs. Quails riding Waldo Klein’s horse, John Gilmer, Loren Triplett, and Frank Riley.

Though neither Teresa Fridley-Willis nor Karen Henslee knew the reason for the picture, they were able to identify quite a few of the people in last week’s Goldendale’s Attic Mystery Picture. Back row, left to right from what we know:

Misfortune Rides With Klickitat Posse At Timberline – July

2, 1942

Battling against a succession of bad breaks that would have completely eliminated any ordinary team, Klickitat County Sheriff’s Posse riders carried on at Timberline Sunday to capture third place in the 73-mile Pony Express race.

Lady Luck defi nitely was not riding with the Klickitat Possemen Sunday. Had it not been for a combination of injuries and accidents that slowed the Klickitat riders more than half an hour the Posse team easily would have walked off with their second straight victory in the annual Oregon classic. As it was the Klickitat riders fi nished in third place just one minute and 52 seconds behind the winning Pioneer Riders of Portland.

McMinnville Second Second place in the race went to the Yamhill riders from McMinnville riders finished just behind Klickitat in last year’s race. Elapsed time for the 73 miles was 5:14;41,2. Last year’s time was 5:45.

The Klickitat riders’ first bad luck struck in the second lap when Dean Gillenwaters’ mare “Rita Rica” became exhausted seven miles out on her 10 mile course. Gillenwaters’ mare had participated in the race last year and had shown up well in the prerace training and elimination trials.

H. Shattuck, 69-yearold Bickleton rancher, rode back nearly a mile to pick up the mail sack from Gillenwaters, but in the interim the Klickitat team had been passed by everyone of the five other outfits, leaving the post 12 minutes behind the last and 28 minutes behind the leader.

Nevertheless, Shattuck let his horse run and 2 ½ miles from the fi nish of the third lap had passed three riders and was only a few

minutes behind the leaders. Then bad luck struck again.

Veteran Picks Up Time

A race umpire motioned Shattuck across the road and the Bickleton man’s horse stepped in a roadside drain injuring its leg. At this time it is not known whether or not the horse will recover. The injured leg was placed in a cast by veterinarians and the horse is now in Portland.

The injury to Shattuck’s horse cost the Klickitat Posse much of the time the Bickleton rider had gained back. Floyd Powell, riding Paul Davenport’s “Wrangler” rode back over the course to pick up the mail bag from Shattuck. After making the exchange Powell picked up about nine minutes on the leaders.

Misfortune struck again at the fourth relay change. What looked like a perfect transfer ended in trouble when Loren Triplett, the fi fth rider was bucked off into a bunch of huckleberry bushes. By the time Triplett was back in the saddle the Klickitat riders had lost still more time.

Still trying, Triplett made a fine ride and gained back about eight minutes. Then Sheriff Russell Woodward took the mail on the sixth lap and picked up two or three more minutes riding Pat McEwen’s “Smokey.”

John Gilmer, riding anchor lap for the Klickitat Posse, put the county team back in the race with a sensational ride up the steep mountain trail. Gilmer gained all the way and had the race continued another mile probably would have passed the leaders. He was riding his big apaloose stallion “Ted” that carried the Klickitat team to a sensational victory in the last lap at Timberline in the 1941 race.

AJ Davenport, Danielle Better, Amber Pantages, unknown, unknown, Anna Davenport, Brynn McConkey, Karl Amidon. In the front row on the left is Pace Amidon. The two girls sitting are uknown.

Maximizing retirement income: 3 key points

Retirement planning is a crucial aspect of financial management, especially for folks who don’t enjoy paying more in taxes than the law requires. With the tax code’s unique challenges and opportunities, it’s essential to have a robust plan to maximize income and ensure a comfortable and secure retirement. This article explores strategies to maximize retirement income, focusing on minimizing taxes, taking Social Security at the optimal time, and considering guaranteed income from an annuity.

Minimizing taxes

One of the most effective ways to increase retirement income is by minimizing taxes. This can be achieved through various methods and strategies. Firstly, investing in tax-efficient retirement accounts like 401(k)s or IRAs can provide significant tax advantages during the working years. Contributions to these accounts are often tax-deductible, and earnings grow tax-free. However, withdrawals from this type of account in retirement are typically taxed at high ordinary income rates. Secondly, taking advantage of tax deductions and credits available for healthcare expenses, charitable contributions, and certain investments can also reduce tax liability. Lastly, having the flexibility to strategically withdraw from different types of accounts such as non-qualified, qualified, Roth, and annuity can help you pay much less to Uncle Sam in retirement.

Optimal Social Security timing

Jon K. Hancock, Hancock Advisors LLC

can sometimes be an elegant and powerful tool to put in place.

Conclusion Maximizing retirement income involves a combination of strategies tailored to individual financial situations. By evaluating these strategies and implementing what makes the most sense, one can ensure the financially secure and relaxed retirement you’ve worked so hard to achieve. Please note that to understand the best strategies for your specific situation it’s a good idea to consult with a trusted financial advisor.

Social Security benefits constitute a significant portion of retirement income for most people. The timing of when you start collecting these benefits can greatly impact the total amount received over time. While you can start receiving benefits as early as age 62, doing so typically reduces your monthly benefit amount. Delaying Social Security until full retirement age (FRA, age 67), or even as late as age 70, can significantly increase the monthly benefit. This strategy can be particularly beneficial if you expect to live a long life, as the increased benefits can really add up over time.

Guaranteed income from annuities

Annuities can provide a steady stream of income during retirement. While there are various types of annuities, all offer the benefit of guaranteed income which is otherwise not easy to come by except for Social Security. Fixed annuities, for example, provide a guaranteed income stream regardless of market conditions. Having some portion of your total nest egg not subject to the whims of Mr. Market can provide several benefits. When evaluating the impact to maximizing retirement income it’s important to consider factors such as the financial strength of the insurance company and inflation protection when choosing an annuity. It’s not appropriate in every situation, but

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 .

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.

Receivables@goldendalesentinel.com

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.

They must be kept separate

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

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.

First, thank you to everyone who has chosen to step out of the house and engage in the local caucuses and recent county convention. Your participation in the civic process is both encouraging and essential, and it is through such engagement that practical solutions must be found.

At the county convention there was robust discussion regarding the party platform. On three separate occasions, amendments to the party platform were suggested from the floor. Here it became clear that differences of opinion existed, and that is a necessary and healthy dynamic.

Twice, suggestions were made to change language related to religious observation and family values, and twice the majority spoke with passion against making any changes. While I wholeheartedly support the majority’s position, I believe an important opportunity was missed.

Ken McKune Goldendale C

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.”

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

important than using the Party to promote our religious beliefs? I believe, unequivocally, that it is. If we cannot find common ground in constitutional principles, and instead stubbornly insist that people adopt our religious beliefs before they become Republicans, we will fail. As a result, We the People will remain divided, and our nation will fall. Please pray about it.

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.

put down roots and lived here, even though some time back they may have entered illegally”. That was none other than Ronald Reagan, during a televised debate with Walter Mondale in 1984.

Ken Margraf Goldendale

Luke Throop Goldendale

What Reagan understood

“For No Reason At All” I particularly found offensive.

My suggestion during the discussion was to make a distinction between our personal religious convictions and unifying political principles. Many people who agree with the constitutional principles of limited government and the Bill of Rights adamantly disagree on certain wedge issues, such as abortion rights and religious beliefs.

As I stated at the convention, if these contentious issues were removed from the political platform (and transitioned to local ministries and community outreach), the Republican Party would instantly become much more appealing to millions of middle-of-the-road Americans.

This message was not well received, and I fully understand why. However, I ask you once again to lift your gaze, and consider the potential of unifying the nation on common political principles, built upon mutual respect and the Constitution.

In short, we must separate our religious and political missions.

Is the fate of our nation more

Most Americans agree there is a crisis, but not an invasion, at our southern border. We are not at war with poor people, climate refugees, or those seeking asylum from violent, corrupt regimes. Meanwhile, I still see help wanted signs in shop windows, but we can’t expect immigrants to fill these jobs immediately. Nor can we expect the taxpayers of this country to shoulder the burden of receiving them and supporting them indefinitely, but we can expect our government to establish and enforce a fair, safe process to connect aspiring immigrants with American communities and employers who need them and to create legal pathways to get jobs and start businesses.

This problem has vexed our nation for generations with no clear solution. It will only be solved with bipartisan compromise between Congress and the administration. Unexpectedly, just such a bill was hammered out earlier this year. However it was tanked by one person: Donald Trump, who acted for purely political purposes.

Although this immigration bill may not be perfect, it’s a start. Congress should pass this bill and then roll up their sleeves and keep doing the hard work it will take to work out a plan for the future. A former president once said: “I believe in the idea of amnesty for those who have

Guidelines for Letters

Reagan understood that we are a nation of immigrants, that we need immigrants to work in unfilled jobs, start businesses, buy homes, and pay taxes that support Social Security and other programs we all want and need. Ronald Reagan would be sickened by what has become of the Republican Party, but what would really turn his stomach is someone like Donald Trump even being nominated for president of the United States of America.

Howard Bulick Bingen

You get out what you put in Garbage in, Garbage out. That’s the joke I learned in 1970 while taking a computer programming class. It’s like my MAGA friends who watch Fox News. They get Garbage News in; they can only repeat Garbage News out.

Do you really believe backing the losing vote-getter has any place in America? I feel sorry for people who could think that voting for anyone who encourages the change of the government of the USA through violence has any place in politics. You people ignore the Founding Fathers at your own peril. It was God who put them on earth together to write the Constitution that, as Lincoln said, is “the last best hope of Man.” If you want to destroy America, I can think of no better way to do it than backing Donald J. Trump.

When you fight against God, whose side are you on? Stop listening to garbage.

Thomas Wilson 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.)

For those who knew and loved Kay Kayser-Thompson, please mark this date on your calendars. A memorial service for Kay will take place on April 13th at the Goldendale High School. A potluck luncheon will take place at the Centerville School immediately after the service. Kay was a remarkable woman who touched many lives in so many communities and this is our chance to celebrate her beautiful life. The Glenwood community was really hopping last Saturday night as the junior class prepared and served a delicious crab feed to a sold-out crowd. While the dinner was taking place, the senior class hosted a silent auction in the hallways outside the multipurpose room. I’d say the night was a great success for both classes. It takes a lot of work to put on a huge dinner like this, and those who set up the room, prepared the food, and served the dinner deserve a huge thanks. This kind of event is fun for all who attend. We appreciate you all, students, advisors, and parents.

And here’s just one last reminder to see if tickets to the Mom Prom to be held at the Glenwood School this coming Saturday, March

Lately this might as well be a Lyle obituary column as I have reports that two more Lyle residents have passed. This time it is a late report that Sharon (Houdeshield) Johnson and Dennis Clark are no longer with us. I’ve tried to verify these but have only received verbal confirmations from other residents. I certainly hope that neither one of them read this and wonder why they weren’t informed. (Just trying to lighten the sadness of the situation.)

Fair warning: I will start now to hound you about the upcoming Lyle Clean Up that the Lyle Community Council is hosting on April 13 and 14, 9 a.m. to 4 p.m. So get busy and start cleaning out that attic and the garage as well as the barn, or at least think about what you can get rid of that would make your life a little easier and give you more space for more collectibles. If the item is too good to throw away, seek out your local organizations that have yard sales each summer, and give them the opportunity to pay their light bills for the month. That way you will feel better about getting rid of clutter plus giving to a good cause, and I’m sure that organization will be grateful.

If you were wondering where you can leave a few drops of your blood, Skyline Hospital has a call-out to any and all to save numerous lives. Their next Blood Drive will be on Wednesday,

16th are still available. This special night is sponsored by the Classes of 2027 and 2028. You need not be a mom or go as a couple. Everyone is welcome. See Mrs. Hoctor at the school to inquire about purchasing tickets. Here is some important information from Jennifer Hallenbeck. She says, “Please join us this Easter at Pioneer Memorial Community Church! There will be a Good Friday Service on March 29th at 7:00 PM. This is a time to reflect on the sacrifice Jesus made on the cross. Then Easter morning there will be a Sunrise Service at 6:30 a.m. at 23 Bacon Creek Rd. We will enjoy an Easter Brunch at the church at 9:30 AM (please bring a dish to share), followed by an Easter Celebration Service at 11:00. Call Pastor Butch and Jennifer if you have any questions - 509-364-3517.”

The Glenwood Women’s Club is once again hosting the community Easter Egg Hunt on Saturday, March 30th at the county park in Pine Vista. The fun starts at 10:00 a.m. and we’re all hoping the Easter Bunny is able to clear his schedule and visit the Egg Hunt that day. If so, he’ll be available to pose for pictures with the children and will hand

March 20, from 10 a.m. to 3 p.m. Just to know that you can save a life by donating a little blood that your body can replenish makes one feel like donning a cape and leaping over tall buildings. When I heard that there will be a Lyle High School/ Parent meeting, I thought, “Uh oh, someone is in trouble.” But then I found out that it’s only about 8thand 11th-grade volleyball. The meeting is at 6:30 p.m. on Thursday, March 14. Also, the school is looking to hire a substitute custodian and says if you are interested, you can send a letter of interest and your résumé to susan.carabin@lyleschools. com.

Mike Maguire reported: it is that time of year again when the Grange hosts their annual MiniFair for Grangers and non-Grangers, children five years and up and adults, to showcase their talents in arts and crafts, photography, needlework, sewing, baking, and food preservation. The contest will be held April 9 with entries accepted at the Goldendale Grange Hall, 228 E. Darland, Goldendale from 7 a.m. to 6 p.m. and April 10 from 7 a.m. to 10 a.m. when the hall will close for judging. Information on the contests can be obtained from Grange members or by contacting Lucille Bevis, (509) 773-9122. After being at the Lyle School for the last few years, the Easter Bunny will be returning to the

out candy treats. The hunt is for ages toddler through 5th grade. It’s always a fun day. Each year, some of the eggs are marked with money amounts and those eggs can be redeemed at the table. Let’s hope for a sunny morning and a good turnout.

Here is a press release from the Port of Hood River. Intermittent singlelane closures of the Hood River-White Salmon Interstate Bridge will begin on Monday, April 8th, and continue through Friday, April 12th, between 8:00 a.m. and 3:00 p.m. The closures will then resume on Monday, April 15th through Friday, April 19th, during the same hours. Crews will be conducting welding repairs on the bridge deck this spring to address increased deck fractures due to heavy truck loads.

Flaggers will direct traffic on the bridge. Drivers should expect delays of approximately 15 minutes during these hours. Due to the narrow lanes on the bridge, drivers are strongly advised to proceed slowly and cautiously to ensure the safety of workers. Additionally, they should refrain from directly looking at the welding arc light when passing through the work zone.

Lyle Activity Center green space on Highway 14. Mark your calendar for Saturday, March 30, at 10 a.m. Treats will be hidden to be found by your little ones. Mr. Bunny will be available for great photo ops and is sponsored by the Lyle Lions Club. Thanks to OLESS and the Lyle School District for their green space.

Klickitat County neighbors: Sarah Hancock, High Prairie fire chief, is inviting you to a Wildfire Mitigation Community Meeting on March 15 at 6:30 p.m. at the High Prairie Community Center. Speakers include representatives from the Washington State Department of Natural Resources, Mt. Adams Resource Stewards, and the Central Klickitat Conservation District. Learn how you can prepare your home now before wildfire season begins and about the resources available to you and our communities.

Submit your news to Mildred E. Lykens, (509) 3652273 or lykensme41@gmail. com.

Survivors of the fires in Washington should be aware that con artists and criminals may try to obtain money or steal personal information through fraud, scams, or identity theft, the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) warns.

FEMA Disaster Survivor

Assistance

• Federal and local disaster workers do not solicit or accept money. Don’t trust anyone who offers financial help and then asks for money.

• Do not disclose information to any unsolicited telephone calls and e-mails from individuals claiming to be FEMA or federal employees. FEMA will only contact you if you have called FEMA first or registered for assistance. If you receive suspicious emails or phone calls, you can call the FEMA Helpline at 1-800-6213362 to verify if a FEMA call or email is legitimate.

• FEMA representatives will ask for social security and bank account numbers when you apply and may ask for it again after you apply. Be cautious when giving

Friday, U.S. Senator Maria Cantwell (D-WA) announced that the Yakama Nation will receive $1.028 million to launch the Yakama Nation Drug and Fentanyl Task Force to help curb the impact of fentanyl across the Yakama Nation’s 1,130,000-acre reservation.

“In visits with tribal leaders all across the State of Washington over the past year, one thing became abundantly clear: Tribal law enforcement agencies need more boots on the ground to address the growing fentanyl crisis. This funding will help the Yakama Nation implement their new fentanyl task force – recruiting and training nine law enforcement officers to help keep fentanyl off their streets and keep the public safer,” Cantwell said. The funds will be used for the wages, fringe, and special pay for nine certified patrol officers for one year. The Yakama Nation has begun to prepare for the implementation of this new taskforce by recruiting and paying regular employment costs for nine Yakama Nation Police Department personnel to attend the Bureau of Indian Affairs basic training to complete patrol officer certification by the

this information to others who ask for it. Scam artists may pose as government officials, aid workers, or insurance company employees.

• Ask to see ID badges. All FEMA representatives carry an identification badge with a photograph. A FEMA shirt or jacket is not proof of identity.

Phony Property Inspections:

• Be on alert if somebody asks for your nine-digit registration number. FEMA inspectors will never ask for this information. They already have it in their records. •FEMA- contracted inspectors assessing damage never charge a fee to inspect your property.

Phony Building Contractors:

• FEMA does not hire or endorse specific contractors to fix homes or recommend repairs. A FEMA inspector’s job is to verify damage.

• Always hire a reputable engineer, architect or building official to assess your home. An unethical contractor may create damage to get work.

end of the current fiscal year. The success of the task force will be evaluated based on the number of responses tracked by the Yakama Nation Police Department’s Law Incident Total of Reported Offenses, as well as the task force’s contribution to regional and federal law enforcement efforts to identify and seize illegal substances on the Yakama Reservation and the transport of illegal substances through the reservation for sale in Portland, Seattle, and Spokane.

Cantwell, who serves as a senior member on the Senate Committee of Indian Affairs, has been sounding the alarm on the impact of fentanyl on tribal communities and advocating for more federal resources to assist tribal law enforcement. Late last year, she held two

To report scams, fraud, and identity-theft contact:

• FEMA’s toll-free Disaster Fraud Hotline at 1-866-720-

5721

• The Department of Justice’s National Center for Disaster Fraud: justice.gov/ disaster-fraud/ncdf-disaster- complaint-form

• When in doubt, report any suspicious behavior to your local authorities. You can register for FEMA assistance online by visiting disasterassistance. gov, using the FEMA mobile app, or by calling 1-800-621-3362.

FEMA is committed to ensuring disaster assistance is accomplished equitably, without discrimination on the grounds of race, color, religion, nationality, sex, age, disability, English proficiency or economic status. Any disaster survivor or member of the public may contact the FEMA Civil Rights Office if they feel that they are the victim of discrimination. FEMA’s Civil Rights Office can be contacted at 833-285-7448.

Multilingual operators are available.

committee hearings to hear testimony from Washington state tribal leaders and justice officials on the front lines of the crisis.

“The fentanyl crisis is a flood of poison entering Indian Country and communities, and it is not a crisis that our Tribes can face alone. We’ve heard [from] tribal leaders and their law enforcement agencies how they’re chronically understaffed and under-resourced,” Sen. Cantwell said in a December hearing.

In July, Sen. Cantwell also introduced the Parity for Tribal Law Enforcement Act, which would help Tribes hire and retain tribal law enforcement officers by raising their retirement, pension, death, and injury benefits to be on par with those of federal law enforcement officers.

This Calendar of Events listing is free. Are you in need of an eye-catching 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 about 14,000 unique hits on our website a month, this is a great way to reach even more people.

WEEKLY AND

MONTHLY EVENTS

Every Monday, Wednesday, and Friday

• 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. 509773-6100 or 509-493-1533.

• The Coalition for Preventing Abuse in Klickitat County (CPAKC) 4 p.m. every 2nd Monday via Zoom. 509-7733776 or CPAKC on Facebook.

• Yoga Zoom meeting 6-7:30 p.m. Jill Kieffer RN Instructor call to pre-register (541) 490-3704

• 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 • Board of County Commissioners meeting every Tuesday Klickitat County Courthouse, 205 S Columbus Goldendale. Visit www.klickitatcounty.org/643/Board-ofCounty-Commissioners for information, agenda, and link for Zoom meeting.

• TOPS Club Inc – Taking Pounds off Sensibly 10 a.m. American Legion. Questions? Sally/ojala@gmail.com.

• Goldendale Junior Community Chamber 7 p.m. 2nd Tuesday of every month at Umpqua Bank. Call 509-2500625

• Goldendale Photo Club 2nd Tuesday of Every month 105 West Main 6 p.m. Jeanne Morgan 10-5 M-F at 509-7722717

• KC Fair Board Meetings

1st Tuesday of the month is a Workshop, 3rd Tuesday of the month is a Board Meeting.

• White Salmon Farmers Market, 4 – 7 p.m. every week seasonally at Rheingarten Park.

• Soroptimist International of Goldendale, 5:30 pm 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. Wednesday

• 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!

• Free Youth Cooking Classes: 4-6 p.m. every other Wednesday, beginning Sept. 20th, 2023 – June 2024 at The Harbor 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 – every week 6:30 p.m.

• Family Storytime 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

• 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 - 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 Sharon 509-310-9172

• WAGAP Mobile Food Bank – 1st Thursday of the month: 9-11 a.m. Wishram school, 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 509493-2662 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

Community Events

open at 5:30, Bingo at 6 and the Salmon Run Grill is open from 5:30 – 7:30

• Farmers Market, High Prairie: 701 Struck Road, Lyle (between Centerville & Lyle), the 1st and 3rd Friday of the month 10 a.m. – 4 p.m. May – September. Vendors, please contact Josh Harrison, phone: (509)281-0971, email: josh7harrison@gmail.com

• Beginning Quilt Class 5:30 p.m. – 7:30 p.m. call 3C’s Fabric to sign up 509-2612815

• 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 in the teen area.

• Crafternoons at the Library – every 4th Friday 2:30 – 4 p.m. for ages 7-10 (all ages welcome at the Goldendale Library).

Saturday

• Lyle Lions Pancake Breakfast 1st Saturday of every month 7 a.m. -10 a.m. Omelets 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

COMMUNITY EVENTS

March 17, 2024, St. Patrick’s Day Dinner: 12 – 2 p.m. at the Centerville Grange No. 81. ALL the traditional fixings Corned Beef, Cabbage, Potatoes, Irish Soda Bread, Dessert, Drinks. Adults $15, 6-12 yr olds $7, 5 & under FREE.

March 17, 2024, Folk & Irish Music Family Concert with Victor Johnson: 11 a.m. at the Maryhill Museum of Art, 35 Maryhill Museum Drive, Goldendale. Sing and dance to St. Patrick’s Day songs for families at Maryhill Museum of Art with award-winning musician Victor Johnon! Singing kidfriendly blues standards and originals that bounce in the country blues style of Rev. Gary Davis, Mississippi John Hurt and Leadbelly, Parents’ Choice Silver Award-winning musician Victor Johnson performs a family-friendly selection of Americana, folk, and Irish songs. Small children are welcome. This event takes place in the M.J. Murdock Charitable Trust Education Center and is complimentary with general admission tickets. Join us for BOTH Family Day events! Live Music with Victor Johnson at 11 AM. Printmaking 12 PM – 4 PM. Museum members and children ages 6 and under visit for free every day. Adults can purchase general admission tickets online or receive complimentary or discounted

tickets via one of our Special Admission programs such as a Library Pass or EBT card.

March 14, 2024, March 7, 2024, Women’s History Month Film Series: Miss Representation: 5:30 p.m. at the Goldendale Library

March 14 – May 16, 2024, Grief Share Support Group: 4 – 6 p.m. every Thursday at Father’s House on Klickitat Street in Goldendale. For further information or confirmation: Darrell Watson, 509-261-1860

March 15, 2024, Maryhill Museum Season Opening

March 16, 2024, Mom

Prom: 7 – 10 p.m. at the Glenwood school. All moms, aunts, grandmas, adopted moms, and every incredible mom figure out there are warmly welcome to come together, get dressed up, and enjoy a night filled with laughter and dancing. Help the kids make this Mom Prom a night to remember. Get your tickets, put on your finest attire, and come dance the night way in the spirit of community and camaraderie. Contact the class advisors Jaecee Hoctor or Lori Wellenbrock-Avila at (509) 364-3438 if you would like more information about this fun, exciting event.

March 16, 2024, Conservation District Annual Plant Sale: 9 a.m. – 12 p.m. at the Fairgrounds in Goldendale. Join us for this once a year event! We offer a variety of plants to meet your needs at our Annual Plant Sale, with a particular focus on native plants for your garden and landscaping. Supplies are limited. You may buy plants the day of the sale, but the best way to guarantee we’ll have what you need is to pre-order on https://ekcd.org/plantsale-details/ Please note, we do not ship or deliver plants — all pre-ordered plants must be picked up on March 16 between 9:00am-12:00pm at the fairgrounds.

March 18, 2024, Shamrock Shuffle! 2 – 5:30 p.m. at participating Goldendale merchants. Pak Fitness is hosting its first community fitness event, simply visit participating merchants. For details and requirements contact Pak Fitness at vixenwolfinpakfitness.com.

March 19, 2024, American Red Cross Blood Drive: 12 – 6 p.m. at the Goldendale American Legion on Broadway.

March 19, 2024, Wellness Warrior Series: Grow Your Mind and Body: 3 – 4 p.m. at the Goldendale Library on Burgen Street. A series for kids to learn about our bodies and different areas of wellness to live a happy, healthy life. Presented by the Klickitat County Health Dept. For children ages 6–10.

March 21, 2024, Women’s History Month Film Series: Skate Dreams: 11 a.m. at the Goldendale Library

March 26, 2024, Introduction to Social Security: 5:30 - 6:30 p.m. at the Goldendale Community Library on Burgen Street. Learn Basic Rules and Claiming Strategies about Social Security benefits and how to maximize

what you are legally entitled to receive. Presented by Jon Hancock of Hancock Advisors LLC.

March 27, 2024, Easter Sock Hop: 6 p.m. at the Goldendale American Legion off of Broadway. This fun Easter themed family event is going to be a hopping good time! Dress up in your Easter clothes or come as you are! Games and fun for everyone! Plenty of board games for all, and coloring for little ones of all ages. Come and get your sock hop on with our special guest, the Easter Bunny! EVENT IS FREE TO ATTEND! Food is available for purchase from the American Legion, please drink responsibly.

March 28, 2024, Women’s History Month Film Series: Barbie: 11 a.m. at the Goldendale Library. Sponsored by the Friends of the Goldendale Library & Goldendale Soroptimists.

March 29, 2024, Easter Bunny Photo Eggstravaganza: 5 p.m. 117 E Main Street, Crush Smoothie & Juice Bar. Easter is a time for celebration and joy, and what better way to celebrate than by joining Fairy Godmothers Events in their Easter celebrations? This year, they are hosting a special event with the Easter Bunny at Crush Smoothie and Juice Bar. Not only will you have the chance to meet the Easter Bunny, but you can also take pictures with your own camera to capture the magical moment. Join in on the fun as these local businesses come together for the Easter season. Don’t miss out on this incredible opportunity to create lasting memories with your loved ones. Come on down to Crush Smoothie and Juice Bar and be a part of the festivities with the Easter Bunny and Fairy Godmothers Events.

March 30, 2024, Legion Easter Egg Hunt: 11 a.m. sharp at the Fairgrounds in Goldendale. This is a change from previous years.

March 30, 2024, Annual Egg Hunt in the Pool: Wading Pool, 2 and under: 2pm.

Ages 3 & 4: 2:15pm. Ages 5 & 6: 2:30pm. Big Pool Ages 7 & 8: 2:45pm. Ages 9 & 10: 3pm.

Ages 11-12: 3:15pm. 13 and older: 3:30pm. Looking for a different type of egg hunt? Plastic eggs will be placed in the wading pool & the big pool, and children will swim to find eggs. Lifeguards will be in the water to assist children with their hunt. After hunting the eggs will be redeemed for various prizes.

March 30, 2024, Easter Bunny visits Lyle: 10 a.m. at the Lyle Activity Center. After being at the Lyle School for the last few years the Easter Bunny will be returning to the Lyle Activity Center green space on Hwy 14. Treats will be hidden and found. Mr. Bunny will be available for great photo ops. Sponsored by the Lyle Lions Club. Thanks to OLESS and the Lyle School District for their green space.

March 30, 2024, Market Fresh Easter Egg Hunt: 8 a.m. at Goldendale Mar-

ket Fresh. Easter Egg Hunt through the store. Ages 12 and under

March 30, 2024, Easter Fun Day at the Farm: 10 a.m. – 3 p.m. at Howards Haven Animal Sanctuary by appointment only, call 509705-7073. Howards Haven Animal Sanctuary is hosting an exciting Easter Fun Day at their farm to celebrate the holiday with the community. This event, which features a variety of activities, is free for all to attend. However, in order to manage the number of visitors and ensure a safe and enjoyable experience for everyone, those interested in attending are required to reserve a time slot. Additionally, donations to the sanctuary are greatly appreciated as they help support the care and well-being of the animals. Attendees can look forward to seeing the adorable animals living at the sanctuary, participating in an Easter egg hunt with three golden eggs hidden for a special prize, decorating eggs, sipping on hot cocoa, taking a scenic hayride around the farm, and gathering around a cozy bonfire. This Easter Fun Day is sure to be a memorable and heartwarming experience for all ages while also supporting a worthy cause.

April 5, 2024, Bickleton Carousel Museum Opens for the season: 10 a.m. – 3 p.m. come see our new exhibits and explore our expanding history room.

April 6, 2024, Wellness Warrier Series: Healthy You: 3 – 4 p.m. at the Goldendale Library on Burgen Street. A series for kids to learn about our bodies and different areas of wellness to live a happy, healthy life. Presented by the Klickitat County Health Dept. For children ages 6–10.

April 13, 2024, Lincoln Day Dinner: Goldendale Grange Hall on East Darland. Details to follow.

April 13 & 14, 2024, Health Fair: Goldendale Seventh-day Adventist Church at 59 Bickleton Hwy. 4/13 11 a.m. starts with musical concerts/spiritual health tidbits with a potluck following. 2 – 5 p.m. brings presentations and demonstrations on mental health/depression, home remedies, priority approach to lifestyle. 4/14 from 2 – 6 p.m. brings a presentation by students, there will be booths and healthy food samples along with presentations and demonstrations on massage, hydrotherapy, and gardening. Call Brenda for more details 907-483-0098

April 13 – 14, 2024, Lyle Community Cleanup: Spring is a great time to spruce up the yard and the neighborhood. Our volunteer crew is planning some fun community opportunities for this year’s clean-up so stay tuned!

April 19 & 20, 2024, 2nd Annual White Salmon and Bingen Community-Wide Yard Sale: to sign up and get on the map, email wsbyardsale@gmail.cm, please sign up before April 12 to be on the community yard sale map.

Celebration of Life

Mike Montanye

Celebrating the Lives of Dennis Clear Clark &

September 8, 1940 –February 16, 2024

April 8, 1942 –

July 27, 2023

Dennis and Sondra were both born and raised in California’s Bay Area. They married in September of 1961 and soon after made the big leap from big city life to ranch life in the beautiful Columbia Gorge. They purchased property with Sondra’s father, Gino, and Sondino Ranch was born.

Florinda L. Campbell

Florinda L. Campbell, a devoted wife, mother, grandmother, great-grandmother, and cherished member of our community, passed away peacefully on Saturday, March 2, 2024, at the age of 70 while she bravely battled cancer, with her family by her side.

Florinda was born January 10, 1954, in Tucumcari, New Mexico, an only child to Tina and Bill Norris. She was the widow of Wade D. Campbell, and they shared 14 loving years of marriage together.

Florinda was a member of Father’s House Fellowship Church where she spent most of her days volunteer-

ing. She will be remembered for her outgoing personality, selflessness, and the great love she had for her family and friends. She is survived by her children: Jennifer, James, Eric, Aaron, Andrew, Anna, Christine and Amy; her grandchildren: Serenity, Elijah, Lashia, Jimmy, Jersey, James, Jaden, Erikka, Erick, Ethan, Eian, Bayley, Marcus, Michael, Vinny, James, Chris, Jerica, Jared, Vincent, Leland and Angelo; her great-grandchildren: Carter, Mila Maicee, Eli, Penny, Ethan, and Levi. Services were at Father’s House Fellowship on Saturday, March 9, 2024.

Rebecca Beeks

Rebecca Beeks passed away on March 1, 2024, at home in Dallesport, Washington.  Rebecca was born November 24, 1944, and was 79 years of age at the time of passing.

A celebration of life will be held on Saturday, March 16, 2024, at 11 a.m. at the White Salmon Elks Lodge,

124 NE Church Ave., White Salmon. Arrangements are under the direction of Gardner Funeral Home, 156 NE Church Avenue, White Salmon, (509) 4931323. Please visit www. GardnerFH.com to leave a note of condolence for the family.

Dick Wheelhouse

Dick Wheelhouse died March 10, 2024, in The Dalles, Oregon.

Sondino Ranch was where they raised hay, Charolais cattle, horses, and their two children, David and Gina. Dennis spent the majority of his life racing, restoring, or hotrodding whatever he could get his hands on. He was a member of the National Corvette Restorer’s Society (NCRS) for over 40 years and served as the National Judging Chairman for

eight years. Sondra owned and managed the Lyle Merc for many years, as well as Wind Ridge Stables. Sondra served on the Gorge Commission for nine years. They both enriched their community and left a lasting impact that will be remembered for years to come. Dennis and Sondra spent 62 unwavering years together.

They were predeceased by Dennis’s brother James Clark III, Sondra’s brother Robert Paoli, and their son David Clark. They are survived by Dennis’s brother Gerald Clark; their daughter Gina Blanchette; daughter-in-law Linda Clark; and grandchildren Spencer Clark, Madison Clark, and Grace Blanchette.

The family invites you to celebrate the lives of Dennis and Sondra on Friday, May 10, 2024, at 5:30 p.m. at the

BAPTIST

Columbus Avenue Baptist, S.B.C. 815 N Columbus, Goldendale, 509.773.4471; Pastor David Beseler, Sun School 9:45am, Sun Worship 11am, Sun Bible Study 6pm, Prayer Meeting Mon 6pm, Youth & Children's groups Wed 6pm; ColumbusABC.org, YouTube, FaceBook, ColumbusABC@embarqmail.com.

CATHOLIC - Holy Trinity Catholic 307 Schuster, Goldendale; Father William Byron, 509.773.4516. Sat Eve Mass 5:30pm; Sun Mass 9am & 10:30am. Eve of Holy Days 7pm; Holy Days 9am. Daily Mass Mon-Fri 9am CCD Classes Wed 2:15-3:30pm, K thru grade 6; Wed 7-8:30pm grades 7-12. Confessions every other Saturday noon -1pm

EASTERN ORTHODOX

Ss. Joachim & Anna Orthodox Mission 301 NW 2nd St, Goldendale, 907-317-3828; Rev John Phelps; Sat: 5:30pm Vespers; Sun: 8:15am Orthros, 9:30am Liturgy; Wed: 7pm Youth Group; Fri: 9pm Compline

Church Directory

GRACE BRETHREN

Community Grace Brethren 1180 S Roosevelt, Goldendale. Pastor Aaron Wirick. 509.773.3388. Sun Svc 10:30am in person. Wed: AWANA 2pm GoldendaleGrace.com. Watch us on Facebook

Live: Facebook.com/GoldendaleGrace "Learning - Living - Loving JESUS."

LUTHERAN

Christ the King Lutheran S Columbus & Simcoe Dr, Goldendale; Pastor David Daugs. 773-5750. Worship services 10am Everyone welcome.

METHODIST - United Methodist Columbus & Broadway, Goldendale; Pastor Kendra Behn-Smith; 509.773.4461. Service times: Worship 9:00am; Adult classes 10:45am; Fall & Winter All are welcome. Call the church for regularly scheduled events.

NAZARENE - Church of the Nazarene 124 W Allyn, Goldendale; Pastor Earnie Winn and Pastor Greta Sines. 509.773.4216; Sunday worship 10:45 ; Sunday School all ages 9:30 ; goldendalenaz@gmail.com.

NEW LIFE ASSEMBLY of GOD

1602 S Columbus, Goldendale; Pastor Kevin Gerchak, 509.773.4650; Sun. School 9:30 ; Morning Worship Service 10:30am; Family Night on Wed. 7pm with programs for ages 3 years through adult.

NON-DENOMINATIONAL

Centerville Community Church 508 Dalles Mountain Road, Centerville, WA 98613; 509-637-3068; Pastor Patti McKern; pastorpatti53@gmail.com; Sunday Worship Celebration 10am "Find refreshment for your soul and friends for your journey."

Father’s House Fellowship 207 S Klickitat Ave, 509.773.4719. Basic Bible Fellowship 9:30am; Worship 10:30am; Tue. 6:30pm Freedom Now Meeting. “A Gospel-Centered Church.”

DRIVER from page A1

a snow bank so deep she could not get out. That’s when Washington State Patrol officers fi nally found her.

She’d made it through the night by turning the car on for short stretches for heat, then turning it off again to preserve gas. When

COUNTY from page A1

portion, like the wiring to connect them into the grid or anything like that. If they have a structure that those batteries are housed in, I would need to know, for example, the quantity of batteries so I would know what hazard occupancy to assign to that structure.

But I don’t have anything to do with them getting a conditional use permit from Planning or any rezoning.

All of that is outside the scope of the building codes.”

Commissioners ultimately voted to drop section 15.30 and just adopt the state standards. They did close verbal public testimony but agreed to allow written testimony up to 5 pm Friday, March 8.

The motion also instructed staff to prepare for formal adoption of the statemandated changes at the March 12 meeting, ahead of a March 15 deadline.

Earlier in the day,

commissioners welcomed the county’s new planning director, Scott Edelman.

Edelman said he had grown up in a small town near Nampa, Idaho, but in college he met a girl from Goldendale, Emily Cochran.

“I fell in love with the girl, with her family, and with this community,” he said with a grin. The two were married here in 1998.

After college, he said their jobs took them to North Carolina for four years where she was a teacher. He went to graduate school for planning at North Carolina Chapel Hill, then they moved back to central Oregon because his wife’s older sister lived there at that time. He was an associate planner for the city of Redmond, served as Planning Director for the City of Prineville when Facebook built their data center, spent eight years at Oregon’s Land Conservation and Development Commission, and most recently was Community Development Director for Jefferson County.

He said Jefferson County, directly south of Wasco County, is a county “surprisingly like” Klickitat County in having a similar size population and an eastto-west orientation.

Edelman and other officials praised the work of Lori Anderson who had been acting planning director in the interim.

Commissioners also discussed the problem of the lack of public defenders. The state Constitution guarantees that any criminal defendant who can’t afford an attorney will be appointed one. As part of that guarantee, state law caps the number of cases public defenders can take on at 150 felony cases a year.

Those in public defender work say that number is not sustainable, and recently the Washington State Bar Association has proposed cutting that number by more than two-thirds, eventually capped at 47 cases a year.

The proposal would have created a new unfunded mandate that would require counties to hire more attorneys to cover the caseloads.

Commissioners had a Wednesday deadline to comment and decided to consult with Klickitat County Superior Court Judge Randall Krog about the situation.

“When I first came, we had three or four attorneys doing public defense work,” he said. “Now we don’t have anyone in Skamania County and only two in Klickitat County.”

Krog noted this problem wasn’t confined

New bill advances equal professional opportunities for immigrants

deputies found her, she and her dog were fine. They gave her blankets and the dog biscuits.

Back home she came, safe and sound and with a very dirty car. Which hopefully now knows not to stray too far from home.

to Washington State, nor to just public defenders. “I talked to [Prosecuting Attorney] Quesnel,” he said, “and they’ve had difficulty in fi nding anybody for their office. And much more than just the criminal field. It’s impacting us trying to find people to handle guardianship cases, unlawful detainer cases. There are a multitude of areas where attorneys need to be had, and we just don’t have access to them.”

A number of factors have contributed to the shortage—baby boomers retiring in large numbers, law schools graduating few students, and new graduates reluctant to take on lowerpaying county jobs due to soaring student loans.

Earlier proposals to have the state subsidize law school expenses in return for years of service as public defenders have not made it through the legislature.

Commissioner Dan Christopher commented on the proposal to cap the caseload. “Maybe they’re doing this to make it a financial incentive for attorneys to pick up the task,” he said, “but by doing it this way, they can pass it off as an unfunded mandate to counties, versus repaying college debt, then they would have to pay for it.”

Commissioners agreed that lowering the caps would have a serious fiscal impact, particularly for smaller counties.

Human Resources Director Robb Van Cleave’s various departments reported what he described for the most part as routine updates but did single one out.

“Mackenzie Coleman, our solid waste coordinator, pointed out that we do a lot of cleanups as more and more communities have started their own,” Van Cleave said.

“White Salmon and the Centerville School District have had longstanding cleanups, but Goldendale is in its second year, and Dallesport has expressed an interest in doing a cleanup day. I think there are seven now. It’s exciting to see the communities coming together for a good cause.”

Commissioners also approved the consent agenda, which included:

• A Statement of Work Contract between the county and software supplier Civic Plus.

• A letter of appreciation to Senator Maria Cantwell for her support in obtaining a $200 million grant toward a new Hood River/White Salmon bridge.

• Appointment of Rod Smith to the Civil Service Commission.

• A revised organization chart for the IT department.

• An agreement between Klickitat County Public Health and FastNet Billing, LLC to process electronic medical claims.

• Approval of Publication

Notice of County Force

Costs for 2023 Bickleton

Highway widen/chip seal project of $729,048.58

• Notice to vendors to bid on supplying liquid asphalt for county roads, with engineer’s estimate of $400,000-$700,000, Bid opening is set for March 19 at 1 pm.

• Agreement between SafeSpace Children’s Advocacy Center of the Gorge and Klickitat County Prosecuting Attorney on behalf of the Klickitat County Child Abuse Multi-Disciplinary Team. SafeSpace provides medical assessments and forensic interviews of alleged child abuse victims in the Columbia Gorge region.

Undocumented individuals are now a small step away from pursuing careers in nursing, dentistry, architecture, psychology, and much more under a bill now waiting for the governor’s signature. Careers like these monitored by the Department of Licensing were previously denied on the basis of citizenship status. HB1889 allows undocumented individuals to apply for these licenses using their Individual Taxpayer Identification Number, in place of a Social Security Number.

The bill was introduced by Rep. Amy Walen, D-Kirkland, who personally ran into barriers in pursuing a law license in the U.S. after living abroad as a child.

“If someone can pass rigorous standards we have in the state of Washington and show that they are competent to deliver services, why does the state need to know about their federal documentation status?” Walen asked.

READ from page A1

“I love participating in the Silverwood Reading Challenge. It’s fun to get rewarded for doing something you love. Last year my favorite ride was the Timber Terror. This year I am reading all nonfiction chapter books and learning a lot. I can’t wait to go to Silverwood again.” The Read-a-Thon is also taking place during the month of March. Students will be accepting pledges from the public to earn money for the Parent Teacher Organization (PTO), depending on how much they read for the Read-a-Thon. Students log their hours of reading time at home and submit it to their time cards to their teachers, who will keep track of what they have earned. The money earned from the Read-a-Thon goes to support the school’s PTO free/low-cost events through the school year including Mad Scientist Night, Grinchmas, Carnival Night, and the end-of-the-year Glow Dance. The money is also used for teacher/staff appreciation events. Your donations will help support teachers’ funding requests for certain needs in the classroom. The PTO is also looking for help to purchase new sound equipment for assemblies and programs. If you would like to donate to this cause and be part of the community’s future, contact the Goldendale Primary School to do so. Every cent toward helping these children get excited about their education and all that it

I may not be much to look at. But I'll shower you with LOVE.

Many young undocumented individuals currently studying at universities across the state said they spent years on a college degree, only to be informed too late they did not qualify for the job they studied to obtain.

Maria Barrios, a Yakima resident, moved from Mexico in 2008. She recalls working to support her family for most of her childhood, moving often from city to city.

Barrios graduated from Heritage University with a bachelor’s degree in biology and psychology and wishes to pursue more school for a career in dentistry, but she was told she could not.

“I am worried about not finding work because my status does not allow it,” Barrios said. “If I could access a professional license, I would be pursuing something that I am actually passionate about.”

The bill gained bipartisan support, notably from Nikki Torres, R-Pasco, a firstgeneration immigrant.

“I have many family and friends that are DACA or undocumented and they are hard-working people,” Torres said. “Some of them

entails is well worth it.

The students involved in this month’s activities are over the moon about what is to come and all March has to offer and to continue expanding their learning through reading.

Student Joselynn Williams in a 1st-grade class says, “I love to read books because they get my mind off electronics and it makes my brain really, really smart!”

“I love that reading helps my mind grow smarter,” says Leslie Bare, a kindergarten student at the Goldendale Primary School.

At the end of the day, these children are the future of the community. Reading events fuel their fi re for learning and make them eager and willing to work hard for the better of their education.

As of March 7, the school had already received $11,686 in donations. School district teachers and students expressed appreciation for the support and hope you will choose to be a part of helping a child expand their education. Contact the Primary School during business hours if you are looking to donate.

have professional licenses in their country of origin and when they come to the U.S., unfortunately aren’t able to use those professional licenses. They are taxpaying people, and they want to contribute back to our society.”

Many lawmakers referenced workforce shortages all over Washington for things like nursing, teaching and other professions.

“We are having trouble filling occupations that are crucial to Washington

consumers,” Walen said. “Every person is essential, and every person’s contribution is essential.”

Another bill, sponsored by Sen. John Lovick, D-Mill Creek, a former state trooper, allows DACA recipients to enter law enforcement and other civil service positions such as fi refi ghters or corrections officers.

Private investigators, security guards, and bail bond recovery agents are not covered under Walen’s professional license bill.

WASHINGTON HOUSE DEMOCRATS

TALKING POINTS: Prime sponsor Rep. Amy Walen, D-Kirkland, who is urging for equal work opportunities for undocumented immigrants, speaks on the House floor.

CONTRIBUTED

AVID READERS: A pair of young readers are fired up about Read Across America as they wear t-shirts with Dr. Seuss character names on them.

E xtra

Same-day report required for stolen guns

Mary Murphy

Washington state Journal

When a student at Seattle’s Ingraham High School was shot and killed two years ago, an investigation revealed the gun used in the crime was stolen.

Now, advocates from that community are speaking out and asking that more be done to curb the use of stolen firearms.

“It was not safely stored, and its theft was reported three weeks late by the owner,” said Carol Butterfield, former Parent Teacher Association President for Ingraham High School.

Butterfield said authorities discovered the gun passed between “at least four pairs of teenage hands,” before it was used at Ingraham.

Rep. Liz Berry, D-Queen Anne, introduced a bill on reporting lost or stolen firearms. Berry herself is a victim of gun violence and has had bills of similar legislation passed before.

This bill is on its way to the governor’s desk and will now mandate that gun

owners across Washington State report a stolen firearm within 24 hours, or a civil infraction can be applied. This includes a fine of up to $1,000.

The bill also stipulates law enforcement must enter reports of stolen firearms into the National Crime Information Center Database, and dealers of firearms are instructed to educate their customers on the penalties for noncompliance. Gun owners as well as gun distributors took issue with the bill for a number of reasons.

“This bill misplaces the liability for criminal actions on victims of crime, not the criminal,” Aoibheann Cline, State Director for the National Rifle Association, said. “Imagine getting robbed and then slapped with the bewildering $1,000 fine.”

Cline argued state law already requires owners to report within five days and the change to 24 hours is “not fair,” unrealistic, and unnecessary. Cline cited a Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco,

and Firearms (ATF) study which found in Washington State the average time between the time a gun is stolen and when it is used in a crime is 8.34 years. Nationally this figure is 6.3.

Cline also argued that owners may not even know a gun is stolen within 24 hours and that with theft, “accounting for other goods, trauma, assessing damages, or not knowing where to report,” must be considered.

Liz Hjelmseth, a victim of gun violence and a current gun owner, said knowing how guns are stored and whether they are missing is the first responsibility of a gun owner.

“But I know that if someone has enough will, they could steal my gun,” Hjelmseth said. “My reaction to that would be to immediately call the police because I would never want my weapon to be in the hands of a criminal.”

Hjelmseth and other advocates explained they would rather work with police to track down the gun early than work with police after it has been used for a crime.

Initiative approved preventing a state income tax

aspen anderson Washington state Journal

An initiative prohibiting imposition of a state income tax was approved March 5 by the state Legislature.

“This is a great day for everyone in Washington,” said Rep. Jim Walsh, R-Aberdeen, Walsh.

“Codifying Washington’s long-standing tradition of opposing any state tax on personal income will help working families and local economies…When commonsense conservative policies lead the way, things get better for everyone.”

At the hearing on the initiative, every chair in the joint Senate and House hearing was full and citizens lined up outside the door as citizen-led initiative 2111 was heard.

Overwhelmingly, people signed in to testify in favor of adopting this initiative.

“Taxpayers are waking up to the fact that the problem is not more money for government. It’s a need for better policy,” said Steve Cordon from Concerned Taxpayers of Washington State said. “This lack of trust is really the reason that this initiative is necessary.”

Not all spoke in favor,

pointing out that Washington’s tax system is regressive. People with lower incomes pay a higher percentage of their incomes than people at the top of the income scale. Microsoft manager Sharon Chen said she is one of the 0.2% of Washingtonians who pay the capital gains excise tax. She spoke out about supporting a more equitable tax code in Washington State.   “Shouldn’t the wealthiest pay our share?” Chen asked.

“Washington has one of the most upside-down tax codes in the country and wealthy people like me pay a lower effective tax rate here than in almost any state in the country, and low-income Washingtonians pay a tax rate of 3 times higher than the wealthiest Washingtonians.”

According to the Washington Department of Revenue, low-income households pay 15.7 percent of their income for all excise and property taxes, while the wealthiest households pay only 4.4 percent.

A city council member in Port Angeles, Lindsey Schromen-Wawrin, said Port Angeles struggles yearly to maintain roads and parks, pay wages to sustain staff, and improve resident safety

and welfare. The city has made the state tax structure a major legislative priority.

“For poor communities like ours, decades of disinvestment have left us unable to afford to address our communities’ needs,” Schromen-Wawrin said. “We need the state to step up and raise revenue from the ultrawealthy and individuals and corporations throughout Washington state that are able to pay what they owe.”

The initiative passed out of the Senate and House and will be delivered to the office or the Secretary of State. It takes effect 90 days after the end of the session.

Sen. Lyna Wilson (R-Vancouver) the Operating Budget leader thinks this is a great action for the state.

“It assures us at least through this year that an income tax cannot be created,” Wilson said. “Not having an income tax is a benefit for us. People move in because there is no income tax.”

The Washington State Journal is a nonprofit news website funded by the Washington Newspaper Publishers Association Foundation. Learn more at wastatejournal.org.

Karyn Brownson, of King County Public Health said a 2023 ATF study found more than half of traced crime guns in Washington were linked to known purchasers but used in a crime by someone else. The ATF also found the average time from when a firearm is reported missing to when it is returned to the owner is over four years.

“There are many, many opportunities for a stolen firearm to be misused over this period of time,” Brownson said.

A recent KOUW report showed that of the 54 open King County cases involving kids having guns, 20 of them were stolen.

Jordan Ferguson, retired sergeant from Spokane police department, expressed how this legislation positively affects law enforcement’s job.

“When law enforcement encounters a person with a stolen gun, the only person who knows the gun is stolen is the bad guy putting law enforcement at a greater risk,” Ferguson said. “Law enforcement needs this

information. Currently, if a person is caught stealing a firearm, it may take weeks to identify it as stolen.”

Some opposed to the bill also suggested longer sentences for people who steal firearms to prevent the crime in the first place, arguing the onus should be on the criminal, not the owner.

Two other bills winning approval in this year’s Legislature regulate the disposal of forfeited and

Corry on facts and

antique firearms and firearm buy-back programs.

The buyback bill focuses on background checks for dealer employees, security measures for firearm dealers, prompt responses to trace requests and maintaining sales records.

The Washington State Journal is a nonprofit news website funded by the Washington Newspaper Publishers Association Foundation. Learn more at wastatejournal.org.

of capital gains tax repeal

Rep. Chris Corry is setting the record straight about what a repeal of Washington’s capital gains tax will and will not do to the state budget.

“This tax is less than two years old, and it has already led companies and individuals to leave Washington,” said Corry, R-Yakima. “Jeff Bezos, our state’s chief economic contributor, has already announced he is moving to Florida taking millions in tax revenue out of the state. “

And while capital gains backers claimed it would only impact the wealthy, Corry says that won’t last.

“Democratic lawmakers in Olympia have already proposed lowering the threshold that triggers the tax to $15,000, which would impact thousands of working, middle-class families,” said Corry.

But Corry says there is hope due to the hundreds of thousands of people across our state who have joined together to roll back the extreme taxation coming from Olympia through their initiative power.  “Unfortunately, initiative opponents are resorting to scare tactics, claiming that a vote to repeal the capital

gains tax is a vote to roll back critical investments in our schools,” Corry explained. “But that is simply not true.” House Republicans have a budget plan that would repeal the capital gains tax while continuing to fully fund every single program funded by the tax. Our budget plan would: Continue to fund all current programs and services, including updating for increased caseloads and inflation; Fully fund every K-12 program currently funded by the capital gains tax; and Would still leave $3.6 billion for new programs in 2023-25.

Corry says it comes down to priorities.

“The fact is, Olympia politicians have a spending problem, not a revenue one,” said Corry. “State spending has doubled in the past decade.  And every year, budget writers start with billions in surplus revenue that they squander on special interests and government bureaucracy. You don’t have to choose between job creation and funding our public schools. The taxes you pay to the state are already more than enough to do both. It’s time to repeal job killing taxes. It’s time to Fix Washington.”

Police given more leeway to pursue suspects

Mary Murphy Washington state Journal

New rules that give police more leeway to engage in high-speed pursuits were approved by the Legislature and will become law June 5, 2024.

“As you know, the people of the state are suffering, increasing rates of crime, property, crime, violent crime,” said Rep. Jim Walsh, R-Aberdeen. “When I talked to cops and sheriff’s deputies, they told me the one thing more than anything else that we need is the ability to chase bad people.”

In 2021, the Legislature approved a measure that restricted police. Under that standard, vehicular pursuits were limited to when officers had “probable cause” that a person in a vehicle committed a violent offense, a sex offense, domestic violence-related offenses, driving under the influence of alcohol or trying to escape arrest. The standard was changed back to “reasonable suspicion” in 2022.

This year, in an effort to relax these standards even more, less violent crimes such as theft were added to the list of crimes that can result in a chase.

“We have become the nation’s leader in car theft,” said Brian Heywood,

prime funder of Let’s Go Washington, which promoted the initiatives. “We’ve had skyrocketing increases in our car insurance rates. This is a direct result of an increased car theft caused by the inability of the police to pursue.” Some opposed the change because they believe vehicular pursuits can actually put more people in danger. James McMahan of Washington Association of Sheriffs and Police Chiefs explained that the law does not change the fact that officers must engage in “the balancing test.”

For example, if an officer saw someone in a school zone with expired tabs, they likely would not begin a chase because it poses more harm to chase than it does to not.

Still, experts on the issue argued that vehicular pursuits are not effective and are too harmful.

Dr. Jeffrey Albert, who has been studying police pursuit nationally for 30 years, cited a case from 2018 when Milwaukee, Wisconsin took away restrictions on police pursuit.

“Our data showed that pursuits increased 100%, 98%, something like that, and it was basically signing a death sentence to people on the road, because the police started chasing everything,” Albert said. “The deaths,

the crashes, the destruction, was horrible, and that’s been seen in other cities around the country.”

Josh Parker, Senior Counsel at the policing project at NYU School of Law, cited similar studies arguing against the bill, but also drew attention to how it can put officers at risk.

“Not surprisingly, these pursuits result in officer injuries and deaths at alarming rates,” Parker said. “A recent study found that pursuits account for more than 5% of all line of duty officer deaths.”

Ryan Spurling, Mason County Sheriff, explained how officers see pursuits.

“I don’t think any of us like pursuits,” Spurling said. “I’ve been doing this 36 years and pursuits are dangerous. We need to find other alternatives. We don’t choose to pursue; the person chooses to flee.”

Spurling went on to explain that oftentimes when people choose to flee, they have committed multiple crimes, and this is where “the balancing test,” comes in.

“My family drives in the community,” Spurling said. “I don’t want officers pursuing somebody for a taillight out and hitting my family head on and killing them, but that’s the balancing test. There’s no

question we have to balance that out every day.”

While the initiative passed with bipartisan support, some lawmakers still voted no.

Rep. Debra Entenman, D-Kent, said she worked very hard with community stakeholders in changing the law in 2021, as well as the Coalition for Police Accountability. As a Black woman, Entenman emphasized that she feels this initiative is silencing voices and urged a no.

“We were trying to ensure that there was less contact in communities of color with police,” Entenman said. “Because statistics have proven that when there is that contact, Black and brown young men especially do not get to go home to their families.”

Sen. Manka Dhingra, D-Redmond, also cited that her own district’s standards do not align with this standard of pursuit, as they are more restrictive. Other lawmakers echoed this explaining they believe this discretion should be left to individual jurisdictions.  Walsh and others who have closely worked on the initiatives explained individual jurisdictions still have the power to impose more restrictions if they want to, but that this sets the standard.

“An agency can always be more restrictive. The problem is the baseline in state law is already

too restrictive,” Walsh explained. “2113 restores it to a rational standard by which the law can be enforced.”

Check It Out

JanJohnston,Collection Manager FortVancouverRegional LibraryDistrict You can emailJan atreadingforfun@fvrl org WhenIsearchthelibraryscatalogfor CheckItOut titles,I alwaysfindsomethingthatsurprises(anddelights) me Ifthe “something”doesn’trelatetothethemeI’ve pickedforthe column,Iadditto my topicsforconsideration file However, sometitlesareso uniquethatfindingmorebooksonthose topicsischallenging Asthislistofspecialtitlesgrows from timetotimeIliketooffera bibliographic version ofa happy snappyscrappydinner Mymomusedthisphraseanytime shegatheredupleftoversfortheeveningmeal A biteofthis

New at theLibrary

FICTION

TheLostVanGogh byJonathanSantlofer OneWrongWord”byHankPhillippiRyan “SunSeekers”byRachelMcRady

NONFICTION

BigMeg:TheStory oftheLargestandMostMysterious PredatorthatEverLived”byTim FFlannery

Solve dinnertime dilemmas with speedy,nutritious whole grains

(Family

Prep time:2minutes Cook time:2minutes

-Carrie Classon '

Rod Stewart Hair

Servings:3-4

• 1 bag Minute Instant Rice & Quinoa

• 1cup vegetablebroth

• 1 tablespoon sesame oil, divided him

• 2eggs, lightly beaten

• 1/2cupthinly sliced redonion

• 2garlic cloves,minced

• 2 cups rotisserie-cooked chicken, shredded

mixed vegetables,thawed

Prepare rice and quinoa

or taste cooks in just 10 minutes for light, To enjoy better-for-you meals fluffy and delicious nutty flavor for in the blink of an eye lean into recipe versatility from breakfast versatile ingredients prepared to dessert so you can rely on it without the hassle like Minute as a family favorite for less time BrownRice&QuinoaCups Injust cooking and more time enjoying 1 minute you can savor a blend meals andmoments together of two 100% whole grains with To find more quick nutritious thecrunchiness of redquinoaand dinner solutions, visit MinuteRice chewy texture of brown rice that com total55gramsof wholegrainsand Sweet Chili Shrimp with provide a good source of fiber in Quinoa each serving Packedinsingle-serveportions you can eat right out of the BPA- Servings:1 freecupor servethe wholegrains • 1 Minute Brown Rice & Quinoa as the base of this speedy Sweet Cup Chili Shrimp with Quinoa mixed • 4 ounces (1/2 cup) cooked • 2 cups frozen, Asian-style with succulent shrimp, umami-like shrimp,peeledanddeveined flavors from sweet chili sauce and 1/2 cup frozen Asian-style • 2tablespoonssoy sauce the satisfying flavor and crunch mixedvegetables,thawed of green onions and chopped 2tablespoonssweetchilisauce according to package directions peanuts A delicious dish that’s • 2 tablespoons thinly sliced substituting broth for water filling without the fuss, this recipe greenonions is ready in less than 5 minutes 1 tablespoonchoppedpeanuts to save time without relying on takeout

In medium wok or skillet over medium-high heat heat 1/2 tablespoon sesame oil Add eggs and using spatula quickly soft scramble Continue stirring eggs until light and fluffy Remove from panand reserve

Add remaining sesame oil to wok or skillet over medium-high heat Add onion and garlic;stir-fry 2minutes

Add chicken and vegetables;

said This is always nice to hear My hair is my least endearing feature primarily because thereisnotmuchofit Butsincemyhusband, Peter,started cutting it,I worry alot less How does my hair look? I ask as I head out the door Peter always pretends to take this question very seriously (He should as myhairdresser) Hescrutinizesthetopof my headfor a long moment He asks meto turn all the way around Then he reaches over andtousles something onthetop Perfect! he says And I choosetobelieve

“My husband cuts it I told the woman at the party “He cuts his ownhair too!”

“Ooh! Isn’t that hard?”

“He’s been doing it since he was17 when thelocalbarber wouldntgivehimthehaircut he wanted

This is true Peter started cutting his hair when the barber was threatening to give him a buzz cut because that was the only kindofhaircuthegave Peter gotupfromthe barber chair walked out and cut it himself I like that story Peter has always known what he wanted and has always figured he could learn new things Dont tell people I cut my ownhair! Peter toldme onthe walk home

“Why not?”

“They’llthink I’m strange”

Youre married to me! I think they may have already formed an opinion Petergrantedthiswastrue Asithappens, I was feeling particularly pleased with my hair that evening because Peter had given me a haircut just that morning Usually the haircuts were his idea “Your hair could use a trim” he will

“I like your hair!” a woman at the party announce in a way that makes it clear I am looking pretty scruffy So I put on a raincoat andraisemyofficechairashighasit willgo andhegetsouthissharpscissorsthatmake asatisfying Snick! Snick! Snick! noise and, in lessthan five minutes, he has cut my hair He doesnt have muchto work with after all But this time getting a haircut was my idea I’d just watched an interview with Rod Stewart the iconic rock star He is 79 years old and he has just released a jazz album He is also a keen builder of model trains But I was more interested in his hair than either his jazz or his trains His hair looked great I wondered how a man approaching 80 managed to have such ineffable style and I decided it was in large part because he wasn’t too worried about being tidy Rod Stewart has the untidiest hair you’re likely to findonanoctogenarian(outside along-term seniorcarefacility),andIdecidedhewasmy new role model His music is good But his hair isterrific “IwanthairlikeRodStewart!”Iannounced after watching the interview and Peter got outhis noisy little scissors and set to work Im not saying I look like Rod Stewart I dont He has a lot more hair and a lot more experience looking unkempt But I woke up this morning and looked at myself in the mirror I left the comb on the shelf I ran my fingers through my hair and made it stand a little more on endthan usual How do you like your haircut? my hairstylist asked I love it, I told him I look just like Rod Stewart!

You do,”hesaid

And Ichooseto believe him

To see photos check out CarrieClassonAuthor on Facebook or visit CarrieClasson com

Ireland

The Emerald Isle. One island, two countries. It is in the Atlantic Ocean and is the 20th largest island in the world. It is considered part of Europe and is full of history. The countryside is home to famous castles and most of them come with stories of ghosts and hauntings. This island is the original home to fairies, leprechauns and the headless horseman. It is also said that it is the home of some of the friendliest people on Earth. Welcome to Ireland!

The Republic of Ireland lies to the south and is an independent country under its own rule. Northern Ireland is a part of The United Kingdom. It is a tiny country compared to the United States. As a matter of fact, the whole island would fit inside the U.S. state of Indiana, and Indiana has more people living there. All together the population of Ireland is just over 5 million people. The capital of The Republic of Ireland is Dublin and the capital of Northern Ireland is Belfast. With the island home to two different ruling governments, there are also two flags. The easily recognizable British flag known as the Union Jack, and the green, white and orange ‘Bratach na hÉireann’of The Republic of Ireland.

Ireland is home to many famous musicians, artists, actors and politicians, but the most famous person to come out of Ireland is probably Saint Patrick. As a teenager, Saint Patrick was kidnapped by Irish raiders and turned into a slave. He was able to escape slavery and become a Catholic priest. He returned to Ireland to teach people about Christianity. St. Patrick’s day is celebrated on the 17th of March every year. People around the world recognise Irish symbols like shamrocks and leprechauns. Although this was originally a religious holiday in Ireland, the first St. Patrick’s Day parade was held in the United States by Irish immigrants.

What kind of spells do leprechauns use? Lucky Charms!

The countryside of Ireland offers great views, natural wonders like the Giant’s Causeway and some of the highest cliffs overlooking the

ACROSS

2. A person who is believed to be especially close to God

3. A grand house for a king or noble

5. A mythical being of Irish folklore

8. A government where people elect, or choose, their leaders

13. An elf in Irish folklore who knows about secret treasure

15. To admit, under stand, or accept as true

16. A city where a region’s government is located

17. An island nation on the westernmost edge of Europe

18. Visitation or inhabitation by a ghost

20. The second largest ocean on Earth

21. A person who creates art

St. Patrick

LAUREN SCHUSTER FOR THE SENTINEL

As the fall sports rolled to a close, winter sports around the area began. The success and excitement teams experienced in the fall bled into the winter sports. The anticipation the younger generation has from watching the high school students’ achievements is showing in the youth programs.

Both school and club activities from around the area continue to grow as the younger generation anticipates their own opportunity to play.

In November, the Volleyball Goldendale Club welcomed 60 girls from second grade to 16 years old on practice and competition teams. The older teams traveled farther and practiced later due to the competition for gym time. Some of the teams

S PORTS

have wrapped up their season and others are still competing. Girls are participating from Bickleton, Goldendale, Centerville, and Glenwood.

The Gorge Hoops League that started in November and December hosted seven area boys and girls teams grades kindergarten through sixth. Wishram teams also participated, and some middle school-aged teams played White Salmon. After the holidays, a few teams continued to play in the Yakima Valley AAU League.

Goldendale Middle School Wrestling Team hosted ten teams on Saturday, February 24, at the high school for their ribbon meet. This was a good opportunity for our community to host so many area schools on a weekend. The meet started at 10 a.m. and ended around

3 p.m. Several high school wrestlers attended the event to volunteer their time and support to the younger wrestlers.

thank a coach, volunteer, start a team, a 4-H club, and shop local.

CONTRIBUTED

YOUNGER BASKETBALL: Allison Fahlenkamp’s 5/6th grade boys basketball team wait for their turn to be introduced during halftime at the Goldendale Girl’s High School Basketball Game

$EARN EXTRA INCOME$ BY ALLOWING

LIMITED ACCESS HUNTING ON YOUR LAND

WDFW is currently seeking landowners for enrollment in the Department’s Private Lands Access Program.

You could earn $3 per acre or a minimum of $500 if you allow turkey hunting on your property during the spring turkey season (April 1 –May 31). To be eligible, your land must be located in western or northcentral Klickitat County and have a minimum of 80 connected acres with habitat such as tree and shrub cover. You will be paid for your participation in the program this June after the spring turkey hunting season has ended.

WDFW’s Private Lands Access Program manages hunting access on over a million acres of privately-owned lands in Washington. “This opportunity is a great way to try out the program during the short turkey hunting season,” states Monique Gray, WDFW Private Lands Biologist for southwest Washington. The Private Lands Access Program also offers liability protection for participating landowners and manages an online reservation program for landowners who prefer to limit the amount of access to their land.

2024 spring turkey season enrollment deadline March 15

Help Micah Anderson on his cancer journey Send monetary donations or gifts to: Micah Anderson Family c/o Trout Lake Grocery P O Box 132 Trout Lake, WA 98650 These contributions will go directly to the family Or you can donate thru GoFundMe, which will charge an additional 17% fee Read Micah s Feb 14th story at TheGoldendaleSentinel com Help Micah on his cancer journey This is Your (right) Brain on Art Art Helps Improve Brain Function No need for opiates—hold me instead. Cats’ purrs have been proven to trigger the release of the healing “love hormone,” oxytocin, in humans.

COURTESY JOHN LONGFELLOW

HIghland’s

Gorge Hoops League.

Klickitat County Landowners!