Goldendale Sentinel March 8, 2023

BACK TO DAYLIGHT SAVING TIME SUNDAY

Goldendale, Washington

KVH to hold new bond vote

Klickitat Valley Health (KVH) began planning for an expansion project in 2015 that will now come before voters in a special election on April 25.

On February 22, the KVH Board of Commissioners unanimously approved a resolution to add 15 long-term care beds, build 10 short-stay hospital beds, and expand surgical services through a $19.3 million-dollar general obligation bond.

“We have demonstrated, I believe, tremendous accountability in how we have taken care of our facility that is now 74 years old,” said Leslie Hiebert, CEO of Klickitat Valley Health. “This new expansion will accommodate the needs of our community now and in the future and allow KVH to provide essential

community healthcare as the sole medical facility in eastern Klickitat County.”

The original hospital shortterm stay (hospital inpatient) wing, constructed in 1949, will be repurposed to create 15 longterm care beds if the bond is approved. Construction of 10 new short-term hospital beds offering up-to-date rooms for patients with space for families to be with their loved ones and expanded surgery that will provide more local services and updated facilities that facilitate quality, modern standards of care will be funded through this community investment.

“We are proudly a public hospital. KVH has deliberately chosen to provide care and services that are tailored to meet the unique

LOU MARZELES

NEW RESOURCE: Lacey Villamar’s new office on Main Street in Goldendale opened February 1.

Helping build sound mental health

Healthy habits are good for you. And Lacey Villamar is here to help people acquire them, which is why her new Goldendale business is called Healthy Habits Counseling and Mental Health Services. Her office, just opened on February 1, is at 122 W. Main Street. She does individual counseling by appointment, and she’s also a vital mental health resource for Klickitat County.

Lacey is a Licensed Independent Clinical Social Worker and mental health therapist, having earned her undergraduate degree in Family Studies and Human Services at Kansas State University and her master’s degree in Social Work in the Advanced Standing Program at the University of Kansas. For about a decade thereafter, she worked mostly in foster care in her native Kansas. Then she and her husband, Michael Villamar Bader—from Goldendale— moved here in 2017. She took a little time off, then started working for Comprehensive Mental Health here, where she remained until June of last year.

“I just felt there was a huge need for mental health services in the county but in Goldendale specifically because we’re more separated. Yakima is kind of far, or you’ve got to go to The Dalles. If

you’re in White Salmon, you can go across the river. I really wanted to focus on serving more of the private insurance people because there’s really nowhere to go for people with private insurance.”

Comprehensive and Klickitat Valley Health have mental health services that accept Medicaid, but the private market is largely underserved.

Before she left Comprehensive, Lacey helped develop a key program for the agency. “I built up the mobile crisis program through Comprehensive,” she says. “I built up the non-responder program in White Salmon. That ran for about six months before I left.” She also helped build Klickitat County’s Designated Crisis Responder (DCR) program. “I’ve been doing the DCR work in the county for going on five years,” she says.

“I’m working on training up staff right now and building up the program because we’re starting from the bottom.”

Lacey serves as a kind of point person for the county program.

“Erin Quinn, the director for county public health, is director over it because it falls under public health,” Lacey explains. “I am the interim manager, just helping and supporting staff.”

She keeps very busy. “I’m splitting my time,” she says. “Right now with my private practice, I

U.S. DEPARTMENT OF DEFENSE

BACK IN THE DAY: Post cards in the 1950s were used to urge Congress to pass a law to make Daylight Saving Time permanent. Washington changes to Daylight Saving Time again this Sunday.

Daylight ‘War’ Time started the whole mess

In America, daylight saving time first became official on March 19, 1918, when the Standard Time Act was signed into law. It allowed for additional daylight hours to be added into the day to help save energy costs during World War I. The law also established the five time zones that we now know.

The part of that law pertaining to daylight saving time was only in effect for about a year and a half, though, before it was repealed due to the war’s end, despite President Woodrow Wilson

vetoing the repeal. It wasn’t until World War II began that the issue came up again. In February 1942, Congress implemented a law instating a national daylight saving time to help conserve fuel and “promote national security and defense,” which is why it was nicknamed “war time.” The time zones were even known as that: Eastern War Time, Pacific War Time, etc.

But when the war ended in 1945, the law was once again repealed so individual states could estab-

needs of our community,” added Hiebert.

“In today’s world of healthcare, you just can’t stay the way you are. We know we need to move forward to provide facilities that support the current needs of our community and allow us to expand healthcare services so they are available locally,” said Crystal Scott, board president.

The community investment in expanded facilities and services will be repaid through annual property taxes at an estimated rate of 79 cents per $1,000 of assessed property value.

“In December of last year we had a record 589 visits to our Emergency Services department. In 2022, our clinics had 35,149

See KVH page A8

See Lacey page A8

SHERMAN COUNTY SHERIFF’S OFFICE

GONE IN HOURS: The TA truck stop in Biggs burned to the ground early yesterday morning. The Sherman County Sheriff’s Office said a cause of the fire has not been determined but notes speculation it could have started in a dryer in the facility. The truck stop opened only two years ago.

LOU MARZELES

RALLY FOR RIGHTS: The Centerville Grange hall was packed Saturday to hear speakers press for Second Amendment rights. Speakers included Luke Throop, William Morris, attorney William Kirk of Washington Gun Law, Hannah Joy, retired Marine Gunnery Sergeant Eric Young, Klickitat County Sheriff Bob Songer (shown here speaking), and Klickitat County Republican Party Chair Lisa Evans.

LOU MARZELES

MARKING A YEAR: The team at Cafe Genevieve was honored by the Goldendale Chamber of Commerce last week with a ribbon cutting celebrating the shop’s first-year anniversary in business. Owner Kristeen McGreal holds the scissors.

LOU MARZELES EDITOR

House approves Mosbrucker bill on missing

The state House of Representatives gave unanimous approval last Wednesday to a bill authored by Rep. Gina Mosbrucker, R-Goldendale, that would provide additional tools and resources to help locate and recover all missing persons in Washington state.

House Bill 1512 is also known as the “Missing and Murdered Indigenous Women and Persons and Lucian Act.” The bill is a recommendation from the Missing and Murdered Indigenous Women and People (MMIWP) Task Force and the Office of the Attorney General. It is also named after Lucian Munguia, a four-year-old Yakima boy with autism who was reported missing from a local park on September 10, and, sadly, whose body was discovered nearly three months later in the Yakima River.

“Resources from all over the area and even out of state came to the park and searched for Lucian. There were dog teams and law enforcement who did

an incredible job trying to fi nd this little boy and help the family. Children with autism are often attracted to water. The search included a nearby lake, the river and everywhere we could look,” said Mosbrucker.

“But as I watched this process, I was devastated because I saw the family alone in a field in a grass park. They didn’t have tools that could help them. I felt like they didn’t know what to do next. And I didn’t know what to say or how to help. It was such a horrible moment on the worst day of that family’s life. And my thoughts and prayers continue to be with Lucian’s family and friends,” said Mosbrucker. “This bill seeks to provide a toolkit with the resources that could help other families in the future.”

Mosbrucker also noted tribes have no uniform toolkit when searching for a missing tribal member.

“Over 20 different tribes may handle this crisis differ-

ently. Some may use tribal police. Some may turn to the county sheriff, or both. But in many cases, tribes do not have enough resources to fi nd their loved ones,” noted Mosbrucker. “This legislation may help with the MMIWP cases.”

The bill would require the Office of the Attorney General to publish and maintain on its website a “Missing Persons Toolkit” that contains regularly updated information related to locating and recovering missing persons.

“We want to have a resource available to the public about immediate actions that should take place when someone vanishes, like writing down every detail you remember, and uploading photos of the missing person to 911 databases, such as the Travis Alert System, and accessing the NamUs National Missing and Unidentified Persons System,” said Mosbrucker. “This would be a statewide toolkit that could help to save lives, bring

loved ones home, and be available to all families.”

Among some of the information included, the toolkit would provide:

• an explanation of how to report a missing person to an applicable law enforcement agency;

• an overview of the kinds of information that may be helpful to provide when reporting a missing person;

• additional steps that may be taken to assist with recovering a missing person once a report has been made;

• suggestions and resources for navigating difficulties that are commonly encountered during the process of reporting and recovering a missing person;

• a list of counseling resources and assistance to family members, friends and community members of missing persons;

• information developed in consultation with the Washington State Missing

School District boundaries readjusted

appointing a director from Director Area No. 1. The board is accepting applications from now through March 17 with the intent of appointing a new board member on March 27.

Applications for Director Area No. 1 can be found on the Goldendale School

Klickitat County Headlines & History since 1879

107 W Main St, Goldendale 509 773 3777 • GoldendaleSentinel com

District website or can be picked up at 604 E. Brooks Street. The board plans to interview candidates on March 23. The appointed replacement will serve until the next regularly scheduled school board election that will be in November of 2023.

and Murdered Indigenous Women and People Task Force for reporting and recovering missing indigenous people; and

• information specifically tailored to reporting and recovering missing persons who are vulnerable due to age, health, or a mental or physical disability.

The bill directs the Attorney General’s office to publish the toolkit in the top 10 languages spoken in Washington state. The toolkit would be made available digitally on the Attorney General’s website, and a hard-copy version would be made available to law enforcement agencies and other relevant agencies that could be distributed to the public.

“The fi rst 24 hours of when a person goes missing is very critical. This bill would create a much needed resource that could be accessed instantly so that we can help those families who may be missing a loved

for further

G OLDENDALE ’ S A TTIC

Answer to last week´s Mystery Picture

We colorized this picture from last week. We knew this picture was a long shot in trying to identify it, since it’s much older than most of the pictures we run in the Mystery Photo contest. But it was just such an interesting picture. No one had any real idea who any of the

Points to ponder:

This week’s Goldendale’s Attic Mystery Picture

If only we could make out the names on the name tags in this picture! Of course, if we could, it wouldn’t be a Mystery Photo. There are seven young people in this shot, and all but two are look-

ing at something off to their right. Maybe this was their first experience with having a picture taken. This had to be a fairly recent picture to be in color—this is how it came to The Sen-

OOKING BACK

February 28, 1892 – 131 Years Ago

A disastrous fi re occurred in our little city last Sunday morning in which the livery barn belonging to John Tilden was burned to the ground.  Fortunately, it was a rainy morning, with no wind blowing, or several other buildings would doubtless have been consumed.  Mr. Tilden had gone to the mow to throw down some hay and set the lantern down on a shelf as he had been accustomed to do.  But in throwing down the hay he frightened a large cat which leaped against the lantern upsetting it and spilling the oil on the hay which was quickly ignited and in less than a minute the whole barn was in flames.

March 7, 1903 – 120 Years Ago

Lawyer, W.D. Presby has purchased lots on the Young property, opposite Dr. Alan Bonebrake and is having it cleared to at once begin the construction of a big beautiful mansion, the equal of any in Goldendale, with elegant and commodious grounds surrounding the same.  Mr. Presby has chosen a very desirable part of the city for a home, being near the main business part and yet in a quiet section.

March 1, 1913 – 110 Years Ago

A new idea for Centerville is to be introduced at the inaugural ball to be given there March 4th.  Everyone dancing will be given a souvenir program which will enable them to keep track of dances.  This dance will be given to wind up the dancing school run during the last month by the Jussila Brothers, who furnished a fi ne time to all who attended.

March 7, 1945 – 78 Years Ago

Two service sons of Mr. and Mrs. M. R. Enyeart, of Goldendale, have received their discharges and arrived home.  They are PFC Luke Enyeart and Sgt. Fred S. Enyeart.  They completed their service at Fort Lewis, where they received their discharges.  Luke plans to make his home in Goldendale while Fred will take employment at Longview.

March 7, 1963 – 60 Years Ago

There are approximately 700 holes dug and about that many poles set on the Blockhouse Truck telephone line and adjoining feeder lines.  About 4,500-man hours were spent on the job, by a total of 45 men since January 1.   The phone company furnishes material; the men do the work of installing all the new two wire systems where grounded circuits were before.

March 1, 1973 – 50 Years Ago

Two long time Goldendale school administrators –Glenda O’Neal, Primary School principal, and Harold Oxwang, High School principal – will retire at the end of this school year.  In letters of resignation accepted by the Goldendale school Board both Mrs. O’Neal and Oxwang indicated a desire to let younger, more active persons assume the positions., which they held respectfully for 27 and 22 years.

March 8, 1973 – 50 Years Ago

Marv Jewell, district manager for United Telephone Company of the Northwest, has announced that construction for upgrading telephone service (reducing a 10-family party line to four family-party lines) in Centerville has resumed.  Aside from the upgrade, the 21.8mile cable now being buried will provide facilities for 15 residences that do not presently have service.

—Richard Lefever Klickitat County Historical Society

tinel . Beyond that, all we know about this picture is that it ran in The Sentinel sometime, lost in the annals of yesteryear. If you know anything about it, please drop us an email (info@golden-

dalesentinel.com), or give us a call (509-773-3777), or drop in at the office—and remember, you’re welcome to come in and take a look at the original photograph.

people in the picture were; there were guesses about certain people, but the ages didn’t match. No one knew where the picture was taken, though some guessed maybe it was at Maryhill Museum. Bottom line: this one remains a complete mystery.

To neigh or not to neigh. That is equestrian.

“Knock knock.”

“Who’s there?”

“Control freak. Now you say, ‘Control freak who?’”

Punctuation is powerful. Observe the differences in these sentences: “A woman, without her man, is nothing.” “A woman: without her, man is nothing.”

“Doctor, I snore so loudly, I wake myself up.”

“Try sleeping in another room.”

Bringing Klickitat County back to its roots

This week’s story was first published July 16,1959, titled: Society meets at White Salmon: 45 New Names Added to Historical Group Charter. The remainder of the story is a presentation titled “THE BEAUTIFUL LAND OF BETWIXT AND BETWEEN” – Early day transportation in Bingen, White Salmon and Mt. Adams Country by Dr. H. L. Moon. It has been edited for brevity, and for reading convenience we have not put it in quotes.

Ira and J. W. Taylor bought and ran the ferry between White Salon and Hood River. Said ferry consisting of a 30x10 ft. scow towed by a rowboat. That was a job. They bought the ferry in 1901. No phone, so ran on fl ag call. Fare 35c. They later sold out to O. C. Dean who later sold out to the bridge company.

Time is short. The bridge built a new highway that entered White Salmon and leads us to wonder just why and when other roads lead into and out of town. To do that is to fi nd out who delivered the mail in the early days. That was easy, for the same man has the same star route today that he started in 1894.

This man was born April 15, 1876 in Holland. Family migrated first to Kansas. The boy, Teunis Wyers, was 13 years old when he arrived in White Salmon. Arriving here in 1889 he says he went to work. At 1959, a small matter of 70 years, finds

him still at his desk six days a week.

Started on Horseback

Starting his star route in 1894, he started the mail route first on horseback, then added horses and wagons (sleds in the winter) until he was using probably 65 horses in harness daily on his mail, stage, and freight line.

Along with above, he became, I believe, an early Standard Oil man, hauling kerosene, axle grease and harness oil by wagon.

In the early 1920’s he retired teams, but increased horse power by gas trucks. Now all equipment runs on gas, rubber and good roads.

In the early days it was sort of a pony express, deep mud, switch teams, wear out animals and buy new ones.

Teunis tells about his wild horse buying trip from Yakima to Burns. He bought to replace for his own use; also picked and broke matched pairs for the Portland carriage trade.

Mail came to Hood River by O.R.&N.R.R. and navigation company. From there on ferry to White Salmon dock or landing. From White Salmon to the back districts by three mail routes.

Teunis carried the route nearest the White Salmon river, north to Gilmer Flats, then to Fulda, Laurel and Glenwood; Troutlake and Husum were added later.

Trails Become Roads

Gilmer was a stage stop and a horse change station. Roads often started as game

and Indian trails, widened to handle wagons and logs, minus some curves are now our secondary highways.

Teunis early accumulated much of the good earth on his equipment. This accumulation calls for conservation by a thrifty man. Low and behold the miracle of mud turns into Camas Prairie on one end of his star mail route and the extra left over became Burdoin Mountain on this end of his route.

Camas Prairie raised grass and hay. Burdoin Mountain has browse, early grass and trees.

What to do? Raise cattle of course. That accounts for a cattle drive each spring through White Salmon.

Now trees ain’t hay, but make nice long green, as

lumber. Cattle are not timber, but at 30c a pound on the hoof can compete with it.

A man who worked for Standard Oil usually has a stock interest in the company. Teunis, then primarily is a STOCKMAN – stock in a stage company; in animals; land and logs; also in the bank; and with a touch from lady luck and a head that used the brain, he has and knows more about diversified stocks than many of our modern so-called stockbrokers.

To make a short story longer take this thought home with you.

Our orchards are fruitful, Our Forests are green, Our living delightful In Betwixt and Between.

Learning for 2040: the path for education

This year’s Kindergarten class will graduate from high school in 2036 and enter the workforce between then and 2040. The workplace today looks vastly different from the workplaces of the 1980s, 2000s, and even different from how they looked just four years ago. Predicting what changes will take place between now and 2040 is a challenge.

One of the tasks of school boards is to set direction for the district that will support growth in the system and ensure that all students gain the competencies and knowledge for success. One of the four goals set by the Goldendale School District is that all children will achieve. The board has grappled with what that means today and what it will mean as we move forward. The answer is not simple, yet one that needs our thoughts and attention.

Ellen Perconti

What we believe is that, in order to be successful, our students will need what one teacher recently called “good human skills.” These include critical thinking, understanding our purpose, setting and achieving goals, adaptability, creativity, innovative thinking, and connecting and communicating with others. As we adapt our definition of success, we also need to adapt what learn-ing looks like in our schools.

In a conversation with high school students, they indicated that they learn best when the learning is hands-on, project-based, applicable, and paced so that they can think and ask questions. They appreciate when they have different ways of showing their learning, are able to talk with other students in the learning process, and help each other to better understand.

A group of our staff are engaged in inquiry in this area and also shared their thoughts about goals for learning. They stated that learning should be, among other things, exciting, student-centered, meaningful, inspiring, applied, connected, fun, intentional, and rigorous. It should also inspire the curiosity that prompts further learning.

We have examples of how teachers and students are engaged in learning that is like this. Goldendale School District staff have been shifting towards learning design that incorporates foundational knowledge along with the competencies we see as crucial for our students’ success. And, we are continuing to ask questions like “How can we design learning that is more flexible and personalized?” “How can we leverage technology so it enables and maximizes human efficacy?” and “How might we adjust structures so all students are successful?”

Our learning has started and will never be done as we work to ensure that all our students are successful.

Official

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Lou Marzeles, Editor & Publisher

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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 .

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.

Letters from the community

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.

Moratorium won’t hold

The Klickitat County commissioners are tossing us the possibility of a solar moratorium because they sense public unease at the extent of future development, not just of solar but also wind, gas, mininuke, big battery, and dam-pump. Only a very small minority want to see our countryside covered with energy projects, let alone having one plopped down next door.

I personally was left with a bad taste in my mouth and lungs. Even though I made it a point to stay away from the burn-out and was at my home where I thought I would escape the noise and smoke, when the toxic cloud rose from the park and drifted over the Little Klickitat River Park (the swimming pool) on to the kids and families at the pool and on to me while I was sitting on my property. We were contaminated by the toxins in the smoke, and my eyes and throat were imitated, and my lungs filled with carbon monoxide and other cancer causing toxic compounds for three hours.

On Sept 4 I will be asking the mayor and his administration to make an ordinance forbidding anyone from reckless unsafe burnouts in any ones neighborhood or any street in the Goldendale city limits. I would appreciate some support from like-minded citizens at the council meeting. Let them know how you feel.

Ken

The author of our Energy Overlay Zone (EOZ) came from an energy development corporation and returned to energy development when he completed his job. It should not surprise us that the EOZ serves those corporate interests. The EOZ is crushing traditional rural land uses, it is crushing property rights, and it will eventually crush property values. Who would want to buy land near one of these big energy projects? Energy developers, that’s who. Private landowners will be forced out, and they will receive bottom dollar for their property. The EOZ must go.

I think the city of Goldendale needs to rethink supporting burnouts in our park. Next year don’t issue a permit to

tacted 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.

they are no longer wanted, and the ones already here need to be properly taxed. And finally, our leaders should ask the state to empower local household renewables so we can bring down our electric bills.

McKune Goldendale C

My opinions are based on monitoring energy development in Klickitat County for more than 30 years.

My concern is that a comment as broad as this opens the door for abuse. I have had no difficulties with our local branch and am sorry that the headquarters has decided to take such a hard line. It ap-pears I will need to look for a bank that does not behave in this manner.

Ken Margraf Goldendale

Dave Thies White Salmon

Work with the right people

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.”

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

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 con-

Energy storage is the lynchpin for wall-to-wall energy facility buildout in Klickitat County and beyond. If a moratorium happens, it will fall, and most of the land not yet in the EOZ will be brought in because the energy corporations will own county government.

Almost all of the energy produced here is exported. We’ve done more than our share. Now we must end further energy expansion. Our leaders need to end the EOZ and defend traditional land uses, as they should have been doing all along. Let new energy corporations know

Regarding installation of large solar energy collection projects in Klickitat County: the outrage of local residents to find out that their beautiful views will soon be ruined by waves of solar collectors is certainly understandable. This, in fact, happens commonly in our county when people who have spent years on their homesteads, or perhaps moved recently into their retirement dream homes, awaken to see a clearcut going in across the road. To their shock and dismay, they find almost overnight trees replaced by stumps and their property values plummeting. Some even try to stop the clearcutting, but with logging permitted outright by local zoning and state law, there is nothing to be done. It is a matter of private property rights.

That is the situation we have with wind and solar projects in the county today. We already fought this fight 18 years ago when tensions over wind turbines spurred the county to wisely create an Energy Overlay Zone, so projects

Guidelines for Letters

didn’t have to be dealt with on a case-by-case basis. The county spent about $500,000 to assess the potential for energy development, including wind energy/avian impacts, a review of land uses, and the economics involved using projections of likely energy facility development in the region over the next twenty years. See https://ilsr.org/klickitat-countys-energy-overlay-zonestreamlines-future-siting-energyprojects.

It’s a done deal. Residents had their chance to voice their opinions in 2004 during the EIS and public comment period. Not to mention local elections at the time. Anyone who moved into the area after that should have done due diligence by assuring the availability of roads, water, power, and checking local zoning and tax districts.

Is the county in violation of its own ordinances by enacting a moratorium on use of private property that is already permitted outright? We should not open ourselves up to lawsuits or get involved in ill-advised litigation over what is essentially a private property rights issue. The county has already wasted too much taxpayer money on litigation with the tribes and federal government with nothing to show for it. Instead, the county should work with landowners, project developers, and the State to insure fair tax revenue and compensation for impact to roads, local infrastructure, and resources. I urge the county commissioners to immediately lift the solar moratorium.

Howard Bulick Bingen

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.

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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.)

What a show!

We’re still all talking about the Glenwood School’s production of the Missoula Children Theater’s “The Little Mermaid.” The cast ranged in age from kindergarten through seniors, and they all did their parts and their songs quite well. The play was a very funny take on the original fairy tale, and we in the audience thoroughly enjoyed it. When I picked up one little third grader after a long afternoon/ evening of practice, she hardly had any voice. She said her throat was kind of sore from yelling so much. When I suggested she not yell so much, she said, “Well, I’m a town crier. I have to yell.” Well, okay then.

There were a lot of very tired kids when it was over, but it was a good tired, and there were a lot of proud kids, parents, and grandparents that night. A big thanks goes to Kim Thomas and Pam Keithly for the delicious pizza dinner prior to the play. And a really huge thanks to Toni Troh for, once again, arranging and coordinating everything, making sure the snacks were served and the Missoula play directors had everything they needed. And we always appreciate the great piano accompaniment by Janet Anderson. Also, thank you to all other Glenwood staff who stepped in to help as needed. All of you make great things like this possible for our kids and our community.

The Klickitat County Rodeo Club would like to send out a heartfelt thank you to our Glenwood com-

FFA and I Love Strawberries

EMMY KRUGER

munity for supporting their taco feed fundraiser in Goldendale. Several members of the community donated silent auction and dessert items, and several community members drove over to Goldendale to enjoy the delicious dinner as well. The rodeo club members have been practicing and getting ready for the start of their spring season the last weekend of April. As their competitions begin, I’ll be sure to include results here. We have great high school and junior high school rodeo athletes here in our community.

Jocee Hoctor, a Glenwood Middle School 7th grader and club volleyball athlete, is nearing the end of her 2023 club volleyball season.

Last weekend she competed with her Goldendale Gold14 team in the Queens of the Gorge Tournament on their home court at the Goldendale High School gym. The Goldendale team placed fi rst in their morning pool matches and second overall in the tournament. Jocee received a sportsmanship award and was also presented with a beautiful volleyball motif water bottle for being top server in the serving fundraiser. The girls finish their season with a two-day tournament in Yakima next weekend. Good luck, Goldendale Gold14.

Jennifer Hallenbeck asked me to share the news that there will only be one Kids Jam in March, on Friday, March 10. Kids in kindergarten through 5th grade are invited to come to the church from 6 p.m. to 8 p.m. for a fun night. On Sunday, March 12, the teens in 6th through 12th grades are invited to come to the church for Youth Group from 4:30 p.m. to 6 p.m. for fun and games. If you have any questions, call Jennifer at (509) 364-3517.

GMS AG LITERACY CO-CHAIR

Eighteen Goldendale

Middle School FFA members went to the primary school during the month of February to teach students in grades 1 through 3 about growing strawberries. The FFA members selected and read the book “I Love Strawberries” as a part of their Agricultural Literacy project.

After reading with the student, the FFA members taught the primary school students about the life cycle of strawberry plants. Then primary students colored in a strawberry life cycle coloring book that was drawn by 8th-grader Chloe Krause. “I enjoy sitting with and teaching the primary students about strawberries through the book and by coloring with them,” shared GMS FFA member Josiah Cuevas. “They were so much fun to teach.”

In the project, the members taught eight classrooms about the growth of strawberries. The members were able to work with a total of 144 primary stu-

dents. “One of the biggest reasons we like to work with the younger students is to get them excited about FFA and agriculture,” commented Isaac Garica, GMS

FFA member. Goldendale Middle School FFA would like to say a big thank you to the Yakima Farm Bureau for providing funding for Gol-

dendale Middle School FFA to purchase all their books for the project. For more information about the project, see the Goldendale FFA Facebook Page.

We will miss you

Lyle has lost a resident who was very useful to those with chores to do around the house but were unable to do them. He was usually available to help with odd jobs and handyman work and traversed the neighborhood in search of work. Jim (Bo) Harris passed away last week due to cancer. He will be sorely missed by family and friends. I received no word of a service.

Latest news of The Dalles Bridge: since 2021, crews have been working to replace the driving surface of The Dalles Bridge over the Columbia River, and now a major portion of the project is complete. Weekend closures have ended, and no more full weekend closures will be needed for this project. The bridge deck replacement is complete, but travelers should expect to see continued construction through

April. Crews will be closing single lanes at night during the week and fl agging traffic. There will be two consecutive weekends in April with nighttimeonly closures of the entire bridge. These nighttimeonly closures are needed to place a smooth, continuous concrete surface over the entire length of the bridge. Paving is weather dependent, so the schedules could change even after they are announced later this spring. Other construction impacts can be found on TripCheck.com. For more information, contact Kacey.L.Davey@odot.oregon.gov or call (541) 2802716.

The Barter Barn is again worth a shout-out. As of March 4, it will be open every other Saturday until May, then most likely every Saturday, ending with a few

bazaar-type days before closing for the winter. Proprietor Brian Hinde stated, “If you’re an artist or a crafter, you can expand your market and have a platform for your work. Tables and floor space are provided; you pay $15 for a table and keep all the money you make. We take no percentage, unlike some other local sales venues.”

For the month of March, the Murdock Mini Mart asks for your patience while repairs interfere with the sales of regular gas, although premium and diesel are still available.

I’m looking forward to our clocks moving ahead an hour at 2 a.m. this Sunday on March 12. Now my bedroom and car clocks will be correct again.

Perhaps the fi nal chapter of the “Mailbox Saga” has come to an end. I was told

that I have no option for a street mailbox because I am not on a designated route, and if I had one at my home, other residents would want theirs delivered also, and that would lessen the post office’s revenue. So you see folks, it’s all about the all mighty dollar. Because they were trying to force me to pay the exorbitant fee ($210) for my post office box, I have decided to go general delivery, which will cost me nothing. Maybe if more did the same, the post office would realize that if neighboring post offices do not charge—and have continued to run smoothly on less revenue coming in—they could follow suit. For all of you who have my address as P.O. Box 88, it is now changed to General Delivery. Could be the end of who-wins-this-battle. All I know is that the money I no longer have to pay will go to other bills, not in their pocket.

773-3777

CONTRIBUTED

ALL ABOUT STRAWBERRIES: Goldendale Middle School FFA members taught primary school students about strawberries last month using the book “I Love Strawberries.”

Photos by local photographers Neil Thompson

(top & center) and Steve Nygaard (bottom)

Betty Lou Conner Sansom was born in Hutchinson, Kansas, on January 27, 1935, to Marion Conner and Goldie Triplett Conner. Because of the Depression, the family moved between Missouri and Tennessee many times before settling in Richland, Washington, in 1948. Betty graduated from Columbia High School (now Richland High School) in 1952.

After high school, she worked for a year at Hanford as a secretary to pay her own way to college. She attended Brigham Young University for one year.

On September 10, 1954, she married the love of her life, Ralph Douglas “Doug” Sansom in Richland, Washington. On September 14, 1954, they were sealed for Time and Eternity in the Salt Lake City Temple.

Betty stayed home and together they raised their family of six children. Over the years, promotions for Doug meant many moves for the family. With all the moves, they also had some of their children’s friends who stayed with their family for many years and whom we still think of as our family, Margaret Voie Huleatt and David Thomas.

Doug’s first transfer with Bonneville Power and family was in 1967 to Midway, Washington, a very small unincorporated community of about 72 people near the Vernita Bridge neighboring Vantage,

Emily Ellen Markgraf Leslie Betty Sansom

Washington. In 1969, Betty was recruited as the substitute bus driver in Midway. Betty found she liked driving the bus. Many years later, when the family moved to Vancouver, she continued driving a bus for the Vancouver School District. She found the balance of a job as a bus driver was good for a mother of six children.

After moving to Walla Walla, Betty got a job as a secretary at the college inside the Walla Walla State Penitentiary. In addition to working there, she was able to attend classes herself. With a few additional classes, Betty was able to fulfill a lifelong dream of hers— to get her own college diploma, which she earned from Eastern Washington University after many years of work towards it.

After retirement, Doug and Betty bought 60 acres outside Goldendale, Washington. They built their dream home, which the family lovingly referred to as “The Compound.” Health issues with Doug eventually prompted a move back to Vancouver. Betty continued to live there for a few years after his death until she moved back to Tri-Cities to be closer to family and friends there. Betty’s health necessitated a move to Brookdale Assisted Living,

where she lived happily for several years until being locked down for COVID made her living alone difficult. Her family moved her back to Serenity Adult Family Home in Vancouver, where she received the individual care she needed. We thank the staff there for the love they showed Mom during the last year.

Betty was a very good dancer. Dancing was something that had been forbidden to her earlier in her life by her father. Together, Betty and Doug loved to jitterbug. At dances, they won many informal contests and loved dancing together for years. Betty played basketball and softball in high school. She was a voracious reader, reading many genres and topics. Travel was also a passion for Betty, and that continued after she was widowed. Betty and Doug adopted many furry children and had many spoiled dachshunds through the years. Later in life, she was also blessed to connect with her cousin, Thelma Owens from Tennessee. Their loving, strong bond of friendship only ended with Thelma’s death. Betty loved people and visiting. Anyone who visited with

her got a smile and usually a story or two about her family.

Betty was preceded in death by her loving husband, Ralph Douglas Sansom; her parents, Marion Conner and Goldie Ruby Triplett Conner; her husband’s parents, Ralph Duncombe Sansom and Mazie Thomas Sansom; her sister LaRee Conner Pratt and her husband Donald Pratt; her oldest daughter, Sharon LaRee Springer; and grandson Conner Douglas Springer. She is survived by her children: Susan Jahn (David), Shanna Lou Calhoun (Scott), Sharlene Stevenson (Richard), Todd Sansom, and Troy Sansom; 15 grandchildren; 20 great-grandchildren; and many nieces and nephews.

Now Betty and Doug are united for Eternity, dancing without pain or disabilities. She will be truly missed by many friends and family, and especially her children.

Visitation will be held on Friday, March 10, at Einan’s Funeral Home in Richland, Washington, from 6 to 8 p.m. Funeral services will be at the LDS Church at 895 Gage Blvd., Richland at 10 a.m., on Saturday, March 11. She will be buried in the family plot at Sunset Memorial Gardens in Richland following the services at the Church. Einan’s Funeral Home is in charge of services.

Emily Ellen Markgraf Leslie passed January 29, 2023, at 102, the last of her generation.

She was born at Panakanic, Washington, on October 3, 1920, and moved to White Salmon at age 6 and left Klickitat County at 17 for Central Washington State College where she received her three-year Education Certificate in Art in 1941.

She considered she had three “homes”: her residences, located in Walla Walla and Pasco, Washington; Hood River and Lincoln City, Oregon; her college and university at Central Washington; and Klickitat County.

She was a skilled educator for over 40 years and taught a thousand students. She was a very good teacher who bought shoes for the White Salmon Elementary school. She retired in 1986 after earning a Master’s degree. She was an artist, gardener with a green thumb, an investor, and a philanthropist.

Emily supported The Sentinel of Goldendale for 75 years—thanks to them for current news. And thank you, Klickitat County, for the Markgraf family official records. Her parents, five brothers, and three sisters preceded her in death, as did one daughter. She leaves four aging children, eight grandchildren, and seven greatgrandchildren. Her stories of her life in and visits to Klickitat County have an ending—home again after 80 years. Emily rests in the White Salmon Cemetery near a white oak, among trees from almost 100 years ago that still grow on her father’s former property above the Klickitat River in the sheep corral. Rest in peace, Emily. You represent the American Dream: hardscrabble farm to success through good character, education, initiative, and hard work. You are and will be missed.

Renee Diaz

Washington state Journal

Free lunches for all public school students is apparently off the table in the state Legislature, but House members are now considering phasing in paid lunches for kindergarten through fourth grade.

“While I am disappointed we are unable to move legislation that will cover all kids with universal meals, I am pleased that we are continuing to move legislation forward that will help us take another step toward the goal,” said bill sponsor Rep. Marcus Riccelli, D-Spokane.

House Bill 1238 originally provided universal free lunches next year and was approved by the House Education Committee.  But now the bill will phase in meal provision requirements over two years, beginning in the 2023-24 school year in schools with 40% or more of their students eligible for free or reduced-price meals.

The bill is now awaiting

action on the House floor and still must be considered by the Senate. A provision of the bill renders it void if it is not funded in the final budget that passes the Legislature later this year.

A similar measure, Senate Bill 5339, sponsored by T’wina Nobles, D-Fircrest, also proposes free school lunches for all students.

The amended House Bill is estimated to bring 116 elementary schools and 44,000 new student lunches in the 20232024 school year and continue to grow to a total of 1,430 schools and 634,000 students covered by universal meals.

The cost of free meals for all students was estimated at $96 million per year while the revised bill is estimated to cost more than $7 million for the 2023-2024 school year. In the years that follow, costs would more than double.

“Food is health. Consistent access to nutritious food is part of how we protect kids from getting sick while ensuring they have the fuel they need

to learn, grow, and play,” Riccelli said. “We know they won’t thrive if they don’t have food in their belly and a roof over their head.”

Currently, The Community Eligibility Provision (CEP) of the federal Healthy HungerFree Kids Act allows lowincome schools to have free school meals. If at least 40% of the district's student population falls below the federal poverty level, the district is eligible for free or reduced meals for all students.

Families can also individually submit applications to determine student eligibility for free or reduced-price meals. To qualify for free meals, a student’s family income must be at or below 130% of the federal poverty level. Students whose families have an income between 130% and 185% of the poverty level are eligible for reducedprice meals. Students whose families earn more than 185% of the poverty level pay full price.

During the 2020-21 and 202122 school years, families had

access to free meals to ease financial burdens during the pandemic. Many families lost access to the federal program and returned to a needs-based meal program.

The bill was made by request of the Superintendent of Public Instruction to support families who don’t meet the threshold to qualify for financial support programs.

“A family making $52,000 per year with three elementary school students spends around $1,800 per year on school meals. This is a real thing for families,” said Mikhail Cherniske, of the Office of the Superintendent of Public Instruction.

Some lawmakers said they were concerned many students in need of reduced school lunches don’t get them because a form is required to qualify. Lawmakers are strategizing with schools on ways to encourage more people to apply so more students can have access to universal meals.

Church Directory

GRACE BRETHREN

Community Grace Brethren

NEW LIFE ASSEMBLY of GOD

BAPTIST

Columbus Avenue Baptist, S.B.C.

815 N Columbus, Goldendale, 509.773.4471; Interim Pastor Paul Logue, Sun Worship 11am, Sun School 9:45am. Call for Zoom services. We’re on YouTube, FaceBook, & Instagram. Mon 6pm prayer meeting.Wed 6pm Youth & Children's groups. For updates: ColumbusABC.org, ColumbusABC@embarqmail.com or call.

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

1180 S Roosevelt, Goldendale. 509.773.3388. Sun Svc 10:30am in person. Wed: AWANA 2pm & Youth Group 5pm 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 10

Everyone welcome.

METHODIST - United Methodist

Columbus & Broadway; Pastor Kendra BehnSmith; 509.773.4461. Service times: Worship

9:00am; Adult classes 10:45am; Fall & Winter Children’s Church available during worship. 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 10:45am; Sunday School all ages 9:30am; goldendalenaz@gmail.com.

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.

RIVER of LIFE CHURCH of GOD

2023 Pipeline Rd; Pastors Rod & Cathy Smith, 509-773-3185, Sunday Worship 10:30am; Wednesday Bible Study 7pm. RiverofLife222.org

SEVENTH-DAY ADVENTIST

1/2 mile east on Bickleton Hwy. Sabbath School Sat. 9:30am; Worship Service 11am; Pastor Michael Smith; 509.773.4381

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

Mid-Columbia Unitarian Universalist Fellowship

Online Worship Sunday 10am

Religious Exploration for Children and Youth; email mcuuf1@gmail.com for a link to Online Service; MCUUF2.org; Rev. Judy Zimmerman, 541-241-6771. Justice. Inclusion. Compassion. A Welcoming Congregation

Lawmakers plan to expand the number of students who receive free and reduced meals

am open on Wednesday nights and Thursdays and Fridays from nine to six.

I’m doing about 20 hours right now. And then my other time is spent doing the manager duties.” That work is reactive, starting with referrals. “Right now we are just responding into the [emergency rooms] and the jail,” she states. “So somebody calls, like one of our stakeholders or community partners, they call into the crisis line, which is based out of Seattle.” The crisis line is a company called Crisis Connections that serves as a kind of message center from which crisis situations are referred to DCRs. The calls are incident-driven for people needing an immediate response. “Things like a mental health crisis or substance use crisis,” Lacey says, “like harm to self, harm to others or to property or gravely disabled.” In the case of suicide attempts, she says, “We would be responded to and assist. Part of our role is that we are designated and qualified through state RCWs 71.05 and 71.34 to detain someone against their will to a psych hospital” in such an event.

Because such crisis situations basically take away a person’s ability to make their own medical decisions, there is a high legal bar that must be met, something Lacey is trained for and steeped in. Goldendale has seen instances of people with some degree of mental health issues intruding on places of business and homes. Lacey says there is a clear procedure for dealing with such situations. If there is criminal activity or an indication of a potential crime, the fi rst call needs to go to law enforcement. If things have not reached that level of urgency, people can call the Klickitat County’s newly developing crisis line. That number is (800) 626-8137. “We are just building up the program from scratch, from the ground up,” Lacey says. “We are doing the best we can right now to just serve and do a good job at that and work up. The county is eventually working towards building up outpatient services, substance use services. It’ll be a bigger picture at some point, not anytime soon, but at some point because of the need.”

Then there’s her private practice. “I just opened and really focused on Goldendale,” she says. “I focus primarily on treating anxiety, depression, trauma, with age ranges all the way from six years old to older adults and everywhere in between. I have different certifications, qualifications, and different therapy modalities that I use.” Her toolkit includes Common Elements Treatment Approach; Cognitive Behavior Therapy; TraumaFocused Cognitive Behavior Therapy, used chiefly for working with children; Solution-Focused Brief Therapy; Motivational Interviewing; and a variety of additional methodologies tailored to the person and situation. Her primary attention is on the person as an entirety.

“I really focus on reducing and eliminating and improving a person’s overall function with their symptoms,” she states. “I focus on each person as the whole person, integrating physical, mental, and spiritual altogether. Especially medical, physical, and mental health—they go hand in hand. If you have a physical problem, that’s probably going to create

Slam the Scam Day tomorrow

On National Slam the Scam Day—March 9—and throughout the year, the Social Security Administration provides tools to recognize Social Security-related scams and stop scammers from stealing your money and personal information.

Recognize the four basic signs of a scam:

1. Scammers pretend to be from a familiar organization or agency, like the Social Security Administration.

They may email attachments with official-looking logos, seals, signatures, or pictures of employee credentials.

2. Scammers mention a problem or a prize. They may say your Social Security number was involved in a crime or ask for personal information to process a benefit increase.

3. Scammers pressure you to act immediately. They may threaten you with arrest or legal action.

4. Scammers tell you to pay using a gift card, prepaid debit card, cryptocurrency, wire or money transfer, or by mailing cash. They may also tell you to transfer your money to a “safe” account. Ignore scammers and report criminal behavior. Report Social Securityrelated scams to the SSA Office of the Inspector General (OIG). You can do that online at https://tinyurl. com/mr3x3red.

some symptoms going into the mental health world, or if you have mental health concerns, they’re going to cause some physical symptoms. They really are integrative, and we have to recognize that. It’s important that we do recognize that. Helping with gaining skills, creating change, getting comfortable with their emotions, managing their emotions, and being able to provide hope for the future—I’m acting as that guide towards them writing their new chapter in their life.”

Lacey is accepting new clients. She is available evenings and weekends and offers free initial consultations. She does both in-person and telehealth appointments. She accepts Premera Blue Cross, Active Non-Network, and Tricare West insurance. She is adding Aetna, Kaiser Permanente, Regence Blue Cross Blue Shield, and Medicare. An initial 90-minute intake with her is $150. A 60-minute session is $100; 45 minutes is $75; and a 30-minute session is $50. She accepts online payments. You can reach her at (509) 840-7063.

ALEXANDRIA OSBORNE

WASHINGTON STATE JOURNAL

Driver’s education courses will include guidance about sharing the road with big trucks and buses if a bill approved by the House gets an OK from the Senate.

House Bill 1540 is sponsored by Rep. Spencer Hutchins, R-Gig Harbor.

Hutchins said we share the road with these large commercial vehicles and buses, and it is important for new drivers to learn how to share the road safely.

“It would be a great disrup-

lish their own standard time.

For the next two decades, there were no set rules for daylight saving time, which caused a lot of confusion for the transportation and broadcast industries. That changed for good in 1966, when Congress passed the Uniform Time Act that set a national standard time that permanently superseded local times. It established daylight saving time from the last Sunday in April to the last Sunday in October.

Portions of the law have been changed a few times since, including the dates when the “spring” forward and “fall” back happen. The

KVH from page A1

DST from page A1 combined visits, and we provided care to 8,000 unique patients,” said Erin Wooley, Chief Nursing Officer. “As access to services outside of our community becomes more limited, we are providing more of the care our community so desperately needs. Supporting local healthcare has a tangible, meaningful impact on the

current policy was implemented by President George W. Bush in 2005, extending daylight saving time by a few weeks. It now starts on the second Sunday in March and ends on the fi rst Sunday in November. While daylight saving time is a federal mandate, states can opt out of it by passing a state law. Hawaii and Arizona don’t observe it, though the Navajo Nation in northeastern Arizona does. Most American territories, including Puerto Rico and Guam, don’t observe it, either. —U.S. Department of Defense

quality of life in our community. To keep our community safe and allow it to thrive, we need to continue to maintain and expand our local healthcare at KVH.” More information on the hospital project can be found at www.kvhealth. net/yourhospitalyourhealthcare.

Driver´s ed to teach sharing road with trucks and buses

tion to life, to commerce, to have unnecessary accidents with our large commercial vehicles,” he said. “This bill does a little bit to make that better.”

Rep. Joe Timmons, D-Bellingham, said as students go through a driver’s education course, they already learn how to share the road with pedestrians and bikers.

“This bill adds a great addition to that by adding commercial motor vehicles and buses as well,” he said.  With a 97-0 vote, HB 1540 was approved in the House and is on its way to the Senate. The bill does not have a fiscal impact.

Under current law, Washington residents are required to complete a minimum of 30 hours of classroom instruction, six hours of behind-thewheel operation with a licensed instructor and at least one hour of in-vehicle driver observation.

The Office of the Superintendent of Public Instruction and the Department of Licensing jointly developed and maintained a curriculum for driver’s education courses. Private driving school courses and school districts that operate driver training programs are required to follow this curriculum.

What affects my energy bill in winter?

During the winter, your energy bill can differ from one month to the next for a lot of reasons. A sudden cold snap may occur which requires your heating system to run more frequently. Fewer daylight hours mean your lights are on for longer periods. Having kids at home for school vacations and guests stay over the holidays can affect the amount of energy you use each month, as well. Learn what else impacts your winter bill and better manage your costs using our helpful online tools. Go to myavista.com/winterbill

The Washington Outdoors Report: Outdoors roundup

John Kruse For The SenTinel

NEW WDFW COMMISSIONERS APPOINTED

Gov. Jay Inslee has appointed two new Fish and Wildlife Commissioners to replace outgoing commissioners Don McIsaac and Kim Thorburn. The outgoing commissioners were known to be supportive of hunting and the North American model of Conservation.

There was concern Inslee was going to continue a trend of appointing commissioners who were not supportive of hunting or recreational fishing opportunities. Recent appointees torpedoed a long-standing spring bear hunting season in our state despite the recommendation from WDFW staff that it go forward. Recently appointed commissioners have also made questionable statements and decisions about the Blue Mountain elk herd, which has been decimated by cougar predation.

Fortunately, the two new appointees to the commission have a solid background when it comes to sound fish and wildlife management.

One of the appointees is Steve Parker. He resides in Yakima County and spent 45 years working as a fisheries biologist for the Yakama Nation.

The other appointee is Woodrow “Woody” Myers, Jr. He lives in Spokane County and worked for 40 years as an ungulate research biologist for WDFW. Like Parker, he is now a retired biologist.

Pro hunting and fishing groups such as Backcountry Hunters and Anglers as well as Washingtonians for Wildlife Conservation both expressed support for the appointments of Parker and Myers to the Washington Fish and Wildlife Commission.

EARLY SEASON TROUT OPENERS

Several lakes around Quincy, George, and Pomeroy opened up for trout fishing on March 1, but some of these lakes were partially or completely covered by ice on opening day.

Mike Schmuck is a WDFW Fisheries Biologist in Ephrata. He visited the Quincy Lakes on the opener and reported Burke Lake had some open water for fishing near the boat ramp. There was one boat in the open water and 25 shore anglers when he was there around 11 a.m. Schmuck said quite a few trout were caught from shore, and anglers averaged 2 ½ fish per angler. As for the size of the trout, Schmuck said catches ranged from 10-to-12-inch yearling fish as well as carryovers and even a couple of 21-to-22-inch trout.

Schmuck said Quincy Lake was completely frozen over. A few anglers were ice fishing but were not catching many fish. Heading south towards George, Schmuck said Caliche Lake near George was frozen, but 17 anglers were fishing Martha Lake, which was partially ice-free.

Schmuck said the fishing was slow at Martha Lake, but the

trout caught were good-sized, averaging 16 inches.

Other March 1 opening lakes included Lenice Lake east of Beverly, which was ice-free. Fly fishing anglers were catching good numbers of trout there averaging 14 inches. Meanwhile, Lake Lenore, north of Soap Lake, was partially unfrozen. Schmuck said one angler fishing out of a small boat marked a lot of fish but only caught (and released) three Lahontan cutthroat trout.

Heading to the Tucannon Lakes in southeast Washington, Paul Anderson at the Last Resort near Pomeroy said that in addition to the catchable rainbow trout normally planted, jumbo-size trout were stocked as well in Watson (100), Rainbow (150), Spring (100), and Blue Lake (150). Anderson said that Spring and Blue Lake were ice-free for the March 1 opener. Rainbow Lake had a

City hears about proposed police bill

rodger nichols For The SenTinel

At Monday’s Goldendale City Council meeting, councilors approved a new contract for city janatorial services and, after much discussion, passed a comprehensive procurement policy, which allows department heads to authorize spending on line items in the city budget but requires council approval for needed expenditures that were not in the budget. The council also approved a new fiveyear lease agreement for upgraded computers for city police vehicles with an option to purchase at the end of the lease. The purpose of the lease rather than an immediate purchase was to spread the $66,000 expense over five years.

Councilors also approved a budget adjustment, moving $320,000 into the City Streets Fund to cover additional costs for the Byers Street improvement project, the funds coming from cash reserves. Other items that came up for discussion included concern about the effects of

House Bill 1025 now being considered by the Washington Legislature that would do away with qualified immunity for police officers.

“If that bill passes, it’s going to be problematic for the state,” said Police Chief Jay Hunziker. “There will be no protection for police officers, and it’s going to open cities up to litigation. The officers can be sued personally and all the way up to the mayor, the way I read it. The problem is for the city and the state if they pass that, WCIA, our insurance carrier, will have no choice but to drop us.”

Councilors urged local citizens to contact their state legislators to oppose the bill.

On a happier note, Hunziker also reported on a highly successful investigation. He told councilors that Officer Stan Berkshire had been called to Carquest at 6:30 a.m. on February 22, following a robbery. After watching surveillance video, he determined the robbery occurred at 5 a.m. Hunziker picks up the story:

“Then about 8:40 am that

Newhouse introduces legislation to strengthen law enforcement

Rep. Dan Newhouse (R-WA), alongside Reps. Ruben Gallego (D-AZ) and Sharice Davids (D-KS), introduced the Bridging Agency Data Gaps & Ensuring Safety (BADGES) for Native Communities Act , a bipartisan bill that strengthens Tribal law enforcement and increases public safety in Indian Country.

The legislation addresses federal inefficiencies that hurt Bureau of Indian Affairs law enforcement recruitment and retention, increases the effectiveness of federal missing persons resources, and gives

resources to Tribes and states to combat the crisis of missing and murdered Indigenous women and girls.

“Native American communities and law enforcement agencies face an uphill battle investigating cases of missing and murdered indigenous women due to lack of access to coordinated federal crime data,” said Rep. Newhouse. “This legislation provides critical federal resources and access to criminal databases to tribal law enforcement so they can effectively investigate these cases and help end the MMIW crisis.”

small amount of fishable open water available, and Watson Lake was still frozen over. Anglers who stopped by or stayed at the resort reported having good success on opening day. Anderson said they do have vacancies available through the month of March. You can look into booking a stay at www.thelastresortrv. com .

NORTHERN PIKE NETTING SCHEDULE

Staci Lehman with the Washington Department of Fish and Wildlife reports, “Northern Pike suppression efforts in Long Lake (Lake Spokane), the Pend Oreille River, and Lake Roosevelt will kick off soon. This work generally takes place between March and June of each year when Northern Pike are staging to spawn.”

WDFW will begin removals of Northern Pike at Lake Spokane in March, primarily in

same morning,” he said, “Officer Berkshire and Sgt. Smith got the call for a disorderly subject in the 100 block of East Broadway, and they gave the description of the person and the vehicle, and as they were going out the door mentioned, ‘That sounds like our guy from the burglary,’ and it turned out to be that. They were able to take him into custody.”

Hunziker said officers were able to get a search warrant for the car because they could see what appeared to be stolen items through the car’s window. That turned out to be the case, and the property was recovered.

“They did that in under four hours,” the chief said. “They did that very well, and Carquest was very happy.”

the upper half of the reservoir between the McLellan Conservation Area and the Nine Mile Recreation Area. Efforts will shift to Lake Roosevelt in April as water temperatures increase. WDFW partners with the Confederated Tribes of the Colville Reservation and the Spokane Tribe of Indians on Lake Roosevelt and with the Kalispel Tribe on the Pend Oreille River to net and remove invasive Northern Pike. “

Lehman continues, saying, “The Northern Pike is an apex predator with prolific spawning potential and a voracious appetite for fish, particularly soft-rayed fish like trout and salmon. When introduced outside of their native range, they are capable of causing large-scale changes to fish communities,

in some cases leading to elimination of entire species.” Efforts are focused on reducing impacts of invasive Northern Pike to resident fish populations and limiting the potential for downstream distribution into the anadromous zone of the Columbia River. Establishment of Northern Pike in the anadromous zone would put at risk the billions of dollars invested into the recovery of salmon and steelhead populations. More information on Northern Pike and reports on suppression efforts implemented since 2013 can be found on the WDFW website at wdfw.wa.gov/publications/02382. John Kruse – www.northwesternoutdoors.com and www.americaoutdoorsradio. com.

SENIOR CITIZEN DI$COUNT

The City of Goldendale is accepting applications for low income senior citizen water/sewer discounts now thru April 15th. If you received this discount last year, your application needs to be renewed.

If you feel you qualify, please contact: Klickitat County Senior Services 115 W Court St Goldendale, WA 509.773.3757

John Kruse

GOOD CATCH: Michelle Kruse with a Lahontan Cutthroat trout at Lake Lenore.

only $5 per week.

Gorge Classifieds are distributed in the Hood River, The Dalles and White Salmon circulation areas, as well as in the Goldendale Sentinel and Online.

Bold Headlines

Stand Out! Include a headline on your ad for only $5 per week.

Community events

March 8, 2023, Free food

distribution: 12 – 2 p.m.

Christ the King Lutheran Church, 104 E Simcoe Dr, Goldendale. Drive thru event for up to 250 families to provide free groceries as supplies last. No appointment or documentation required.

March 11, 2023,

Fully Loaded Baked

Potato and Silent

Auction Fundraiser: 5 –7 p.m. American Legion, Goldendale. Sponsored by Goldendale Archery Sharpshooters. Come support our archer, Alissa Conroy, as she prepares to compete in Grand Island Nebraska in June 2023.

March 11, 2023, Friends of the Library book sale: 10 a.m. – 6 p.m. Camplan Room, Goldendale Community Library on Burgen Street. Books for the body, mind, and spirit.

A non-fiction spring cleaning sale.

March 14, 2023, Guiding

Good Choices-Refusal

Skills : 6- 8 pm Fathers House Fellowship 207 S Klickitat Street, Goldendale. A free and confidential program for parents or caregivers of youth ages 9-14, designed around promoting healthy development and reducing risky behavior for children as they enter their teenage years. This is a 5-week course on Tuesdays through March 21st. Snacks, drinks, and childcare available. Register online at https://forms.gle/ AEwfbHHH3dghDGmZ8. Questions call 509-281-2330 or email cpwi@wagap.org.

March 16, 2023, Cricut for beginners: 5:30 – 8:30 p.m. Goldendale Community Library. Registration is required, limited space. Please bring your Cricut!

March 18, 2023, Klickitat County

Livestock Growers

Banquet: Social hour starts at 5, prime rib dinner at 6:30, American Legion in Goldendale on Broadway. Tickets are $35 and can be purchased at either Simcoe Insurance or Basin Feed & Supply in Goldendale.

There will be a live auction, gun raffle along with speakers and awards. To join the WCA call Dan Lee at 509773-4688.

March 18, 2023, Conservation District

Plant Sale: 9 a.m. – 1 p.m. Klickitat County Fairgrounds, Goldendale. Plants will be available for purchase the day of the sale, but supplies are limited. Please use our new online shop at www.EKCD. org to place pre-orders thru 2/17. Pickup will be 3/18. Call 509-773-5823 for more information.

March 18, 2023, Columbia Trail Plateau area meeting: 10 a.m. – 3 p.m., Camplan Room at the

Goldendale Community Library. Hosted by Soroptimist International of Goldendale. Four other clubs will be visiting, guests are welcome please contact Betty Long-Schleif for information 509-250-3746.

March 19, 2023, Kayak

Welding: 3 – 5 p.m. 1256 Hwy 141 BZ Corner, The Missing Corner Learn Local Series. Get more use out of your kayak by learning to strip weld a broken boat. If you have a heat gun, bring it, but not necessary. Led by Jeremy Bisson of Trout Lake, cost $5-$15 cash.

DROP IN!

March 21, 2023, Blood Drive: 1 – 6 p.m. American Legion Post 116, in Goldendale. Please call 1-800RED CROSS (1-800-733-2767) or visit RedCrossBlood.org and enter Goldendale to schedule an appointment.

March 21, 2023, Guiding Good ChoicesStrengthening Bonds : 6- 8 pm Fathers House Fellowship 207 S Klickitat Street, Goldendale. A free and confidential program for parents or caregivers of youth ages 9-14, designed around promoting healthy development and reducing risky behavior for children as they enter their teenage years. This is a 5-week course on Tuesdays through March 21st. Snacks, drinks, and childcare available. Register online at https://forms.gle/ AEwfbHHH3dghDGmZ8. Questions call 509-281-2330 or email cpwi@wagap.org.

March 23, 2023, Author

Talk: Nancy Wesson : 6 – 7 p.m. Goldendale Community Library. Join us as author Nancy Wesson speaks on her book “I Miss the Rain in Africa: Peace Corps as a Third Act”.

March 26, 2023, Foam Rolling: 3 – 5 p.m. 1256 Hwy 141 BZ Corner, The Missing Corner Learn Local Series. Learn some techniques for foam rolling to loosen up your muscles and keep you limber and doing what you love. Led by Ally Metts of BZ Corner. $5 - $15 pre-register allymetts@gmail.com or drop in!

March 31- April 2, 2023, Fire on the Mountain 2023: 5 p.m. Klickitat County Fairgrounds, Goldendale. A time for revival with guests Sharall Barrera, Miguel & Rosa Zayas, Ben & Kristina Smith, and Mike Quantrell, with MC Gene Tsubota. For more information call 509960-0833

April 15, 2023, The Soroptimists Tea Party & Silent Auction : 1:00 p.m. Lutheran Church 104 E Simcoe Dr, Goldendale. Tickets are $20 advance, call or visit Monkeyshines in Goldendale for tickets 509773-6249, or $25 at the door. Fashion show hosted by Monkeyshines Studio and Gallery. Donations for the

silent auction are still being accepted, call Betty 509-2503746. Funds go to support our Live Your Dream campaign to help women in our community with their educational goals.

April 22, 2023, 19th

Annual Plant Sale: 9 a.m. – 2 p.m. Parking lot across from Harvest Market in White Salmon. Gorge-hardy vegetables, herbs, annuals and perennials. Provided by Vanguard Nursery, sponsored by St. Joseph’s Church.

April 28 – 30, 2023 The Spring Freeride: Maryhill Loops Road. This event is open to all skill levels, from the never-ever to experienced racers. Pack riding, good friends, camping and finally skating the beautiful curves that make Mary so much fun to ride. We also will previous additions: The Zealous Outlaw Race, Esk8’s, the stock race and other fun activities throughout the weekend. Visit Maryhillratz.com for more information and to register.

May 1 – 31, 2023, White Salmon Wildflower Festival: The inaugural White Salmon Wildflower Festival unites our community to celebrate the natural beauty in and around White Salmon by advocating for the preservation and appreciation of wildflowers during May. The program includes photography & art workshops, educational workshops, guided hikes, a speaker series, a wine walk, an artisan market, exhibitions, and a youth outdoor immersion fundraiser. Visit explorewhitesalmon.com/ white-salmon-wildflowerfestival/ for details

May 5 - 6, 2023, Goldendale Home and Garden Show: 10 a.m. –6 p.m. both days. Klickitat County Fairgrounds, Goldendale. Make plans now to attend the Annual Goldendale Home & Garden Show. FREE ADMISSION, FREE PARKING.

Want to be a vendor or interested in being a sponsor for the show? Give the Goldendale Chamber of Commerce a call at 509-7733400 or email teja@goldendalechamber.org

Exhibitors, live music, food, and family friendly. Get tips on spring planting, landscaping, pick up plants and trees, and meet face-to-face with area home improvement contractors.

May 13, 2023, Wine Walk Saturday: The Downtown White Salmon businesses and local winemaker community are pleased to announce the White Salmon Wine Walk in celebration of the White Salmon Wildflower Festival. Participants attending this inaugural event will stroll through downtown White Salmon and have the oppor-

ANNOUNCEMENTS

ADVERTISE STATEWIDE with a $325 classified listing or $1600 for a display ad. Call this newspaper or 360-344-2938 for details.

ARE YOU BEHIND $10k OR MORE ON YOUR TAXES? Stop wage & bank levies, liens & audits, unfiled tax returns, payroll issues, & resolve tax debt FAST. Call 866-973-1302 (Hours: MonFri 7am-5pm) DONATE YOUR CAR TO CHARITY. Receive maximum value of write off for your taxes. Running or not! All conditions accepted. Free pickup. Call for details, 855-635-4229.

tunity to visit each participating business while sampling local wines! Enjoy Live music, Wildflower Festival events, and specials as you sip, shop, dance, and mingle in Downtown White Salmon! For more information visit explorewhitesalmon.com/white-salmon-winewalk/

May 19 – 22, 2023, Oregon Trail Rally: Rally starts in Portland at the International Raceway on 5/19, Goldendale on 5/20 ends in Dufur Oregon on 5/21. Please note certain designated county roads will be closed at this time. For spectator information please visit https://oregontrailrally.com/. This year’s Oregon Trail Rally is the fourth round of the American Rally Association (ARA) National Championship, which includes nine events spread across the nation. The three-day Oregon Trail Rally offers a special challenge to rally teams with its diverse stages, high speeds, technical turns, and changing road surfaces.

June 1 - 4, 2023, Goldendale Pickers Festival : Ekone Park, Goldendale off of Broadway. The annual festival is back, whether you play or just love the music, stop on in.

June 3, 2023, Lincoln Day Dinner Klickitat County Republicans: 120 East Steuben, Bingen.

June 3, 2023, June Blooms: 10 a.m. – 5 p.m., Goldendale Area. This free garden tour is self-directed, and no registration or tickets are needed to see the gardens. Free maps can be picked up at the Goldendale Chamber a week before the event including Saturday June 3rd and will also be available as a Google Map at goldendalechamber.org/ events a week before the event or go to: https://bit.

ly/JuneBloomsMap

June 9 – 11, 2023

Pioneer Picnic and Rodeo: 6/9 5:30 – 8 p.m., 6/10 & 6/11 8 a.m. – midnight. Established in 1910, Alder Creek Rodeo is the oldest rodeo in Washington and has been held the second weekend in June since then. Dry camping is available on the Cleveland Park grounds. The antique carousel will run Fri-Sun. Come and join in the fun. Contact Susan Powers at 509-820-8671 for more information.

June 17 & 18, 2023, Ketch-um Kalf Rodeo : 63 Trout Lake Highway, Glenwood. The Annual Glenwood Ketchum Kalf Rodeo has been held by the Glenwood Ketchup Kalf Rodeo Association and the community of Glenwood, WA since 1934. Come join us for kids games & entertainment, beer garden, SunSation Mounted Flag Team performances, Sunday Slack, Cowboy

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Breakfast and Church, and the Rodeo Parade.

June 16-17, 2023, Goldendale City Wide Yard Sales: 9 a.m. – 5 p.m. throughout Goldendale. The annual city-wide yard sale is back again for another year. Signup details to follow as we get closer to the event

WEEKLY AND MONTHLY EVENTS

Every Monday, Wednesday, and Friday

• Alcoholics Anonymous, Goldendale United Methodist Church, 7-8 p.m. Tuesdays & Thursdays

• Zumba Classes – Soul

2 Soul Health Center 5:30 –6:30 p.m.

Sunday

• Makers Market at The Missing Corner – 1256 Hwy 141 BZ Corner. Every third Sunday from 12 – 5 p.m. Contact themissingcorner@ gmail.com for more information (will return March 19, 2023)

Monday

• 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. 509-773-3776 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 509773-4487

Tuesday

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

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

• Goldendale Junior Community Chamber 7 p.m. 2nd Tuesday of every month at Umpqua Bank. Call 509250-0625

• 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.

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

• Narcotics Anonymous, 5 – 6 p.m. weekly at the United Methodist Church, 109 E Broadway Goldendale. 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 • 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 509-2612815

• Pinochle at the Centerville Grange – 3rd Wednesday of every Month.

• Trivia at the American Legion – every week 6:30 p.m.

• Children’s Storytime at 10:30 – 11:30 a.m., Goldendale Library

• Popup Café – Noon at the Mason’s Hall on Columbus until further notice.

• 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 • 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.

• 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

• 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)

Driver’s education making a comeback

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AlexAndriA

WAshingtOn stAte JOurnAl

People 18 to 22 will be required to pass a driver’s education course before getting their license, if a bill that passed the state Senate becomes law.

Engrossed Substitute Senate Bill 5583, which passed 41-7 on March 1, also includes fee increases. The measure now moves to the state House of Representatives.

Sponsored by Sen. Marko Liias, D-Everett, the bill would require people between the ages of 18 and 22 to take a full driver’s education course by a licensed, private driving school or a school district before receiving their license, beginning on Jan. 1, 2025.

Under current law, a driver’s education course is waived for people over the age of 18 if they satisfy certain conditions, or if they were licensed to drive a motor vehicle or motorcycle outside of the state and have proof of completion of a driver’s education course.

The driver’s license examination fee is raised from $35 to $51 under the bill, and the driver’s instruction permit fee is raised from $25 to $37 beginning Oct. 1, 2023.

The increased portion of the fees would be required to be deposited into a new driver’s education safety improvement account created by the state Treasurer.

Twenty years ago, the state removed driver’s education courses from high schools, and Liias said the state needs to move back to a model where young people can get this training while they are in school.

“I remember in 1996, sitting in my health class at Kamiak High School, taking driver’s ed,” he said. “I don’t remember what I paid, but it certainly wasn’t what we have to pay today at some of our private driving schools.”

Beginning Jan. 1, 2024, the bill would require the Superintendent of Public Instruction to collaborate with the Department of Licensing to establish a grant program to allow schools to offer traffic safety educa-

tion programs once again.

The bill also requires people between the ages of 18 and 25 applying for a motorcycle endorsement to complete a motorcycle safety education course established by the DOL.

A person between the ages of 16 and 18 receives their intermediate licenses. Under current law, an intermediate license holder cannot operate a motor vehicle between 1 and 5 a.m. unless accompanied by a parent, guardian or licensed driver who is at least 25 years of age.

ESSB 5583 modifies this law next year and allows intermediate license holders to operate a motor vehicle between 1 and 5 a.m. if accompanied by a licensed driver over the age of 25, or for school, religious or employment activities for an immediate family member.

Liias said traffic fatalities in the state are headed in the wrong direction. In 2022, more than 700 Washington residents were killed on the roads, rising from numbers in the 400s just a few years ago.

The least prepared drivers, who are the youngest drivers, have the highest rate of fatal crashes, he said. DOL data show 71 percent of crashes with a serious injury or fatality involved someone between the ages of 16 and 25.

“We used to think it was as you get older, you just sort of get better at driving,” he said. “What we’ve learned is when you’re better prepared, you’re better at driving.”

“Statistics show that 18-year-olds who haven’t completed Driver’s Ed, sadly, are the most dangerous cohort on our roadways right now,” he said. “We need to do something to help them be better prepared and keep all of us, including those young drivers, safe.”

Sen. Curtis King, R-Yakima, said the state needs to do a better job King said statistics make it clear people in the 18 to 21 age range have the most fatalities and accidents.

“I truly believe this bill will save lives,” he said. “It’ll save heartache for hundreds of families around this state.”

Panda Red

Almost 200 years ago a French Zoologist named Federic Couvier discovered the red panda. He said it was the most beautiful animal he ever saw. The red panda is playful, athletic and endangered. It got its name from the copper color of its fur, and in recent years, has enchanted millions of people.

At first when you see a red panda you might think it looks more like a raccoon than a panda. It is about the size of a raccoon and has mask-like markings on its face. It looks absolutely nothing like the giant panda. A red panda is about the size of a house cat. About the only thing a red panda and the giant panda have in common is how their thumb is jointed so they can hold onto their food. After many years and tests, scientists have decided that the red panda is not related to any other animal on Earth. It is one of a kind.

Since the red panda lives in mountains and forests where it gets very cold in the winter, they have amazing fur coats. It is almost like they have two separate coats like some dog breeds. The outer layer of fur is called the guard coat. The layer that is closer to the skin is shorter, softer and thicker. This is called the undercoat. The undercoat has a very special job. It keeps the animal warm in the winter and helps keep them cool in the summer. The red panda’s beautiful fur is a small contributor to its endangerment. Poachers hunt and trap them for their fur.

The red panda comes from Asia. It lives in high mountains in China, India, Burma, Nepal and Tibet. It likes to hang out in trees and will climb to the highest branches to catch rays of sunshine. Being in the tops of the trees also helps the little animal avoid many of its predators. Using its tail for balance and its claws, the panda is a very good climber. Its favorite food is bamboo. It will eat other things like insects, small rodents and birds but would rather have bamboo. Loss of habitat from farming, ranching and road building have reduced the panda’s habitat by almost half.

Solutions at smartypantsnews.com

1. Someone who kills animals illegally

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READ ALL ABOUT IT! Nepal Burma

Learn About Red Pandas-Amazing Pictures & Fun Facts

By Spencer Jones

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With less than 10,000 known red pandas in the wild, efforts to save it have increased. Scientists have begun to teach local populations how to farm without having to move into the red panda’s territory. Laws against poaching have become stronger and rewards are offered to anyone turning a poacher in. Local replanting of bamboo forests is also taking place. With so many people working together, it is hoped that the population will begin to increase and the red panda can be saved.

A tall tropical grass with hard, hollow stems

To ascend, go up, or get to the top of

Thick hair that covers the bodies of some animals

An animal that lives by killing and eating other animals 11. Full of play or fun; sportive 12. The largest continent in the world 13. An under layer of short hair in an animal’s coat 19. Refers to familiar bugs

S PORTS