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Columns

February 20, 2020

Wind turbine blades plug landfills

While wind farms generate “greenhouse gas-free” electricity, there is increasing concern over the rapidly growing number of worn-out wind turbine blades ending up in landfills.

February 6, 2020
(Contributed photo courtesy of Martha Martin) Martha Martin, a Washougal-based psychologist, said people can be negatively affected “by the loss of control and the unpredictability of this situation.” Martin is one of several mental health providers in Camas-Washougal who is offering her services online during the

2019 ‘busy, challenging’ for ECFR

Whenever I write these columns, I review the year, check our minutes, talk with staff, ponder a lot and then start to describe what has happened at our fire district of 60 square miles that sits north of the cities of Camas and Washougal.

January 30, 2020

Virus should spur copper research

Government leaders, doctors and medical researchers worldwide are working feverishly to stop the spread of the coronavirus and keep it from becoming a global pandemic.

January 30, 2020
(Contributed photo courtesy of Robert F. Williams) Members of the 1999 Evergreen High football team, including author Robert F. Williams (second from right, top row, No. 57), pose for a photo during the team's winning season.

Camas coach’s lessons help soldier face adversity in combat zone, life

As the Camas High School football team enjoys another state title, I hope the players realize how lucky they are to play for Jon Eagle. Jon Eagle is, 20 years later, one of my most revered mentors. Whether they realize it or not, Coach Eagle, through football is teaching them more than Xs and Os, but rather life lessons that will carry these young people into adulthood. Much like former Washington Huskies head coach Chris Petersen’s Built for Life program, Jon Eagle made me built for life, and has been doing the same for area youth for 30 years. The intangibles learned playing high school football in the Pacific Northwest have stayed with me through life’s trials and tribulations — they are an integral part of who I am in the 20 years since last donning a helmet and pads.

January 16, 2020

Helping workers pay for student loans a win-win

Employers are looking at additional benefits to help workers stressed about paying rent, transportation and food costs and student loans. Even though job numbers and wages have increased, too often there just isn’t enough money to make ends meet, particularly in high cost-of-living cities such as New York, San Francisco and Seattle.

January 9, 2020

Historian reflects on fascism’s return

Back in 1941, the year of my birth, fascism stood on the brink of conquering the world. During the preceding decades, movements of the Radical Right — mobilized by demagogues into a cult of virulent nationalism, racial and religious hatred, and militarism — had made great strides in nations around the globe. By the end of 1941, fascist Germany, Italy, and Japan, having launched massive military invasions of other lands, had conquered much of Europe, Asia and the Middle East.

January 2, 2020

Trump’s war pardons are sabotaging the military justice system

In November 2019, in an unprecedented move, President Donald Trump pardoned war crimes charges against three United States military service members. The decision provoked former military leaders and many veterans, but was applauded by some lawmakers and media.

December 26, 2019

Bridges shouldn’t have to sink to be replaced

Bridges shouldn’t have to sink to be replaced. However, at times, that’s what it takes. Too often, new projects succumb to years of fighting among interest groups and endless political bickering.