February 13, 2020
Skamania PUD officials: recent rate increases a ‘middle ground’ choice
Many Skamania Public Utility District (PUD) customers have received — or will soon receive — bills with rate increases that went into effect Jan. 1.
Many Skamania Public Utility District (PUD) customers have received — or will soon receive — bills with rate increases that went into effect Jan. 1.
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.
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.
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.
The last election shook Camas. Good. Let’s move forward.
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.
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.
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.
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.
I love chemistry. I majored in chemistry in college and then I taught chemistry for 38 years. And now I have been studying the chemistry of global warming.
