April 27, 2017
Where are the protests over nuclear war threats?
Why is there so little popular protest against today’s threats of nuclear war?
Why is there so little popular protest against today’s threats of nuclear war?
Twenty-one years ago my wife Teresa and I bought a log home on the Washougal River in western Skamania County, Washington — a place where salmon and steelhead move up the river; deer, coyote and otters play along the banks; and heron and eagles use the river flyway to hunt and the trees to nest in. With the breathtaking beauty of the West End of the Columbia River Gorge only a few short miles from our doorstep, we truly feel we live in a rural paradise — a wild, special and sacred place.
Driving east along SR 14 these days, you see water pouring out of Columbia River dams. It is already a high water year with much of the runoff from our heavy mountain snowpack yet to come.
Recently, I held a town hall meeting to discuss future transportation solutions. More than 150 citizens attended to hear about creative ideas presented by the private sector. From that outreach and dozens of meetings with business leaders and citizens, several important points have become apparent as we look to solve our local transportation crisis.
I applaud our own Washington Fish and Wildlife Commission for its 7-2 vote on Jan. 14 to reach a compromise that has our state moving in the right direction for conservation of endangered salmon and steelhead. This recent decision removes all commercial gill nets from the lower Columbia River during the spring and summer runs and allows commercial nets in the fall in selected areas - but only through 2019 with the commitment to remove all gill nets completely after that time. This two-year extension of fall gill netting is a compromise to the original plan in favor of the gillnetters, to allow more time to develop selective commercial fishing methods and help the commercial fishery achieve financial goals.
President-elect Donald Trump cruised to victory promising to get rid of the mandate to buy health insurance. While he’s at it, how about getting rid of the mandate to buy ethanol?
Initial legislation governing the use of hand-held cell phones while driving was first enacted in Washington in 2007.
Christmas is a difficult time for anyone grieving for lost loved ones. It is especially painful for America’s military families whose son, daughter, spouse or parent was killed while serving in uniform.
Question: How do we best control growth and create neighborhoods we all want to live in?
There are dams that should come down and those that shouldn’t.
