Coal trains are not wanted Recently in Hood River, the coal interests with the help of a public relations firm held multiple sessions at a local hotel. There were 10-12 participants per session for what appeared to be an attempt by them to understand why we don't want 1.5 mile long coal trains going through the country's only national scenic area.
I would like to share a special memory of Bob Tidland. This scene can help illustrate his character and community-mindedness. As Camas' retiring first city administrator, I have had many, many fine days in the past 24 years; the scene I am remembering is among the finest hours.
In November 1982, our state's unemployment rate peaked at 12.2 percent, the highest since the Great Depression. Interest on a fixed rate home loan was 13.4 percent, and an 11.5 inflation rate burned through our checkbooks. The economy was a mess.
There is no greater resource and asset in our community than our children. As parents, they are our everything. They add a new sense of purpose and meaning to our lives. And as a community, children are the future. The quality of their lives today have a very good chance of impacting how Camas and Washougal will look into the future and beyond.
The realities of gun laws and school security Laws are nothing but words in a document that the majority of the general public doesn't know exists, or what they are, because they don't need to. And those that do know and choose to obey them are not criminals. Laws don't stop criminals or people with a mission to commit an unlawful act. They only allow law enforcement agencies to investigate, arrest and fine, or kill, someone who violates one of them.
According to the hard-working volunteers at the Two Rivers Heritage Museum, this facility that holds the historical treasures of Camas and Washougal's past is one of the area's best kept secrets.
No guns in schools Responding to the Feb. 12 letter to the editor from Robert R. Larimer Jr., he writes in his closing statement, "It is really the only way to save their lives" (with respect to putting guns in the hands of teachers and referencing our children).
Support HB 1788 State Representative Liz Pike’s new Bill, HB 1788, would make it lawful for trained school personnel to carry concealed in public schools, just as one out of 15 Washington state citizens now legally possess concealed carry licenses and are able to carry in public places.
For many of us, our health is something we tend to take for granted, until some kind of catastrophic event throws our mortality directly into our faces. It is in these situations, when life, God, the universe, the powers that be, or whatever higher power we believe in, gives us the wake-up call we may need to make important life changes. Unfortunately, however, not everyone survives a major health crisis long enough to take the message to heart.
Levy dollars benefit Camas kids I heard a comment the other day that got me a little rankled. After seeing the "Vote Camas Schools" signs the comment was "Here they go again, asking for more money. Didn't they just do this a little while ago?"
