HEADLINES & HISTORY SINCE 1879 Goldendale, Washington
WEDNESDAY, APRIL 17, 2024
Vol. 145 No. 16
$1.00
Sheriff, commissioners in sharp exchanges LOU MARZELES EDITOR In a wild escalation of invective and finger-pointing, the Klickitat County Sheriff and Board of County Commissioners (BOCC) have waged verbal battle in recent days among themselves, ostensibly over the proposed closure of the county jail. Most recently County Commissioners Lori Zoller, Jacob Anderson, and Dan Christopher each offered responses to the sheriff’s claims and those of their seatmates, while an email from Christopher to a constituent suggests he may have been in agreement about closing the jail for some time. The exchanges were sparked by a statement at the BOCC meeting of March 29 by Commission Chair Zoller proposing to close the jail in favor of sending prisoners to the Northern Oregon Regional Correctional Facility (NORCOR). She was supported in her proposal by Anderson. The proposal was prompted by a suicide in the jail last summer and an inmate who suffered grotesque physical deterioration during close to three months in the jail late last year. The rhetoric ramped up sharply on Saturday, April 13, when Klick-
BOCC VIDEO FEED
SWIRLING CONTROVERSRY: Klickitat County Chief Jail Deputy Loren Culp speaks to the Board of County Commssioners on April 9 about the proposed closure of the county jail. itat County Sheriff Bob Songer released a statement charging Zoller and Anderson with either being “bumbling incompetents or intentionally lying” to the public
and the Sheriff’s Office. Songer said he was blindsided by the suggestion to close the jail and took Zoller to task for her comments referring to her studying
the issue “for some time now, as has my assisting staff, to dedicate time to look at every angle of this most multifaceted problem seeking solid and vetted information
RODGER NICHOLS FOR THE SENTINEL
COURTESY TROY CARPENTER
MOMENT OF TOTALITY: Goldendale Observatory Administrator Troy Carpenter captured this image of the April 8 total eclipse in a small town in Arkansas. what was going on. First totality observations This was my first solar eclipse from within the path of totality, and I made some observations that may inform any future expeditions I am silly enough to attempt: • Weather was almost perfect and this greatly enhanced the experience. • Views through humble cardboard eclipse glasses were surprisingly satisfying. • Venus and Jupiter appeared a few minutes prior to totality and the crowd seemed to appreciate this greatly. • During totality, the sky did not become as dark as I expected; I would describe it as bright civil twilight. This is pertinent, as there was some expectation of being able to see comet 12P/PonsBrooks. While the comet was technically within naked-eye brightness, it was overcome by the glow of Earth’s atmosphere, and I could neither spot it nor photograph it. I quickly gave up looking and advised others to not become distracted by the search. • I was very impressed to observe by naked eye Earthshine, the ghostly phenomenon often associated with crescent moons by which the lunar night is illuminated from Earth-reflected sun-
light. I was also able to capture it in some of my photographs. • The corona did not appear as large as I expected to the naked eye; photography revealed far more of its extent. • There was a tall and very bright prominence at the south limb of the Sun that was easily visible to the naked eye during totality. This was a pleasant surprise, and it helped me to imagine how mysterious eclipses must have been for our ancestors. Several young people seemed fixated on this prominence and asked to see it in my telescopes after the event. They were particularly curious about the red color (caused by hydrogen emission spectra). • Stories of totality lasting only a moment are not exaggerated: so few minutes fly by very quickly. • Sunburn. I am still bright red as of this writing. Some final thoughts: This event was very “cool,” but I was not overcome with emotion nor driven to hoot and holler as many of those present seemed compelled to do. While this was a truly rare and unique experience, I certainly understand why most people are not motivated to travel hundreds or thousands of miles for eclipses. I hope no one was upset by internet astronomy nerds accosting people for not being suf-
ficiently enthused in their grand estimation. I was encouraged by the number of internet posts from normal people truly enjoying partial eclipses from outside the centerline. This was my first and possibly last total solar eclipse from within totality, and I am okay with that. For me, the most profound takeaway was witnessing a singular occurrence predicted hundreds of years ago. Moments like this remind us of the power of mathematics and the diligent observations of serious scientists. At the end of my journey, I flew out of Memphis, Tennessee, and witnessed a powerful thunderstorm from the air, a far more common but no less impressive natural occurrence, at least for me. Speaking of math, here are some eclipse metrics specific to Clinton, Arkansas. All times are Central Standard: 2024 April 8 12:34:39 Eclipse Start 13:51:26 Start of Totality 13:55:48 End of Totality 15:11:58 Eclipse End 4m22s – Duration of Totality 2h37m19s – Entire Eclipse Duration (157m19s) Images and videos will be posted on the Special Events page at GoldendaleObservatory.com
Expect delays on US 97 beginning April 22 People traveling along US 97 in Klickitat County will soon experience a smoother ride across the Bickleton Road bridge. Starting on Monday, April 22, the Washington State Department of Transportation’s contractor, Combined Construction, will utilize daytime and nighttime single lane and shoulder closures along US 97 approaching and departing the bridge
See County page A8
City to get an EV charging station
On the road to the eclipse Goldendale Observatory Administrator Troy Carpenter was on the road tracking April 8’s total solar eclipse and shares this story. I flew to New Mexico a few days before April 8 with the intent of visiting some colleagues and possibly taking in a thunderstorm. Maximum eclipse would appear in Mexico, so my original plan was to drive over the weekend from Albuquerque to Radar Base, Texas, a tiny town on the Texas-Mexico border directly within the path of totality. As the important day approached, weather reports grew less and less favorable. In fact, the clouds appeared almost cruel on radar, curling all the way from Texas to New York and beyond, obscuring almost the entire eclipse path but little else. By Sunday, April 7, the only states that appeared unambiguously clear for Monday were Arkansas and Maine, and Radar Base TX was expecting storms. Fortunately, I had not booked any hotels or made other binding appointments in Texas, so I set off for Arkansas, a long, straight shot across Interstate 40. The 12-hour drive provided ample time to plot an ideal location to set up my telescopes and cameras, a task made convenient by the modern wonder of mobile internet. Lodging near the interstate was charging astronomical “surge prices” for rooms, and every concierge I spoke with sounded 200% exhausted with relentless calls from frazzled eclipse chasers. I ultimately decided on the little town of Clinton, Arkansas, sufficiently off the beaten path to avoid traffic and price gouging but still precisely within the path of totality. I located a hotel only 1.3 miles north of eclipse centerline and managed to get perhaps three hours of sleep before setting up my gear in the hotel parking lot. Several amateur astronomers apparently had the same idea and were also setting up telescopes. A crowd of onlookers began to form, amusingly including people who had no idea
and solutions. Throughout this process, we engaged with our legal counsel, state and federal agencies, and… enlisted the assistance of our personnel and finance departments.” “With the ambush announcement by Chair County Commissioner Lori Zoller and backed by Commissioner Jacob Anderson,” Songer said in his statement Saturday, “I conducted my own investigation into [their] level of negotiations with NORCOR to house our inmates. “With decades of investigative experience, it did not take long to find the truth,” Songer continued. He said on Wednesday, April 10, “I contacted two law enforcement board members of NORCOR. They informed me that contact from our two commissioners, originating about March 20, was rather casual conversations with no commitment from NORCOR. They further informed me of the expenses which more than evaporate the claims of financial benefits of using NORCOR. Additionally, they gave multiple situations NORCOR could decline to take certain prisoners, further stating it could easily take six months for an agreement to reach a function-
over Bickleton Highway between mileposts 12-13. During construction, contractor crews will use a temporary traffic signal to safely guide travelers through the work zone. The signal will function like a regular traffic light, letting multiple vehicles pass through the intersection simultaneously when it’s on. Flaggers will be on site to direct traffic during the tem-
porary traffic signal installation and intermittently throughout the duration of the project. Travelers should expect delays of up to 20 minutes when flaggers are present. The project will rehabilitate the concrete deck of the US 97 bridge over Bickleton Highway. This work includes repairing damaged driving surface areas, overlaying the decks with fresh
concrete, and replacing guardrail. This critical repair work will preserve the integrity of the bridge and provide a smoother ride for all travelers. This project is estimated to be completed in June. To keep both travelers and workers safe, people are asked to slow down, pay attention, and use caution throughout the work zone.
The Goldendale City Council moved quickly through several issues at their April 15 meeting. Among them was news that Goldendale will get an electric vehicle charging station. Energy Northwest, based in Richland, joined with the city to apply for a grant from the Washington State Department of Commerce for the project. The city will administer the $278,000 grant to install one Level 2 and one Level 3 Direct Current Fast Charger at the Town House Cafe, 1040 East Broadway, with easy access from Highway 97. It’s part of a plan by Commerce to encourage travel on SR 14 and Highway 97 by adding stations in Bingen and Stevenson as well. The good news for the city is that Energy Northwest will bill and operate the charging stations, including providing the 10 percent local match of $27,800. The agreement with the company runs for five years, and, like the energy itself, is renewable. The vote was not unanimous, as Councilor Steve Johnston voted nay. He said he opposes the state investing taxpayer funds for such projects when he feels there are more pressing needs. Councilors did table a proposed agreement between the city and the Central Klickitat Conservation District to perform fuel reduction, including removal of dead wood and appropriate thinning and trimming on Observatory Hill. The motion to table the matter until the next meeting was due to Councilor Loren Meagher’s absence at the meeting. He is executive director of the conservation district, and councilors had a few questions on the project. Rick Lundin presented a request to authorize a grant application for funds to widen the runway at the municipal airport from 40 feet to 60 feet. Originally, he said, plans were to ask for $785,000 for the project, but he reported that they decided to reduce the request to $360,000 to get started on engineering design and wetland mitigation. Councilor Johnston said the airport only served “less than one-tenth of
See City page A8