Headlines & History since 1879 Goldendale, Washington
WEDNESDAY, FEBRUARY 25, 2026
Vol. 147 No. 8
DNR hosts meeting here tonight
Passionate arguments made at FVRL meeting Paul Valencia Clark County Today A standing room only crowd gathered February 17 at the monthly meeting of the Fort Vancouver Regional Libraries Board of Trustees, with many people stepping up during public comment to discuss the new language in the board’s Vision, Mission, Values, and Priority Statements for its Strategic Plan. Those on the right of the political aisle showed up to thank and praise the trustees who last month voted to soften language on its strategic plan statements. Those speakers also appreciated that the board agreed to adapt procedures regarding intellectual freedom, and therefore, in their opinion, protect children. Many more from the left gathered to show their disappointment in the trustees for “removing equity” from the mission statement and describing the intellectual freedom caveat as “censorship.” The meeting took place in a conference room at Cascade Park Community Library in east Vancouver. Some on the right wore T-shirts stating “Keep the library safe for our children.” Many on the left brought signs, requesting to “Build a Better Board.” Gary Wilson, who is an elected school board member with Evergreen Public Schools, spoke during public comment. He noted that while adults should have access to all materials in the library, “when it comes to children, we should protect them.” He said 6-year-olds cannot go to a movie theater and walk into an R-rated movie on their own. “Someone has to be the adult in the room and help guide them,” Wilson said. “Likewise, (children) shouldn’t be able to access similar content here in the library without parents or guardians approving that.” He held up a stack of papers, noting that he has close to 5,000 signatures from Fort Vancouver Regional Libraries residents who are “in favor of protecting our children in our libraries.” (Interestingly, he brought those signatures to the Clark County Council on Wednesday. More on that exchange below.) To the trustees who agreed last month to make changes, Wilson said: “I appreciate you stepping back, looking at the strategic plan, and protecting the children.” Jamie Bair spoke on behalf of the American Federation of State, County, and Municipal Employees, local 307L. She said the board adopted language that had not been shared or reviewed by the public, and that the board removed equity and equitable access from the library’s mission, vision, and values “despite overwhelming public support to retain that language.” “They also reframed intellectual freedom through the lens of parental rights, undermining a core public library principle. … These actions have raised serious concerns across Southwest Washington.” Among the changes, the plan went from “we champion equitable access to literacy and lifelong learning …” to replacing equitable access with “we champion fair and inclusive access to literacy …”
See FVRL page B1
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Courtesy Troy Carpenter, Goldendale Observatory
SPECTACULAR: The March 13, 2025, total lunar eclipse taken from the Goldendale Observatory.
Total lunar eclipse comes next week Goldendale Observatory Administrator Troy Carpenter sends us this: In 2026, there will be two Lunar Eclipses worth seeing from the Pacific Northwest, and we respectfully encourage the public not to miss them, as we are not well-placed for another until the year 2033. The first occurs next week: A total lunar eclipse on early Tuesday morning, March 3. From our
time zone, the entire eclipse falls after midnight, from 12:44 a.m. to 6:23 a.m. with maximum eclipse at 3:33 a.m. Goldendale Observatory will be open for drop-in visitors from 1 a.m. to 6 a.m. that morning. Visitors will have the opportunity to view the eclipsed moon and other space objects through multiple telescopes. Due to early hours and cold temperatures, we do not expect the facility to fill up, and reservations are not
required. All necessary visitor details can be found on the Special Events and Visit pages at GoldendaleObservatory.com. And if anyone misses the event next week, they’ll have one more chance on the evening of Thursday, August 27, when an almost total eclipse (96.2%) occurs during the regularly scheduled evening program. Reservations will be required.
Image generated by ChatGPT
The winter that never was Jordan Mayberry For The Sentinel Friday, a light but steady snowfall settled over Goldendale, lasting most of the day. By most measures, it was modest. Yet for many residents, it arrived with visible relief. It marked the first meaningful snow of the 2025–2026 winter season, and it came as winter itself was beginning to recede. After months of unusual mildness, the flakes felt less like decoration and more like reassurance. The subdued winter has prompted growing discussion about both its causes and its consequences. In a recent statement, the Washington State Climate Office acknowledged the public mood: “Some may feel a sense of dejà vu as they recall our eerily similar dry streak in January 2025.” While the season has been notably mild, officials emphasized that it has not been without precedent. “While these mid-winter dry streaks are atypical, they were not quite record-breaking in either year.” The office pointed to comparable dry periods within the past decade. Conditions have varied sharply across the state. Some coastal communities saw near-normal precipitation totals. Hoquiam measured 84 percent of average rainfall, while parts of Whatcom and Skagit counties approached typical levels, including 96 percent of normal precipitation in Bellingham. The data underscores a widening regional divide. “For the water year as a whole,
which began on October 1, 2025, precipitation has been above normal in the Cascades, especially the northern and northeastern slopes,” the Climate Office noted. By contrast, deficits persist across much of eastern Washington, including Klickitat County. “Water year precipitation has fallen behind normal near Yakima on the southeast slopes of the Cascades, and near Walla Walla and the Blue Mountains.” Beyond rainfall totals lies a deeper concern: snowpack. Elevated temperatures have curtailed accumulation across lower elevations. “Temperatures in January 2026 were warmer than normal almost everywhere in the state,” the statement reported. Across the Columbia Basin, readings ran 2 to 4 degrees Fahrenheit above average, including +4.5°F in Omak and +3.0°F in Ephrata. Spokane recorded temperatures +2.4°F above normal. In a typical year, variation hovers closer to 0.5 to 1°F. A deviation of 3°F or more constitutes a significant anomaly, particularly in winter, when small shifts can determine whether precipitation falls as rain or snow. Temperature inversions complicated the pattern, allowing cooler overnight lows in some low-lying areas. Western Washington saw pockets of near-normal readings, including +0.9°F in Olympia and -0.6°F at Vancouver Airport, as well as stretches along the lower Columbia Gorge. A monthly assessment from the National Integrated Drought In-
formation System (NIDIS) echoed the state findings. “A January dry spell resulted in most states receiving 50% or less of normal precipitation. Combined with above-normal temperatures and sunny days, this resulted in little snow accumulation and some snowmelt across the West.” January is typically the peak month for snowpack growth; diminished accumulation now can ripple through the rest of the year. Elevation has become a defining factor. “Warm temperatures have resulted in an elevational gradient to the snowpack,” the report stated. “Snow is present at higher elevations but has melted or is not present at lower elevations.” The absence of lowland snow cover carries practical consequences beyond aesthetics. “A lack of snow cover may lead to early drying of the landscape, which could result in a longer fire season or reduce runoff efficiency as snow melts.” Following an already active fire year, communities are wary of another prolonged season. Forecasters anticipate wetter-than-average conditions entering March in the Pacific Northwest. Still, caution remains. “However, warmer-than-normal temperatures are still favored for large parts of the West, which could further inhibit snowpack development,” the NIDIS report warned. Several dynamics likely contributed to the unusual season. Among them are Pacific moisture
See Snow page B1
The Department of Natural Resources (DNR) will host a public listening session in Goldendale today to gather input from community members, local emergency managers, building code officials, fire marshals, planners, and other interested stakeholders regarding wildfire hazard mapping and ratings as outlined in Senate Bill 6120. The meeting, called a Wildfire Hazard and Risk Mapping Public Listening Session, is this evening at 6 p.m. at the Klickitat County Services Building, Mt. Adams Room 100, 115 W. Court Street, in Goldendale. These listening sessions are taking place in 16 locations around Washington state. During each meeting, DNR will present a draft version of the statewide wildfire hazard map and invite public feedback. The session will include a project overview from subject-matter experts, an explanation of how the hazard map was developed, a discussion of community block aggregation, and an opportunity to provide input to inform the upcoming wildfire risk mapping phase. This meeting is intended to share preliminary mapping results and gather input to help refine the final products. The outcomes will support wildland-urban interface code adoption and implementation and serve as a practical planning tool for wildfire hazard mitigation and community resilience efforts. As directed by SB 6120, DNR has been leading the development of a Wildfire Hazard and Risk Mapping initiative to enhance wildfire preparedness by identifying areas at risk and providing general hazard assessments. The project began in February 2025 with regular meetings of a Steering Committee – comprised of agency staff, county fire marshals, insurance commissioners, and representatives of counties and cities across Washington – to figure out the best way to meet the needs of stakeholders across the state. The goal was to support communities, emergency responders and policymakers in reducing wildfire impacts across Washington by creating accessible and standardized wildfire hazard and risk information. For more information on listening session schedule and future locations, visit dnr. wa.gov/wildfire-resources/ wildfire-prevention/wildfirehazard-and-risk-mapping.
County hires Senior Services drivers Rodger Nichols For The Sentinel
The icicles of the Klickitat County hiring freeze dripped a bit more last week, when commissioners approved hiring some part-time bus drivers for public transit. Senior Services Director Sharon Carter told them that several drivers have procedures coming up, and others are nearing retirement. The positions are grant-funded, and leaving vacancies empty would not save money. In fact, she said, this was a case where hiring people would ac-
See County page B1