HEADLINES & HISTORY SINCE 1879 Goldendale, Washington
WEDNESDAY, JUNE 11, 2025
Vol. 146 No. 24
Nuisance dogs out of hand in city MELISSA UHLES FOR THE SENTINEL
A frequent complaint in Goldendale and the surrounding areas seems to be dogs that get loose and terrorize citizens or livestock. Another issue when it comes to dogs was mentioned in a recent email to the Sentinel. An anonymous source was having a sustained problem with a neighbor’s dog that constantly barks. This person had not found a satisfying resolution to the problem. The inference was that although there are laws in place, it wasn’t clear if they were enforced, or if legal action on their part would need to be taken. The cost of hiring a lawyer was a concern. The question was raised if this is a universal issue for most residents in the county. That said, the following information should help inform read-
CONTRIBUTED
DOGS RUNNING AMOK: Goldendale and parts of Klickitat County have seen dogs left unattended on the streets by owners, often causing distress to residents and other animals. ers of what should be done when dogs become a nuisance in one way or another. After reaching out to the Goldendale Police Department (GPD) to ask about loose dogs and those that continually bark, I received the following response from the
GPD admin: “There is a noise ordinance in place. The number to call is (509) 773-4545 or 911 for any noise ordinance, including a barking dog or a dangerous dog situation. The Goldendale Police Department enforces both dangerous dog complaints and noise
complaints. If there are residents outside city limits, again the number is (509) 773-4545. We do not currently have an animal shelter. We have a contract with our local veterinarian clinic when the Goldendale Police Department impounds a dangerous dog.”
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While most larger urban areas have an animal shelter, Goldendale doesn’t. In a 2021 Sentinel article, Diane Jessup wrote about Dogs of the Gorge, a private shelter whose ties were severed from the city of Goldendale in 2020. Unacceptable conditions at this shelter led to this decision. Currently, the only solution is to call the non-emergency line and hope for a satisfying resolution. Of course, if someone knows the dog’s owner, they may be able to try to reach out and solve the issue in a way that works for both parties. There is another last resort solution. According to RCW 16.08.020, if livestock have been injured or killed by loose dogs, the owner may take lethal measures against the dog to ensure it doesn’t happen again. Following is the exact wording of the law: “It shall be lawful for any person who shall see any dog or dogs chasing, biting, injuring or killing any sheep, swine or other domestic animal, including poultry, belonging to such person, on any real property owned or leased by, or under the control of, such person, or on any public highway, to kill such dog or dogs, and it shall be the duty of the owner or keeper of any dog or dogs so
See Dogs page A8
Snyder files Motion to Reconsider LOU MARZELES EDITOR Michael Snyder, plaintiff in a high-visibility defamation suit against three Goldendale individuals, has filed a Motion for Reconsideration in his case. His initial suit, filed against Darlene Williamson, Amanda Derschon, and Leandra Kessinger, was dismissed in Klickitat County Superior Court on March 12 this year based on the judge’s determination that Snyder’s case did not sufficiently meet admissible criteria. Judge Randall Krog has since agreed to reconsider several issues Snyder raised. The court also recently grant-
ed an emergency motion by Snyder to have the court consider new evidence. Snyder’s Motion for Reconsideration was a formal request to the court to re-examine a decision. It’s used when the person filing believes the court’s decision was legally incorrect or they have newly discovered evidence. The motion outlines specific reasons Snyder asked the court to reconsider its previous order. The reasons were based on Snyder’s belief that the previous order was incorrect, particularly regarding the court’s findings about the defendants’ involvement and the nature of certain statements made. Snyder relied
on Civil Rule 59(a) as the legal basis for the motion. That rule provides that a verdict may be vacated and a new trial granted if certain criteria are met. Some key points raised by Snyder in the motion include: • Arguments that the defendants (Leandra June Kessinger, Darlene Williamson, and Amanda Derschon) were administrators of the “Beware of Starcade Pizza Owner” Facebook group, citing admissions by the defendants themselves and other evidence. (The court initially found no basis to determine the defendants were administrators of the site.)
See Snyder page A8
CONTRIBUTED
PERSONAL INITIATIVE: Klickitat High School senior Auni Lester, left, and friend Oriona Atchley helped ramp up mobile medical services for their town.
Students take action on medical need JORDAN MAYBERRY FOR THE SENTINEL
LOU MARZELES
PLEASANT PICKERS: The world may be in turmoil elsewhere, but all was peace, lilting tunes, and comaraderie at last weekend’s 10th annual Pickers Festival.
State’s long-term healthcare program nears liftoff JERRY CORNFIELD WASHINGTON STATE STANDARD A year from now, Washington will launch the nation’s first fullscale effort to help the state’s workforce afford long-term care and services as they age. Etched into law in 2019, the public long-term care insurance program known as WA Cares
survived an attempt to torpedo it at the ballot box last year. Already, $2 billion in tax collections have been banked in the program’s trust fund through the end of March. Lawmakers continue to finetune the program ahead of its rollout next summer. This past legislative session brought revisions intended to
welcome back thousands of people who opted out of the program and to unite the state-run, worker-funded entitlement with private long-term care insurers. “It’s a test case for the nation. It’s going to be amazing when we roll it out,” said Cathy Knight, state director of the Washington Association of Area Agencies on
See Care page A8
In the rural town of Klickitat, Washington, access to healthcare is a persistent challenge. With the nearest clinic located 22 miles away, many residents struggle to receive even basic medical services. Klickitat High School senior Auni Lester saw the need and decided to take action. After hearing from an acquaintance about La Clinica, a mobile medical clinic operated by One Community Health that serves rural communities across the Columbia Gorge, Lester paid a visit to its stop in nearby Lyle. “They told me about the mobile clinic coming to Lyle, so I drove down one of the days it was there,” she says. “I talked to Middy [Tighlman] and a few of the other people who worked there and saw how they got it started and how they got it planned.” After interfacing with the La Clinica, Lester had the idea for the clinic to visit her own community in Klickitat, and in late 2024 her plans went into motion “I started planning in October, but I started advertising in December,” Lester recounts. After only one month of advertising, the mobile clinic made its first visit to the community in January of 2025. Lester’s classmate, Oriona Atchley, joined in on the project, and eventually contributed to the mobile clinic’s visits by participating in job shadowing during its operation, learning its processes by close observation. La Clinica is staffed by three healthcare professionals, including a Family Nurse Practitioner (FNP), a Licensed Practical Nurse, and a Certified Community Health Worker. Services offered are wide-ranging and supplement communities without immediate access. They are open to the public regardless of income, age, or insurance status. La Clinica’s FNP, Middy Tighlman, was an important contact in realizing Lester’s project.
Lester’s interest in medicine dates back to her early youth, a calling that seemed inevitable as it was inexplicable. “Since kindergarten, I’ve always wanted to work with medicine,” she recalls. “I didn’t really know specifically what, but my dad always bought me health books, and I learned about anatomy. That’s something I’ve always really enjoyed.” It was not just her book knowledge that motivated this project; the places she’s visited also guided her toward this need, “My family and I have been able to travel a lot and see different places—especially living here, too, recognizing the need in impoverished areas with limited access,” Lester says. “That has really motivated me to get on that career path.” Lester has called Klickitat home going on five years, with the majority of her prior life spent in urban locations in which she was able to see the contrast in healthcare availability between the two areas. “I was able to recognize those parallels of access and then see how limited it was here,” she states. Not only is distance a problem but so is means of transport, as Lester observes: “A lot of people here have limited access to transportation, and so it’s really hard to get appointments and then even just go to the emergency room without an ambulance.” La Clinica watches community response in visited locations to assess whether consistent visits are necessary, often visiting at least three times at a rate of once per month. Since introducing Klickitat to their rotation as part of Lester’s efforts, La Clinica has received a warm reception. “Our town was able to get a positive response and take advantage of that, so now they’re able to come more,” Lester says, with the mobile clinic planning to make monthly visits for the foreseeable future. The success of this project marks only the beginning for both Atchley and Lester’s journey into
See Clinica page A8