Headlines & History since 1879 Goldendale, Washington
WEDNESDAY, MARCH 4, 2026
Flagpole is approved Rodger Nichols For The Sentinel
There’s a new tourist attraction in the works for Klickitat County. By a two to one vote at their February 24 meeting, Klickitat County commissioners voted to allow local businessman Ty Ross to put a giant American flag on a 200-foot flagpole on the lawn in front of the county courthouse in Goldendale. A number of people crowded into the commission meeting room to testify about the project. Most were strongly in favor of the project; a few raised questions. Here’s a sampler of the testimony: Andy Kallanin: “I’m running for county commissioner, and when I’m elected this November and I take office next year, I would donate my first month’s paycheck to the maintenance fund of this flag and a portion of my salary for the rest of the term.” Theresa Babler: “I’m against this. That does not mean I’m not patriotic. I was held at gun point in Russia when I was 16 years old. I came out of that being probably one of the most patriotic people that there are. That flag that’s out there on the courthouse lawn now is very patriotic to me. It doesn’t need to be 200 feet tall and however big for me to be patriotic.” Susan Marlowe: “I’m a retired teacher, so I went right to the kids. We had 13 votes yes, and two
votes no. One no was, ‘What if it gets struck by lightning?’ And the other one was, ‘What if the wind blows it over?’ The 13 opinions for the flag were the flag would represent us loving America. And this is out of the mouths of babes.” Andrew Smith: “I did talk to some old timers here. When that old courthouse was taken down, it sounds like they just buried everything, and it’s unsafe. Who knows what’s buried down in there? So I don’t know if anybody did any preliminary scanning of the ground to see where they’re at, but I was told it’s highly dangerous down there. So maybe we can move the flagpole to the high school here in Goldendale.” Klickitat County Sheriff Bob Songer: “It’s paid for, it’s not out of the budget. A man and his wife stepped up to pay for this and put aside a fund to pay for it. You’ve got the American Legion who’s willing to jump in [with support]. There is no God-given reason why you should not vote for this.” What likely tipped it into acceptance was a pledge of continued support by the Ross Foundation. Riley Ross read a statement that said in part: “We are proud to formally commit that the Ross Foundation will assume responsibility for all ongoing maintenance costs associated with the flagpole, including structural upkeep, lighting, and flag replacement. Our in-
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Brooks planting trees in fire scars Lorrie Fox For The Sentinel The path of the 2011 Monastery Fire is still visible as it cuts left through the Brooks group camp area just past the entrance to Brooks Memorial State Park when driving south on Highway 97. The fire burned approximately 75 acres, primarily affecting the park’s group camp and retreat center, which had been shaded by mature trees. Fifteen years later, park staff are preparing to plant about 1,200 trees across a seven-acre stretch marked by grasses, forbs (herbaceous plants other than grasses), and lingering gray patches of recovery. Leading the effort is Washington State Park Ranger Aaron Ricker, who says currently about six Washington State Parks staff members are available to do the planting. At an estimated 10 to 15 trees per person per hour, it would take at least 80 hours to get them all in the ground. “One of the challenges we’re facing is accomplishing this planting project in a timely manner. That’s why we’re asking for help from the community,” Ricker said. “Many hands make light work.” The plan itself has been months in the making. A Washington State Parks natural resource specialist developed and refined it, adjusting species, volume, and
coverage to give the project its best chance of success. Yet competition for resources is already underway in the area. Some plant life has returned since the fire, but much of the ground remains open and vulnerable. The intent is to stick with tree varieties indigenous to the area. Most of the trees will be bare-root Ponderosa pine, with some Douglas maple and quaking aspen, and more mature trees will be planted closer to the group camp to provide shade in the near future. “We’re trying to reestablish the native flora and improve the recreational enjoyment of the area,” Ricker said. The new trees will eventually fill space, provide safer habitat for deer and gray squirrels, serve as a sound break from highway traffic, and gradually restore the visual character of the park. Still, recovery won’t be immediate. “We want to see an immediate return on our investment,” Ricker acknowledged. “But that’s just not the way nature works. We have to be patient and learn to enjoy the process.” There are no guarantees in forest work, he noted. Even with natural irrigation in the area and plans to build additional infrastructure to help young trees get established, staff anticipate as much as a 50 percent mortality rate. Of the 1,200 trees planted, perhaps 600 may survive long
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Vol. 147 No. 9
$1.00
EXCELLENT SEASON: Goldendale High School wrestlers had an outstanding season this year.
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GHS wrestlers shine at state championship Brock Warrener For The Sentinel February 19 and 20, the center of the high school sports world in Washington was located at the Tacoma Dome as the Washington high school wrestling state championships—Mat Classic XXXVII—took place. The Goldendale High School Wrestling team brought 12 players to represent their hometown, coaches, and parents in an attempt to achieve their own mat dreams and get to climb to the top step of the podium as a state champion. It was a dream Mathew Gray demonstrated to his community and teammates the past two years. This year he was a spectator as his brother, Jacob Gray, and teammates got to compete to see if Goldendale would bring home another championship. Goldendale wrestling has quietly become the envy of many wrestling programs in Washington. Chris Williams, alumni of Goldendale High School, took over as the head coach at GHS seven years ago. This year marked the fourth consecutive year Goldendale has finished as a top ten team in state. His assistant coaches are James Barnes, Chris Visser, and Bill Campbell. He is supported by his wife Rachele who is the ultimate Mat Mom and works tirelessly behind the scenes supporting everything from communications to painting the bus heading to
state. Chris credits that without Rachele, none of this would be possible. Together they started Goldendale Grapplers, the youth wrestling program, nine years ago. Many of the original Grapplers medaled at this year’s Mat Classic. Two players of those original Grapplers were junior Rydell Myers and sophomore Olivia Myers who were the next Goldendale wrestlers to compete in the state championship matches. The Myers brother and sister worked their way through their brackets, creating one of the most intense moments of the whole weekend. They stepped onto their respective mats at the exact same time for their semifinal championship bouts. Lucky for their family, their mats were adjacent to each other in a dome filled with 24 wrestling mats. Their mom, Brandy Myers, recalls being on the edge of her seat squeezing the poor fan’s shoulders in front of her, not sure where to look—left, then right, right and then left, depending on the position the kids were in. “It was wild, it was wild! It was one of those lifetime moments and I wasn’t going to miss a moment,” Brandy said. Fortunately for the blood pressure of her family watching, Olivia Myers did what she does best and achieved a pin with 7 seconds remaining in the first round, something she has done to her teammates and boys and
girls around the state the past seven years of her life. Upon finishing the match Olivia, dropped to her knees, crying happy tears knowing her dream was one match away from a 110lb State Championship. Rydell’s match would go the distance, a full three rounds of two minutes each. Myers was in control the whole match and built up a sizeable lead. However, there is never a match where any lead is safe. He stayed in the moment and finished his opponent by points, 14-3, earning the opportunity to compete for the 132lb title. Other Goldendale wrestlers to make their way to the semifinal championship were junior Aidan Minne at 150 lbs and sophomore Max Wirshup at 190 lbs. Minne was matched up against the defending state champion from Tonasket, while Wirshup took on an athlete from Kittitas who became the state champion later that night. Minne battled valiantly but lost the semifinal and wound up taking 6th place, improving from his 8th place finish in 2025. Wirshup would also lose his semifinal but through grit and determination would end the night with a 3rd place medal around his neck. Senior Brielle Starr was back at the Mat Classic after her exciting 2nd place finish in 2025. The tournament didn’t quite turn out the way she had envisioned
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Wolves go to 20 and 3 Alicia Hatfield For The Sentinel
The Timberwolves delivered an outstanding road performance recently, defeating Bridgeport 69-61 to improve their impressive record to 20-3 in a loser outgame. Playing away from home at Bridgeport, the team showed tremendous resilience and clutch shooting when it mattered most, using balanced scoring and timely three-point shooting to secure the victory. The game featured multiple momentum swings and lead changes, with both teams trading runs throughout the contest. After Seth Wilder got the Wolves off to a quick start with 10 first-quarter points, Bridgeport responded with scoring streaks of 8 points in the first quarter and 9 points early in the second. The Wolves found themselves trailing 29-28 at halftime, but the third quarter belonged to their sharp-shooting guards. Caden Fahlencamp sparked a crucial turnaround with back-to-back three-pointers, contributing 8 points in the quarter as the Wolves took a 45-41 lead
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HARD DRIVING: Goldendale was on fire at Bridgeport, winning 69-61. into the final period. The fourth quarter was a thrilling back-and-forth battle with seven lead changes and two ties. With the game knotted at 59-59 late in the contest, the Wolves’ veteran leadership shined through. Seth Wilder put them ahead with a clutch basket, then Brody Hatfield took over with three consecutive three-pointers in the final minutes, scoring 6 straight points to give the Wolves breathing room at 67-59. Seth Wilder led all scorers with an efficient 20-point performance, shooting an outstanding 69% from the field (9-13) and
perfect from the free-throw line (2-2). Brody Hatfield provided the game-winning heroics with 17 points, including five three-pointers on 62% shooting from beyond the arc. Caden Fahlencamp added 11 crucial points on excellent 67% field goal shooting, hitting 3 of 5 threepoint attempts. Grant Hatfield chipped in 9 points and was perfect from the free-throw line (3-3), while Chris Mckune contributed 4 points in key moments. The victory showcased the team’s depth, composure under pressure, and ability to win tough road games
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