HEADLINES & HISTORY SINCE 1879 Goldendale, Washington
WEDNESDAY, NOVEMBER 12, 2025
Vol. 146 No. 46
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County WIC funding sufficient only for a few weeks RODGER NICHOLS FOR THE SENTINEL
If the government shutdown continues much longer, it’s going to get all too real for some Klickitat County residents. Public Health Director Erinn Quinn explained at the November 4 Klickitat County Commissioners meeting that between the shutdown and federal cutbacks, the Women, Infants, and Children program known as WIC only has funding for a few weeks. “We have approximately 430 individuals involved in WIC,” Quinn said. “This program costs approximately $11,000 a month. The contract is October through September, the federal fiscal year. Our contract was going to be about $130,000. So far our contract amount for that period is $19,000. That would mean my program would run out of money, if nothing changes, potentially by the end of November.” On the positive side, Quinn reported that she had received a number of calls, some of whom identified themselves as “former WIC moms,” who offered the agency help and support. Also in the afternoon session, the board approved a bid for two 10-unit T-hangars at the Columbia Gorge Regional Airport, following approval by airport co-owner the City of The Dalles the night before. The winning bid of $2,289,750 was from HB Hansen Construction, Inc. of Lynden, Washington. Funding for the project came from a $1,690,000 grant from the Oregon Department of Transportation, plus a $360,000 loan from
The Dalles and $180,000 each from The Dalles and Klickitat County. There is a substantial waiting list for hangars, and the rental revenue will help the airport become financially sustaining. The board expressed support for the Senior Services department to apply for the Sandy Williams Connecting Communities Program grant to fund a bus shelter and improve safety in Wishram Heights. The grant application for the Wishram bus shelter was supported by the fact that Wishram is considered “one of the highest rated overburdened area on the map,” which gave the application a “pretty strong standing.”Safety was also a key justification for the proposed Wishram bus shelter grant, aiming to create safer crossings and access for transit riders. During the morning workshop session, commissioners heard from interim Economic Development Director Richard Foster that Klickitat County Public Development Authority (KCPDA) had decided to hire a consultant to develop policy recommendations on community benefit agreements for the county planning commission. Foster cited the proposed Goldendale pumped storage project as an example of a community benefit agreement: “They have a signed agreement with the labor unions up to provide 10 or 20 percent of all of their apprenticeship numbers to local community members here in Klickitat County,” he said. “It’s a phenomenal opportunity, having
an apprenticeship program, being able to go from apprenticeship up to journeyman on the same job site and local. That’s just an example of the kind of the things you can put into a community benefit agreement.” Commissioner Lori Zoller pushed back, expressing concern over allowing KCPDA, as an outside entity, to direct work for the Planning Commission. Since it’s an advisory body to the commissioners, she said any effort to direct its work should come internally from the commissioners to avoid jurisdictional confusion and maintain proper oversight. Ultimately, commissioners agreed to hold a workshop in December to review KCPDA’s draft RFP and discuss the proper legal and administrative process before moving such an initiative forward. The board and Public Works staff discussed and scheduled public hearings for the Six-Year Transportation Program for the first week of December, deciding on both an afternoon and an evening session in White Salmon to improve public access. They are tentatively set for December 2. The Public Works department reported that the cost of the special paint used for road striping had increased dramatically. “We used to do about a half the county a year; now we’re down to probably about a third,” Public Works director Jeff Hunter said. “And we’ve also changed our paint from oil base to a water-based paint, which doesn’t last as long and we’re still seeing cost increases.”
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JORDAN MAYBERRY
HELPING HAND: A representative of the Knights of Columbus speaks to the Goldendale Pregnancy Resource Center at its annual fundraising dinner.
The shifting landscape of SNAP benefits LORRIE FOX FOR THE SENTINEL
On Friday, November 7, Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP) benefits were distributed to Washington residents for November, despite the Supreme Court’s emergency ruling later that same day to halt them. As upcoming payments remain caught in a tug-of-war between state and federal policymakers, Klickitat County recipients—and the community members and organizations ready to help—brace for further sudden changes that could disrupt local families who depend on SNAP. Gov. Bob Ferguson announced
MELISSA UHLES FOR THE SENTINEL In reaction to the ongoing government shutdown, on November 3 Washington Gov. Bob Ferguson planned to redirect $2.2 million each week to food banks. This was to help bridge the gap when it looked like SNAP payments would be delayed. Then, on November 6, some Washington State residents on SNAP received their regular benefits, according to the Department of Social and Health Services (DSHS). Getting further clarity on Friday, Komo News reported that Ferguson said, “So far, households that were scheduled to receive their monthly benefits between November 1 and November 7 have received 100 percent of their SNAP benefits for November. That is more than 250,000 households across Washington. At this time, the remaining beneficiaries are expected to receive the entirety of their November food assistance on the date when those funds
on Friday, November 7, that more than 250,000 households in Washington scheduled to receive SNAP benefits between Nov. 1 and 7 have received their full November allotment. Remaining beneficiaries are expected to receive their benefits on their usual schedule. However, the Trump administration has appealed the federal court’s decision, leaving the future of SNAP funding uncertain. The Sentinel spoke with Jaymi Cunningham, who started a meal kit initiative called Feed the Neighborhood, via Messenger on Saturday: Sentinel: Are you still working on Feed the Neighborhood since it appears Washington
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are typically issued. However, the Trump Administration immediately asked the Court of Appeals to put the federal court’s decision on hold. The appeals decision is pending. In short, the future of these benefits remains uncertain.” Friday, November 7, also was the day Justice Ketanji Brown Jackson temporarily paused a lower court order that required the Trump administration to cover full SNAP benefits. The administration had already committed to using the program’s contingency fund to partially pay benefits, but the judge had ordered that the federal government commit to fully funding the program. The pause was temporary to enable the case to be reviewed. On Sunday, NBC News reported the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) said states that issued November’s SNAP benefits in full following the court decision should undo those distributions. Failure to comply could result in federal funding
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PRC holds successful fundraising dinner JORDAN MAYBERRY FOR THE SENTINEL The Goldendale Pregnancy Resource Center (PRC) held its annual donor banquet at the Grace Brethren Worship Hall on November 6. The event featured a Thanksgiving dinner, silent auction, and keynote speakers, marking the organization’s most successful banquet to date and one of its largest single-day fundraisers. Alongside the PRC’s Walk for Life, the donor banquet is a cornerstone of the center’s yearly fundraising efforts. This year’s theme, “Tropical Thanksgiving,” was embraced fully, with traditional holiday dishes served and guests donning Hawaiian attire. Lei necklaces were handed out to attendees as the evening began. The program included a year-inreview presentation, speeches from community members, and a silent auction featuring baked goods, crafts, and other items donated by locals. All auction proceeds went toward the PRC’s
general operating fund. A major focus of this year’s review was the center’s progress toward a long-term goal: the introduction of ultrasound services. Following a record fundraising year in 2024, when the PRC raised $192,000 and purchased a new facility, the organization began pursuing medical designation to allow limited obstetric ultrasound. “For over a year, we’ve been working on getting a medical designation in order to have the ultrasound machine,” said PRC staff member Karen Austin. “We needed to have a nurse and get her trained, we needed to get a medical director, and Dr. [Michael] Garnett has done that. Once we had all those things in place, we were then able to go to the Knights of Columbus, who have a program where they raise money to purchase the ultrasound machines and then give them to the Pregnancy Resource Center.” Although additional funds are still needed to qualify for the
Knights of Columbus’ donation program, Austin said the outlook is positive. “We haven’t received all the funding yet, but we’re getting there, and their check that night was a piece of that. One of our donors has already agreed to pay a part.” Funds raised from the banquet will support general operations, including staff, client services, and outreach. “It is a general fundraiser,” Austin explained. The PRC’s 2026 budget is projected at $93,425, encompassing facility maintenance, tithing, community outreach, and the ongoing ultrasound initiative. “A big part of our program is that we have a nurse, so part of the fund will go to that,” Austin added. “Also, a part will go to our client services.” Finding qualified medical personnel was a key step in making the ultrasound project possible. Nurse Cindy Benjamin and Garnett joined the team to meet Washington State’s medical re-
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LOU MARZELES EDITOR Lights are already twinkling in some windows around town, and Goldendale quietly shifts into its holiday rhythm. Before the big rush of December arrives, this is the season when the town’s heart picks up its pace—a time when giving becomes more evident even than normal, not through grand gestures but through simple acts of kindness that knit a community together.
Every year about this time, boxes begin appearing in familiar places around town. The Mitten Tree goes up in The Sentinel office, where it’s already collecting a plentitude of winter weather wear. These are the early signs of a local tradition: collecting food, coats, and toys for neighbors in need. It’s not driven by big campaigns or national headlines, just by the steady habit of small-town compassion. “This town never fails to show up,” says one volunteer at a local
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