HAPPY THANKSGIVING! Goldendale, Washington
WEDNESDAY, NOVEMBER 26, 2025
Vol. 146 No. 48
$1.00
Are home insurance policies in the county being canceled? LORRIE FOX FOR THE SENTINEL
Whispers of home insurance cancellations—particularly in wildfire-prone areas—are rippling through Klickitat County, leaving renters and property owners scrambling for answers and sharing experiences on social media as local officials work to distinguish rumor from a broader retreat by insurers. Earlier this year, county officials launched an online Wildfire Property Insurance Survey to collect firsthand reports from residents who have experienced non-renewals, cancellations, or steep premium increases over the past 36 months. The survey is available at 2025 Klickitat County Wildfire Property Insurance Survey (via KCDEM) at the website https://tinyurl.com/ynrmayww. Preliminary reports suggest that some insurers are already
reducing their exposure to wildfire risk, leaving many homeowners uncertain about whether their coverage is secure. Homeowners and renters throughout Klickitat County have taken to social media to share their experiences—from sudden non-renewal notices to skyrocketing premiums. Some residents report spending weeks contacting multiple insurance providers, only to find limited options or policies with stricter terms. These first-hand accounts highlight the anxiety the county’s survey is intended to measure. Statewide, the Washington Office of the Insurance Commissioner (OIC) has issued a formal 2025 Nonrenewal and Cancellation Data Call, instructing insurers to report all policy non-renewals and cancellations, including those related to wildfire risk. While some homeowners can find alternative coverage,
many will pay higher premiums or agree to more restrictive policies. Klickitat County officials say the survey will help determine whether local experiences reflect these broader statewide trends, and it will help guide potential advocacy or support for affected residents. Many homeowners are also taking proactive steps to protect their property and their insurability. Creating defensible space, clearing brush, and following fire-safe landscaping guidelines can help reduce wildfire risk—and may influence how insurers assess a home. Residents are documenting communications with their insurance companies, exploring multiple carriers, and sharing experiences with neighbors to better understand their options in an uncertain market. As wildfire risk grows across Klickitat County, homeowners
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Community Thanksgiving Dinner tomorrow noon at Father’s House, 207 S. Klickitat, in Goldendale. To order for delivery or ask for a ride, call (509) 773-4719.
Holidays are the happiest time of the year for scammers Beware the too-good-to-be-true LOU MARZELES EDITOR As holiday shopping ramps up, consumer watchdogs are warning that online scams—especially those tied to social media ads— are becoming more sophisticated and more common. A recent report from AARP Magazine highlights how criminals are increasingly using artificial intelligence to create convincing ads, fake websites and even polished product reviews designed to separate shoppers from their money. “It often starts with casual scrolling,” said Melanie McGovern, spokesperson for the Better Business Bureau. “People see an attractive product, tap a button and buy without doing any homework.” With payment information stored on many smartphones, those few taps can be all it takes. And for more Americans, those taps are happening inside social media apps: according to Norton’s 2025 Cyber Safety Holiday Report, 54 percent of U.S. shoppers made purchases directly through social media ads last year, up sharply from the year before. Iskander Sanchez-Rola, Norton’s director of AI and innovation, said scammers are capitalizing on new technology. AI tools now allow criminals to generate photo-realistic images and videos for their fake storefronts—materials that not long ago would have been easy to spot as phony. They’re also using AI to ensure their bogus sites rank well in search results, a tactic experts call “AI content poisoning.” Kathy Stokes, who directs fraud prevention at the AARP Fraud Watch Network, said AI removes many of the telltale signs consumers once relied on: “Perfect grammar, perfect images, perfect contact information—AI smooths out every red flag.” Common scam tactics Fraud analysts say the following schemes are showing up most often: • Fake online stores. Some are entirely fabricated; others mimic well-known retailers using lookalike logos and URLs chosen to catch typographical errors. “It’s incredibly easy now to make a website look polished and credible,” said Jennifer Pitt, a cybersecurity and fraud analyst with Javelin. • Knockoff products or nothing at all. Some shoppers receive poor-quality replicas. Many get
no product whatsoever after payment is processed. • “Card declined” attacks. A newer scam: consumers are told their card was declined and asked to enter another form of payment. Both cards end up being charged. • Malware-planted links. Popup coupons, email offers or unfamiliar retail sites can contain malicious software that gives criminals access to personal data. Simply clicking the link can be enough to infect a device. Warning signs Consumer advocates are urging shoppers to pause when they encounter: • Prices significantly lower than major retailers • Hard-to-find items available only through one discounted seller • Requests for extra payments supposedly tied to “tariffs” • Overly glowing or repetitive customer reviews • Coupons or deals delivered by text, random email accounts or sponsored ads • Demands for payment by wire transfer, money order or gift card • Sites claiming an unusually long list of industry awards Protecting yourself Fraud experts offer several steps to reduce risk: 1. Go straight to known retailers. Avoid clicking sponsored search links, which scammers commonly purchase. 2. Check the seller’s reputation. Search the company name with words like “complaints” or “scam,” and review the BBB’s Scam Tracker. 3. Compare prices. If one site’s offer seems too good to be true, it likely is. 4. Scrutinize coupon emails. Odd spacing, long strings of numbers, or free email domains can indicate a fake offer. 5. Read return policies. Reputable companies provide clear, accessible customer service. 6. Limit what you share. A retailer needs no more than your payment info and shipping address. 7. Use a credit card. Credit cards provide the strongest fraud protections. If you’re a victim AARP urges victims to immediately report losses to local law enforcement and to the FBI’s Internet Crime Complaint Center. Shoppers should also contact their bank to halt payments and place fraud alerts on their accounts.
YOUTUBE
BE KIND, PLEASE REWIND: Of all the jobs that have disappeared, the one Washingtonians say they miss the most is a VCR repair person, according to a recent survey.
Jobs Washingtonians miss the most LOU MARZELES EDITOR Every year, the U.S. Department of Labor quietly sends a few more occupations off into the sunset—professions whose numbers have dwindled so low they no longer appear in federal employment counts. Past farewells have included blacksmiths, shoemakers, and film processors. The newest trade to join the “gone but not forgotten” list: breakfast cereal manufacturers. But with modern life increasingly shaped by automation and AI, one group wanted to know a different story: which disappearing jobs do people actually miss? A new survey from the website resume.io asked more than 3,000 Americans to name the work roles that once shaped everyday life but have now largely vanished from the landscape. For Washingtonians, the results paint a nostalgic portrait of quirky, analog jobs that added color—and sometimes chaos—to life before the digital age. Most missed jobs in Washington VHS repair technicians. Once the emergency surgeons
of living-room entertainment, these were the people who could rescue a tape tangled beyond recognition. They might even have prevented a few sibling disputes over a mangled copy of The Little Mermaid. Film developers. Long before photo filters and instant previews, these were the keepers of our awkward vacation memories. You waited three days to find out whether your eyes were closed in the family picture, and somehow that delay was part of the magic. Video-rental clerks. Part human algorithm, part neighborhood therapist. You walked in for an action flick and walked out with a rom-com because the clerk had a hunch you needed a good cry. Netflix recommendations have never had quite the same attitude. Bowling-alley pin-setters. Before machines took over, real people dodged balls and flying pins to reset the lanes. It was dangerous, low-paying, and—apparently—beloved in hindsight. Arcade attendants. The keepers of the neon kingdom. They fixed jammed machines, enforced pinball et-
iquette, and held the power to hand out that last precious prize ticket. Transcriptionists. Armed with fast fingers and saint-level patience, they turned mumbling dictation into polished prose. And unlike AI, they always caught sarcasm. Film projectionists. The invisible operators who transformed reels of film into two hours of escapism. If your first movie kiss happened under a flickering beam of light, they deserve some credit. Mall-kiosk salespeople. If you ever walked through a mall without making eye contact, you know why these extroverts made the list. Persistence, charisma, and a sample packet of lotion were the tools of their trade. Record-store clerks. The curators of cool. They knew every B-side ever pressed and weren’t shy about judging your taste. Millions of playlists later, people still miss them. Office relics people remember most The survey also asked Washingtonians which old-school
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EFSEC proposes power line under Columbia River RODGER NICHOLS
FOR THE SENTINEL
The Energy Facilities Site Evaluation Council (EFSEC) was back in Klickitat County last week. The agency held a public information meeting in White Salmon November 19 on a plan to run a high-voltage line from the Big Eddy substation outside The Dalles to a Pacific Gas & Electric (PGE) substation on the other side of Portland by burying
it in the silt at the bottom of the Columbia. The only parts of the line not in the river would be buried underground, including the five miles from the Big Eddy substation on Highway 197 to the river near The Dalles, a seven mile stretch around Bonneville Dam, buried in the right of way along SR 14, and where it emerges from the river on the other side of Portland to connect with a PGE substation and joins the north-
south transmission line serving the West Coast. The company behind the $1.5 billion dollar project, PowerBridge, LLC, has constructed similar underwater powerline projects in New York and New Jersey. Senior Vice President Chris Hocker explained that a barge carrying the cable lays it out with a piece of equipment called a hydroplow. “At the bottom of the hy-
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