Opinion

Unfettered access to guns has made all Americans less safe

117,345 — the average number of Americans shot by guns each year. 40,620 — the average number of Americans killed by gun violence each year. 7,957 — the average number of U.S. children 17 and younger shot by guns each year.1,839 — the average number of U.S. children 17 and younger killed by guns each year. 547 — the average number of U.S. women killed by gun violence perpetrated by their husband or male dating partner. 132 — the number of mass shootings that have taken place in the U.S. so far this year. 209 — the number of people killed in U.S. mass shootings in 2023.

Skilled worker shortage could derail push to ‘electrify everything’

In the race to “electrify everything” there are glitches which may derail the plan over the next 20 years. One is a shortage of skilled electrical workers needed to rewire homes, make grid modifications, and install new electrical capacity.

Letters to the Editor for April 6, 2023

In support of local school bonds, levies

IPCC warning is clear: change now or face climate catastrophes

The odds are against us. That is the bottom line in the latest IPCC report of the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC) on global warming, the most comprehensive scientific report to date. Once again we are told that 2030 is the year of living dangerously — when humanity must cut greenhouse gas emissions in half, and then proceed to stop them altogether by 2050.

Let’s tell the truth about those big, bad wolves

The return of wolves to the West has always been contentious, and the deaths last fall of more than 40 cattle in western Colorado really alarmed ranchers. But here’s the true story: Wolves did not kill those cattle found dead near Meeker.

State of the ECFR District: The Year of the Nakia Creek Fire

Every year since 2015, East County Fire & Rescue (ECFR)’s board chair has submitted this column as a special outreach to our citizens, as well as those in the areas we provide mutual aid (Camas, Washougal, Skamania County, Vancouver, etc.) This year is one to start out with the following warning: “Buckle up, it’s going to be a bumpy ride!”

Letters to the Editor for March 9, 2023

Keep Washougal a stable community, vote ‘yes’ to WSD’s replacement levies

To ‘deal with’ homelessness, first address root causes

Homelessness “is an issue that we’re going to have to continue to deal with,” Washougal Mayor David Stuebe told members of the Washougal City Council during a recent Council workshop.

Backcountry adventurers know they’re taking chances

Six people have died in avalanches in the United States since the snow started to fly this fall. Every year, an average of 27 people —skiers, snowboarders, snowmobilers, snowshoers — die this way.

Letters to the Editor for March 2, 2023

WHS grad urges voters to ‘do the right thing,’ approve school levies