Letters to the Editor for January 14, 2012

He negotiated most of the thrilling ride, managing to jump at just the right time to avoid the jagged boulders near the water's edge. He grimaced while grabbing the baseball mitt off his handlebars and swatted at the bug still sucking blood from his fresh wound.

He'd heard rumors about a new breed of giant mosquitoes infesting the soggy 37-mile expanse of bat-free canyon. The bats, it was argued, had vacated shortly after the wind turbines began rotating on the upper ridge, reducing their sonar abilities and increasing their blood pressure to painful levels. Unable to track prey, they suddenly became victims of the new breed of super mosquito.

Nathan cried out for help, weeping as he crawled back up the muddy slope. He heard the shouts of a fisherman coming from around a bend in the shallow creek. He turned toward the shouting and saw a man pointing up at the sky.

"Run! Run!" the man said, gesturing toward a thick cloud of mosquitoes approaching from upriver. Panicked beyond belief, Nathan turned back and began to run as the mosquitoes engulfed the fisherman. He heard the horrible screams and stumbled, sliding back down the slippery slope into a few inches of water, gasping in pain as the mosquitoes began to feed.

To be continued?

Mike Caldwell

Hood River

It was not meant to be

The proposed casino for Cascade Locks is not going to happen. Many thanks go out to the port commission for not allowing a fourth extension of the lease option by the Confederated Tribes of the Warm Springs.

This started 12 years ago and the land has sat empty all this time. It is a prime piece of property on which the city has not been able collect any taxes, or attract attention to this area.

Some people would say that could have been the casino. However, if the land were to be taken into trust, for the Tribes, there would be no taxes paid. The Tribes could not promise when they would build or if; therefore it was a good decision.

There are those who are upset with the commission and had the audacity to threaten recall. All I have to say is get over it. Help find other companies willing to come to the city and the port. Believe it or not, there are companies who were not interested in owning a business in a casino town.

I also want to thank all of the folks who fought the casino coming to town. There are too many to list, but they recognized the bad fit of a casino in the Gorge and the dangers to the environment.

Carol Taylor

Cascade Locks