Your Voice: June 17, 2026

The posted average taxi rate per mile was estimated at $2.50- $3/per mile for a round trip of five miles. We were taken by surprise when, at the conclusion of our five-mile round trip, that the two of us were charged a total of $50, with the average rate doubled to $5/mile/person.

We are also from a small town (with a population of 16,000) people, but have never been charged double the average rate per mile for use of such transportation. In addition, in our community, we have a senior citizen public transportation program, the Sunshine Van, which provides a lower rate for local residents on a fixed income through our local parks and recreation program.

You have been blessed with the natural beauty of the mountains and river, as well as many local businesses that promote the skilled works of local artists. We were not enticed to contribute any additional money to your local economy since we had already spent $85 for the prescription and taxi service, especially when that taxi service doubled its average rate per mile for a couple of senior citizens on a fixed income.

What a way to remember our 45th wedding anniversary celebration in Mount Hood, Oregon!

Brad and Sue Mullendore

Crawfordsville, Indiana

Support the Yakama Nation

I support the Yakama Nation in stopping the project by Rye Development of the pumped storage on the Pushpum land in the northern Columbia River area near Goldendale. This land is vital to the Nation and cannot be “replaced” by any mitigation terms. Why do we have to keep taking things away from the tribes that are sacred to their people? Certainly, there are other options in our vast region to locate these reservoirs? Just as Greenland is precious to Denmark, so too are the Native lands to our tribes!

Leslie Trabant

White Salmon

For Christopher

It is time for a fresh perspective and accountability; after 36 years with the same commissioner for District 1, it’s time for a change. Dan Christopher will bring new oversight and transparency, reducing the risk of entrenched habits or unexamined practices. Dan is a proven community leader committed to fighting for affordable electricity and transparent rates, seeing that local control is a priority. Bring fiscal responsibility and honest communication to the ratepayers. Dan believes that, as commissioners, the number one job is to improve the service in every aspect, while also listening to the ratepayers and addressing their concerns. To be accessible to neighbors and small businesses who need answers. Dan is well qualified and ready to serve Klickitat County as your PUD Commissioner District 1. Vote for Dan Christopher as your next PUD Commissioner.

Delmer Eldred

Goldendale

Vote Duresky in August

My congressman, Dan Newhouse, cast the deciding vote June 9 to pass the “Secure America Act,” which became law with the president’s signature the following day. This act provides $70 billion over three years to U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE). It adds to the $74 billion in direct funding for ICE included in the H.R.1 bill last fall. Congressional leadership used the budget reconciliation process for both bills to blunt the right to filibuster in the Senate.

Single-year funding for ICE stalled in Congress over reforms to immigration enforcement, such as requiring federal officers to have visible identification, requiring a warrant to enter private homes, and revising the use-of-force standards that have led to injuries and deaths. The “Secure America Act” does nothing to address these reforms. The “Secure America Act” does nothing to address the unacceptable conditions of many ICE internment facilities. More than 50 people have died in ICE or CBP custody over the past year.

The “Secure America Act,” unlike the fiscal year funding, provides three years of funding in a lump sum with effectively no enforceable accountability provisions. This removes Congress’s ability to conduct regular oversight, adjust funding based on performance, or respond to emerging abuses. It represents the abdication of congressional responsibility over both appropriations and executive branch accountability.

The “Secure America Act” passed the House by one vote. Dan Newhouse’s vote.

John Duresky, candidate to replace Newhouse in Congress, has said, “We can enforce the law without abandoning our values. We can secure the border without dehumanizing people. And we can build an immigration system that respects both order and human dignity. That’s the balance I will fight for in Congress.”

In the Washington primary this August, vote for balance. Vote for John Duresky.

David Anderson

White Salmon