Your voice

Every time I’m there with my son, I’m reminded how lucky we are to have a place that gets kids outside, moving, and cheering each other on. The pump track has become a heartbeat of youth energy in Hood River. I’m grateful to Parks and Rec for creating and maintaining such an awesome place for our kids.

Eddy Patricelli

Hood River

(Another) letter response

Again, I feel compelled to respond to a letter to the editor (“Democrats infected by TDS,” Feb. 11):

Firstly, if ignorance is bliss, then the MAGA faithful must be ecstatic. A bi-partisan group of lawmakers headed by GOP Sen. Lankford spent months crafting the most comprehensive immigration reform since Reagan, only to have it tanked by their orange master. Why, you might ask? Because he wanted to run on the ridiculous idea that Democrats want open borders and can only win elections by allowing undocumented immigrants to vote.

No Democrat or Independent wants hordes of needy people streaming into the U.S., straining our resources. The letter gave three gave excellent quoted examples of these policies. The difference between those administrations and the current administration is that the Democrats retained their fidelity to the Constitution, the rule of law, and common decency. They did not send armed and masked goons into American cities to terrorize the populace.

Secondly, let’s look at the truly stupid idea of TDS. The assertion is that anyone who does not kowtow to the “Menace” has a mental defect known as Trump Derangement Syndrome. Only a malignant narcissist would believe that anyone who doesn’t agree with them was defective. Just imagine if Mayor Mays or Rep. Bentz went around telling constituents that if we didn’t agree with every little thing they believed, that we had “Mays Derangement Syndrome” or “Bentz Derangement Syndrome.”

Let’s take it a step further: imagine if I told everyone that if they didn’t agree with every little thing I believed, that they had “Lutje Derangement Syndrome.” Honestly, it’s completely laughable and ridiculous! Although, it would be awesome to have the power! I would spread “WOKENESS” across the land. I would make people be nice instead of nasty, kind instead of selfish, and thoughtful instead of reactionary. I would abolish the racist, sexist Mediocre White Man Patriarchy. I would make all of the USA be better, stronger, faster … and Bad Bunny would perform every halftime Super Bowl Show .... bwaahaaaa!

Debra Lutje

The Dalles

Gambee ready to serve

My name is Lisa Gambee, and I’m excited to run for the Wasco County Commission because I care deeply about the people who call this place home. County Commissioners make decisions that affect our daily lives — how our tax dollars are used, how services are delivered, and how we plan for the future. I’m running because I believe those decisions should always be made with transparency, fairness, and the well being of our communities at the center.

During my nearly 10 years as County Clerk, my team and I worked hard to safeguard elections, strengthen public trust, and ensure every vote was counted fairly and securely. But our work went far beyond elections. During COVID, when so many parts of life felt uncertain, we found creative ways to help couples get marriage licenses safely. We expanded online access to land records so people could do important research without leaving home. No matter the challenge, we focused on treating every person with respect and finding solutions that made life a little easier.

I’ve seen firsthand how resilient and resourceful our communities are. Whether you live in the city, on a farm, or in a small town, you deserve a commissioner who listens, understands your needs, and works with you to find practical, community driven solutions. That’s the kind of leadership I’m committed to bringing.

You deserve leaders you can trust to do the right thing for the right reasons. I would be honored to earn your vote for Wasco County Commissioner.

Lisa Gambee

Tygh Valley

Yes on tax

More than 80,000 people recently registered their position on the proposed “Millionaire’s Tax” (SB 6346/HB 2724) in the Washington legislature, the highest on record. The tax would tax income on adjusted gross income of $1 million or at 9.9%. It would hit 30,000 millionaires in the state, or one-half of one percent of households. It covers salaries, and capital gains, but not any real estate or small business.

It’s estimated to raise $3.5 billion annually in new revenue. Most of the revenue is earmarked for the General Fund to support K-12 and higher education and healthcare and public defenders. Search for the bills on the leg.wa.gov website and contact your legislators in LD 17 or LD 14 and support these bills.

Ray Klebba

White Salmon

Rebuild-It open

Thank you to Columbia Gorge News for the recent article on the Gorge Rebuild-It Center (“Rebuild-It Center,” Jan. 21). The response from our community has been meaningful, and we are incredibly grateful. We have received calls and feedback from some people who came away thinking we had closed, so we want to share — we are open, we are stronger, and we are moving forward.

What we are seeing right now is something powerful. People are stepping forward, volunteering their time, sharing ideas, and helping shape something meaningful. The changes already happening inside the store are real, and they are just the beginning.

The Gorge Rebuild-It Center is more than a store. It is a place where we can reduce waste, care for our environment, and support one another. It is a space where people can connect, share ideas, and be part of something positive.

There are many ways to be part of this — volunteering, donating materials, shopping reuse, or simply helping keep the conversation going. Every small step matters, and together those steps create real change.

We invite you to be part of it. We are having a Volunteer Work Day on Saturday, Feb. 28 starting at 9 a.m. — come whenever you can — at the Gorge Rebuild-It Center, 995 Tucker Road. This is a chance to build something meaningful for our community.

Julie Tucker

Executive director

Gorge Rebuild-It Center

A circle

The Venn diagram of MAGA who believe that protesters need to get out of the way of federal agents who are “doing their job,” and English colonists who believed that it was their obligation to quarter British troops in their house, is a perfect circle.

It wasn’t legal for the colonists to declare independence from England, but when the law is tyrannical, we may find ourselves violating the law. As Jefferson said, “The tree of liberty must be refreshed from time to time the blood of patriots and tyrants.”

Benjamin Sheppard

Hood River

 Editor’s note: This Benjamin Sheppard is not affiliated with Sheppard’s Tractor Hood River.

‘Worked up’

It’s always interesting when someone claims not to get worked up — then proceeds to get worked up. Trisha Walker in her editorial “Rethink the vote against ‘equity’” (Feb. 11 edition) gets worked up over the Vancouver District Regional Library Boards’ decision to quit the word equity from their work plan. In her overweening column, Walker accuses the board of banning the word equity. On the same page in the Your Voice section she is joined by allies shocked enough to spew that this is a blow to free speech. Walker and her counterparts seem clueless in their double-standard by criticizing the omission of a word while insisting on its use.

Isn’t speech compulsion anti-speech? Does freedom of the press speech differ from freedom of others’ speech? This disconnect greases the path to hypocrisy.

Getting past her cringe-worthy statement, “I don’t really get worked up about words in general — they mean what we think they mean,” Walker, an English major (!), with her now trusty dictionary, provides the definition of equity the noun. Had Walker provided a more complete definition of the word “equity,” readers would understand its historical use as an adjective and a qualifier that serves only to limit the application of law. The poor term has put on the recent and unhealthy weight of political baggage, much of it contrived as a separate legality. Was the Vancouver board contacted for their side of the story? Perhaps they recognize that equity/equality are imminently guaranteed by the U.S. Constitution, and since Feds oversee states, counties, cities, etc. (ICE protesters take note), could it ever be so simple that the board merely purged their work plan of excessive verbiage?

I’ll grant that she has the right snarky stuff to be an editor, and that she asked the board respectfully to reconsider. Walker may deny getting worked up, but she is certainly a carrier.

More and more I am inclined to agree with George Will that everyone should be required to study history. A better understanding of language belongs to those who include history.

Bill Perconti

Goldendale

Gambee has integrity

I am writing to voice strong support for Lisa Gambee for Wasco County Commissioner, Position 1. Commissioners play a vital role in the functioning and growth of our communities and I support the candidate who has not only exemplified integrity and transparency but has the experience to hit the ground running.

During her decade as Wasco County Clerk, Lisa gained a deep understanding of county operations: elections, public records, budgeting processes, interdepartmental coordination, and direct service to county residents. Her work required constant collaboration with every county department and every community in Wasco County; she built solid, trusting relationships with local leaders, volunteers, and residents and developed a practical understanding of what people need and how county decisions affect their daily lives.

For many of Lisa Gambee’s years as County Clerk, I worked as a temporary election worker under her leadership. I witnessed her exemplary transparency and communication of the ballot intake and counting processes, careful adherence to the laws, excellent active listening skills, and calm, compassionate support of a steady stream of Wasco County citizens who arrived with questions and concerns. Every one had value in her County Clerk office.

I’m excited to cast my vote for Lisa Gambee, the candidate who has the experience to serve Wasco County from day one and has demonstrated the integrity and compassion to represent everyone in Wasco County. Please join me!

Stacey Holeman

The Dalles

Sustainability

The Gorge Rebuild-It Center is a necessity and meaningful place for our community in the Gorge. It’s a place you can find good quality, reused building materials at a good price. The Rebuild-It Center is a symbol for more than building materials though. 

In the Gorge where development has only grown, working with sustainability in mind should be at the forefront of our efforts. Our current world is polluted with waste and it’s our responsibility to make a change, to put forth efforts in all areas to reduce the negative impact we’ve only more recently woke up to. The Rebuild-It Center is one way that we, as a community, can achieve this. We can work together to nourish this Earth we inhabit.

Come by our physical location at 995 Tucker Road or check out our website to learn more about how you can help by volunteering, donating, or participating in some of our fun upcoming events.

Thank you for all your support.

Liam Kelly

Hood River

On Parks & Rec

As a retired banker, I’ve reviewed lots of financial statements, particularly for public entities. What impresses me about Hood River Valley Parks & Rec is how much they’ve accomplished with so little. Their revenue growth has been limited for years, while expenses increased at a much faster rate. Even so, they’ve kept parks maintained, recreational programs running, and improvements moving forward by being frugal, creative and disciplined.

They stretch every dollar — pursuing grants, forming partnerships, and prioritizing projects that deliver the greatest return for the community. New parks like Golden Eagle will be designed to keep maintenance costs down. In the private sector, that is smart financial management. In public service, it’s responsible stewardship.

Parks & Rec has earned credit for doing a lot with a lean budget. They’ve shown what careful planning and resourcefulness can achieve. We are all fortunate to have these public assets for us to use and enjoy!

Chris Karlin

Hood River

Thanks for the support

Thank you to everyone who has donated to and shopped at the Gorge Rebuild-It Center. The items you donate are processed and reused, giving them a second life and keeping valuable materials out of the landfill. If you haven’t visited the GRC yet, we’d love to see you. We’re open Tuesday through Saturday from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m.

We’re also always looking for volunteers — especially for our upcoming work day on Feb. 28. It’s a great opportunity to check out the space and meet the team.

Doug Wiedwald

Board of directors

Gorge Rebuild-It Center

Red, white, or blue

“True Grit” first appeared in theaters in 1969 when Marshal Rooster Cogburn, atop his quarter horse “Beau” trotted into a mountain meadow where, swing-cocking his Winchester 73 with one hand and wielding a Colt Single Action “Peacemaker” in the other, squared off against the nefarious Ned Pepper and his gang of miscreants. After giving them, in true WHITE HAT fashion, the chance to surrender, which they declined with Ned’s rejoinder: “I call that brave talk from a one-eyed fat man,” Rooster bellowed fair warning: “Fill your hands you (expletive)!” But that was then.

Today, the hat of fame is RED and, when sported by the current occupant of the oval office brings to mind the “Hollywood Tapes,” not one but two guilty verdicts in civil suits involving sexual assault, and a guilty verdict in a case involving felonious cover-up in advance of an election. Accordingly, I must admit that said occupant seems no less an archetype, though of polar opposite ilk, than Marshal Cogburn.

Continuing in this quest for a guest that you would feel comfortable in inviting over to Sunday dinner, on Jan. 20, 2026, 5-year-old Liam Conejo Ramos, upon arriving home from preschool in a suburb of Minneapolis, Minnesota, was taken into custody by Federal agents, none of whom were wearing white hats. A photo of Liam shows him with his Spider Man backpack and wearing a BLUE bunny hat while standing in snow, face to face with an ICE vehicle, motor growling like a crazed buffalo run amok in town and raring to transport Liam to a detention facility in Texas. Captured in his eyes are confusion and trauma.

It has been said that we are what we wear. Each can choose his own but as for me I choose BLUE, in honor of little Liam and his bunny hat. In honor of little Liam with his eyes historic and ever to be remembered.

Robert White

Mt. Hood-Parkdale

Support Gambee

Having worked with Lisa Gambee as our county clerk through several elections, we know of her personal integrity, attention to detail and always above board adherence to the law. We can be confident that as a county commissioner, she not only knows of our entire county’s varied needs, but has a deep commitment to serve those needs.

We were proud to work on elections with her during COVID, when her priorities were for election integrity while protecting her election workers. We worked together to start doing live streaming of election processes which gave more people access to the work being done. It was a great example of how things could be improved when the public asks for it. We were even given a class in signature analysis. Observation streaming worked so well and was so transparent that our state coordinator asked to use her example to implement Gambee’s method statewide.

Thinking outside the box, always being open to new ideas, listening to what constituents want, Gambee and her staff’s ability to build consensus all contribute to our safe balloting system, which is also audited by the state.

Lisa Gambee is willing to give even more of her time to this county she loves, and we very much admire that commitment. Let’s elect her and keep her working for us!

Bob and Sandy Haechrel

The Dalles

‘Renewed energy’

Since the article a few weeks back, there has been a renewed energy at the Gorge Rebuild-It Center.

As one of the Gorge’s only environmentally oriented charities, we feel the power and import of this role, and we are really glad to have more people engaged.

There’s so much happening in the world right now, and many of us are looking for ways to get involved. If the environment and sustainability are important to you, please remember the GRC. We strive to keep tons and tons of usable products out of the landfill, as well as offering very inexpensive options for people instead of paying retail and buying new.

The goal of our organization has always been to be a great partner for our community, and we need that partnership reciprocated. We appreciate everyone’s volunteer time, gifts, and energy.

Archer Mayo 

Board President

Gorge Rebuild-It Center