Image provided by: University of Oregon Libraries; Eugene, OR
About The Hood River news. (Hood River, Or.) 1909-current | View Entire Issue (March 4, 2015)
A4 V IEWPOINT Hood River News, Wednesday, March 4, 2015 O ur readers write JOE PETSHOW Publisher/President, Eagle Newspapers, Inc. CHELSEA MARR General Manager JODY THOMPSON Advertising Manager DICK NAFSINGER Publisher, Emeritus (1933-2011) TOM LANCTOT Past President, Eagle Newspapers, Inc. KIRBY NEUMANN-REA Editor TONY METHVIN Columbia Gorge Press Manager DAVID MARVIN Production Manager Subscription $42 per year in Hood River trade area. $68 outside trade area. NATIONAL NEWSPAPER ASSOCIATION Printed on OREGON NEWSPAPER PUBLISHERS ASSOCIATION recycled paper. Official Newspaper, City of Hood River and Hood River County Published Every Wednesday & Saturday by Hood River News, P.O. Box 390, Hood River, Oregon 97031 • (541) 386-1234 • FAX 386-6796 Member of the Associated Press Layers of Success Stop the spin The New York Times newspaper just reported the latest White House spin/announcement/rule on illegal activity. They now say that illegal aliens/spouses are now called “Americans in waiting.” They make it sound so hopeful. Let’s go ahead and allow the law breakers to have equal footing with those I know that got their US citi- zenship lawfully. Keyword: Lawful- ly! The Times quote, “DHS esti- mates that in the first year, there may be nearly 180,000 spouses eligi- ble to apply for employment autho- rization under this rule, with as many as 55,000 eligible annually in following years,” the White House statement said. “These women and men are Americans-in-waiting, whose fami- lies are often stuck for years in lengthy green card backlogs as a result of our broken immigration system. Allowing them to put their skills to use will reduce the strain on their families during that wait- ing time, and will yield significant benefits for our economy as well.” (www.washingtontimes.com/new s/2015/feb/25/white-house-calls-ille- gal-immigrants-americans-in-/.) How specially worded. That means that the ISIS be-headers that slaughter Christians and Mus- lims should now be called, “Prac- ticing Surgical Amputee Interns” and that bank robbers must now be called, “Early Principal Withdrawl Advocates.” What next? Scott Haanstad Hood River Cans for tickets Recently there has been a wide- spread campaign on childhood hunger in Oregon. Even in our com- munity, the problem strongly exists. According to The United States Census, 11.6 percent of our town are below the poverty level. In Hood River County, schools provided 50-70 percent of their kids to free and re- duced lunch. Recently, I saw a great idea that a town in Minnesota is doing to fight hunger. For the month of March, you pay for your parking ticket in cans of food. The town of Stillwater asks these residents to bring in 10 cans of food instead of paying the $15 ticket. Who wouldn’t want to pay for their violation in kindness? As a community, we need to help keep the food shelves stocked. Please encourage the city of Hood River to implement cans for parking tickets for one month a year. Everyone can help end childhood hunger. Mary Jensen Hood River Offer incentives To encourage conversation, this is an additional response to “Charge for that carbon.” I agree with Don Rose, MD, that a Carbon Tax is not the solution, at least not right now. Taxes seem acceptable as a last re- sort. If the state and federal govern- ments would work together to either offer tax breaks or grant incentives for companies and people, then maybe additional income could be generated to counter carbon foot- prints. How about an earmark for a grant fund reserved for companies that prove they counter their carbon footprint? Or what about a small tax credit for people who can show they erase their carbon footprint? This incentive-mindedness might work in some cases. But if options of this ilk are unavailable, everything stays stuck at the conversation level. Mike Teems Jr Parkdale Local high schoolers set high standards in competitive endeavors N ot every success registers as a medal or tro- phy, and any success is best viewed as a work in progress. Students in local high schools have demon- strated success, or are in the process of doing so, in a variety of endeavors, and a series of congratula- tions are in order. Best of luck to the three Engineering program Robot- ics teams, including the all-freshman Transformers, who head to state this weekend. The HRVHS boys basketball team brought excitement back to the program with its best record and first play- off appearance in more than a decade. Coach Steve Noteboom and his band of running, scrapping shooters filled the stands every week, thanks largely to their teamwork and tenacity and plenty of scoring to go with defense. Results of their Tuesday night playoff game were unavailable at presstime, but whatever the result, the 2014-15 season was a major success. (Now, may the Horizon and HRVHS athletic directors and coaches see fit to making an Eagles v. Hawks pre- season game an annual tradition.) HRV wrestler Jessica DeHart made school history with her fourth-straight 106-pound wrestling title. Jessi- ca is not only an excellent athlete but one of the cadre of women wrestlers who have inspired many other females to try the sport, and excel. Congratulations also to state champions Payton Rigert (152) and Sarah Sullenger (113). Christian Marquez (132) came up just short in his quest to repeat as men’s state 5A champion, but the sil- ver remains a real mark of merit, and Marquez deserves applause for his leadership and excellence throughout his wrestling career. Then there are the perennially successful HRVHS ski and Hood River snowboard teams, which advance to state this weekend. Kudos to skiers Hannah Bergemann and Patrick Crompton, who took top honors in the Mt. Hood League (details on page A7). Back on the subject of basketball: what can you say about Darrin Lingel and his Horizon Christian Hawks? Back in postseason for the sixth straight year, the team has the talent and confidence to win state for the second time (the Hawks did so in 2012). The undefeated squad glided past Triangle Lake in the play-in game on Friday but had to gut out a tight victory against South Wasco the previous week — probably the best thing that could have happened in terms of preparation for the state tournament. In any event, congratulations go to the HCS program — the gold standard in Class 1A basketball. All the best as you head to Baker City to start your title quest tonight. W HERE TO WRITE President — Barack Obama, White House, 1600 Pennsylva- nia Ave., Washington D.C., 20500 E-mail: president@whitehouse.gov U.S. Senators — Jeff Merkley, SDB-40B, Dirksen Senate Office Building, Washington D.C., 20510. Phone: 202-224-3753; E-mail: oregon@merkley.senate.gov; Ron Wyden, 717 Hart Office Build- ing, Washington D.C., 20510. Phone: 202-224-5244. Web address: www.senate.gov/member/or/wyden/general/ 2nd Congressional District Representative — Greg Walden, 14 N. Central Ave., Suite 112, Medford, OR 97504. Phone: 541-776-4646; E-mail: www.walden.house.gov/contactgreg Governor — John Kitzhaber, 254 State Capitol, Salem, OR 97310. Phone: 503-378-3111; E-mail: www.governor.state.or.us/email.htm District 26 State Senator — Chuck Thomsen, 900 Court St. N.E., S-307, State Capitol, Salem, OR 97301. Phone: 503-986- 1726; E-mail sen.chuckthomsen@state.or.us District 52 State Representative — Mark Johnson, 900 Court St. N.E., Bldg. H-385, State Capitol, Salem, OR 97301. Phone: 503-986-1452; E-mail: rep.markjohnson@state.or.us Hood River County Board of Commissioners — Chair Ron Rivers, Vice Chair Maui Meyer, members Les Perkins, Bob Ben- ton and Karen Joplin, Hood River County Courthouse, Hood River, OR, 97031. Phone: 541-386-3970. County Administrator — Dave Meriwether, Hood River County Courthouse, Hood River, OR, 97031. Phone: 541-386- 3970. Hood River City Council — Mayor Paul Blackburn, members Laurent Picard, Mark Zanmiller, Kate McBride, Becky Brun, Peter Cornelison and Susan Johnson Hood River City Hall, Hood River, OR, 97031. Phone: 541-386-1488. E-mail: cohr@gorge.net Hood River City Manager — Steve Wheeler, Hood River City Hall, Hood River, OR, 97031. Phone: 541-387-5252. EDITOR’S NOTEBOOK Tumbling 10th grader takes down teachers in true test of twisters By KIRBY NEUMANN-REA up Heather Laurance of New Vi- sion School tumbled, and revealed a A Sunday cartoon resonated with spangled red-and-black “I Love me, following a fun event on Friday Tongue Twisters” shirt, and Jen- nifer Graves (Wy’east teacher and night. Each year for five years I’ve orga- Morgan’s mom) schmoozed the judges with some unabashed flat- nized and emceed the Tongue Twister Tournament for Start Mak- tery. Student contestants Kelsey Stewart of Wy’east and Sean Couni- ing A Reader Today. Community han — the runner-up — brought members, including as of this year, their own flavor to the event in students, compete to be Tongue which contestants were Twister world champion. judged on speed, accuracy, The tournament took place and style. in the ballroom of Hood Goldman and Morgan River Hotel, and though I Graves prevailed to make it know I am biased, it was a to the final round, where great deal of fun. Goldman took first choice “It felt good to laugh that among three categories, and much,” said my good friend, he took “Dr. Seuss.” and longtime SMART sup- Morgan Dan and Morgan then en- porter, Don Benton, when we Graves gaged: “You know, I have a talked at Dog River on Mon- kindergartner,” Dan said. day. I then pointed out that Morgan The cartoon in question depicted has two younger siblings. a man stuck in a life raft with “the “Raised on Dr. Seuss!” Jennifer world’s most annoying animal,” a Graves called out. rodent who keeps saying, “... and Dan gave a playful slump and put that’s how much wood I would his head in his hands — but he and chuck ...” The woodchuck-would classic would figure critically in the Morgan both proceeded to ace their Dr. Seuss twisters, both from the night’s outcome. Plenty of classic and new TTs, as beloved “Fox in Socks” book. This we call them, filled the room (space was proving to be our closest TTT finish yet. donated by Hood River Hotel) and Picking blind from two remain- we raised nearly $7,000 on the night, ing entries, he chose “WWW” No. 2 thanks mostly to sponsors. (We’ll — then learned it was the wood have a full rundown in an upcom- chuck one. Long version: “How ing Neighbors column.) TTT is all much wood would a woodchuck about funny phrases and twisted tongues, but the event is underlined chuck if a woodchuck could chuck wood? He would chuck, he would, by a clear and serious need — help- as much as he could, and chuck as ing young children develop their reading skills and a love of reading. much wood as a woodchuck would For the second year, a high school if a woodchuck could chuck wood.” “Too easy!” the crowd mur- student won. As Noah Tauscher mured, and Morgan looked at me learned, and Bruce Ludwig can at- with daggers. “Seriously?’ she test, no TTT defending champion has ever gotten past the first round. asked. When the little mutiny subsided, Ludwig served as judge this year, I said, “Let’s hear him do it.” along with Terry Browning of the Dan was quick out of the gates, state SMART board, and the Hon. but — halfway through his jaws Karen Ostrye of Seventh Circuit locked up on all those Ws and hard Court — our Annual Actual Judge. Dan Goldman won the educators’ consonants; the devil is in those de- tails. Dan let out a groan, shared by division and Morgan Graves, an the crowd; there are no good guys HRVHS sophomore, the student di- vision, and Morgan edged Goldman, or bad buys in Tongue Twister. Morgan asked to do the same one, the school superintendent in the and spun through it flawlessly. final round. Along the way, Graves Her strategy probably paid off. and Sierra Lavoie of Parkdale and For, though adept as she is, the other contestants did splits and other WWW entry was shorter but cartwheels, and Tauscher got into harder: “Who washed Washington’s the act with a handstand. Runner- News editor white woolen underwear when Washington’s washerwoman went west? Which whites are washed?” Anyway, since the final score was the aggregate of four twisters done on the night, it was not immediate- ly clear who the winner would be but Morgan seemed to have the edge, and that was borne out when tabulator Carolyn Van Orden re- vealed the final scores. Dan won a restaurant gift certificate and Mor- gan won a box full of games, choco- late, and gift cards. Thanks go to the rest of the con- testants, and parents, including May Street teacher T Dalbey, and Rich Polkinghorn, HRVHS princi- pal. In 2016 we will definitely invite students to compete again. Be- tween skilled navigation of the twisters, the trading barbs with the superintendent, and the tum- bling (three Ts!) the students rep- resented the younger generation with grace and, well, style. (With all the gymnastics, it’s tempting to rename it “Tongue Tumbling Tour- nament.”) All were accomplished with words: Sean as 2014 co-champion in the State Spelling Competition, Kelsey with acting experience in- cluding this year’s Pinocchio at Wy’east, Sierra with her recent run as Dorothy in the Missoula Children’s Theater “Wizard of Oz” production, and Tauscher with his long resume of acting and singing roles at HRVHS and his original song “Blame Game,” now out on YouTube. And, when asked if any of the students had ever done anything like Tongue Twister Tournament before, Noah raised his hand and said, “Yes, last year’s tournament!” I like to think that the TTT is part of the local cultural landscape now. We’ve had 56 community mem- bers invited to compete over the first five years, and it gives each a chance to share a little something about their lives and things that drive them. It’s the one time when it’s okay to be tongue-tied, because it means more books, and more reading, for kids who will grow up to read, com- prehend and appreciate the lan- guage for all its twists, turns, and tumbles.
