Cheers: To the start of school. Students who read Cheers & Jeers — we’re sure there are many of them — might disagree, but there are plenty of reasons to celebrate the return of school. By the end of next week, most schools in Clark County are expected to have kicked off the 2016-17 academic year, and the others will soon follow.
Students likely prefer the carefree days of summer — OK, most teachers probably prefer them, as well — but the opportunities to resume formal learning and reconnect with friends also have their benefits. We trust that a labor dispute between teachers and Evergreen Public Schools officials will be resolved to the extent that the school year can commence, and that students throughout the region will have an enjoyable educational experience.
Jeers: To an uptick in traffic fatalities. National statistics reveal that the number of traffic deaths this year has surged 9 percent over last year, continuing a trend that began in 2014. The increase is attributed, in part, to an improved economy and low gas prices that have led to an increase in driving.
Compared with historical statistics, the rate of fatalities remains low, largely because of improved safety measures on automobiles. As late as the 1970s, there were more than four fatalities per 100 million miles traveled, and today the number is a little more than one death for that amount of driving. But the recent increase highlights the need for vigilance and responsible actions when behind the wheel.
Cheers: To exploring history. A fascinating project by Prairie High School junior Ally Orr, along with Pleasant Valley Middle School teacher Irene Soohoo, has examined the life of soldier Lester Ernest Whitesel Sr. Pfc. Whitesel was a native of the Grays Harbor area and was killed during the D-Day invasion of June 6, 1944.
Orr’s project, detailed in a story by Columbian reporter Tom Vogt, is part of a Sacrifice for Freedom effort that chose 15 students around the nation to investigate biographies of soldiers from their areas. Orr used census data, genealogy websites, and help from museum volunteers to piece together Whitesel’s background and then deliver a eulogy at his gravesite in France. In the process, she provided a reminder of the sacrifices made by previous generations.
Jeers: To the U.S. Department of Energy. As regular readers of Cheers & Jeers might have noticed, we are frustrated by the federal government’s lack of attention to the mess that is the Hanford Nuclear Reservation. Now the Department of Energy has asked a federal judge to dismiss a state of Washington lawsuit seeking increased protection for workers at the nation’s most toxic waste site.
For decades, federal officials have largely ignored their court-mandated duty to clean up millions of gallons of radioactive waste at the site near the Columbia River, about 200 miles upstream from Vancouver. Washington officials recently filed a lawsuit after dozens of workers complained of illness caused by vapors; rather than perform their moral and ethical duty, Department of Energy officials are hoping the situation can be ignored. The people of Washington deserve better.
Cheers: To improved 9-1-1 services. People in Clark County can now send a text message requesting emergency services if they are unable to make a phone call. The system launched this week in Clark County and six counties in Oregon.
Calling is still preferable to texting because a phone call is easier for dispatchers to process, but a text message is a viable alternative. We hope few people will need to use the service, but the system could be beneficial for those facing an emergency.
