Cheers: To oil terminal critics. Any voice echoing that a proposed terminal at the Port of Vancouver would be harmful to the area is most welcome, and it carries more weight when it comes from state Assistant Attorney General Matthew Kernutt. “First, the evidence showed that the potential consequences associated with the increased transport of crude oil by rail through the state and by vessel on the Columbia River are massive,” Kernutt wrote in urging state officials to deny the project.
Actually, voices on the opposite side are welcome, as well. While The Columbian has editorially decried the impact that a terminal would have, the robust debate surrounding the proposal has been beneficial to the community. We believe the negatives of the proposal outweigh the positives, but we appreciate the discussion that has taken place.
Jeers: To vandalism. A group of miscreants managed to topple a 7-foot-tall rock pedestal at the Cape Kiwanda State Natural Area on the Oregon Coast — a formation that had stood for millions of years. When the iconic “Duckbill” formation was discovered to have crumbled, officials initially thought that Mother Nature had been the culprit. But video taken by a bystander soon emerged showing a gaggle of fools trying to topple the structure.
The man who shot the video told news outlets that the vandals claimed their friend had broken a leg climbing on the pedestal, and that they were performing a public service by removing the “safety hazard.” Proving once again that sometimes even Mother Nature cannot compete with the stupidity of humans.
Cheers: To recovery. The annual Hands Across the Bridge took place Monday, with hundreds of people who have embraced sobriety and those who support them linking hands along the Interstate 5 Bridge. Combined with a daylong celebration at Esther Short Park, the event provided an opportunity for those in recovery from drug and alcohol abuse to share their stories of victory.
“Today I am speaking hope, helping my fellow addicts reach a better stage in their recovery and just being there for my friends and family,” one participant said. Those in recovery know sobriety is an ongoing struggle that requires diligence. It also requires support from the community as we celebrate those who have worked to turn their lives around.
Jeers: To unhealthy living. Like every other state in the country, Washington is suffering from an obesity epidemic. While many studies in recent years have documented the bloated state of the nation’s children, adults are not doing much better. The latest report, released this week, shows that 26.4 percent of adults in Washington qualify as obese.
Considering that the state has the 15th-lowest adult obesity rate, it could be said that Washington is in better shape than most regions of the country. But the state’s adult obesity rate was 10.1 percent in 1990 and 18.4 percent in 2000, indicating that we are growing in an undesirable way.
Cheers: To improvements along Highway 99. The suburban-strip-mall architecture along the busy thoroughfare in Hazel Dell long has appeared several decades behind the times, but an influx of state and county money might provide a little relief. County councilors recently approved $252,000 in order to secure a $1.5 million state grant to improve the area for pedestrians and bicyclists.
The project will cover three-quarters of a mile along Highway 99 between Northeast 63rd and 78th streets. That represents a small fraction of what is needed to bring the area up to date, but it is a start. The Hazel Dell area — which lies outside the city of Vancouver — has vast economic potential that deserves attention from county and state officials.
