Letters
Letters Invited
Blue Mountain News invites letters from readers on any topic of interest to our communities. Letters should be 400 words or less and should be submitted by the 20th of the month.
Please send letters to:
letters@bluemtnnews.com or
Blue Mountain News, 242 E. Main Street, Dayton, WA 99328
We reserve the right to refuse or edit letters at our discretion.
Thanks to Everyone Who Pitched In
Dear Editor:
Two very serious weather-related events happened here in December and January – a heavy snowfall followed by melting and high water. During that time, some areas received over 3 feet of snow. We had about a week's respite before the Patit and the Touchet Rivers began to rise. The people of this community worked together as a team to ensure their neighbors would be taken care of. We should be proud of the efforts put forth by so many.
I would like to thank the city crew for their tireless efforts in keeping the streets clean of snow in December. The public works crew consists of Jim Costello, Sal Benavides, Rod John, Rod Smith, Mike Bowhay, Dave Elkins, Don Moton and Frank Trimarche. Thanks also goes out to the City Hall employees, Trina Cole, Debbie Hays and Kassandra Dedloff, for providing coordination support during the snow removal and high water times. Trina and Debbie also coordinated the efforts of over 50 high school students who filled over 900 sandbags in just about 2 hours. The high school students deserve a "Job Well Done" for the back-breaking job of filling sand bags. Thanks also go out to Sheriff Hessler for providing inmates' help on short notice. Other members of the community who helped move snow and support our city employees were Gene Walker, Dave Schreck, Dayton Tractor, Wilbur Fletcher, Jim Erskine, Cory Overholt, Eddie Magill, Kyle's Towing (pulling a city truck out of a ditch), Norm Passmore, Chuck Dare, Steve Martin, Neil Stephens, Daryl Chapman, Rockhill Concrete, Wally Harting, Randy Chapman, Jim Bly, Don Nettles and Pacific Power. Special kudos to the County Public Works Department and Columbia REA for responding so quickly to the city's request to remove some trees causing a water back-up in Patit Creek just south of the Patit Street Bridge. For those people I failed to publicly thank – thank you.
These two events, and the way our neighbors responded, are prime examples of why we all enjoy living in Dayton and Columbia County. This is a special area to live and raise our families, and we are proud of the efforts of so many to take care of our own.
Mayor Craig George
City of Dayton
Another BlackBerry Addict Writes
Dear Editor:
I received my much-looked-forward-to copy of the Blue Mountain News today, and as usual sat down to enjoy it cover-to-cover.
I must comment, or perhaps lament, upon your article, "I'm All Thumbs". I have owned a BlackBerry for two whole weeks now. I agree that it is, indeed, way cooler than sliced bread. I feel about my BlackBerry as the late Charleton Heston felt about his firearms: ".....from of my cold, dead hands!" I imagine President Obama, our BlackBerry-lovin' Chief Executive would agree, but would likely phrase it differently and without the reference to the NRA.
By the time I got to the part about your giant thumbs, I was howling with laughter. I had thought I was alone in thinking that the rest of the world must surely have smaller thumbs than I, and I have uttered some extraordinarily unprintable words during the creation of a text message or an email. Good to know that misery has company!
The BMN is a wonderful newspaper, and the "One More Thing" feature is always a delight. Keep up the great work. Your corner of the state is lucky to have your publication.
Jill Consiglio
Ridgefield, WA
Related Articles
From the Editor's Desk
Column
-
Showing Pride at CCHS by Charlie Button of Columbia County Health System