In 1869, the Daily Cleveland Herald quoted lawyer John Godfrey Saxe as saying, “Laws, like sausages, cease to inspire respect in proportion as we know how they are made.” That saying, or variants of it, have been repeated so often that it has become accepted knowledge.
Personal freedom, heartbreak, shame, law and order, dignity, cost to taxpayers — this is only some of what we must balance as the Pacific Northwest coast struggles with the interlocking dilemmas of homelessness and mental illness.
A lot of people in government these days make a real show about the need to be transparent, then turn around and do everything they can to conduct their most controversial business behind closed doors.
It’s painful to consider how Washington state agencies and some political leaders are risking both Willapa Bay and Pacific County’s economy.
The folks at Washington's Department of Ecology like to write reports. It's as though they are always looking to point a finger somewhere for causing one sort of problem or the other.
The Chinook Observer welcomes letters from readers. They are among our most popular content and provide a way for community members to communicate thoughts and concerns that might not otherwise come to widespread attention. Here are some guidelines to bear in mind:
The Billy Frank Jr. Salmon Coalition is looking forward to another year of working together to accomplish responsible management through responsible leadership.
Lack of affordable after-school child care options is a harsh reality for families nationwide, and a source of great frustration and anxiety for many Pacific County residents. Figuring out what to do can entail curtailing work schedules, to the detriment of employed parents and employers. Ch…
On Veterans Day, we salute all those who have served in our armed forces.
Nearly 13 years ago when the chemical imidacloprid was first being considered to combat the burrowing shrimp population explosion in Willapa Bay, it appeared possible it might be licensed by 2012. It was by 2012 that Northwest oyster growers had agreed to quit using a much harsher pesticide.
Columbia Forum is a remarkable cultural asset for the communities of the Lower Columbia River but may be overlooked, particularly by those who have moved here in recent years.
Pacific County’s housing market has been distinctly cyclical for decades. There’s at least some cause to wonder whether ongoing demand for housing by residents might dampen these cycles, and what this could mean for local communities.
Our coast’s many fanatical razor clam diggers feel whipsawed between news that local sands swarm with delicious bivalves but that a new blob of warm seawater might produce a toxic bloom and make these clams inedible.
Two recent decisions by Washington Department of Fish and Wildlife are enough to generate doubts about the agency’s genuine interest in listening to public feedback concerning certain fish and wildlife decisions.
Setting aside for the moment that 2019 coho returns are predicted to be healthy and Buoy 10 fishing was hot over the holiday weekend, this has been another of many troubling years for Columbia River salmonids.
Labor Day 2019 is Monday. While we celebrate the milestone, and many workers in the United States enjoy a day off, it’s important to remember that there is always more we can do to help the nation’s working men and women.
Public Health policy is all about helping everyone for the greater good.
It’s absurd for Washington taxpayers to pay a large bill for Gov. Jay Inslee’s quixotic campaign for president.
Restorative justice is a trend in some communities whose leaders recognize that addiction often fuels criminal behavior. It is a system of criminal justice which focuses in part on the rehabilitation of offenders through reconciliation with victims and the community at large.
It’s frustrating whenever political expediency gets in the way of good government, and we citizens would do well to pay attention when it happens and support efforts to put democracy ahead of gamesmanship.
Personal freedom, heartbreak, shame, law and order, dignity, cost to taxpayers — this is only some of what we must balance as the Pacific Northwest coast struggles with the interlocking dilemm…
A lot of people in government these days make a real show about the need to be transparent, then turn around and do everything they can to conduct their most controversial business behind clos…
It’s painful to consider how Washington state agencies and some political leaders are risking both Willapa Bay and Pacific County’s economy.
The folks at Washington's Department of Ecology like to write reports. It's as though they are always looking to point a finger somewhere for causing one sort of problem or the other.
The Chinook Observer welcomes letters from readers. They are among our most popular content and provide a way for community members to communicate thoughts and concerns that might not otherwis…
The Billy Frank Jr. Salmon Coalition is looking forward to another year of working together to accomplish responsible management through responsible leadership.
Lack of affordable after-school child care options is a harsh reality for families nationwide, and a source of great frustration and anxiety for many Pacific County residents. Figuring out wha…
On Veterans Day, we salute all those who have served in our armed forces.
Nearly 13 years ago when the chemical imidacloprid was first being considered to combat the burrowing shrimp population explosion in Willapa Bay, it appeared possible it might be licensed by 2…
Columbia Forum is a remarkable cultural asset for the communities of the Lower Columbia River but may be overlooked, particularly by those who have moved here in recent years.
Pacific County’s housing market has been distinctly cyclical for decades. There’s at least some cause to wonder whether ongoing demand for housing by residents might dampen these cycles, and w…
Our coast’s many fanatical razor clam diggers feel whipsawed between news that local sands swarm with delicious bivalves but that a new blob of warm seawater might produce a toxic bloom and ma…
Two recent decisions by Washington Department of Fish and Wildlife are enough to generate doubts about the agency’s genuine interest in listening to public feedback concerning certain fish and…
Setting aside for the moment that 2019 coho returns are predicted to be healthy and Buoy 10 fishing was hot over the holiday weekend, this has been another of many troubling years for Columbia…
Labor Day 2019 is Monday. While we celebrate the milestone, and many workers in the United States enjoy a day off, it’s important to remember that there is always more we can do to help the na…
Public Health policy is all about helping everyone for the greater good.
It’s absurd for Washington taxpayers to pay a large bill for Gov. Jay Inslee’s quixotic campaign for president.
Restorative justice is a trend in some communities whose leaders recognize that addiction often fuels criminal behavior. It is a system of criminal justice which focuses in part on the rehabil…
It’s frustrating whenever political expediency gets in the way of good government, and we citizens would do well to pay attention when it happens and support efforts to put democracy ahead of …
ICE agents pepper spraying people in a Clatsop County Courthouse corridor while sheriff’s deputies look on? Is this really a situation anyone should find acceptable?
Outdoor clothing and gear manufacturer Patagonia recently released "Artifishal," a misguided documentary full of misinformation about the role hatcheries play in salmon recovery.
Ask our brave friends in the U.S. Coast Guard and they will tell you with cool assurance that the people who survive a rescue at sea are wearing lifejackets. Those who fish or sail without wea…
Once in a while — perhaps more often than we realize — we must listen to the young people around us.
I don’t know how you can be against clean water, but some of the industries in our state are.
And now the good news. Anyone who worries about the future of today's young people need not worry if the Ilwaco and Naselle high school teams are an example.
Infrastructure is too boring a word for a set of assets that go to the very core of a functioning civilization.
During Emergency Medical Services Week, it is fitting to salute all those in our Long Beach Peninsula community who are trained and ready to respond to any crisis with skilled professionalism.
For all who care about state history, the Legislature’s decision to build a new combined Library-Archives Building is outstanding news.
In a nation notorious for wasting trillions on wars and welfare for giant corporations, it’s refreshing to learn that Washington state plans to eliminate or reduce college tuition and aid expe…
Each spring for the past 35 years I’ve said the same thing: This was the most challenging North of Falcon process we’ve ever had. Every year that’s true as the tribal and state salmon co-manag…
“Looting” isn’t a word that crops up very often in local news coverage, so it caused a degree of consternation last month when it was applied to a theft inside Lewis and Clark National Histori…
Allowing prosecutors more time to bring sex-crime charges while at the same time increasing funding to test rape kits is righteous news from the Washington State Legislature.
It's been worrying to know Ilwaco's water supply comes from a reservoir surrounded by a forested watershed subject to being clearcut. Though preferable from a water-quality standpoint to havin…
Southern Resident Killer Whales achieve nearly unanimous popularity in the communities surrounding Puget Sound, acquiring folk hero status in the past half century. Their trials and tribulatio…
State Parks
In this normally damp coastal zone where we measure seasonal rainfall in feet rather than inches and where some groves have survived unscathed for centuries, serious forest fires nearly always…
It is in these early months each year when a sense begins to emerge about the condition of forthcoming salmon runs in the Pacific Northwest. Mysterious to the uninitiated, the North of Falcon …
How Washington state political parties select which presidential candidates to support has long been a source of frustration. (Republicans less so — their system of partially using primary ele…
There is much about modern American healthcare that is controversial, but few doubt that scientific advances have made amazing strides in diagnosing and treating ailments. Advanced imaging tec…
With the possible exception of some high school graduates who can’t wait to put a few hundred miles between themselves and their hometowns, everyone loves community colleges. They are the Mari…
Washington's public officials — like officials everywhere in the U.S. — have an uneasy relationship with open-records laws. Even those who philosophically believe in governing in the daylight …
If the question could be resolved via citizens' initiatives, there's little doubt about the outcome: Pacific Northwest states would follow California in supporting a move toward year-round day…
As Virginia’s Democratic governor learned to his regret in recent days, a huge majority of Americans remain disgusted by the toxic bigotry of the Ku Klux Klan and all it stands for.
As a society, we have made such progress against once-common illnesses that we forget they are still around and still potentially life-threatening. The measles outbreak in Southeast Washington…
One of the primary duties and pleasures of being an adult is conveying knowledge of the past to future generations. Accomplished through storytelling, archiving records, and preserving physica…
CAPE DISAPPOINTMENT — Readers may be interested to know that much of Cape Disappointment State Park is actually owned by the National Park Service, which acquired title to most of the former U…
Questioning the fundamental usefulness of government is the backbone of some American political factions, notably including the now seldom-mentioned Tea Party. Most of these righteous skeptics…
A federal judge has dismissed a third lawsuit filed by an environmental group to stop the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service from shooting barred owls in an experimental attempt to boost numbers o…
We at the Chinook Observer seldom if ever struggle to come up with a full load of news for our weekly newsprint edition — news we update much more frequently on our website and Facebook page. …
As we wish all our readers a Merry Christmas and an enjoyable holiday season, it is fitting to reflect on some positive aspects of this week and next’s week’s fresh start with the New Year.
The Trump administration’s environmental policies are the ultimate screw-you moment for the youngest Americans as well as for generations unborn. Following on the Environmental Protection Agen…
After a very sunny and dry start, the Pacific Northwest’s December is now expected to turn wet and windy — at least for a while.
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It’s time to get your flu shot — if you haven’t already. You owe it to yourself, and to protect the people around you.
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