No light rail. Absolutely not. Governor Inslee said Washington needs to join Oregon to support light rail so we can get the I-5 bridge done. Clark County voted the light rail down three times because it’s too costly and will not solve the traffic problem.

America’s forefathers secured this nation’s freedom through God’s unchanging morality. With adherence to God and the Constitution, they have led us and we survived. After passing a country’s average lifespan, we now appear to be at an end. Tyranny has raised its ugly head in the form of soci…

I am writing about the proposed Michigan Trotter Timber sale of five units along the beautiful Hantwick Trail in north Clark County. This cut would hinder the aesthetics of the path along the East Fork of the Lewis River. This area is a gem for the local community and enables people to conne…

As a resident of Ridgefield, and a supporter of our schools, I have a request to make regarding the improvements being done at our schools. Please make the playground areas of our schools accessible after hours and on weekends. It is a tremendous waste of these resources if they are not avai…

I was initially an independent voter, choosing the person I believed would do the best job in a particular position. When Roe v. Wade made abortion legal, I realized that the Democrats were pushing abortion. If there was political opposition, it came from the Republicans. Abortion was never …

The letters for the methanol plant have offered this:  The methanol plant is good because this Kalama plant producing it will take a lot less energy and create it cleaner than other methods if it was not made in Kalama.  Let’s get real.  In regards to global warming, it is like saying we’re …

Now that the dust has settled and it was established that the accusations hurled against you were false, I would like to take the opportunity to send this letter along to you in the hopes that you can forgive a group of people that were wrong. I want to give credit to Mr. Giere, whose words …

The Ridgefield bond explained article (January 16, 2019) claims that the tax impact would be only “9 cents more… or $36 more annually on a $400,000 home.”

This federal government shutdown has gone on too long. Businesses, as well as individuals and families, are suffering because of what amounts to a tantrum in the White House, and a failure of a backbone in Congress to stand up to the bully. There are many valid reasons why the White House’s …

Well, here we go again. A public hearing held in Longview to discuss the proposed methanol plant in Kalama was extremely non-productive. A lottery was created, as a way to keep it fair due to the number of individuals who wanted to speak on the record concerning the project. Although a great…

Ridgefield is Washington state’s fasting growing city, with a 65 percent population growth from 2010 to 2017. There are approximately 1,000 new single family lots currently in development in the city and a population of 25,000 residents by 2035 is forecasted. Nowhere is that growth more evid…

Like most people, I was shocked, offended and saddened to see the story on the national news about students from your school who publicly harassed a group of Native Americans participating in an Indigenous Peoples March in Washington, D.C. on Friday, Jan. 18, and one Native American in parti…

Yes, Ridgefield needs an additional grade school.

We moved to Ridgefield with a toddler in 1995 and the population then was 1,400 folks. We were the newbies, our neighborhood was the first planned neighborhood and not everyone liked the “new neighborhood.” As our family grew and our kids went through the Ridgefield schools, we watched the t…

While I agree with Jaime Herrera Beutler in most matters, sometimes she seriously disappoints. She recently gave this quote to the New York Times:

I wrote the attorney general’s office and they told me to contact my legislators. I have written my legislators, but they do not answer. This is true of our Congress: they receive too many letters and cannot reply. It is extremely sad that they can refuse to answer the concerns of the genera…

The Ridgefield School District wants another $77 million dollar bond to build a new grade school. Some past history about the district causes us concerns with another taxpayer-funded bond. December of 2004 the school district bought 50 acres on Hillhurst Road to build a high school. Now, 19 …

Rick Bannan’s front page January 16 Reflector article, “Governor says light rail needed for I-5 bridge replacement,” reminds us that some battles need to be fought again and again.

With renewed arrogance, fervor and myopia governing elites in Salem, Olympia, Portland, and Vancouver have begun advocacy to replace the aging I-5 bridge. Washington citizens rejected the multi-billion dollar project once before for an obvious reason: as proposed, too much money would have b…

The incredible growth of Ridgefield owes much to the amazing schools in our district with their quality staff and facilities. However, because of that incredible growth, the expected enrollment in the next four years at  Ridgefield schools is 45 percent. This would mean there could be 1,422 …

Northwest Innovation Works (NWIW) has applied to the U.S. Department of Energy for a $2.1 billion loan guarantee to build the Chinese-backed methanol refinery in Kalama. This high-risk guarantee is inappropriate. The Innovative Energy Loan Guarantee Program is meant for projects which “avoid…

As citizens, we bear a responsibility to provide education of future generations — if we believe in public school we need to invest in those schools. I will gladly pay my fair share for our community.

“Didn’t my taxes just go up?”

I just read the article in the Dec. 26 The Reflector titled “Local lawmakers worry Inslee’s bridge money could lead to light rail.” Well of course it’s going to. Our local lawmakers can’t be that shocked about this. Inslee has been all for light rail, but yet the people of Southwest Washingt…

Let me begin by saying that I have no association with the proposed Kalama methanol plant.

Seems like if something needs to be done about our roads, just add more “tab fees” to pay for it.

Like many residents, I spent the summer dodging road construction, and while there has been open conversation about the expedited growth of Ridgefield, the simple fact is we are growing. My biggest fear is that we will lose our small town feel, however, that was alleviated as I left a basket…

I have lived in Ridgefield for 22 years and have had a front row seat to all the recent growth. I know there are challenges like traffic and unsightly housing developments that make it unpleasant at times.

Communities that invest in themselves attract people who care about their community. The Ridgefield School District has done an amazing job creating and implementing a vision for quality education in collaboration with the broader community. If you live in the area, I don’t have to sell you …

The cost to Americans for funding the border wall is $25 billion, or $74 per man, woman, and child in the U.S. This is a onetime cost.

In December and early January we reflect on the highs and lows of the last 12 months. When it comes to small business, 2018 was definitely a high.

When I moved to Ridgefield 15 years ago I was unaware of all that it had to offer. It’s a safe and friendly community that still has that small town feel but most importantly, it makes education a priority. There’s been substantial growth in my time here but Ridgefield has been steadfast whe…

We Americans rely on plastic. From our garbage bags to our cars, we are surrounded by it. We might be far from curbing our addiction to plastic anytime soon, but we do need to stop our addiction to fossil fuels, and a place to start is learning how to make plastic without burning fossil fuel…

On one coast we have the Statue of Liberty welcoming the tired and the poor and on the southern border we want to build a blockade against the tired and the poor. Do we want that to be our next symbol?

The Ridgefield School District is continuing to see unprecedented growth with more families moving into what is still the fastest growing city in Washington. In 2012 and 2017 (after many years of bond measure success famine) bonds were passed that provided much-needed enhancements to existin…

In the last four years I have been to more public hearings than I care to count. At each one, I watch in disbelief as people in positions of power push the bounds of reasonable hospitality — this time they broke the law. At the December 13 public hearing for NWIW proposed methanol refinery i…

We have a hard time thinking of a school district that is more deserving of community support than the Ridgefield School District. That is why we urge you to join us in voting yes on the Ridgefield School District bond measure in the February election. 

But not the kind that Katherine Rodela promotes in her recent letter.  Rodela wrote how LGBT youth are being  “targeted” by parents who dare to challenge the message from the government that now decides what will be taught. 

This is urgent. Another wake-up call to citizens of Clark County. Here is your Merry Christmas gift from Clark County councilors Julie Olson, John Blom, Jeannie Stewart, and Mark Boldt: all continue voting for more horrible taxes on our citizens as they recently did again in the budget and t…

I continue to read letters each week from those arguing against the methanol plant being located in Kalama. In every case, the writer uses “climate change” as their primary reason for opposition.

So we can assume that the new subdivision builder will build a new school first?

There was an article in The Columbian on December 12 titled  “‘Lynch Park’ angers some residents.” Ed and Dollie Lynch were generous philanthropists who gave money and donated land that the park will sit on. They asked that the park be named after them. It is hard to believe, but some folks …

Ridgefield continues to grow with new homes popping up weekly. Ridgefield School District can’t control this growth but must respond in a responsible manner. Ridgefield continues to be a special place to live and raise a family and our community is growing because many others have recognized…

A huge methanol refinery is proposed for Kalama — and we need to say no because it will pollute our air, risk our waterways, and accelerate climate change. In this time of extreme weather events and dire reports on the fragility of our climate, Washington certainly does not need a methanol r…

Luke 1-2 records the incarnation and birth of Jesus. The entirety of history in the Western world is dated backward and forward from this most seminal event in history, the birth of the Savior of the world. Our calendar notates years A.D. Anno Domini “the year of the Lord,” and B.C., “before…

The proposed Kalama Methanol Facility would be a disaster for the climate.  

With the most recent report from climate change scientists, we must stop the atmospheric temperature from increasing beyond 1.5 C. These experts warn that immediate action will stave off a potential increase of 3.0 C to 4.9 C by 2100. We are proud that Governor Inslee believes climate change…

On Oct. 28, the Family Policy Institute of Washington released a video, in which a few Battle Ground parents discussed protesting the district’s adoption of the “Family Life and Sexual Health” (FLASH) curriculum. Besides containing incorrect information about the district’s proposed adoption…

The future for south Puget Sound whales depends on good decisions. Recovery of wild salmon is arrogantly being ignored, especially special interest groups.  

Do you ever get the impression when dealing with Trump and his Republican minions that you’re dealing with vermin? The daily media diatribe of liars, conmen, tax evaders, Russian spies and Arab murderers is like when you pull the tarp off your old wood pile and all the rats run out. The bigg…