Notice: Undefined index: HTTP_REFERER in /home/stparch/public_html/headmid_temp_main.php on line 4394
Newspaper Archive of
The Goldendale Sentinel
Goldendale , Washington
May 20, 2004     The Goldendale Sentinel
PAGE 1     (1 of 16 available)        PREVIOUS     NEXT      Jumbo Image    Save To Scrapbook    Set Notifiers    PDF    JPG
 
PAGE 1     (1 of 16 available)        PREVIOUS     NEXT      Jumbo Image    Save To Scrapbook    Set Notifiers    PDF    JPG
May 20, 2004
 
Newspaper Archive of The Goldendale Sentinel produced by SmallTownPapers, Inc.
Website © 2024. All content copyrighted. Copyright Information
Terms Of Use | Privacy Policy | Request Content Removal | About / FAQ | Get Acrobat Reader




BE SUBJECT TO LICENSE AGREEMENT. REPRODUCTION, DISSEMINATION, STORAGE, DISTRIBUTION PROHIBITED. things Biz Buzz, page 3 Io read in Letters to Editor, page 4 Communities, page 6 Sports, pages 8-9 1is week's Sentinel -----. BB -'- Price 50¢ Thursday, May 20, 2004 • Goldendale, Washington 98620-9526 One hundred and twenty-fifth year -- No. 21 LOWRY Reporter OWners about to nd to be means the to confis- off their land of unpaid taxes. bid will be as percent of the In better times market value one to buy. often means so many , Paying off taxes to an old dream, or has become priority. going to get it, the taxes, too," Glenn Taylor a spot move, or just don't the Klickitat office is and corn- plaint" to the owners and interest holders - as far as they could tell - of 33 different properties in the county. They'd started with 59 prop- erties, but 26 were "redeemed," the taxes paid and foreclosure halted. "Usually, the lienholder [financial interest-holder] will redeem the property," said County Treasurer Dani Burton, for whom foreclosures are a required if unpleasant part of the job. Of the 33 remaining properties, though, "I don't see a lot of lienholders who'll redeem," said Burton. The 59 foreclosures are dou- ble the number in the last two years, arid six times the 2OOl figure (see graph). Most attribute the increase to economic hard times in gen- eral, and for Goldendale-area properties, to closure of the nearby aluminum plant in par- ticular. "Now is about the time that people laid off from the plant have lost their unemploy- ment," noted David Telford, Skamania County has seen no another Goldendale-area real- foreclosures in years, accord- tor. ing to Chief Deputy Treasurer "It's a sad deal," added Vickie Clelland. She's worked Taylor. "Maybe they bought in with many people to avoid it, an up market, lost their job, though, and knows what they then their home." face. In comparison, neighboring "Usually they're unem- Photo by Sam Lowry All sorts of properties are facing foreclosure by the county for failure to pay three years' back taxes: In-town houses and wide spreads of acreage, like this ranch west of Goldendale. ployed, or the primary bread- winner takes ill.., then they can't play the game of catch-up at 12 percent interest per year?' That's the county-levied interest rate, per state law. "It is out of line with current real- ity," said Clelland. The owner of a large ranch near Goldendale, who's been through personal bankruptcy and now faces foreclosure, rarely comes around. "I haven't seen her in two years," said a neighbor. Said one relation of another family facing foreclosure, "I don't think they want to be disturbed." A third properry owner agreed to talk, as long as his name was not used. "Foreclosure is a last, worst option," he said. "It's changing times and economics and situ- ation. We've been up here for eight years, and have been hit hard. Work is down. I feel for- tunate to still have an occupa- tion. I'm not sure we can redeem Foreclosures in Klickitat County, 2001-04 59 30 29 2001 2002 2003 2004 Information is from the county Treasurer's Office. Note: Not all foreclosures proceed to sate. might. There's not much chance of [our properties] selling. Our house was on the market for three years, and we showed it two times." Of the 33 properties still in danger of foreclosure, about half are owned by people - although we See FORECLOSURF~, page 3 She s a littte woman with a BIG heart." friend, describing Kay Kimmel, Goldendale's 50.year piano teacher 5¸ 8, takes a lesson in the studio behind ' Goldendale. Photo by Sam Lowry Kay Kimmers house on East I has been teaching piano since 1954 By SAM LOWRY News Reporter CELEBRATION 'RECITAL of Kay Years teaching Grace Goldendale. May 23, fol- piano recital. Kay Kimmel's friends have invited all of her piano students, past and present, to a celebration in her honor on Sunday, May 23. Many won't make it - but if all did, there would be quite a crowd: Kimmel has been teaching music for 5o years now, since she got her first teaching job out of college, in Chelan, at the tender age of 21. "I could teach before I could vote!" she recounts with glee - which seems to be her favorite state of mind. Kimmel, who grew up in Satus - "between Toppenish and Mabton" - said she moved to Goldendale the first time, in the '6os, for its beau- ty. Of course, she also had a job teaching piano, guitar, violin, voice, and folk dancing at the prima- ry school, for by then she knew that was her life's calling, and she'd already had music jobs in Moses Lake, Richland and Granger. When a local school levy failed, she went on to teach at WSU in Pullman, then went back to school herself, studying music therapy at Willamette University in Salem, Ore. But Goldendale felt like home, and Kimmel decided to retire here after 26 years in the class- room so she could hang up her shingle and teach private lessons. The studio behind Kimmel's house, stacked with books and music, is where that has been going on since 1979 - merely the second half of Kimmel's teaching career. She likes to keep track of her students, especial- ly when they stick with music. These days, Kimmel page 3 What Id chil forum's Some 24 million American kids need some- Diane HDadman, food service director of thing to do after school each day. Wahluke School District 73, said that her school Linda Williams would like you to do some- district had success with a program called Feed thing about K/ickitat County's share. Your Brain, a summer program to feed the bod- Williams, a 4-H Program assistant in ies and minds of district children during the Goldendale, is not looking for money, or labor, summer months. She wants your ideas. Feed Your Brain is a grant At the Klickitat School on WHAT: A public forum on after program of School's Out June 2, The Washington school activities in the county. Washington (SOW). SOW is After School Network a co-sponsor of the June 2 (WASN) is hostiflg a forum WttEm~: KUckitat school forum, and a training orga- to see how the new state- WHEN: June 2, 6:30 - 8:30 p.m. nization. Hyndman said wide agency can create bwo: 773-5817 SOW's program funding after-school programs to fit added two classes to the needs of individual schools summer school schedule throughout Klickitat County, said Williams. and then fed the entire bunch-6oo per day. As Some districts are in more need than others, a result, Hyndman said, reading levels jumped Williams said. Parents have a difficult time in one level that summer. these communities finding places for their chil- Williams asks any educator, parent, county dren to go after school, official, or anyone interested in the welfare of Through the forum, WASN hopes to plan children to attend the forum and participate in more access to programs, understand obstacles, the construction of a new after school program. and then lobby the state government to fund and implement the final choices.-- Greg $/¢/nner "Every 15 Minutes" program sober reality of drinking and driving By GREG SKINNER News Reporter On Monday night, Goldendale resident Rich Milliren heard a knock at the door. Outside, Officer Rob Colley had a horrible message to deliver: Milliren's daughter, Shere6, was killed on her way home from a local restaurant. Killed by a drunk driver. In officer Colley's hand: Shere6's engagement ring, her bible and I.D. card. It was terrible for the father to hear those words from Colley. It was a drill. The next day, standing in Goldendale High School gym, while pointing at his daughter, Milliren told the senior class of 2o04, "I know she is alive." For him merely thinking that he would never watch his daughter grow up would be too much to bear. "It's amaz- ing to think that every 15-min- utes some parent goes through that," said Milliren. "Drinking and Driving is a Photo by Greg Skinner An assembly of Goldendale high school seniors listen to Goldendale Police Officer Jay Hunzinker talking about the choices they make with alcohol and driving. The student in cen- ter, in white makeup, symbolizes one of the Americans killed every 15 minutes in an alcohol-related accident. choice," said Milliren. The push, GPD Officer Jay father was speaking to the Hunziker said, the Every 15 senior class as part of the Minutes production is a safe Goldendale Police Depart- driver program more than a ment's (GPD's) "Every 15 "don't drink" program. As an Minutes" program. Part of a national education See 15 MINUTT~, page 2 June It's too dry to burn debris or setting any cited, and if a person's causes a wildfire, he other fires outside, will be charged with the costs of suppressing That what the Klickitat County Rural #7 that fire, the release stated. Fire District commissioners say.Several wildfires singed portions of the The commissioners are asking residents county last summer, during the usual dry, in the fire district, which includes a large windy conditions. A couple reached within portion of central-east Klieldtat County, to striking distance of communities, including refrain fromburninganything, according to one in Klickitat Canyon and another, a news release, sparked by a train, that burned to the bor- In addition, district officials are announe- ders of Wishram. ing a total burn ban beginning June 1. -- $tq~[~et~t be