Letters to the Editor

Published 3:01 pm Sunday, February 8, 2026

Arbor Care took good care of Chinook Fire Department

I want to publicly thank Arbor Care Tree Specialists, and Luke Colvin personally, for contributing time, equipment and expertise to the Chinook Fire Department.
The firehouse property had several older trees that had the potential to damage a nearby home and needed to be removed. Luke and his team fit the project in between other projects in their very busy schedule — at no cost to the fire department.
The Chinook Fire Department is an all-volunteer department, taking care of the property, building, trucks and equipment themselves. But the tree removal needed professionals and we genuinely appreciate Luke’s assistance.
LUCINDA LEE
Volunteer Secretary
Pacific County Fire Protection
District #2

Happy to see there are contenders for sheriff

I am so happy there are emerging contenders for sheriff! I look forward to hearing their proposed objectives.
I was pretty hard on Robin Souvenir about the traffic concerns I have, and now with Daniel Garcia as sheriff, I apologize to Mr. Souvenir!
I reached out to Sheriff Garcia when he was elected about the same issues I always bring up, traffic on 227th or as I refer to it, I-227, in Ocean Park. I requested the traffic trailer three times in his first six months, and to date, still have not seen it. The excuses I got were that it was broken and then needed elsewhere in the county and then would be set up on 227th.
A typical politician, all promises no action. Sheriff Garcia looked me in the eye and told me he was going to address traffic concerns with an emphasis on school hours when kids are waiting for the school bus. But, I have never seen any action on that front either.
Of course Sheriff Garcia would like us to believe they are patrolling the area, but again, I have seen nothing to back that up and when I confronted him about it he got defensive with an emphasis on intimidating.
I know a few people who support him for “all he has done” but when I question them about specifics they are not able to provide any.
In his defense, great job getting Archer off the street but other than that, what has he done? Someone tell me because all I have seen him do is alienate the sheriffs department from other policing agencies and the county commissioners.
The drug traffic I have reported in the past has had nothing done about it even though one of his supporters has told me what a great job he has done shutting down the drug houses, but again, no specifics, what drug houses?
I would love to see someone elected that will work well with other agencies and the commissioners rather that banging his chest about being King of the County. Both contenders have extensive experience and would like to bring back public trust and a commitment to teamwork, I hope you will hear them out.
LAURA BOHLMANN
Ocean Park

Don’t support cruelty and blind hate

The more I think about the supporters of Donald Trump, the more I’m convinced that the division in America is not about conservative vs. liberal, but about the condition of the mind and soul of MAGA.
You’ve seen the cell phone video and audio recording of the ICE agent shooting Renee Goode point-blank range in the head; and calling her a “f—-ing b—ch.” And the video of the murder of Alex Pretti, who was shot and killed by ICE — 10 rounds to the back and neck — when Mr. Pretti tried to assist a woman that ICE had pushed to the ground moments before he was killed.
You’ve also seen the brutalization and kidnapping of immigrants, women, children, and U.S. citizens, merely because they were undocumented, were dark-skinned, or were not carrying the right papers. And you’ve heard their cries.
Folks, this is not about enforcing immigration law. President Obama deported far more undocumented immigrants than Donald Trump, without the cruelty.
For the supporters of Trump, including the so-called Christian right, this is about the satisfaction of seeing the cruelty and brutality being inflicted on others, and MAGA feeling vindicated by their mistreatment. For MAGA the cruelty is the point!
The truth is that the supporters of Donald Trump are the moral equivalent of the German people who supported Adolf Hitler. They are no different than the people that lynched thousands of blacks during the “Jim Crow” era post Civil War, and then enacted laws preventing blacks from voting. This is not an exaggeration — It’s the brutal truth!
MAGA in 2026, the Nazi sympathizers of the 1930s, and the KKK / white supremacists all suffer from the same sickness of the mind and soul. And their silence and lack of empathy at the sight of immigrant families ripped apart, and their support for Trump and the GOP, speaks to their values and who they really are.
The America that I love doesn’t support cruelty and blind hate.
FREDERICK LEHR
Grays River

Anti-ICE viewpoint results in censorship

I’m writing about an injustice in beautiful Chinook.
For months, I’ve been placing “Abolish ICE” stickers on the corners of the Community Bulletin Board.
They were removed daily and eventually Vick’s was applied to the glass to prevent me from posting anything. I switched to printing photos instead, assuming this was a community board for everyone.
These were also torn down. The next morning, as I sat in my car outside, a man walked out of the store, pointed directly at me, and made the “you’re crazy” gesture around his head.
The solution? Remove the entire Community Bulletin Board. It’s now gone, apparently because my posts were deemed “political.”
Here’s the hypocrisy: For months last year, a person parked her truck out front displaying a huge Trump flag. “F*** Biden” stickers covered the gas pumps for months without concern.
A community warning about ICE monitoring the local cannery was also removed.
This community board served many purposes and belonged to all of us. My right to communicate with my neighbors has been stripped away because someone disagrees with my viewpoint.
This isn’t about politics anymore — it’s about basic human rights and equal treatment.
SARAH OLIVEIRA
Chinook