Cheers: To an expedited study. Admittedly, this one could be jeered — and it will be by many interested parties. But speeding up the process for an environmental review of dam and reservoir projects throughout the Columbia River basin seems reasonable. Thanks to a directive from the Trump administration, a report on 14 federal sites along the Columbia and Snake rivers is now due in September 2020, one year earlier than originally planned.
There is some concern about plans to shorten the public comment period from one year to four months. And, notably, an agreement is now expected to be signed in September 2020, before the next presidential election. But shortening the process will allow the region to more quickly move toward improvements that benefit salmon, irrigation and water management. It has been 26 years since an Environmental Impact Statement was updated for the network of dams, and an examination of the system is overdue.
Jeers: To a flying leap. Nick Naydev, a 27-year-old Vancouver man, has been banned from Royal Caribbean Cruises after leaping from a ship docked in the Bahamas. A video posted online shows Naydev climbing a railing and jumping toward the water from the 11th floor. He said he could have swum to shore, but a small boat passing by picked him up.
Naydev admitted that he did not “think this through” and said “my idea was this would be a good laugh for my friends and I would just swim back to shore and continue my vacation.” Royal Caribbean officials were not amused. The group was told to pack their bags and leave immediately and never return. Maybe Naydev should have thought the dangerous stunt through a little more.
Cheers: To pizza. With air traffic controllers in the United States working but not getting paid because of the partial government shutdown, their Canadian counterparts are ensuring the employees are at least well fed. Air traffic controllers in Seattle are among those who have had pizzas sent to them courtesy of Canadian controllers.
As the president of the Canadian Air Traffic Control Association explained, “They say you have to be 100 percent right, 100 percent of the time. People just don’t need to be reporting to work with the added stress of worrying about how to pay their mortgages and grocery bills on top of it.”
Jeers: To poor infrastructure. We’re not sure which is more distressing — that Washington has received a grade of C for its infrastructure, or that the rating is actually better than average. The American Society of Civil Engineers released a report card this week and determined that Washington’s infrastructure is positively meh. The most recent national report card, in 2017, handed out a D-plus grade overall.
“Population growth in the state is stress-testing the civil infrastructure we use every day,” said Richard Fernandez, an engineer for the city of Seattle. Tell us about it. Replacing the Interstate 5 Bridge between Vancouver and Portland should be at the top of the list for infrastructure improvements in the state.
Cheers: To classical talent. Vancouver high school students Jenna Tu and Aaron Greene have earned the right to perform with the Vancouver Symphony Orchestra as part of the organization’s Young Artists competition. Tu, a 16-year-old from Mountain View High School, won in the piano category; and Green, 17, a violinist who attends Union, won in the strings category.
More than 60 student musicians from Washington and Oregon submitted recordings for the competition, and the top candidates advanced to the live audition round. The winners will join the orchestra for performances of “Scheherazade” on April 13 and 14 at Skyview Concert Hall. Meanwhile, we’re struggling to learn “Chopsticks” on the piano.
