Some islanders wonder about building a new library while the island has an affordable housing issue, but affordable housing and an expanded library serve the same island families in different ways. Low to middle-income families need after-school youth programs in safe spaces; books, movies, and audio to check out instead of purchase; and free access to technology and technology instruction. What seems like standard technology to own nowadays is out of reach for many who cannot afford home computers or internet service, including seniors living on limited incomes. The Library provides these. The Library also loans out adaptive equipment for those with mobility, vision, and hearing difficulties, Discover Passes to state parks, birdwatching kits with binoculars, a telescope, glasses for colorblindness—items whose costs would be too prohibitive for many.
It seems straightforward, right? Everyone loves a library — the picture books, the programs, the comfy chairs, the quiet, the air conditioning, the crafts, the community. It’s a place to
New permits aimed at tamping down crowding in the Columbia River Gorge will begin Tuesday, joining a growing list of permits and parking passes required at trailheads and parks in