LETTERS TO THE EDITOR — April 8, 2026
Published 1:30 am Wednesday, April 8, 2026
Why so quiet?
I find it pretty telling that the Donald Trump–supporting truck drivers who never shut up about gas and grocery prices under Joe Biden have suddenly gone quiet. Prices didn’t magically drop; in most cases, they’ve climbed drastically, but the outrage somehow disappeared. And yet, here they are at No Kings rallies, rolling coal on peaceful protesters, literally burning $5–$6-plus-a-gallon fuel just to make noise and draw attention. Nothing says “I care about high prices” like deliberately wasting what you claim is too expensive.
So what actually changed? The cost of everything is increasing drastically under Trump, which you ignore, or just who you decided to blame in the past, and who you’ve now decided to blindly defend and unquestioningly follow now?
Lewis Bennett
Port Angeles
Vote yes for levy lift
Oh boy, did I like libraries as a kid. Beverly Cleary’s comical stories or Landmark histories, I couldn’t get enough. Through grade school, college and the decades since, libraries have been a resource I’ve always turned to; initially for books, but now for CDs, DVDs and the many business, health, genealogical and other materials available online through the North Olympic Library System.
I read the Seattle Times, New York Times and other newspapers for free. I do have to ante up 15 cents to copy the Wall Street Journal weekend crossword puzzle.
I wish everything NOLS offers was so cheap. As a library trustee, I know it’s not so. Despite careful budgeting — our spending in 2026 will be less than in 2025 — by the end of 2027 we will have exhausted reserves built up and nurtured over the last 16 years. We’re asking voters for a levy lift that will increase the property tax on a home assessed below $423,000 by less than $6 per month. Please help sustain the library system’s services — did I mention the bookmobile? — by voting yes when you receive your ballot. Thank you.
Bert Caldwell
Sequim
Keep the Dungeness Refuge public
The Dungeness National Wildlife Refuge is critical to the North Olympic Peninsula’s character and ecology. With a proposal in the works to transfer it out of National Refuge status, the public deserves to know more about the consequences.
In 2023, three nonprofits, including Protect the Peninsula’s Future (PPF), filed suit against the US Fish & Wildlife Service (USFWS) for failing to complete a “compatibility determination” (CD) regarding the Jamestown S’Klallam Tribe’s proposal for industrial shellfish operations at Dungeness Spit. This determination of whether a proposal is compatible with the purposes of the Refuge is required.
The issue underlying the legal action against USFWS is the impact the industrial operation could have on the Refuge’s nutrient-rich tide flats, critically important eelgrass beds, and diverse habitats.
While the legal actions wind through the court process, the Tribe seeks legislation transferring the Refuge into trust for the Tribe. This could nullify the court case and sidestep the CD.
As a result, the public would not have the benefit of understanding the potential impacts of the industrial operation or holding the government accountable. And until the bill language for the land transfer is available, other questions remain: the Tribe has stated that “appropriate” public access would be maintained but has not defined what that means.
We respect the Tribe’s ancestral bond with the lands and waters of our region, and its substantial contributions to our economy, culture and health, but PPF believes that the Refuge must remain in public hands.
Board members
Protect the Peninsula’s Future
Sequim
