EDITORIAL: Cheers & Jeers: Bell Tower rehab; ignorance
Cheers: To a Vancouver centerpiece. Following a restoration project, city of Vancouver officials have rededicated the Salmon Run Bell Tower in Esther Short Park. Starting in 2002, the tower told the story of salmon and the Chinook Indian Nation through a recording and a moving mechanical display. As The Columbian has reported: "It was the sort of friendly spectacle that would cause people relaxing in Propstra Square, the brick plaza in the southeast corner of the park, to look up and learn a little bit about the history of this place."
But the demonstration fell into disrepair years ago, leaving an inert 69-foot monument with clocks that displayed inaccurate time. In 2024, the city council approved $1.83 million for repairs, and last week the diorama sprung back to life. The hope is that the story of our local history will continue to be told for generations to come.
Jeers: To willful ignorance. The National Science Foundation is dismantling part of the Ocean Observatories Initiative, removing buoys that have been monitoring climate change in the Pacific Ocean for more than a decade. The move adheres to the Trump administration's desire to diminish or ignore scientific information.
A response from the science foundation said the decision aligns with a "wider strategy of a nimbler approach to prioritize support for evolving scientific priorities and emerging technologies, as well as smart lifecycle management within its research infrastructure portfolio." While there is a lack of science, apparently there is no shortage of word salad.
Cheers: To student chefs. The Tod and Maxine McClaskey Culinary Institute at Clark College recently held its first cooking competition, echoing battles that are frequently seen on The Food Network and other networks. Micah McCloud finished first among a field of culinary students, earning scholarship money and a championship belt.
Chef R. Earl Frederick Jr., a tenured professor and department head at the institute, organized the competition. And while the event highlights Vancouver's growing status in the culinary world, it also reminds us of what might the world's best job - judge for a cooking competition.
Sad: The death of Rick Adelman. The former Portland Trail Blazers coach has died at the age of 79, sparking memories of one of the most successful periods in franchise history. Under Adelman's guidance, the Clyde Drexler-led Blazers reached the NBA Finals in 1990 and 1992, a level the team has not attained since.
As a player, Adelman was one of the original Blazers, playing in Portland for the franchise's first three seasons. He then started his coaching career at a community college in Oregon. Eventually, that turned into 23 seasons with five teams as an NBA head coach, induction to the Basketball Hall of Fame, and an indelible place in the sports lore of the region.
Cheers: To global attention. One week from today, Seattle will be in the spotlight as the World Cup comes to the Northwest. Lumen Field will host six matches during the global soccer tournament, beginning next week when Belgium faces Egypt. The city also is the site for the United States vs. Australia on June 19.
Seattle is one of 16 sites throughout the United States, Canada and Mexico for matches in the 48-nation tournament. The monthlong event is rivaled only by the Olympics for global interest, and its presence demonstrates Seattle's prominence as an international city. We hope that visitors find the Northwest to be welcoming and that they appreciate the natural beauty of the region.
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