Food and Travel

Italy, With a Touch of France and a Pinch of Spain

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THE BEACH TIMES — Anchored in the blue waters of the Tyrrhenian Sea and set beneath the pyroclastic eyes of Mount Etna, lies the aging island of Sicily. The sovereign Italian region—famed for its poetry and painted wooden carts—was first...
Human Interest and Features

Some Memories Never Fade, Vets Say

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THE GOLDENDALE SENTINEL — Each one of the tattooed barbs on Rick Waddell’s arm represents a fallen soldier—the Marine is willing to concede that much. Furthermore, he will tell you that each Memorial Day he does something special to honor them. Beyond that, the matter is private. Some things, he says, you don’t even tell your wife. “I lost 11 Marines total and not...
Outdoors and Gear Reviews

Whether Shredding Resorts or Backcountry, These Snowboards Perform the Best

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DIGITAL TRENDS — Surf-inspired styles continue to dominate the powder scene in 2017, with widening noses and an ever-expanding range of tail shapes. There were poppy park boards with pressy noses, free-riding slayers stocked with backcountry slash-tech, and an expansive array of all-mountain shredders. This year produced so many exceptional boards, it was difficult to...
Human Interest and Features

Two-Year-Old Shows Family His Will to Live

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THE GOLDENDALE SENTINEL — Belinda Cuevas was secretly hoping for a boy. When the ultrasound technician announced she would get her wish, the mother-to-be was thrilled: her baby’s heart was beating, his body was moving and, according to doctors, everything looked normal. She and her husband Joe left the...
Human Interest and Features

Hilltop Turbines Signal The Winds of Change

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THE BEACH TIMES — Twelve years ago, a train of cars headed up the long, dirt road that winds towards Arenal, loaded with piles of steel, concrete and rebar. The final goal was to erect 57 wind turbines along the top ridge. At the time, wind energy was nearly unheard of in Central America and, in a developing country still 73 per cent hydroelectric, one might have called the $35 million project visionary. At the...
Opinions and Commentary

Freedom Vs Safety: Where Do We Draw the Line?

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THE GOLDENDALE SENTINEL — When I was nine years old, I was the Seat Belt Girl. I say this not only because I wore my lap belt religiously as a child, but because Oregon at the time was trying to introduce mandatory safety belt laws and they had these campaign ads during the election with a montage of child voices and faces. I was the kid in the magenta jumpsuit who...
TV and Pop Culture

19 Photos of Good Pets Gone Adorably Bad

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(ARCHIVED FROM MSN.COM) When your pet is born, it is nothing but a bundle of sweet, fluffy innocence. The little fellow looks up at you with wide eyes for guidance and greets the world with childlike exuberance. But then, the teen years hit. Suddenly, your sweet kitten or puppy changes. Fido joins an all-dog band. Fluffy dyes her fur green. You can't seem to reach them. You try taking doggie treats away, removing scratching post privileges — nothing works. Stay calm, pet owners. Usually...
News and Politics

Forest Service Should Have Managed Fuel, Officials Say

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THE GOLDENDALE SENTINEL — The severity of the Cold Springs fire that has been raging near Trout Lake for almost two weeks might have been prevented with better forest management, officials said this week. Agency heads lamented too much fuel was allowed to build up prior to the fire, which struck on...
TV and Pop Culture

23 Delightful Photos That Show Why It’s Great To Be a Dog

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(ARCHIVED FROM MSN.COM) Life isn't too shabby when you're a dog. You eat whatever you want, sleep whenever you want, and let the world around you take care of your needs. No one cares what you look like, and when you do clumsy or stupid things, people find it cute. Beyond that, nature has...
Outdoors and Gear Reviews

Get Rid of Your Jacket Quiver, This Hi-Tech 686 GLCR Works For Every Sport

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DIGITAL TRENDS — Spring is here — that beautiful but annoying time of year when you can’t quite get comfortable. Thankfully, the apparel brand 686 just launched a new three-season jacket meant to address this very problem. Dubbed the GLCR Paclite Multi Jacket, 686’s latest release is a brand-new, high-tech piece of apparel specifically designed to...
Rachel Cavanaugh
Portland, Oregon

Rachel Cavanaugh is a long-time journalist based in the Pacific Northwest. With more than 18 years of experience as a news reporter, writer, photographer, editor, and digital producer, her work has been featured in Men's Journal, MSN, The Hollywood Reporter, Bustle, Digital Trends, Elite Daily, Matador Network, Gear Junkie, Inverse, Mic, and other publications. She's worked as a Digital Producer for Microsoft’s msnNOW, Digital Content Writer on Nike's Global Consumer Services' team, Gear Reviewer for Digital Trends' Outdoors and Sports section, Staff Commerce Writer for Bustle's Outdoor and Fitness E-Commerce platform, and Editor-in-Chief of the Goldendale Sentinel, a weekly print newspaper in Washington state. Most recently, she was the Editorial Director for Columbia Sportswear's Tough Mother Outdoor Guide, helping to conceptualize and global retail giant's first ever digital magazine and build it from the ground up. Over a four-year period from 2020 to 2024, she grew the publication into a journalistically-styled content platform, creating compelling storytelling about people and places in the outdoors. She was responsible for all content strategy and production from story ideation and planning to research, interviews, and article delivery. In addition to writing higher-level brand stories, she managed a small team of freelance writers. She currently splits her time between Baja, California where she lives in an RV on the beach, and Hood River, Oregon where she spends her free time kiteboarding, snowboarding, and playing with dogs.