Week of July 10, 2025
Week of July 10, 2025
During Monday evening's session of the Cathlamet Town Council, Councilmember Robert Stowe, attending the meeting via Zoom, proposed the addition of Resolution No. 462-25 to the consent agenda. With the document emailed to Town Clerk/Treasurer Sarah Clark and then printed out and distributed to attendees during the meeting, Resolution No. 462-25 represents "A Resolution of No Confidence in David Calvin Olson, Town of Cathlamet Mayor." The drafted resolution states the Town Council of Cathlamet...
The Nassa Point Fire was first reported at 6 p.m. on Friday, July 4, according to Washington State Department of Natural Resources Communications Manager Ryan Rodruck. The fire took place near State Route (SR) 4 milepost 40, according to Washington State Department of Transportation's Southwest Region Communications Consultant Tiffany Mancillas. At around 6:30 p.m. on July 4, the road was closed between milepost 37 and milepost 47.7 and remained closed overnight, reopening around 9:30 p.m. on...
The Wahkiakum Chamber of Commerce recently held a ribbon cutting ceremony for Kel's. Located inside the Elochoman Slough Marina in Cathlamet, Kel's offers American favorites like hot dogs and hamburgers, as well as smoothies and sodas. "This is a dream come true, working with our kids and our family, having fun and learning a lot," said co-owner Kelly Patterson. "It's a learning curve, but it's great. We're meeting a lot of great people." Concurring with his wife and fellow co-owner, Scott...
Today is Thursday, July 10, the 191st day of 2025. There are 174 days left in the year. Today in History: On July 10, 1940, during World War II, the Battle of Britain began as the German Luftwaffe launched attacks on southern England. (The Royal Air Force was ultimately victorious.) Also on this date: In 1509, theologian John Calvin, a key figure of the Protestant Reformation, was born in Noyon, Picardy, France. In 1890, Wyoming was admitted as the 44th US state. In 1925, jury selection began in Dayton, Tennessee, in the trial of John T....
I recently interviewed Mari Bello for our 21st installment of Reader's Fave, a casual interview with someone who shares their favorite book. Mari is visiting her grandparents, Lee and Diane Tischer, out on Puget Island. Mari was recently selected as the Summer Library Intern for Cathlamet Public Library and is working alongside Librarian Vicki Franklin, learning what it takes to run a library day-to-day. When you come into the library, be sure and give Mari a warm "hello." Mari will be a...
HELLO. Welcome to our first weekly library news column. We thank The Eagle staff for their support, advice, and this dedicated weekly space for our column, and we thank everyone in Wahkiakum for your wonderful support of the library and reading along here. STAFF PICKS. When you come into the library, you will find a dedicated bookcase for ‘Current Staff Picks’ of about 15 books. It is continually refreshed with new books. A few for this month include “Astoria” by author Peter Stark. This is a well researched and true adventure story...
Event organizers are in full swing preparing for the 44th installment of Bald Eagle Days. Among the many events and shows going on throughout the weekend will be the Wahkiakum Photography Contest. The contest, which is free to register, will showcase the county through photography in four separate categories: “Rooted and Rising,” Wildlife, Landscape, and People/Culture. Photos must have been taken in Wahkiakum County and organizers are asking for recent, unpublished photos. “Wahkiakum County has so much to offer when it comes to...
SUNNY START. As this week begins, we have more sunshine on the way, although my one weather app suggests a sprinkle might arrive mid-week. However, at this point, it’s hard to know if that will come true or not. As it is, the sunshine and the wind have made for some good haymaking weather, and I hear the tractors running full speed ahead around our area! SPECIAL DAYS. Those celebrating birthdays this coming week from July 10 through 17 are David Shrum, Mallory Bosch, Melissa Robbins, David West, Sharon McKie, Sunny Manary, Kevin...
This past Sunday, I had the privilege of being one of several descendants of Carl and Amanda Hansen to visit what remains of the town site of Frankfort, on the Lower Columbia River. On our way to the town site we caught views of the river, the Astoria Megler Bridge, the surrounding valleys, filled with blooming foxglove. At the end of the road, we hiked along a well-kept path to reach the lush spot by the river where we spent the afternoon. I did some research with Angela Metcalf from the...
Friday afternoon, July 4, and the call comes out to the county of a brush fire just east of Nassa Point. The Cathlamet Fire Department (CFD) arrives on-scene with an engine and a brush truck, along with Battalion Chief Will Lutz, who will serve as Incident Command (IC). Skamokawa arrives. District 4. Local law enforcement, with the Washington State Patrol (WSP), close State Route 4. The Washington Department of Natural Resources (DNR) is contacted, arrives on-scene and, within the hour, takes...
July is garlic month. It should be ready to harvest. The ideal time to “pull” garlic is when there are two to three "skins" around the outermost cloves. If garlic is left in the ground and there is enough soil moisture, it will continue to grow and push through the skins. The bulbs will not look attractive and, without the skin cover, will not store as well. You should not water garlic now. It needs to dry. Harvest garlic early rather than late. Don’t wait until the foliage has all turned brown. Dig what you think is a representative...
The Little Island Relay scheduled for Sunday Aug. 3, 2025 has been postponed. The planning has been done, the details are in place, but the date has been changed to 2026. A specific date is to be determined based on the tides, so stay tuned. We thank everyone in the community for its support. We look forward to bringing you Little Island Relay in the summer of...
The new bus service between Rainier and Longview officially kicked off on Tuesday, July 1. Route 433 will run Monday through Friday, with five daily stops at the Rainier Transit Center and Rainier Senior Center between 8:35 a.m. and 6:38 p.m. It was made possible through partnerships between the City of Rainier, the Cowlitz-Wahkiakum Council of Governments (CWCOG) and River Cities Transit. That route also coincides with the reestablishment of regular bus service between Rainier and St. Helens...
Oregon recently modernized and expanded the state’s stalking statute as of July 1, 2024, but many are not familiar with the changes. Incoming St. Helen’s Police Chief Matthew Smith played an instrumental role, along with victims and legislators, in the drafting and passing of House Bill 4156, the “Modernization of Oregon’s Anti-Stalking Law,” which had not been updated since its inception in 1995. “It’s important to raise awareness about the stalking statute because it’s new and a lot of people might be under the assumption...
It’s that time of year again for Rainier Days in the Park. Taking place the weekend after the 4th of July, this annual event has a long legacy in Rainier. Having originally started in the 1950s, the event disappeared in the 80s but made a comeback in the 90s, according to Rainier Mayor Jerry Cole. “The city's never hosted it, it's always been run by outside organizations,” said Cole. “From 1992 to 1997, it was sponsored by the Rainier Chamber of Commerce, and then, from 1998 to 2010, it was run by the Rainier Eagles. From 2011 to the...
Rainier City Council members voted to designate The Wahkiakum County Eagle newspaper as the city’s official newspaper of notice at their regular meeting on June 30. Stay tuned for continued coverage of public meetings and events. The Eagle relies on Citizen Journalists to attend and write about public meetings. Citizens do not need to be professional journalists or writers to attend meetings and events and write about them. Staff at The Eagle will provide training and guidance on how to write about a public meeting. We are always happy to...
For most of the past two years, Jesse Allen has worked 12 hours a day, seven days a week operating a crane to move sedan-sized boulders miles out into the mouth of the Columbia River. "You don't want it to slip out and drop," Allen said, sitting in the 240-ton crane's cab Friday. "So when you grab a rock, you just think, 'Yeah, that'll work, that should hold,' and you go for it." Allen and nine others at specialized construction firm J.E. McAmis have already precisely placed about 32,000...
Clatskanie celebrated its annual Heritage Days with a 4th of July parade last Friday. Plenty of floats participated. The 4th saw many activities taking place at Clatskanie City Park, as well as at the...
To The Eagle, We would like to extend many thanks and high praise to each and every person involved in fighting the July 4th fire at Maple Ridge at Nassa Point. We want to mention the quick response of all involved teams from around the area. We appreciated the Cathlamet Fire Department placing a tanker truck at our residence in order to protect our home. The fire fighters worked long and hard all night and into the next day so that no homes were destroyed. We also appreciated the follow-up over the next few days. Again, our deep thanks. Joe...
To The Eagle, When Sheriff Howie retired last year, he recommended Sgt. John Mason be appointed. It was a good decision and the Wahkiakum County Commissioners unanimously concurred. Sheriff John Mason now must stand for election to the unexpired term for one year. Sounds crazy but that is the law! The good news is, as voters, we have had time to assess Sheriff Mason’s performance. Not just words or campaign slogans, but how he actually performs on the job! I knew Sheriff Howie and Undersheriff Howell, but I did not know John Mason. This...
June 30 4:35 a.m. A Grays River resident called to inform Sheriff’s deputies of a vehicle that looked to be a log truck with red and blue lights on it like an emergency vehicle driving on N Hull Creek Road. 4:25 p.m. A Skamokawa resident called to report a junk vehicle on Elochoman Valley Road. 9:10 p.m. Sheriff’s deputies assisted a driver parked at a Cathlamet Business who had locked their keys in their vehicle. 9:44 p.m. A Skamokawa resident reported that a person known to them stole their vehicle and that they hit another car on East...
