Established as The Skamokawa Eagle in 1891

Articles written by Jen Milliren


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  • Kid's Connection prepares for second session

    Jen Milliren|Dec 12, 2024

    When the Wahkiakum School District shifted to a four-day school week in September this year, it allowed for Wahkiakum Community Network to pilot its program Kid’s Connection. Wahkiakum Community Network saw this not only as an opportunity to help parents but to make the transition easier for young students as well. The students that attended Kid’s Connection played a game called Putting It All Together Jeopardy and were asked questions like “Name two ways to manage your feelings that are healthy and safe for yourself and others.” This 200-poi...

  • Public health nurse plants nutritious tales at story time

    Jen Milliren|Nov 21, 2024

    "Together we pull hemlock branches from the salty ocean, heavy with herring eggs like tiny stars," Stacy Wynn read aloud. In the downstairs of the Pioneer Community Center last week, parents and children gathered as they do every Wednesday for Cathlamet Public Library story time. As the County's Public Health Nurse, Wynn responds to a lot of local health needs. He runs the Wahkiakum County branch of Women, Infants, and Children (WIC), which aims to safeguard the health of low-income families...

  • Garden-to-pantry partnership yields fresh crops for all

    Jen Milliren|Nov 21, 2024

    Garden-to-pantry partnership yields fresh crops for all By Jen Milliren On a crisp fall day, it's very possible to find Laurel Check walking down the hill from Erickson Park, handing out zucchinis. "My favorite thing to grow is probably the tomatoes," Check said. "Fresh tomatoes out of the garden are unreal compared to what you buy. They taste like candy sometimes." Check is one of many volunteers in the Wahkiakum Community Garden. She moved to Cathlamet around four years ago, and after a chat...

  • E-cycling event rids residents of unused electronics

    Jen Milliren|Oct 24, 2024

    On Saturday Wahkiakum County Health and Human Services (WCHHS) in collaboration with E-Cycle Washington held the county's first coordinated electronics recycling event. Residents began dropping off unwanted electronics at the Wahkiakum High School parking lot starting at 10a.m. Staff from UpTekk Recycling along with WCHHS Community Health Advocates took many items that had been sitting in people's homes and businesses and were collecting dust. Flatscreen televisions seemed to be the most popular...

  • Westend farmers attend biosecurity talk to protect against disease

    Jen Milliren|Oct 3, 2024

    Westend farmers attend biosecurity talk to protect against disease By Jen Milliren Farmers gathered at the Grays River Grange last week for a biosecurity information session in response to the growing concerns about the H5N1 virus. Earlier this year, Highly Pathogenic Avian Influenza (H5N1), commonly referred to as "bird flu", made headlines after jumping from animals to farmworkers in Michigan, Colorado, Texas, and Missouri. Organized by Wahkiakum County Health & Human Services and Washington S...

  • Social and emotional learning classes fill gap on Fridays

    Jen Milliren|Aug 29, 2024

    Wahkiakum Community Network, supported by Wahkiakum County Health & Human Services and Washington State Health Care Authority, will begin offering social and emotional learning classes for 7 to 9 year-olds every Friday beginning mid-September. Kid’s Connection was launched by the Network in response to the school district’s shift from a traditional school week to a 4-day school week. With students not in school on Fridays, many local groups and organizations have been considering how to respond to the extra day out of school. “I think the n...

  • HHS helps seniors navigate resources

    Jen Milliren|Aug 15, 2024

    In an age of information, community-based organizations are still often the bewildered keepers of best-kept secrets. Spend any amount of time around a passionate person working for a nonprofit, and you will inevitably hear a baffled “I can’t believe more people don’t know about this program.” It’s a problem that’s magnified in rural communities, where because of physical logistics, headquarter-directed focus, and lack of funding, assistance can sometimes reach rural folks much later, making them feel left out and forgotten. People like Teresa...

  • Brighter Futures Wahkiakum encourages whole-child health

    Jen Milliren|Jul 11, 2024

    Child & Adolescent Clinic, Wahkiakum County Health & Human Services, Cowlitz Family Health Center, Wahkiakum School District, CHOICE (Community Health Organization Improving Care and Equity), and ESD 112 comprises Brighter Futures Wahkiakum, a home-grown effort to improve health outcomes for children in the community. Partner agencies have come together in Wahkiakum to provide education and support to families, encourage well-child visits, increase access to emotional care, and help connect people to community services. Justin Helms stepped...

  • Wahkiakum on the Move Adds Three New Buses to Fleet

    Jen Milliren|Jun 27, 2024

    Branded and ready for service, three brand-new buses arrived at the Elochoman Valley Campus last week. Back in April, Wahkiakum on the Move received a new-to-them 2022 Ford Starcraft Passenger Van from CHOICE Regional Health Network. This addition was the youngest of the fleet by nearly 10 years; WOTM vehicles were on average around 15 years old. Wahkiakum on the Move was able to purchase the three newest buses with funding between two grants: the Regional Mobility Grant and a Consolidated...

  • Protective actions against highly pathogenic avian influenza H5N1 in Wahkiakum County

    Jen Milliren|Jun 13, 2024

    Wahkiakum County, June 12, 2024 — The federal agency Centers for Disease Control (CDC) is continuing to monitor and respond to a multistate outbreak of highly pathogenic avian influenza H5N1 virus. H5N1 is widespread in wild birds worldwide and is causing outbreaks in U.S. poultry and dairy cows. Avian influenza A(H5N1) viruses have only rarely been transmited from person to person, but officials are taking precautions to mitigate ransmission from animals to people. This current outbreak has been circulating in wild birds around the world a...

  • Health & Human Services offer healthcare products through kiosk

    Jen Milliren|Jun 13, 2024

    On the porch below the Cathlamet Library sits what looks like a vending machine. It’s similar in size and shape, but instead of a large glass display of name-brand beverages and snacks, there’s a QR code and large text advertising FREE HEALTHCARE TESTS & SUPPLIES. As part of Wahkiakum County Health & Human Services’ preventative medicine rollout, a no-cost, self-service kiosk has been installed for use by the community. The kiosk offers a local solution to some urgent healthcare needs, while...

  • Bat tests positive for rabies in Wahkiakum County

    Jen Milliren|Jun 6, 2024

    A bat collected in Wahkiakum County has tested positive for rabies. The bat was found at a residence in Cathlamet, and was brought in to Wahkiakum County Health & Human Services to be sent off for testing. This is the first bat to test positive for rabies in Wahkiakum County since 2008. While no one reported being bitten by the bat, a dog may have been exposed during capture. This serves as a reminder to be cautious around wildlife, as well as making sure animals are up to date on pre-exposure rabies vaccination. Bats are important for our ecos...

  • Health & Human Services Offers Drug Test Strips for Harm Reduction

    Jen Milliren|May 15, 2024

    In the year 2000, my mother and I stood across from the television as the news anchors warned us of the newest drug sweeping the nation. That year it was ecstasy, or MDMA, and law enforcement officials said that this drug worries them more than any other. It was incredibly easy to overdose on. You overheat and seize until you die. I cried out in worry for my father, who was serving time in Cowlitz County jail for narcotics. 8-year-old me was convinced that because this drug existed, that my father would use it, and that he would die. My father...

  • Spring Resource Event for Youth

    Jen Milliren

    Next week, Wahkiakum County Health & Human Services will host a Spring community resource event. Doors will be open at 25 River St. Suite D (next door to PUD on the river side of the building) from 10am-3pm on May 16th . The event will feature many local and regional agencies who provide resources to Wahkiakum residents. These resources range from youth to seniors, and include Housing and Energy Assistance Programs, Employment Services, Crime Victim Advocacy, Aging and Disability Services, Veteran Services, Parent and Family Support,...

  • Wahkiakum on the Move gets a new ride

    Jen Milliren|May 8, 2024

    A new bus hit the road recently after Wahkiakum on the Move received a sizable donation. The 2022 Ford Starcraft Passenger Van strikes a bold comparison to the hardy stock of buses and vans that travel tireless miles across the county each day. Before this donation, WOTM’s fleet of six buses and vans ranged from 10 to 20 years old. The bus came from CHOICE Regional Health Network, which serves a seven-county region including our own. For years, CHOICE has partnered with health care providers, local governments, and a large number of social s...