Established as The Skamokawa Eagle in 1891
Established as The Skamokawa Eagle in 1891
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During last week's primary for Wahkiakum County, current Sheriff John Mason defeated opposing candidate Josh Grasseth by a vote of 1,137 to 202. Mason took all 11 county precincts, with his strongest showings being in Skamokawa, Elochoman, and West Puget Island. A total of four write-in votes were cast, with two coming from the Columbia precinct and one each for East Puget Island and North Cathlamet. “I appreciate all the support from the community and all the confidence that they've put in me,” said Mason. “I do this because I truly love...
As tryouts begin Aug. 18, the Clatskanie Middle/High School girls volleyball team is preparing itself for a successful season from all levels. "We just wrapped up hosting a youth camp for fourth through eighth graders," said Head Varsity Coach Amanda Baker. "It was a huge success. We had 30 girls, which felt pretty big for our little community. [There was] lots of enthusiasm and energy in the gym all week. [We're] hoping it sets the tone moving into the season and that we gain some future Tiger...
A little over a year ago, Puget Island resident Charley Schlappi was in a car accident that broke his arm, leaving him out of work for over six months. Being "put in a position where he needed to try to figure out a new avenue to explore," Schlappi went with the craft he had done for over 10 years in Portland and started Puget Island Tile & Flooring with his wife, Meranda. "I decided to utilize my experience in flooring to start my own business and try to build something that I could leave a...
Councilmember Crystal Baker brought an item to the agenda during the Monday, July 21 session of Cathlamet Town Council. Having spoken with board members from the Wahkiakum County Historical Society, Crystal, the newest member of Town Council, inquired about the communication between council members and the Historical Society - specifically the museum - from early August to mid November. According to Crystal, a letter was sent on Aug. 5 requesting that Council "not touch" the tree at Strong Park. Much to the surprise of the Historical Society, t...
Plenty of action has taken place over the past couple of weeks to reflect the PUD consolidation. At the request of Mayor David Olson, PUD General Manager Dan Kay gave a report to begin Monday evening's session of Cathlamet Town Council. "The last two weeks have accelerated quite rapidly," said Kay to begin his report. "All is good, all is safe, everybody has water." Noting the PUD was "on site" at the water treatment plants, Kay reported "getting computer upgrades" and "needing to get more water in" to build the reservoirs. "Last week, the...
During its session on Monday, July 7, the Cathlamet Town Council approved a $6,900 contract amendment with consulting engineer Grey & Osborne "to revise the design plans for Waterfront Park by removing the Strong Park path reconstruction and instead constructing an ADA-compliant parking lot at Pocket Park." According to the Town of Cathlamet website, this change "will defer the requirement to make Strong Park ADA accessible at this time, thereby preserving the tree." Prior to the agenda item, Town Clerk/Treasurer Sarah Clark, having been asked...
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 "h...
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...
The battle between Cathlamet Mayor David Olson and the Town's council members over the PUD consolidation continues to heat up. In a June 23 letter addressed to "all Town employees and contractors," Mayor Olson stated, "Town employees are advised that, in consultation with the Town Attorney, the Mayor has determined that the purported transfer of Town utility assets and funds by the Town Council to the Wahkiakum Public Utility District (PUD) without compensation to the Town is contrary to Washington law, specifically the Accountancy Act, RCW...
Though Clatskanie Heritage Days began last weekend, a bulk of the activities will be taking place Friday, July 4, starting with the parade. For those wanting to enter the parade, the line forms at 10 a.m. A waiver/adult responsibility form will need to be completed by each entrant the morning of the parade. Marching units and horse entries form at Clatskanie Elementary School, and motorized units are to form at Clatskanie Middle/High School and enter via the front entrance off Bel Air Drive. The parade begins at 11 a.m. and will take place alon...
An estimated 225 people came out to Little Island Creamery last week to celebrate the 100th anniversary of the ferry service that connects Puget Island with Westport, Ore. With so many in attendance already filling the venue to capacity, volunteers in the Little Island Creamery parking lot had to turn vehicles away. "This event was a major success in celebrating our community," said Wahkiakum Chamber of Commerce Executive Director Ryan Murillo. "To be able to showcase the ferry, its history, and...
During the Rainier Chamber of Commerce monthly luncheon June 11, Workforce economist Shaun Barrick presented labor market information from the State of Oregon Employment Department. According to the department, the unemployed persons per job vacancy in Oregon has been higher than the U.S. average, with the discrepancy growing wider since winter 2021. Most recently, according to the statistics put out by the department, winter 2025 "had the second-lowest level of job vacancies in Oregon since summer 2020." Clarifying, Barrick said, "When we...
When the Wahkiakum Chamber of Commerce agreed to invest $35,000 in Wahkiakum West's (WWest) television show "Columbia Coast" during its April 9 meeting, WWest CEO Ken Johnson promised to film at least one of the show's 13 episodes locally. With his crew being spotted in Skamokawa, Puget Island, Downtown Cathlamet, and the Elochoman Marina last week, Johnson lived up to his end of the bargain. "Columbia Coast," which cast member Mark Justice describes as "very experiential and hands on,"...
For months, the community has discussed the fate of the tree at Strong Park. With themes centering around the safety of the walkway path that connects with Birnie Creek Bridge, the Town had discussed the possibility of removing the tree since its roots have created fissures and cracks in its adjacent sidewalk, thus precluding the walkway from ADA compliance. As both the park and the tree sit on the Wahkiakum County Historical Museum's property, the Society’s Executive Board, on Aug. 5, 2024, delivered a letter to Town Council members that s...
During last week's Rainier Chamber of Commerce meeting, WorkSource Oregon (WSO) Area Manager Angeline Chan-Pepper explained to attendees how the organization provides employer services. An equal-opportunity agency, WSO, according to its website, is "a one-stop resource for businesses." Specifying WSO is "not an employment agency," Chan-pepper said, "If you post a job with us, it reaches a huge audience. We will do that for you without any cost...Instead of trying to pay some money to Indeed [or] LinkedIn, we can help you post the job." As part...
At the conclusion of the Monday, June 2 session of Town Council, council members moved to approve and then signed an operating agreement with PUD (Public Utilities District) at the end of a rather contentious meeting that had begun over four and a half hours prior. Council’s motion to approve cited changes to paragraph 1.1 of the operating agreement, which, according to the meeting packet, reads, “This agreement is effective June 2, 2025 (“Effective Date”) through June 1, 2026 (“Term”). The PUD’s operation of the Town System under this ag...
The Clatskanie High School varsity baseball won 19 games in the regular season, including a record of 14-1 in league play. Unfortunately for the Tigers, there would not be a 20th victory, as visiting Portland Christian ousted Clatskanie from the playoffs with an 8-3 victory on Wednesday, May 28. Jumping out to an early 1-0 lead in the first inning, Portland Christian would add another five runs in the second off of starting pitcher Luke Andreasen and reliever Zach Mollenhour - both juniors - to take a commanding 6-0 lead heading into the...
Following the resignation of former Councilmember Kermit Chamberlin on April 21, the Town held the door open for several weeks to applicants wishing to fill the No. 2 position for the remainder of Chamberlin's term. Between the May 5 and June 2 sessions of Town Council, the applicants went from two to four: Tyson Clark, Randall Vogt, Crystal Baker, and Isha Snow. The four applicants filled out questionnaires, which were shared in the June 2 meeting's packet. When asked on the questionnaire what...
Clatskanie High School's track and field sent 12 athletes to last weekend's state meet at the University of Oregon's Hayward Field. When all was said and done, five of the 12 made the podium. On the boys' side, Aidan Bailey took seventh in the Men's 400M with a time of 53.95. Though not making the podium, the team of Bailey, Ryder Gorley, Ayden Blackshire, and Daylon Gutierrez took ninth in the Men's 4X400 Relay with a time of 3:37.45. Competing for the boys in the field were Braydon Top in the...
Despite a perfect 12-0 league record and an impressive 22-5 record overall in the regular season, the Clatskanie High girls softball team’s postseason run came to an end last Friday, May 30, against North Douglas of Drain. Prior to Friday’s 7-6 loss, the Tigers opened the playoffs last Tuesday, May 27, with an 11-0 mercy-rule victory at home versus Powers. Scoring once in the first and third innings and adding another nine runs in the fourth, the girls were able to hang on for the shutout. The Tigers were led at the plate by sophomore Oli...
According to Wahkiakum track and field Coach Tina Merz, last weekend's state competition at Eisenhower High School was "amazing," as eight athletes competed, five more than last year's showing. With one of those athletes being Sam Dela Cruz, the sophomore nearly made the podium last year with a triple-jump distance of 32 feet, 5 inches, good enough for ninth place. Freshman Mayleonna Casey, who competed as an eighth grader last year, ran in the 2B Women's 1600M and took 10th with a time of...
Last Thursday, Hood River non-profit Columbia Riverkeeper, Portland-based Northwest Environmental Defense Center (NEDC), and two Oregon residents sued the Oregon Department of Environmental Quality (DEQ) for issuing a water quality permit for the proposed NXTClean Fuels refinery located adjacent to the Columbia River Estuary. According to a May 22 press release from Columbia Riverkeeper Communications and Marketing Director Liz Terhaar, the refinery “would fill over 100 acres of wetlands and discharge harmful pollutants during construction and...
Local company WWest Communications is described as "a telecommunications provider offering broadband, internet, telephone, and streaming TV services." Among these services are fiber-optic plans, which generally offer "higher speeds and reliability compared to traditional broadband connections." According to CEO Ken Johnson, WWest is currently "bouncing between the Cathlamet area and the peninsula on different projects," which has had some local residents wondering when their area will be fiber-optic ready. "For some bigger projects, we're as mu...
According to Clatskanie track and field Coach Tim Van Voorst, the wildcard entries have been posted for the Oregon State track meet and Clatskanie track and field has 12 athletes competing at the state meet in 13 different events this Thursday and Friday, at Eugene's Hayward Field. For the girls, Lacey Willis will be participating in the High Jump and will also compete with her team in both the Women's 4X100 and 4X400 relays. Natalie Baker will be competing in both the Women's 200M and 400M, as...
