Established as The Skamokawa Eagle in 1891
Established as The Skamokawa Eagle in 1891
Sorted by date Results 1551 - 1575 of 2699
News from Naselle: The final few days of school are here for the Class of 2013 at Naselle-Grays River Valley High School, and a whole new chapter of life is about to open for each of them. By coming this far they should know that nothing can stop them now from doing what they really want to do with the rest of their lives. This class has worked hard for the rewards that lie ahead, and I want to wish them the best. This Sunday at 5:30 p.m. the class of 2013 will participate in Baccalaureate held in the Naselle Commons. Graduation ceremonies for...
Wahkiakum County commissioners approved an easement allowing the US Army Corps of Engineers to cut through the Steamboat Slough Dike Road when they met Tuesday. Commissioners also heard developing plans for a public housing project in the Cathlamet area and acted on other business. The easement to cut through the county road is part of the setback levee project planned for the Julia Butler Hansen White-tailed Deer Refuge. Erosion is threatening the Steamboat Slough Dike, and without funds to stop the erosion, federal officials are building a ne...
The Wahkiakum County fair gained a handyman Tuesday but lost a manager. Appointed barely a month ago, Becky Ledtke told county commissioners she wouldn't accept the position after the commission voted to hire a handyman not of her choosing. County commissioners recently asked the fair advisory board to recommend a manager and handyman for employment, and the fair board had recommended Ledtke, manager for past two years, be hired as manager. However, snafus delayed interviewing of handyman applicants until last week. The fair board met, and...
The Cathlamet Town Council filled a vacant council position and acted on other business when it met Monday evening. Council Member Steven McNicholas had written a letter of resignation after the council's April meeting which had a report of a $900 penalty for a late insurance payment. McNicholas said he was unhappy with the way in which that situation was handled. He later tried to rescind his resignation, but city officials ruled he had tried to withdraw the resignation too late according to state law. The council had two candidates to fill...
Junked cars. Bulldozers. Old boats and trailer houses. Road encroachment. Pollution threats from leaking fluids. You name it, and Wahkiakum County residents can tell you where to find it in their neighborhoods. The county board of commissioners held two meetings this past week to gauge public support for an ordinance to regulate unused vehicles and other junk people keep on their private property. Sixty to eighty people attended each of the meetings in Rosburg and Cathlamet, and at the end of each meeting, solid majorities raised their hands...
Filing for elected offices that will appear on this year's primary and general election ballots wrapped up Friday with three contested positions and many positions unclaimed. Lamar Blix and Shawn Merz have filed for Wahkiakum School District (WSD) Director position 4, a 4-year term. Michelle Budd, incumbent, filed for re-election to Director position 5 on the WSD board of directors, a 4-year term. Art Hyland, the incumbent, and Joshua Holt have filed for Director position 2 in the Naselle/Grays River Valley School District (N/GRVSD) board of...
Wahkiakum County Commissioners Blair Brady and Dan Cothren (Commissioner Mike Backman was taking care of another issue on the other side of the county) met with nearly a full house crowd of about 80 residents at the Grays River Valley Center last Wednesday for an informal public hearing and an opportunity for the public to give input on a possible ordinance to regulate the accumulation of junk cars and other items that could be considered a public nuisance. Brady opened the meeting by stating, “The purpose of this and subsequent meetings w...
Representatives of the US Army Corps of Engineers and US Fish and Wildlife Service met with Wahkiakum County commissioners Tuesday to go over plans for a new levee on the Julia Butler Hansen National Wildlife Refuge for the Columbian White-tailed Deer. The Columbia River is undercutting the existing Steamboat Slough dike, and the agencies have reached agreement with the county and Diking District No. 4 to use federal salmon enhancement funds to build a new dike set back from the shoreline, breach the old dike, and create tidal wetland between...
The Wahkiakum County Fair may or may not have a manager. Last Thursday, the county board of commissioners offered the job to former Manager Becky Ledtke, who had been recommended by the Wahkiakum Fair Board, an advisory board appointed by county commissioners to set policy for the fair. Ledtke had been ready to accept the offer. However, a controversy over the authority to hire and fire employees led Ledtke to tell the board of commissioners on Tuesday, that she was withdrawing her acceptance. She supplied a letter outlining her concerns, and...
It looks like we have reverted to spring weather again. Although the sun was nice, I do like to see it cool down a bit, and I do like the rain. Besides, isn’t rain the reason we live in such a beautiful green place? News from Naselle: The District track meet will be held in Raymond on Thursday (today) at 3 p.m. Good luck, Comet competitors. The state meet will take place in Cheney on May 24 and 25. Other school events coming up as the year winds down: May 20- high school music concert at 7 p.m.; May 22- elementary music program at 7 p.m. The N...
Wahkiakum County commissioners voted Tuesday to dissolve the defunct Skamokawa Park and Recreation District. The district was formed in the 1970s and operated the former Skamokawa Library. Interest in it waned, and Port District No. 2 used its building as an office for Skamokawa Vista Park until this winter when the port bought a park model cabin and installed it in the park for an office. No one from the district spoke at a public meeting on the proposed dissolution Tuesday. The Wahkiakum County Sheriff's Department has proposed that the...
Wahkiakum County commissioners approved hiring of a manager for the county fair and acted on other business on Tuesday. The board approved the recommendation of the fair board to rehire former manager Becky Ledtke. The commission had closed down Ledtke's former position in February and subsequently worked with the fair board to restructure the position and its financing. The fair board also recommended a candidate to fill the vacant handyman position, but commissioners decided to wait till next Tuesday to act on that because the application...
Filing for elected offices that will appear on this year's primary and general election ballots starts Monday in the Wahkiakum County Auditor's office. Positions that will appear on the ballot include: County sheriff--one year unexpired term; Mark Howie, incumbent. Filing fee is $700.27. The position is a partisan position; all other positions are non-partisan. Fire District 1, commissioner position 1, 6-year term--Lee Tischer incumbent. Filing fee is $12. Fire District 2, commissioner position 3, 6-year term--Kent Martin incumbent. Filing fee...
News from Naselle: Though the school year is nearing its end, there are still some sports on the calendar. This week includes: Thursday- middle school track at North Beach at 3:30 p.m.; Friday, home subdistrict track meet at 4 p.m.; and May 16- District track at Raymond at 3 p.m. Go Comets! The Comet Booster Club will hold its regular meeting on May 14 at 5:30 p.m. Students will be released early at 12:30 p.m. on May 15. The two final performances of “Thoroughly Modern Millie Junior” will be held on May 10 and 11 at 7 p.m. The group has don...
Filing for elected offices that will appear on this year's primary and general election ballots will take place May 13-17 in the Wahkiakum County Auditor's office. Positions that will appear on the ballot include: County sheriff--one year unexpired term; Mark Howie, incumbent. Filing fee is $700.27. The position is a partisan position; all other positions are non-partisan. Fire District 1, commissioner position 1, 6-year term--Lee Tischer incumbent. Filing fee is $12. Fire District 2, commissioner position 3, 6-year term--Kent Martin...
The Wahkiakum School District Board of Directors approved a calendar for the 2013-14 school year and acted on other business when it met April 23. School will start September 3 and end June 13. Superintendent Bob Garrett said the Washington Interscholastic Athletic Association has scheduled school sports to start a week later next year, basically one week before Labor Day weekend. Spring break will be April 7-11, 2014. The board accepted the resignation of Kevin Patching as middle school football coach. Patching is working outside the...
Faith Action Network and the Washington Alliance for Gun Responsibility gathered over 40 regional interfaith leaders for a news conference at Seattle’s Town Hall Monday for the official launch of a campaign on universal background checks. There were many prominent faith leaders of our region present—Jewish, Sikh, Christian, Baha’i, Unitarian, Buddhist, Quaker, and more. Their message was one: It is time to resolutely face the moral challenge of doing everything in our power to stop the violence. These interfaith leaders gathered last Dec...
Wahkiakum School District may reduce its teaching force by two positions, Superintendent Bob Garret told the board of directors Tuesday. Enrollment is declining, and two teachers may receive reduction in force (RIF) notices that their contracts won't be renewed; the notices must be issued before a May 18 contractual deadline, Garrett said. State funding for basic education is based on enrollment. The district started the school year with an average of 403.4 full time equivalent (FTE) students. It reached a high of 415.2 in November and has been...
Wahkiakum County's oldest food bank is looking for space. Started over 30 years ago by churches in the Skamokawa and Cathlamet areas, the Wahkiakum Food Bank operates Tuesday afternoons in a room at the county Health and Human Services (H&HS) campus on the Elochoman Valley Road. That room was created by walling off a bay in a garage, and food bank operators say it's inadequate for their needs. They asked the county board of commissioners to help them find other quarters on the campus. Commissioners Dan Cothren and Mike Backman said they would l...
For the second time this year, voters in the Naselle/Grays River Valley School District rejected a proposed building bond to refurbish and enhance school facilities. In votes counted Tuesday, 366 voted in favor, 44.26 percent, and 461 voted against, 55.74 percent. In Wahkiakum County precincts, 103 voted in favor, 32.7 percent, and 212 voted against, 67.3 percent. In Pacific County precincts, 263 voted in favor, 51.37 percent, and 249 voted against, 48.63 percent. The election would have authorized the school district to issue $8.1 million in...
A Utah company this week informed the Wahkiakum County board of commissioners that its representatives could soon be in the county locating, assessing and surveying abandoned mines on Bureau of Land Management (BLM) land. The company, Gold Rush Expeditions, specializes in survey, assessment and documentation of abandoned mines across the western states. The work includes underground mapping and staking claims on available properties which may have value. The company said it surveys about 400 mines a month and usually puts claims on about 80 of...
Wahkiakum County commissioners formally rejected the one bid they received last week to build a new ferry. US Fabrication bid $8.5 million for the project, well above the engineer's estimate of $4.3 million. In a letter to the board, Public Works Director Pete Ringen said he wanted to put the project out to bid again, but first, he wants to investigate some of the issues that might have led to the difference between the bid and the estimate. The bidder had requested a longer bid period because they're working on a bid for another project,...
Skamokawa resident David Blalock is trying to form a business to provide high speed internet service to Skamokawa, Cathlamet, Elochoman Valley, and Puget Island. He has started a firm, Smokey Waters Communications, and hopes to be serving customers by June 1. "A hard date is not possible to pin down at this point," he said this week. Blalock is looking for partners and/or customers to commit to the venture. So far, a half dozen have shown commitment. He added he'd welcome expertise in business and legal fields. However, he figures he'll need...
Commissioners of Port District No. 2 will soon start gathering public input to use for updating their comprehensive plan. Port commissioners recently contracted with Brian Perleberg of Northern Resources Consulting, Inc., for technical assistance in updating the plan. Comissioners Kayrene Gilbertsen, Lori Scott and Brian O'Connor, chair, met Tuesday with Perleberg and talked over potential projects and ways to gather public input. An initial step will be an online survey through the SurveyMonkey website. Perleberg will develop questions for the...
Wahkiakum County officials were disappointed Tuesday when county commissioners opened the only bid they received to build a ferry to replace the aging "Wahkiakum." The only bidder, US Fabrication, bid $8.5 million, which was more than double the expected cost. The marine engineering firm which designed the new ferry, Elliott Bay Design Group, estimated the cost at $4,335,000. Public Works Director Pete Ringen will have a recommendation next Tuesday for the board of commissioners. "Clearly this isn't the outcome we hoped for," Ringen commented w...
