Established as The Skamokawa Eagle in 1891
Established as The Skamokawa Eagle in 1891
Sorted by date Results 2101 - 2125 of 2699
An ad hoc committee formed by Cathlamet Mayor George Wehrfritz to survey attitudes about and possibilities for business in Cathlamet reported its results last week. Committee chair John Dees led a dozen persons through a presentation of survey results and comments from respondents. Wehrfritz said he formed the committee to see what goods and services people in Wahkiakum County might use. Main Street's empty store fronts give the impression of a town in decline and that negatively affects existing or future businesses. "This gives us a baseline,...
High speed broad band internet access is coming to Wahkiakum, Pacific and Cowlitz counties. A not-for-profit King County company, Northwest Open Access Network (NoaNet), is working on a contract to install the lines in the state's rural counties, and they plan to start installing a fiber optic line along SR 4 in mid-April. Company representative Ted Perry told the Cathlamet Town Council Tuesday that it needed a franchise agreement with the town to install the lines along Columbia, River and Una streets, with a branch to the Cathlamet schools....
Wahkiakum County commissioners handled a wide variety of issues ranging from a possible biosolids ordinance to salmon fishery politics when they met Tuesday. Commissioners agreed to hold a workshop next Tuesday, 1 p.m., to work on an ordinance to regulate application of biosolids in the county. The state Department of Ecology claims jurisdiction over the disposal of the fertilizer derived from human waste and has issued a permit to a Long Beach firm to spread septage, the least treated form of biosolid, on a Grays River ranch, once the rainy...
Members of the Wahkiakum County Board of Equalization (BOE) this week offered their own plan to equalize property assessments on Puget Island. Last week, Assessor Bill Coons asked the county board of commissioners to approve a resolution calling for a special session of the county Board of Equalization to consider property tax appeals from Puget Island land owners. He hoped that because of the large number of appeals, the Board of Equalization will be able to adjust values for all Island parcels. Commissioners delayed action on Coon's proposed...
The Washington Department of Fish and Wildlife plans to open a chum salmon rearing project this summer at the now closed Elochoman Salmon Hatchery. The department is working with Wahkiakum County on the project. County commissioners urged the department to establish the program, which will help re-establish chum salmon, an endangered species, in the Elochoman. Project planners envision students in Wahkiakum High School's environmental and vocational agriculture classes will take part in caring for the salmon. Regional Biologist Pat Frazier...
Last week Wahkiakum County officials announced the award of grants from their Capital Projects Fund for local government entities. This week, county commissioners announced they had mistakenly awarded one project. They rescinded the award from the Capital Projects Fund but in turn funded it from Flood Control Fund. The project was for Fire District 4 which would use the $9,000 grant to purchase and equip a small truck for rescue responses in times of flooding. The problem with the award, commission Chair Lisa Marsyla explained, is that a...
Following a meeting last week with representatives of Lewis County and the state Department of Ecology, Wahkiakum County commissioners are planning further study of ways to control application of biosolids in the county. Biosolids are processed human sewage that are applied as fertilizer to forest and agricultural land. Ecology has approved an application of a Long Beach company to spread septage, the least treated form of biosolids, on Phil and Sulema Zerr's Grays River Ranch. The plan has drawn much adverse impact from Grays River Valley...
Puget Island taxpayers may get a break in their property taxes under a proposal from newly elected county Assessor Bill Coons. Coons has asked the county board of commissioners to approve a resolution calling for a special session of the county Board of Equalization to consider property tax appeals from Puget Island land owners. He hopes that because of the large number of appeals, the Board of Equalization will be able to adjust values for all Island parcels. The board of commissioners said they wanted to have input from Prosecuting Attorney...
Daffodils are coming up and they’re beginning to bloom but still the weather doesn’t seem to be pointing to nicer weather in the near future. Lots of robins pulling worms out of the dirt and enjoying a meaty feast. Frogs singing every night, so there is hope. News from Naselle: No school on Monday for Naselle students in honor of Presidents' Day. The list has been posted for 2nd Quarter Honor Roll for the Naselle-Grays River Valley School District. High school students include Seniors Alex Bighill, Chase Chapman, Cody Cooley, Haleigh See, Nat...
News from Naselle: Congratulations, Naselle Lady Comettes Basketball team, on being Pacific League champions! Naselle sports schedule for the coming week includes Thursday-high school boys basketball vs. PeEll at Montesano at 8 p.m.; Saturday-high school girls basketball at Montesano at 1 p.m.; Monday-middle school boys basketball at Ocosta at 5:45 p.m. The Naselle School Board will meet on Tuesday at 6:30 p.m. Wednesday will be an in-service day and students will be released from classes early at 12:30 p.m. Students at Naselle recited poetry...
The Wahkiakum Lady Mule basketball team rebounded from two Central League losses last week to win a district tournament qualifying game Monday. The Mules defeated South Bend 47-38 in Winlock to claim a district berth. They faced the Pe Ell Trojans yesterday evening (Wednesday) in the first round. The Mules took a 9-5 first quarter lead against South Bend and held on to win. Shelby Felton had 13 points and 10 rebounds, and Brieanna Olsen put in 11 points and grabbed 12 rebounds. Brianne Helms also scored 13 points. Haylee Budd pulled down 10...
Wahkiakum County commissioners moved forward on road projects and handled other business ranging from tax levies to travel expenses when they met Tuesday. The board passed a resolution authorizing release of funds for design work to replace a culvert on the Elochoman Valley Road with a bridge. The resolution was requested by the state County Road Administration Board, which is providing the majority of funding for the project. Public Works Director Pete Ringen said the project is expected to cost $864,000, and design work will cost $130,000....
Wahkiakum County commissioners on Tuesday approved funding for just over $100,000 in capital improvement projects for 10 public entities serving the county. Money for the projects comes from a 0.25 percent tax on real estate sales, with sales of large timber parcels providing most of the funds. By state law, the funds can only be used on capital projects. Last year, county commissioners formed a committee to collect and evaluate applications for capital projects. Members included citizens Bob Hake, Lori Scott and Tony Aegerter and three county...
Members of the new Wahkiakum Chamber of Commerce elected a new board of directors on Tuesday. The Chamber reorganized this year as it merged with the Lower Columbia Economic Development Council. The new organization will continue to provide most of the economic development work and community projects that the separate organizations have provided. New officers are Vice-president Jackie Lea, representing Port District 1; Treasurer Penny Paulsen; Secretary Linda Barth, Ashley Jones, representing the Town of Cathlamet; Becky Ledtke, representing...
Spring is definitely on the way even though we’ve had some not so nice days and nights. The frogs have been singing in the evenings and my daffodils are poking their heads up with a couple of early bloomers. Maybe even some sunshine this week as well. News from Naselle: Naselle sports calendar for the week: Thursday-high school girls basketball at North Beach at 5:45 p.m.; Monday-middle school boys basketball at Willapa Valley at 5:45 p.m.; Tuesday-middle school boys basketball with Raymond in Naselle at 5:45 p.m. Go Comets! Tomorrow (...
The Wahkiakum Lady Mule basketball team lost games on the road to two Central League opponents this past week. On January 19 at Winlock, the Cardinals squeaked by the Mules 43-41. The Mules led 22-20 at halftime. "We had some opportunities to win the game but didn't pull through," said Mule Coach Tiffany Niemeyer. "If we would have hit some more free throws down the stretch, then we would have won. We didn't shoot very well, and forced a lot of bad passes. There's lots of room for improvement." The Mules made 13 of 31 free throws, 42 percent....
Officials from Wahkiakum and other small counties with timber land bases are lobbying in the legislature for a bill that would allow them to replace encumbered land with productive forests. Wahkiakum County Commissioner Dan Cothren reported Tuesday that he and officials from Skamania, Pacific and Klickitat counties testified before state Senate and House committees about the proposal. The encumbered lands have harvest restrictions placed on them to provide habitat for endangered species. In the case of Wahkiakum County, some 3,000 of the...
The Lower Columbia Fish Recovery Board is focusing on a variety of species recovery and watershed management issues that will include Wahkiakum County, Executive Director Jeff Breckel said Tuesday in a report to the Wahkiakum County commissioners. The recovery board funnels state money for salmon and steelhead recovery into projects in Wahkiakum, Cowlitz, Clark and Skamania counties. It funds stream restoration projects and projects such as replacing failing culverts that are barriers to fish passage. It also works in regional species...
Wahkiakum County commissioners voted 2-1 Tuesday to purchase a device to monitor Internet bandwidth use by county employees' computers. Deputy Auditor Karen Fleming, chair of the courthouse Information Technology Committee, said the device, a Cymphonix Network Composer, would allow system supervisors to manage Internet usage by prioritizing traffic and blocking unwanted sites. They'll also be able to increase security and report specific user activity. The committee used the device on a trial basis for a month; it confirmed concerns that...
Wahkiakum County commissioners on Tuesday discussed a resolution to allow the president of the Wahkiakum County Fair Board to serve also as fair manager. In the past, the county's resolution establishing the fair board prohibited the manager from being a fair board member, but fair officials had recently asked for the change. Commissioner Blair Brady, the commission's representative on the fair board, said the current president, Becky Ledtke, served as manager for a while last year and has essentially been handling both manager and president du...
The state legislature is considering legislation that would end requirements for cities and counties to publish legal notices in a newspaper of general circulation in their region. It's touted as a measure to lower costs and ease time demands on city and county offices. I think the effect will be to increase the disconnect between citizens and their elected officials and local government, and this legislation should be rejected. Legal notices encompass a variety of notices. Some are notices for environmental reviews of proposed projects; some...
Wahkiakum County residents experienced flooding and land slides in a wet, rainy weekend. A wet weather system dumped 4.6 inches of rain in Cathlamet, 5.5 inches at the Town of Cathlamet water plant in the Elochoman Valley between 10 a.m. Saturday and 10 a.m. Sunday. The heavy rain sent county streams out of their banks; residents of the Grays River, Elochoman and Skamokawa Creek basins all saw water over their roads. Some roads in the Grays River valley remained flooded and closed Monday. Land...
A booming economy in China is providing some good news for Wahkiakum County government: The boom in building across the Pacific Ocean has created a demand for Pacific Northwest timber that has spurred a rise in revenue off state-managed, county trust lands. The revenue from trust timber land provides a large portion of the revenue for the county's Current Expense Fund, which finances most courthouse offices. County commissioners based their 2011 budget on a total of $1.3 million, and timber revenues should be close to that, representatives of...
Commissioners of Port District No. 2 of Wahkiakum County awarded a contract for tree thinning and voted to begin paying water and sewer bills for the port district office when they met Tuesday. Port officials have been planning a selective cut of potentially dangerous trees since a tree fell on a camper's recreational vehicle last winter (no one was injured). Commission Chair Brian O'Connor said the district's insurance carrier has been pressing for removal of dangerous trees. The district received bids from two local loggers to trim the trees....
Members of the Cathlamet Town Council voted to start amending their ordinance setting sewer billing rates for lodging businesses and acted on a variety of other business when they met Tuesday. The council agreed to bill Port District 1 for a business connection to the sewer mains serving the Elochoman Slough Marina; they critiqued committee assignments suggested by Mayor George Wehrfritz and they agreed to consider amending the library budget to implement a job skills training program. In December, officials from Port 1 appealed a sewer and wat...
