Articles written by Rick Nelson
Sorted by date Results 1 - 25 of 1937
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Speed limit changes proposed in Westend
By Rick Nelson The Washington State Department of Transportation (WSDOT) is considering lowering speed limits on SR 4 through Rosburg and Grays River. The department is also considering modifications to the speed limits on SR 409 as it comes off the...
Council covers many topics in 4-hour meeting
By Rick Nelson Four hours plus: The Cathlamet Town Council met Tuesday for their regular monthly meeting, starting at 6 p.m. and recessing into an executive session around 10:10 p.m. Needless to say, they covered a lot of ground: Some of the highligh...
Facts aren't hard to find
Fact checking: It seems most major newspapers now have fact checkers; The Eagle isn't a major newspsper, so we rely on trusted outside sources, notable the Associated Press. Here are links to others: https://www.snopes.com/, https...
Governmental entities plan many projects around the county
One might think Tuesday's meeting of the Wahkiakum County Board of Commissioners turned into a reality TV news program. The morning started at 8 a.m. with a roundtable discussion by local governmental entities reporting their principle activities and...
Suits flying over DNR sustainable yield, murrelet habitat plans
Wahkiakum County, the Naselle/Grays River Valley School District (N/GRVSD) and other entities on Dec. 30 filed suit against the state Department of Natural Resources over the state marbled murrelet habitat management plan. And on Thursday, individual...
Oregon Petition doesn't hold water
Darned if you do and darned if you don't? When I first started in this business in the 1970's, I remember an editor proclaiming that one shouldn't add editor's notes to letters to the editor. So, I sometimes let things go that I know are incorrect....
Robots, crisis response and flu occupy board of commissioners
Persons attending the Tuesday meeting of the Wahkiakum County Board of Commissioners were in for a treat this week: The board entertained a visit from a robotics demonstration by students participatin...
Rainier man recruiting volunteers to serve as designated drivers
"Cape is optional," reads the card recruiting people to serve their communities as designated drivers. They're superheroes, says Tony Cataldo of Rainier, Ore. For many years, Cataldo has encouraged and enabled volunteers to become safe, recognized...
Eagle to appear on Thursday
On Tuesday, it appeared that the print edition of The Wahkiakum County Eagle would be delivered a day later than usual this week. The US Postal Office in Cathlamet closed down at noon on Tuesday,Christmas Eve, and we were unable to deliver this...
2020 census work ready to start
Wahkiakum County residents will soon see information about the 2020 census coming their way. "It's pretty important because those numbers give you lots of things," local census coordinator Sandi Benbrook Rieder told the Wahkiakum County Board of...
Paving work completed at Skamokawa park
Commissioners of Port District 2 breezed through a light agenda when they met Dec. 17 in Skamokawa. Commissioners held a public hearing on their comprehensive plan update. They plan to vote on the plan at their January 20 meeting. Manager Jeff Smith...
Pitbull attack on small dog spurs town action
Following an attack that led to the death of a small dog, the Town of Cathlamet is moving to enforce its ban of pitbulls in the town limits. The attack occurred on the evening of Dec. 8 at the DeBriae Fire Hall. Carol Wegdahl was inside the hall to...
Council addresses fees, varied issues with special meeting to come
With two new members at work, the Cathlamet Town Council tackled a variety of business at the December meeting on Monday. Town Attorney Fred Johnson issued oaths of office to Bill Wainwright and...
Commissioners OK 2020 budgets, address other issues
A short-handed Wahkiakum County Board of Commissioners cruised through their pre-Christmas holiday meeting on Tuesday. Commissioners approved resolutions for the county's 2020 budgets, increasing property taxes 1 percent, and acting on a variety of...
Commissioners talk junk car ordinance, Johnson Park heating
Wahkiakum County commissioners addressed issues ranging from junk vehicles to transportation funding when they met Tuesday. In response to a question from an Elochoman Valley resident, Health and Human Services Director Chris Bischoff said a...
Tigers cool Comets for state 1B title
A young news editor once told the story: "Sports are like hunting bear with a switch," she said in her Arkansas drawl. "Sometimes you get the bear; sometimes the bear gets you, and sometimes you...
Bridge water main repair will stop water flow to Puget Island
The Wahkiakum PUD water crew will soon have to stop water flow to Puget Island to replace a faulty valve, General Manager David Tramblie announced at the Tuesday meeting of the utility board of commissioners. The water crew recently replaced the...
Enhancement district seeks dredging of bay
Commissioners of the Grays River Habitat Enhancement District have set their sights on a big project: Clearing the channels of Grays River and Deep River across Grays Bay. They'll have support from the Wahkiakum County board of commissioners. The...
Council nearing end of 2020 budget work
A short-handed Cathlamet Town Council made their second vote of approval for their 2020 budgets in a special meeting Monday night. Mayor Dale Jacobson was ill, so Council Member Ryan Smith presided as mayor pro tem. Also attending were Council...
Comets crush ACH, play for state title Saturday
The Naselle Comet football team roared into the state Class 1B football championship with a 70-44 win over the Warriors of Almira/Coulee-Hartline last Saturday. The Comets will take on the top-ranked Odessa Tigers in the title game this Saturday, 12...
Port 2 wraps up budget, works on comp plan
Commissioners of Wahkiakum County Port District 2 last week adopted their 2020 budget, heard suggestions to work on two Westend properties and approved improvemets at two parks. The commissioners approved a $1.05 million budget, highest in the...
County budget hearing set for Monday morning
Wahkiakum County's board of commissioners will hold a public hearing next Monday before beginning final deliberations on their 2020 budgets. Commissioners met Tuesday (as The Eagle went to press) with county fair officials to go over issues. The...
Puget Island bridge work comes to an end
Photo and story by Rick Nelson Editor’s Note: This story has been updated to include information received after the print edition went to press. Work on the Puget Island bridge is coming to an end...
Commissioners address disputes from neighbors
Wahkiakum County Commissioners Dan Cothren and Mike Backman were asked to adjudicate neighborhood disputes at their meeting Tuesday. [Commissioner Gene Strong was out of town at a statewide meeting of county officials.] The first dispute involved...
Council votes to reopen Butler St. parking lot
Members of the Cathlamet Town Council on Monday voted 3-1 to open their Butler Street lot to parking with a six-month deadline to begin improvements to the lot. The action was one of several initiatives from Council Member David Olson who also...
