Established as The Skamokawa Eagle in 1891
Established as The Skamokawa Eagle in 1891
Sorted by date Results 1451 - 1475 of 2280
First, we are reminded once again of all the wonderful volunteers we have in our region. This week, we'll enjoy the county fair, largely run by volunteers. Last Sunday, volunteers put together a fabulous fund raiser for a cancer victim. The weekend before, we had volunteers putting on festivals in Skamokawa and Naselle, and the weekend before that, Cathlamet's Bald Eagle Festival and a new festival at the Grays River Valley Center. Volunteers put on a couple forums for political candidates in July. The Grays River Grange held one of their...
Wahkiakum County voters whittled down a couple races and joined voters across the state in settling others on Tuesday. In Washington's new Top Two Primary, Democrats Tammy Peterson and Marlena Silva advanced to the general election. Peterson received 466 votes, and Silva had 389. Republican Susan Bate trailed with 287. Greg Prestegard, a Democrat, and Mike Backman, an Independent, led in the voting for District 1 county commissioner; Prestegard had 157 votes and Backman 134. Independent Stephanie Prestegard follows closely with 115, and...
By a 3-1 vote, Cathlamet Town Council members approved a $97,000 change order for the town's wastewater treatment plant construction project. The payment will cover the cost of a new design for running the lines under SR 4. The original design called for boring a tunnel under the highway, but the boring contractor encountered rock that put a stop to that plan. Engineers and the contractors discussed other methods of crossing the highway and settled on digging a trench for the conveyance lines. Construction will start as soon as possible, said...
Wahkiakum County commissioners handled a variety of business Tuesday, ranging from hearing a report of a rabid bat to amending the county's road construction plans to allow pursuit of more money for construction of a new ferry. Health Officer Alan Melnick reported the health department staff had investigated a report of a family's encounter with a rabid bat in the Cathlamet area. He declined to give details about the incident but said the family was from Clark County, and health staff from Wahkiakum and Clark counties worked together to...
They have a free ride through the primary election to the general election, but candidates for Position 1 on the Wahkiakum PUD board of commissioners took their campaigns across the county last week by speaking in candidate forums in Cathlamet and Grays River. Incumbent Gene Healy and challenger Lisa Marsyla are running for Position 1, which represents Puget Island and South Cathlamet precincts. Incumbent Robert Jungers is unopposed in his bid for reelection and didn't participate in the forums. An accountant, Marsyla served as PUD auditor...
Law enforcement officers from Lewis County flew to King Salmon, Alaska, in early July to charge a man with two 1985 murders. Chris Peterson, a part-time Puget Island resident and retired Multnomah County Sheriff's Office Detective, accompanied the officers and participated in the arrest. Officers charged Rick Riffe, 53, of King Salmon with first degree murder, kidnapping, burglary and robbery in connection with the deaths of Edward Maurin, 81, and Wilhelmina (Minnie) Maurin, 83, of Ethel in eastern Lewis County. Riffe has been extradited to...
The estimated cost of a new ferry continues to grow, and county officials are considering whether or not to adopt the latest design change. Several years ago, when the board first began planning for a new ferry, commissioners said they wanted the vessel to be able to accommodate large tractor trailer truck combinations. A new ramp was designed and constructed, with dimensions suitable for large trucks. Another engineering firm, Elliott Bay Design Group has been working on the design and plans for the new ferry; they and county commissioners...
Wahkiakum County's political season got into full swing this week with the arrival of primary election ballots in the mail on Saturday and candidate forums Monday in Cathlamet and Tuesday in Grays River. Two write-in candidates have also made an appearance. Longview computer store owner Tim Sutinen announced a third try for election to the legislature; he is running as a write-in for District 19, Position 2; incumbent Brian Blake is seeking re-election to that position. On Tuesday, Puget Island resident Dennis Gordon sent The Eagle a letter to...
A Canadian couple passed through Wahkiakum County this week as they completed a canoe trip along the entire length of the Columbia River. Joe and Nan Zaccolo of Coquitlam, BC, overnighted at the Elochoman Slough Marina this weekend as they neared the end of their quest. The trip has been a lifelong dream for Joe, age 74. He grew up in Trail, BC, where the southerly flowing Columbia divides the town before crossing the border into Washington. "I built a runabout boat while in high school," he said. "My mother never let me have the thing. It...
Wahkiakum County residents will be able hear political candidates discuss issues at two candidate forums next week. The Eagle is sponsoring a forum Monday, 7 p.m., at the Pioneer Community Center (Pioneer Church). The Grays River Grange is sponsoring a forum on Tuesday, 7 p.m., at the Grange hall in Grays River. The Eagle invites readers to submit questions to pose to local candidates at the forum we're sponsoring next Monday in Cathlamet. This forum will focus on local races--county commissioner and treasurer and Wahkiakum PUD commissioner....
For a while, Cathlamet's town council meeting Monday was bad news followed by more bad news regarding the town's construction projects. First, consulting engineer Ken Alexander of Gray and Osborne, LLC, reported that the contractor installing wastewater conveyance lines under SR 4 had encountered bedrock that has stopped the boring. The contractor tried boring at a more shallow level, he said, but still bedrock blocked the passage. The problem doesn't stop the project, but the engineers are working out how to solve the problem and what the...
Mike Backman Commercial fisherman Mike Backman feels he would bring good business experience and a strong work ethic to the board of county commissioners. “First, I’ve been active in the community for a long time, and this is an opportunity to take my commitment to the next level,” he said when asked why he is running for the office. “Secondly, it’s a job, and I think I can do a good job at it.” Backman graduated from Wahkiakum High School and studied at LCC but didn’t complete a degree. He is a third generation commercial fisherman on...
Cathlamet's Bald Eagle Days summer festival will bring the traditional parade, street fair, fireworks show and wooden boat festival to the community this weekend. Action starts Friday afternoon with a sidewalk art contest from 2:30-5:30 p.m. and live music, first at the farmers' market on Puget Island and later at the Tsuga Artisan Market on Main Street. Tsuga will celebrate its first anniversary Friday afternoon with a reception that will include live music from the Hidden River band. Saturday action starts with breakfast at the Elochoman...
Plans are shaping up for Cathlamet's Bald Eagle Days summer festival next week. The three-day festival is now in its 31st year and includes the traditional parade, street fair, fireworks show and wooden boat festival. Action starts Friday afternoon with a sidewalk art contest from 2:30-5:30 p.m. and live music, first at the farmers' market on Puget Island and later at the Tsuga Artisan Market on Main Street. Tsuga will celebrate its first anniversary Friday afternoon with a reception that will include live music. The Wahkiakum Chamber of...
When it comes to managing state-managed timberlands in southwestern Washington, science, technology and cooperation are the key to success for the Washington Department of Natural Resources. The agency manages timber for a variety of trusts ranging from state prisons and public schools to counties such as Wahkiakum. In the early 20th century, timber barons logged the land and walked away, leaving unpaid property taxes. Wahkiakum and other counties foreclosed the land, and in the 1940's the legislature created Forest Board Transfer trusts in...
A short handed board of Wahkiakum County Commissioners handled a light load of business on Tuesday. The board voted to affirm the distribution of PUD Privilege Tax as recommended by Treasurer Marlena Silva, subject to comparison with values for 2011. The tax, 3/4 of 1 percent of the gross collections for Wahkiakum PUD, would have been slightly over $43,000, with $5,499.84 going to the Town of Cathlamet and $37,535.12 going to the county. Stanley Sanitary Service submitted the only bid for hauling of the county's recycling boxes. The bid came...
And so the US Supreme Court upheld the Affordable Care Act last Thursday, in a 5-4 vote. President Obama and his supporters celebrate; Republican presidential candidate Mitt Romney and a host of other Republican elected officials promise to repeal it if they win the elections this fall. Personally, I hope the act continues to stand. Our nation's health care system is out of control, and we, the people, need to elect officials who will rein it in. By out of control, I mean that corporations are gouging us wherever they can, and that costs are...
A former Cathlamet resident found himself in the right place at the right time last week. Mark Clutter, who moved away in 1962 when he was 11 years old, brought his wife, Peggy, to visit last week. Looking for a place to stay, they poked their heads in the Hotel Cathlamet Sunday evening and booked a room. It turned out that the hotel had just opened--owners Stephanie and Kevin Prestegard and Wayne and Kay Cochran celebrated their grand opening last Friday, and the Clutters were the first customers. "We had other reservations, but they fell...
Meandering Skamokawa Creek is eroding the property of a two-time United States prisoner of war, and local officials are scrambling to find a way to lend a hand. José Castillo's black cap carries the words "US Army" and sports two pins, a sergeant's stripes and a marksman's emblem. He was a prisoner of war in the Korean Conflict and the Vietnam War, he told county officials last week in introducing his predicament. His property borders Skamokawa Creek and Peterson Road in Middle Valley. The creek meanders just before going under the...
Wahkiakum County commissioners addressed issues ranging from diking district work to Health and Human Services when they met Tuesday. Darren Haupt, Cowlitz-Wahkiakum Conservation District manager, and Mike Linn, Diking District 5 commissioner, reported that the Department of Natural Resources has thrown a road block on their project that would repair drainage structure in the Skamokawa area. The DNR's aquatic habitat restoration specialist has written the district to request that the district re-evaluate the project design to consider other...
Members of the Wahkiakum School District board of directors had their work cut out for them Tuesday evening. They had to deal with a variety of staffing issues ranging from complaints against a teacher to confirming the hiring of a new high school principal, and they and parents had in-depth discussions of other issues, including the district's Alternative Learning Education program. The board had at least three items for executive session--negotiation of administrators' contracts and two hearings of complaints against personnel. Lisa and Sam...
Commissioners of Port District No. 2 of Wahkiakum County covered a variety of business at their monthly meeting on Tuesday at Skamokawa Vista Park. Commissioners Brian O'Connor, Kayrene Gilbertsen and Lori Scott went over a proposed layout for a new port office and agreed to ask an architect to work up construction documents. The district office is technically owned by the defunct Skamokawa Park and Recreation District and is in poor condition. Commissioners indicated they would like to build a new office inside the park boundaries. It could...
The Cathlamet Town Council covered a lot of ground in a light meeting Monday night. The council took no action on a proposal to site a food bank in Erickson Park; it tabled action on amendments to the town's zoning laws, and the council addressed a variety of other issues. The council has held two workshop meetings in the past few weeks on a proposal to construct a building in Erickson Park for food bank use. The county has three food banks. One has a distribution site in the county's Health and Human Services campus on Elochoman Valley Road,...
Wahkiakum County commissioners discussed options for addressing a landslide issue on Loop Road, the addition of Humvees to the sheriff's office budget, and a variety of other issues when they met Tuesday. Public Works Director Pete Ringen said a consultant hired to analyze the unstable slope along Loop Road has suggested three possible solutions with costs ranging from $150,000 to $700,000 or more. The simplest solution, Ringen said, would be to place a rock buttress along the slide prone slope. However, that option would be hard to get...
Wahkiakum High School's Class of 2012 is on its way. The seniors came to their graduation ceremony last Friday; they gave thanks, received their diplomas and celebrated. High school Principal Dan Casler introduced the group of 31 seniors, saying they are an extremely optimistic group with amazing individual stories, unique experiences, and great empathy for those around them. The class was required to meet state standards in reading, writing and math to graduate, he said, and 18 of the students met the standards initially; the others followed...
