Established as The Skamokawa Eagle in 1891

Articles from the November 9, 2023 edition


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  • High water

    Nov 9, 2023
    1

    Eagle photographer Ian Brandon hit the road during this weekend’s high water event. Clockwise from bottom left: drenched eagles along Altoona Pillar Rock Rd; Grays River highwater and fall colors at Rosburg Hall; the historic Grays River covered bridge was under flood watch conditions; a misty view of Pillar rock along the Columbia River....

  • Anderson, Campbell retain school board seats, Heston beats Garstki

    Diana Zimmerman|Nov 9, 2023

    The results are coming in. Officials counted 1,337 votes on Tuesday night. The next count was scheduled for Wednesday at 5 p.m., after the Eagle went to press. At that time, there were 150 more ballots left to count, and more were likely to arrive in the mail. With 3,490 registered voters in Wahkiakum County, the turnout stood at 38.31 percent on Tuesday. In contested races, incumbent Patty Anderson leads challenger Kandice Merz 783-334 in a bid to hold onto her seat with the Wahkiakum School...

  • State approves $55 million forestland purchase

    Nov 9, 2023
    1

    The acquisition, the state's largest in more than a decade, would bring more than 9,000 acres in Wahkiakum County into public ownership The Washington State Board of Natural Resources approved the $55 million purchase of more than 9,000 acres of forestland in Wahkiakum County during its meeting Tuesday at the Natural Resources Building. Each of the four properties is adjacent to lands already sustainably managed by the Washington State Department of Natural Resources to generate revenue for...

  • Town to lease cell tower

    Diana Zimmerman|Nov 9, 2023

    The Town of Cathlamet coffers could receive a big boost by year’s end. Following an executive session at the end of their meeting on Monday, the town council gave a green light to the lease of the town’s cell tower site in Rosedale to a telecommunications company for a period of 50 years, for no less than $500,000, to be paid in full prior to December 31, 2023. Parameters have been approved for the lease, but documents are not yet finalized. “It is my hope that this will help with the many...

  • Beaver relocation rule making open for public comment

    Nov 9, 2023

    The Washington Department of Fish and Wildlife (WDFW) has filed a proposed rule to create a program that permits qualified individuals to relocate beavers involved in human-wildlife conflict as an alternative to lethal removal. The public is invited to submit comments about the proposed rule though Dec. 18. If adopted, the proposal would revise a state code in order to create a beaver relocation permit program that identifies beavers to be relocated, specifies the requirements for permittees, release sites, and conditions during temporary...

  • Every day we are grateful

    Nov 9, 2023

    To The Eagle: Saturday we celebrate Veterans Day! As a veteran, I have a profound sense of pride, humility, and gratitude. I’ve been where many of you and our fellow service members have been, serving our great country with unwavering dedication, yet facing the many challenges that come with it. I want to focus on the importance of Veterans Day, not only from my perspective as a veteran and VFW member, but also the collective duty we as U.S. citizens share in honoring our veterans and ensuring the true essence of Veterans Day is not f...

  • Make America Great Again?

    Nov 9, 2023

    To The Eagle: First they condemned brown people, accusing them of being rapists, murders, and drug dealers. Then it was Muslims, suggesting they were closet terrorists that need to be deported. African Americans protesting police violence, were accused of being Antifa. Gays, lesbians and transgender people they called perverts. They called the press the enemy of the people, and Democrats they called baby killers. In several states they restricted a woman’s reproductive right, and her access to contraceptives, while also banning books that s...

  • The GSA supports all students

    Nov 9, 2023

    To The Eagle: I write to you today representing myself, and only myself. I am Garrett Radcliffe, the volunteer Advisor for the GSA at Wahkiakum High School. As I understand it, the GSA has been quite the talk of online forums. What is the GSA? Well, it’s many things really. Some call it the Gay Straight Alliance, others the Gender Sexuality Alliance. It doesn’t really much matter what it’s called, the goal remains the same: include everyone and respect everyone. The GSA supports any and all students, even those who may disagree, so long as it...

  • Corrections/Clarifications

    Nov 9, 2023

    On August 24, The Eagle reported that Wahkiakum School Board candidate Kandice Merz received a donation from the Family Policy Institute of Washington. Last week we ran a letter to the editor that repeated this claim. After an online reader pointed out that Merz had not in fact received a donation from the FPIW, but rather a personal donation from a member of the FPIW, we reached out to candidate Merz for clarification. She stated that she had received a personal donation from a member of FPIW. A representative from the FPIW confirmed this....

  • PUD will build a "swamp" on Puget Island

    Diana Zimmerman|Nov 9, 2023

    The Wahkiakum County PUD Board of Commissioners will save some money in coming years with a decision they made on Tuesday to switch their Puget Island Water System plan to something General Manager Dan Kay calls a “swamp.” As he points out, he didn’t come up with the name, which is actually SWSMP, an acronym for Small Water Systems Management Program. Plans are required for water systems like the ones run by Wahkiakum PUD. They identify what the utility needs to maintain or improve their syste...

  • Launch delayed

    Nov 9, 2023

    “I spoke too soon,” said Mayor David Olson in an email to business and political officials last week. The mayor, who has been a passionate advocate for installing an electric vehicle (EV) charging station at the intersection of Main & Butler, shared that “although the light is on” the charger is still in need a few finishing touches before it is ready for use. These include small technical adjustments and updates to the card system. Cathlamet Clerk-Treasurer Sarah Clark anticipates the updates will be completed in the next week or so. “All plan...

  • Lions name student of the month

    Nov 9, 2023

    In September, The Wahkiakum Lions Club has honored Daniel Spisla-Hongel as their student of the month. Daniel is involved in school and community activities and has given more than 200 volunteer service hours. He is been active in leadership and ASB. He hopes to go to college and be involved in sports while getting a business degree to pursue a career in real estate....

  • The Eagle Calendar

    Nov 9, 2023

    THURSDAY Westside Play & Learn Group, Valley Bible Church, 9:30-11 a.m. Eastside play and learn group, St James family center 1:30-3 p.m. Johnson Park Board 10 a.m. Johnson Park Community Center Library & Computer Center noon—5 p.m. Senior Citizen Luncheon, Hope Center, Noon. Senior Citizen Luncheon, Rosburg Hall, Noon. Cathlamet Fire Department, 7 p.m. Skamokawa Fire Department, 7 p.m. Grays River Fire Department, fire/ambulance, 7:30 p.m. Puget Island Fire Department, drill night, 7 p.m. District No. 4 Fire Department, 7 p.m. Food Addicts M...

  • Lefse making & turkey bingo

    Kay Chamberlain|Nov 9, 2023

    PLENTY WET—If you have driven around much lately, you will probably have been driving in the rain, I hope with your headlights on, and you will have seen fields full of water here and there; we had some epic rainfall at the end of last week. This past week was supposed to be mostly wet with a couple of dry days while this coming week looks pretty soggy. I can only hope this forecast changes or I'll have to get out my boat to get anywhere! I hope you're all taking it easy as you travel to and fro during this wet weather, and watch for falling t...

  • Sheriff's Report, November 9, 2023

    Nov 9, 2023

    October 29 7:27 p.m. A caller reported a suspicious person with a headlamp walking around a Cathlamet property. A deputy responded and it was discovered that the subject was known to the caller. 7:41 p.m. A person was arrested when a warrant was served at a Glengate home. October 30 2:58 a.m. The Cathlamet ambulance aided an ailing person at a Puget Island residence. 11:47 a.m. A caller reported what appeared to be an overturned boat near Coffee Pot Island. It was later discovered to be a piece of wood floating in the river. 5:16 p.m. A caller...

  • Local resident charged in theft

    Nov 9, 2023

    A Skamokawa man was arrested in connection to an alleged theft from an Ace of Spades gambling pool hosted by the Duck Inn and operated by the Peninsula Moose Lodge, according to official court documents on file at Wahkiakum Superior Court. Ryan D. Helms, 30, was charged with Theft in the First Degree. His attorney, Ted DeBray, entered a plea of not guilty on his behalf on October 12, and Helms was released on his own recognizance. A court date has been set for January....

  • Downriver Dispatches

    Karen Bertroch|Nov 9, 2023

    I've saved the following quote for many years. I don't remember where it came from, but we can use reminders like this often. I suspect it has some cowboy in it. My husband was a true horseman, the kind that worked with herds of horses at the same time, and they all loved him. In his elder years, he was hired to live in a small apartment in a large barn with extremely valuable horses so that if needed, he could be with them in the stalls at night when the mares were in labor, or the foals...

  • Post 5297 begins November fundraising drive

    Nov 9, 2023

    Wahkiakum V.F.W. Post 5297 will soon begin its November Fundraising drive Friday. From November 10-17, Buddy Poppy donation containers will be placed at local businesses. On Saturday from 8 a.m. to 4 p.m., and Sunday from 8 a.m. to 5 p.m., the V.F.W. will host a booth outside the Cathlamet Market....

  • Robotics seniors have big dreams

    Karen Bertroch|Nov 9, 2023

    Interviewing three Naselle Grays River Valley seniors was a reminder of what can happen when students find their niche and run with it. Derek Suomela, Lewis Hoff and Alia Lebovitz are exceptional young people, all of whom are well-equipped to become scientists in robotics automation. These students not only know what field they love to work in, but they also know who they are as individuals. They are enrolled in the Running Start program while in their senior year. This puts them a year ahead...

  • Traffic deaths are down in Finland. WA leaders will travel there to find out how

    Jerry Cornfield, Washington State Standard|Nov 9, 2023

    As Finland saw traffic fatalities plummet last year, Washington tallied a record number of deaths on its roads. Next month, state lawmakers and transportation officials will travel to the Nordic nation to learn how it's succeeded in making traveling safer on its roadways. Sen. Marko Liias, D-Edmonds, chair of the Senate Transportation Committee, will be part of the contingent making the trip in December. The plan is to visit Helsinki where he said there's been no traffic-related deaths this...

  • Wahkiakum School District receives specialized gear

    Nov 9, 2023

    Volunteers from the Wahkiakum Autism Fund have been busy lately. After brainstorming with local teachers and therapists for children with special needs, the local charity, which works to raise awareness and funds to support children with autism and special needs in Wahkiakum County, purchased and installed a new indoor specialized therapy swing. The new swing is available to all Wahkiakum students and is located in the special needs classroom in J.A. Wendt Elementary. Called a bolster swing, it...

  • Comets football faces Pomeroy

    Diana Zimmerman|Nov 9, 2023

    The Naselle Comets beat Quilcene 48-20 in District 1/2/3/4 1B football on Friday. They will be in Pomeroy this Saturday for the first round of the State 1B tournament to play Pomeroy at 1 p.m. The game will be a season ender for the loser, but the winner will go on to face the number two ranked 1B team in the state, Wilbur-Creston-Keller next weekend in the quarterfinals. The season ended for the Naselle Comet volleyball team this week during the District 4 1B tournament. Despite a three set...

  • At the net

    Nov 9, 2023

  • A belated birthday for a Cathlamet icon

    Diana Zimmerman|Nov 9, 2023

    On Saturday, the Pioneer Community Association threw a belated 125th birthday party for the Pioneer Church, which is now known as the Pioneer Center. After a ribbon cutting, PCA President Suzanne Holmes revisited the years of fundraising and renovations, sharing dozens of pictures of the structure, the problems and the solutions, and some of the people who helped along the way. That included Craig Bjorge, whose name joined six others on a plaque recognizing them for "their support and effort...