Established as The Skamokawa Eagle in 1891
Established as The Skamokawa Eagle in 1891
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On July 4, 1944, World War II was at a pivotal time in Europe, marked by the fierce Battle of Normandy and the intense fighting in the Cotentin Peninsula and around Caen. Just shy of a month after D-Day, the millionth Allied soldier landed in Normandy. Amidst this backdrop, my grandfather, Eddie Wirkkala, took a few precious moments to write a letter to his mother, sharing his thoughts and experiences. "July 1, 1944 Dear Ma, Hi! Here it is, July already. What are you going to do on the 4th?...
The County Commissioners met on Tuesday, July 1, and appointed Bruce Craven and Steven Lake to the District 1 Planning Commission. There is still a vacancy to be filled for District 3, which serves Skamokawa and the Westend. The commissioners officially approved the contract between Wahkiakum County and the Washington State Conservation Commission for the Voluntary Stewardship Program (VSP). The program aims to protect critical areas such as streams, habitats, and wetlands located on agricultural lands without hindering production or...
Almost 60 years after the Wauna Mill's No. 1 paper machine went on-line, Georgia-Pacific celebrated the groundbreaking of the new $150 million project to rebuild and modernize it on Wednesday, June 25. The project will rebuild the vintage 1965 paper machine into a world-class operation to make paper for Angel Soft and private label bath tissue. In the ceremony held under a tent on the mill grounds in eastern Clatsop County, Georgia-Pacific Vice President and Wauna Mill Manager Keith Seal told...
Though Clatskanie Heritage Days began last weekend, a bulk of the activities will be taking place Friday, July 4, starting with the parade. For those wanting to enter the parade, the line forms at 10 a.m. A waiver/adult responsibility form will need to be completed by each entrant the morning of the parade. Marching units and horse entries form at Clatskanie Elementary School, and motorized units are to form at Clatskanie Middle/High School and enter via the front entrance off Bel Air Drive. The parade begins at 11 a.m. and will take place alon...
The Kiwanis club of Clatskanie hosted their annual Strut Your Mutt dog show on Sunday June 29. The show included 24 contestants, as both youths and adults brought their lovable dogs to the Clatskanie City Park to share in the festivity. Dogs of all sizes and several breeds were on site for Strut Your Mutt, which has been a regular event and part of the annual Clatskanie Heritage Days celebration for many years. Community businesses from Clatskanie, Astoria, and Longview contributed prizes in...
Located on 1st Street in the heart of downtown Rainier is Mee Maw's Attic, a treasure trove for bargain hunters, vintage seekers, and all-around treasure hunters. Always bustling with visitors from Rainier and beyond, the store features new inventory every week. Jill Parker, along with husband Tom, owns Mee Maw's Attic, said she didn't set out to open her own retail store but the opportunity fell into her lap. "I was volunteering at Hope [a local non-profit] for two years and also helping the...
Tuesday, July 1 marked one year since the enactment of House Bill 4156, Oregon’s modernized stalking law, which expands the definition of “contact” to include emerging forms of harassment and threats, including the use of technology, that was not accounted for under the original law drafted in 1995. Definition and common motivations By definition, stalking is legally defined by the United States Department of Justice as “a course of conduct directed at a specific person that would cause a reasonable person to fear for his or her safety or the...
Warmer weather is finally here, and we couldn’t be happier to feel that glorious sunshine on our skin. However, if there’s one thing that loves summer even more than we do, it’s mosquitoes. These tiny intruders have a way of crashing every backyard BBQ, camping trip, and evening patio hangout. The good news is you don’t have to resort to toxic, chemical-laden bug sprays to keep them away. With just a few natural ingredients, you can blend up your own DIY mosquito repellent spray that’s gentle on your skin. First, you’ll need to get your suppli...
Sue Marshall has been selected as the Tsuga Gallery Artist of the Month for July. Sue is a semi-abstract, mixed-media artist who started painting approximately five years ago. She uses acrylic paint and acrylic inks, both on canvas and paper, to explore emotion, feelings, and real-life experiences. Although she does dabble in realism, Sue feels her creative calling lies in the unusual, even wonky, abstract world. Her focus is bold colors, mark-making, and thinking "outside the box." Most of...
Last week, the Naselle-Grays River Valley High School Robotics team competed in Atlanta at the National SkillsUSA competition in the Robotics and Automation Technology event. During the competition, the two-member team of Andy Rojas-Meliton and Logan Wirkkala-Scheller had eight hours to design, construct, wire, and program a robot work cell with controlling PLC to move objects, test them with sensors and a camera for flaws, and place them into the correct bins. After the event, the judges said...
An estimated 225 people came out to Little Island Creamery last week to celebrate the 100th anniversary of the ferry service that connects Puget Island with Westport, Ore. With so many in attendance already filling the venue to capacity, volunteers in the Little Island Creamery parking lot had to turn vehicles away. "This event was a major success in celebrating our community," said Wahkiakum Chamber of Commerce Executive Director Ryan Murillo. "To be able to showcase the ferry, its history, and...
The County Commissioners held their regular meeting on Tuesday, during which they voted to rename the section of Steamboat Slough Road that runs through the Wildlife Refuge to White Tail Road. This change will reduce confusion for travelers and help emergency responders respond more effectively to calls on either road. During public comment, a resident from Eden Valley Road raised concerns about the overgrown grass along Eden Valley Road and inquired about the timing and frequency of mowing. The overgrowth has created potential safety hazards...
Today is Thursday, June 26, the 177th day of 2025. There are 188 days left in the year. Today in history: On June 26, 2015, in its 5-4 Obergefell v. Hodges decision, the U.S. Supreme Court legalized same-sex marriage across the country, ruling that state-level bans on same-sex marriage violated the due process and equal protection clauses of the Fourteenth Amendment. Also on this date: In 1917, U.S. troops entered World War I as the first troops of the American Expeditionary Force landed in Saint-Nazaire, France. In 1945, the charter of the Uni...
This coming weekend is nationally known as ARRL Field Day for Amateur Radio. Station operators try to contact as many other operators around the world as they can. This is one of the three ways that we test the effectiveness of the long-range portion of our emergency communications system here in Wahkiakum County. Locally however, we call it "Hamfest" because we do much more. In addition to long-range communications testing, we also teach people how the radio systems work, encourage new folks...
I recently interviewed Ian Brandon for our 19th installment of Reader's Fave, a casual interview with someone who shares their favorite book. Ian lives out on Puget Island and is the business manager for The Wahkiakum County Eagle. We took a turn on Reader's Fave, as Ian asked if he could share about his favorite podcast. He listens to many, but Ian said his clear favorite is "The China History Podcast", hosted by Laszlo Montgomery. This podcast covers historical topics from antiquity to modern...
DECENT START. As this week begins on Sunday morning, I’m seeing some sunshine that’s making the wet grass and trees sparkle, so it’s a nice change from Saturday, when it poured on and off all day. We had an inch of rain by noon here in the West Valley, so it was definitely soggy. This last weekend in June is looking much nicer… fingers crossed! SPECIAL DAYS. Those celebrating their birthdays from June 26 to July 4 are Lance Britt, Cliff Garrison, Don Speranza, Sandie York, Austin Luthi, Tanya Cleveland, Heidi Boehler, Andrew Nortrup, Cooper...
On Wednesday, June 18, Wahkiakum County student Noah Sandhu graduated from Washington Connections Academy. The 230-student class eagerly moved their tassels from right to left as their teachers, family, and friends cheered them on. Among the graduating class, 37 percent plan to attend two- or four-year colleges or universities, 17 percent plan to enter the workforce, while others plan to pursue vocational training, serve in the military, or take a gap year. Serving students grades K-12, Washington Connections Academy, a tuition-free virtual...
Friends of Skamokawa will be postponing its Art and Crafts Exhibit for Wahkiakum County that was scheduled for June 28 through Aug. 29 at the River Life Interpretive Center. If interested in participating in the future, please contact Lori at 360-795-3007 on Tuesday or Thursday between 10 a.m. and 2 p.m. or email FOS. The Interpretive Center is open every Saturday and Sunday from noon to 4 p.m. Shop its growing collection of books and unique gift items, learn about the area’s cultural history, and see a replica of an 1894 classroom. Enjoy t...
The Grays River Grange Barter Night was a notable success, attracting over 40 participants who joined the private bartering group to present and exchange their distinctive farm, kitchen, and agricultural products. The evening began with a potluck-style meal, where a variety of homemade dishes created a welcoming atmosphere for those who attended. After the meal, participants received instructions from one of the event's organizers, Kelly Shumar, who outlined the evening's agenda and explained...
If y'all haven't noticed, it's a busy, bustling, vibrant time of year. Julie's strawberries are going plum wild. Truthfully, we've never seen the plants quite as full as they are this year; the cherries, Lapine and Royal Ann, too. However, the robins, jays, and crows appear to be getting their fair share from those particular trees. Still, I'm okay with sharing, and I find it comical to see a robin so full of "my" cherries as to make full flight darn near impossible. We have a pair of yearling b...
Very high fruit load Last year was a very low fruit year. This year, the fruit load on apples, pears, plums, and cherries is very high. It is high enough on many apple trees I have seen to break limbs as the fruit matures. You can still thin. Remove the largest undamaged fruit in each cluster and space each fruit saved about a hand width apart. This will produce nice quality fruit and reduce the fruit load. Alternatively, plan to have some supports in place for some tree limbs to keep them from breaking. Watering vegetables Most vegetables are...
Eggleaf spurge, also known as oblong spurge or Balkan spurge, is a Class A weed. This weed is native to Turkey and Southeast Europe, is toxic to humans, and is on the Washington State quarantine list. Eggleaf spurge was first introduced as a garden ornamental and escaped cultivation. It is closely related to and exhibits invasive and competitive strategies like leafy spurge, which is listed as a Washington State Class B noxious weed. This plant is an upright perennial, growing to about three feet tall from a woody, branched taproot. Plant...
The Clatskanie Arts Commission is kicking off its 36th Performing Arts Series with the annual free concert Big Band in the Park on Labor Day (Sept. 1) from 2-4 p.m. at Clatskanie City Park (35 Park St.). Thanks to the generous support of Donna Garlock, the North Coast Big Band will again be performing. Performances at the Birkenfeld Theatre in Clatskanie will begin on Saturday, Oct. 4, at 7:30 p.m. with a performance by JACA. The award-winning clarinet/guitar duo combines world music, virtuosity, and humor to bring an adventurous, passionate, a...
During the Rainier Chamber of Commerce monthly luncheon June 11, Workforce economist Shaun Barrick presented labor market information from the State of Oregon Employment Department. According to the department, the unemployed persons per job vacancy in Oregon has been higher than the U.S. average, with the discrepancy growing wider since winter 2021. Most recently, according to the statistics put out by the department, winter 2025 "had the second-lowest level of job vacancies in Oregon since summer 2020." Clarifying, Barrick said, "When we...
Strong Family Dentistry has taken up residence in the former dental office of Dr. Evans, a long-standing service provider for Rainier who recently retired. Strong Family Dentistry in Rainier is the latest business move by owner, Brad Strong, DDS, who took over the Rainier location on West B. Street in March of this year. Prior to purchasing the Rainier location, Strong operated two locations in Clatskanie and Longview. "Dr. Evans was getting ready to retire and I was tired of having two offices...
