Established as The Skamokawa Eagle in 1891
Established as The Skamokawa Eagle in 1891
Sorted by date Results 1703 - 1727 of 9449
Wahkiakum County officials discussed further response to flood damage in East Valley and addressed other topics when the board of commissioners met Tuesday. In early January, heavy rain and melting snow sent a deluge down a Wilson Creek tributary, with logs and woody debris forming a jam that diverted the creek along, over and through the road and cutting a new channel very close to the residence of Marshall and Martin Snow. Since then, the county and a contractor have restored the stream to its original channel, but the streambed created by...
CETA, or the Clean Energy Transformation Act, has become a hot topic of conversation, General Manager Dan Kay told the Wahkiakum County PUD Board of Commissioners on Tuesday. “It has two components,” Kay said. “It has a power supply side that the governor signed into law where we are transitioning into 100 percent renewable or non-carbon emitting energy by 2045. The second component, which will probably impact us the most, is the low income assistance component.” Low income assistance, or ener...
THURSDAY Cathlamet Fire Department, 7 p.m. Senior Citizen Luncheon, Rosburg Hall, Noon. Skamokawa Fire Department, 7 p.m. Grays River Fire Department, work night, 7:30 p.m. Puget Island Fire Department, drill night, 7 p.m. District No. 4 Fire Department, 7 p.m. Wahkiakum Fire District 2 Commissioners, Skamokawa Fire Hall, 7 p.m. Food Addicts Meeting, Hope Center, 3rd & Maple, Cathlamet, 6-7 p.m. Westside Play & Learn Group, Valley Bible Church, 9:30-11 a.m. Cathlamet Public Library Board of Trustees, 12:45 p.m. West End Food Pantry, Johnson Par...
In last week's report about the January meeting of the board of directors of the Naselle/Grays River Valley School District, The Eagle incorrectly reported that board Chair Chuck Hendrickson referred to a previous letter signed by all board members and stating that the board had decided to comply with CDC recommendations regarding the use of masks at sports events and covid testing of winter sports’ athletes. Hendrickson was referring to State of Washington health recommendations, not recommendations from the federal Center for Disease C...
Washington’s highly-touted and highly controversial long-term care program will be delayed by 18 months, as lawmakers work to correct flaws in the program. Gov. Jay Inslee signed bills Jan. 27 to delay the WA Cares payroll tax on Washington workers just days after the Senate voted 46-3 in favor of delaying both the collection of premiums and WA Cares Fund’s implementation. The House of Representatives voted 91-6 in favor of the same bill. Inslee’s action pauses on the collection of premiums. The collection is scheduled to begin July 1, 2023,...
Washington marijuana users won’t face losing their job over a positive drug test if a proposal under consideration in the state Legislature wins approval. SB 5517 would update the Washington law that currently allows employers to turn-away job applicants and fire employees for testing positive for marijuana use in drug screenings. Prime sponsor of the bill, Sen. Karen Keiser, D-Des Moines, said current employment laws must be reformed to accommodate recreational legalization of the drug. “The war on drugs has had a really negative impact on...
Forcing higher densities in Washington’s cities will help reduce housing costs, cut fuel emissions and put an end to exclusionary zoning, supporters of House Bill 1782 say. Critics of the idea, however, say it will require significant overhauls in city infrastructure and reduce local control of housing options. The bill addresses the “missing middle,” housing options that exist between single-family homes and apartment complexes, such as duplexes, triplexes, and fourplexes. The bill requires cities to allow middle housing in every zone where...
As January rolls to its end, daffodils bloom along Cathlamet's Columbia Street. Photo by Rick Nelson....
The implementation of Washington’s highly-touted and highly controversial long-term care program should be delayed by 18 months, lawmakers in both the House and Senate decided this week. In a floor debate Jan. 26, the Senate voted 46-3 in favor of delaying both the collection of premiums and WA Cares Fund’s implementation. And on Jan. 19, the House of Representatives did the same, voting 91-6 in favor of the same bill. This bill would result in the Long-Term Services and Supports Trust Program known as WA Cares Fund, signed in 2019, to beg...
By Rick Nelson "Water, water, everywhere," says the old poem, and it could well have been describing Wahkiakum County's January. December's snow and January's rain pushed streams out of the banks, flooded roads and properties, and sent local agencies looking for answers to the challenge of maintaining infrastructure. Three local agencies shared their challenges at Tuesday's meeting of the board of county commissioners. Poul Toftemark of the Grays River Habitat Enhancement District described a...
Positive covid-19 cases have affected the Wahkiakum Mule boys basketball team, the girls basketball team, and the wrestling team, halting athletics this week. “[They] have shut down for the week and we hope that will put a stop to things for now,” Athletic Director Rob Garrett said. “Problem is this isn’t a school or sports problem, it’s everywhere. We are just using the numbers and guidelines we have been given and trying to allow our kids to play the safest way possible.” The Mules are tentatively set to resume their games on Monday. Che...
By Diana Zimmerman Covid-19 seems to be causing staffing issues everywhere right now, including the Wahkiakum Clinic, which was closed last Thursday and Friday. “All of our clinics are just getting slammed with covid-19,” Cowlitz Family Health Center (CFHC) Director Jim Coffee said on Monday. “Most of our staff are vaccinated and are just being taken down by the omicron virus. It’s been pretty devastating. We’ve had a couple clinics that have been closed off and on because we don’t have any st...
There are three variations of homelessness that Wahkiakum Health and Human Services Community Services Manager Julie Johnston sees in Wahkiakum County. There are those who are literally on the streets, or living in cars, without easy access to anything; another version the school usually sees are families doubled or tripled up in housing, or couch-surfing, where they might have a roof over their heads but it’s not permanent, or it may be more than one place over and over. The third, or what J...
Forcing higher densities in Washington’s cities will help reduce housing costs, cut fuel emissions and put an end to exclusionary zoning, supporters of House Bill 1782 say. Critics of the idea, however, say it will require significant overhauls in city infrastructure and reduce local control of housing options. The bill addresses the “missing middle,” housing options that exist between single-family homes and apartment complexes, such as duplexes, triplexes, and fourplexes. The bill requires cities to allow middle housing in every zone where...
Washington marijuana users won’t face losing their job over a positive drug test if a proposal under consideration in the state Legislature wins approval. SB 5517 would update the Washington law that currently allows employers to turn-away job applicants and fire employees for testing positive for marijuana use in drug screenings. Prime sponsor of the bill, Sen. Karen Keiser, D-Des Moines, said current employment laws must be reformed to accommodate recreational legalization of the drug. “The war on drugs has had a really negative impact on...
Young adults will be able to access a fund years from now to give them a boost if lawmakers pass a bill aimed at narrowing the gap between the rich and poor. Rep. Monica Stonier, D-Vancouver, sponsor of HB 1861, said the Washington Future Fund Trust would act as a savings and investment account for babies born under the state’s Medicaid program, Apple Health. Beginning in 2024, a minimum of $3,200 will be set aside for each eligible child to access between their 18th and 31st birthdays. “I think it’s an exciting way to deal with a lot of the c...
Advocates hope mandatory conservation of key habitat areas will help salmon runs recover, but opponents worry farmers will pay a price. House Bill 1838, to be known as the Lorraine Loomis Act in honor of the late Northwest Indian Fisheries Commissioner, will reserve land on public and private property near salmon bearing waterways. Prime sponsor of the bill, Rep. Debra Lekanoff, D-Anacortes, said salmon play a vital cultural and economic role in Washington. The potential loss of the species will affect all Washingtonians, she said. “Salmon a...
THURSDAY Cathlamet Fire Department, 7 p.m. District No. 4 Fire Department, drill night, 7 p.m. Grays River Fire Department, fire/ambulance, 7 p.m. Skamokawa Fire Department, 7 p.m. Wahkiakum Planning Commission, Courthouse, 6 p.m. Wahkiakum Commissioners, Courthouse, 9:30 p.m. Walking Group, Community Center, Cathlamet, 9 a.m. Eastside Play & Learn Group, St. James Family Center, 10-11:30 a.m. West End Food Pantry, GRVC at Johnson Park, 1-5 p.m. Wahkiakum Food Bank, 42 Elochoman Valley Rd., 3-5 p.m. Sewing Room, GRVC at Johnson Park, 11 a.m....
At the beginning of the Naselle/Grays River Valley School District board of director's meeting on Jan. 18, Superintendent Lisa Nelson presented plaques to the volleyball coaches, Bekah Wirkkala, Hanna Higginbotham and Kayti Updike for their fifth place finish at the state tournament in Yakima. At the December board meeting, the main topic during public comment concerned questions regarding students’ safety when riding school buses. All board members were present including Tyson Vogeler, who was present by phone. During the public comment time o...
Advocates hope mandatory conservation of key habitat areas will help salmon runs recover, but opponents worry farmers will pay a price. House Bill 1838, to be known as the Lorraine Loomis Act in honor of the late Northwest Indian Fisheries Commissioner, will reserve land on public and private property near salmon bearing waterways. Prime sponsor of the bill, Rep. Debra Lekanoff, D-Anacortes, said salmon play a vital cultural and economic role in Washington. The potential loss of the species will affect all Washingtonians, she said. “Salmon a...
The following is a summary of the 2020 census of Wahkiakum County, completed by the United Census Bureau. The total population on April 1, 2020 was 4,422 compared to 3,978 a decade earlier, an increase of 444 people. Females make up 50.1 percent of the population. While 33 percent of the population is 65 and older, 17.1 percent of the population is under the age of 18, and 3.5 percent are under the age of 5. According to race, 91.2 percent of Wahkiakum County is white, 0.7 percent is black or Af...
Residents of Skamokawa's East and Middle valleys on Tuesday asked Wahkiakum County officials to take steps to end threats to their properties resulting from flooding earlier this month. Marshall and Martina Snow said an emergency culvert repair redirected the course of a Middle Valley creek toward their house, which is now threatened by erosion. "It is a very severe situation," Marshall Snow said. They asked that the road department address the situation and return the creek to its previous...
Advocates hope mandatory conservation of key habitat areas will help salmon runs recover, but opponents worry farmers will pay a price. House Bill 1838, to be known as the Lorraine Loomis Act in honor of the late Northwest Indian Fisheries Commissioner, will reserve land on public and private property near salmon bearing waterways. Prime sponsor of the bill, Rep. Debra Lekanoff, D-Anacortes, said salmon play a vital cultural and economic role in Washington. The potential loss of the species will affect all Washingtonians, she said. “Salmon a...
Members of the Cathlamet Town Council on Tuesday approved the expense of extra engineering services for two construction projects and took care of some housekeeping business. The council approved contract amendments with the firm Gray & Osborne to include project management services for the projects--constructing sidewalks along South Third Street and the Butler Street Parking Lot upgrade. Clerk/Treasurer Sarah Clark said because of the complex reporting for the projects funding grants, it is essential for the town to have project management....
The Wahkiakum County PUD Board of Commissioners learned there would be a second round of disconnects this week, listened to reports, and approved a cost of living increase for their new general manager on Tuesday. General Manager Dan Kay spoke about how the recent weather had affected the PUD. “Mother Nature has really been directing our attention,” he said, “from snow, wind, rains, floods, landslides.” Kay said that there had been challenges in East Valley and along Altoona/Pillar Rock Road br...
