Established as The Skamokawa Eagle in 1891
Established as The Skamokawa Eagle in 1891
Sorted by date Results 1907 - 1931 of 9666
The amount of force a police officer uses must be “proportional and reasonable,” a bill approved recently by the State Senate says. The bill also specifies officers will also be allowed to engage in vehicular pursuits as long as there is “reasonable suspicion” when making a traffic stop. The Senate voted 31-18 on Senate Bill 5919 on Feb. 9 with a handful of Republicans joining the majority Democrats. The bill cleans up language adopted last year on the use of force that many in the law enforcement community said was confusing and contradictory....
In the wake of the pandemic, Seattle Children's Hospital reports an increasing number of children need outpatient mental health treatment, but not enough providers exist to meet the demand. “The devastating consequence of the inability to access outpatient care is that you’re likely to get worse and need emergency department or crisis level care,” said Kashi Arora, from Seattle Children's Hospital. House Bill 1800, now under consideration in the state Legislature, creates a behavioral workgroup to identify barriers to behavioral health servi...
The Wahkiakum School District's four-year, $997,000 program and operations levy was passing when votes were counted Tuesday evening. The margin was close, 610 yes, 575 no, an approval rate of 51.48 percent. Wahkiakum County elections officials said 100 late arriving votes remained to be counted, and more could arrive by mail this week before the second count, which will be Friday at 11 a.m. As described on the ballot, the proposed four-year replacement levy would authorize collection of taxes...
Local officials are asking each other how committed they are to maintaining County Line Park. The park, located on the Columbia at the meeting of Wahkiakum and Cowlitz counties, lies on land owned by the state Department of Natural Resources (DNR) and situated inside Wahkiakum County. DNR once leased the park to Cowlitz County, but that county discontinued the lease. DNR now leases the land to Wahkiakum County, which has contracted first to Port District 2 and now to Port District 1 to operate i...
Members of the Cathlamet Town Council heard two special requests, welcomed a new member, and heard presentations from two parties when they met Monday. Mayor David Olson also announced that because of a "health scare," the town hall office would be closed to the public this week. The council appointed Kermit Chamberlin to fill a vacancy created by the resignation of Council Member Bill Wainwright at the beginning of the year. A Cathlamet resident since 2018, Chamberlin is a retired educator who has served on the town council and planning...
Wahkiakum County Sheriff Mark Howie went to Facebook Tuesday to announce he'll seek re-election as county sheriff. Here is his statement: "There has been much speculation about whether I am retiring at the end of this year or running another term, and since I am being approached on a daily basis with the same questions, I will take this opportunity to declare my candidacy to continue as your sheriff for four more years. "It has been a great honor and privilege, one I don’t take lightly or for granted, as voters have bestowed upon me the s...
In recent articles about stream erosion issues in Skamokawa's East Valley, Marshall Stow was misidentified as Marshall Snow. In a story last week about a mock trial at Wahkiakum High School, Adriana Ashe was attributed with a comment that was actually made by Alyssa Montgomery. Montgomery's first name was spelled incorrectly as well. The correct spelling is seen here....
Are you homeless or living in substandard housing? Wahkiakum Health and Human Services would like to hear from you on February 24 when they participate in a nationwide event called the Point-in-Time count. Why? The U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD) and the state of Washington look at those numbers each year to determine what kind of resources and funding are needed for each county. “It’s their wonderful idea for one day to have all providers go out and look for people exp...
THURSDAY Walking Group, Community Center, Cathlamet, 9 a.m. Food Addicts, Hope Center, 3rd & Maple, Cathlamet, 6-7 p.m. Cathlamet Fire Department, 7 p.m. Senior Citizen Luncheon, Rosburg Hall, Noon. Puget Island Fire Department, drill night, 7 p.m. Port District No. 1, 500 2nd St., 5 p.m. District No. 4 Fire Department, 7 p.m. Grays River Fire District No. 3 Commissioners, 7:30 p.m. Grays River Fire Department, fire training, 7 p.m. Skamokawa Fire Department, 7 p.m. Westside Play & Learn Group, Valley Bible Church, 9-11:30 a.m. Eastside Play &...
Mental health victims and juveniles can be restrained by law enforcement when responding to requests for assistance from crisis responders. That is the thrust of House Bill 1735, which passed the state House with a 90-5 vote and went to the Senate for consideration. The bill is intended to end confusion caused by the adoption of last year's House Bill 1310 which prevented crisis responders from receiving police assistance in detaining or transporting people. “We're talking about hands-on…whether law enforcement can physically interact with peo...
The Wahkiakum School District's four-year, $997,000 program and operations levy boosted its passing margin when votes were counted last Friday. Friday's count of late arriving ballots increased totals to 725 yes votes and 670 no votes, an approval rate of 51.97 percent. In the initial count on election day Feb. 8, totals were 610 yes, 575 no, an approval rate of 51.48 percent. Wahkiakum County elections officials said 1,395 of the district's 2,843 registered voters, 49.07 percent, had cast ballots. The final count and certification of the...
Crews have been working in the Cathlamet area to improve safety for pedestrians crossing in at least three locations on SR 4, at Boege Road, Jacobson Road, and at the School Access Road, where students cross over to the Farm Forest for outdoor learning. There will be high visibility crosswalks with rapid flashing beacons to alert drivers as well as new speed feedback signs. The speed limit has already officially been lowered to 35 mph in the area. Photo by Diana Zimmerman....
The Wahkiakum School District's four-year, $997,000 program and operations levy was passing when votes were counted Tuesday evening. The margin was close, 610 yes, 575 no, an approval rate of 51.48 percent. Wahkiakum County elections officials said 100 late arriving votes remained to be counted, and more could arrive by mail this week before the second count, which will be Friday at 11 a.m. As described on the ballot, the proposed four-year replacement levy would authorize collection of taxes to provide up to $997,000 in 2023, $997,000 in...
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...
