Established as The Skamokawa Eagle in 1891
Established as The Skamokawa Eagle in 1891
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On Tuesday, the Wahkiakum School District Board of Directors got an update on the budget, some of the superintendent’s thoughts about ways to fund renovations at the high school, and plans to return more students to a more regular schedule next week. Following a brief discussion about who might attend a Washington State School Directors’ Association’s legislative conference in February, Business Manager Shelby Garrett gave an update. “The general fund balance is a little lower than last month,...
Wahkiakum County Port 1 Board of Commissioners discussed maintenance, rates, and more at their meeting last Thursday. Maintenance Manager Todd Souvenir, who has been working on a project to install LED lighting in the storage units, recently received a second bid from Dynamic Energy Solution. The project will take a little longer, but cost less, and create less of a hassle for customers, because the port will replace the lights themselves. “It’s pretty crazy that you went from one company tha...
Just when residents of Washington will have access to a COVID-19 vaccine depends on how many doses the federal government delivers and how many the state can administer in a day. Currently, the state is receiving 100,000 doses per week and administering 14,000 doses per day, but Gov. Jay Inslee acknowledged Monday that there have been major bumps in the road so far. "I have to be forthright with Washingtonians," Inslee said. "Patience is going to be one of the most important assets for us in...
Formerly incarcerated people would automatically regain their right to vote if a proposed bill in the Washington State Legislature is approved. Rep. Tarra Simmons (D-Bremerton), the first formerly incarcerated person to serve in the Legislature, testified in favor of HB 1078 Jan. 14 and said earning her right to vote helped her engage with and serve her community. “This is really about reentry. It's not about the punishment. The punishment has been taken into consideration during the prosecution,” she said. Simmons was sentenced to 20 mon...
Gov. Jay Inslee’s proposed budget for the upcoming biennium calls for $570 million in new education spending, but many parents and educators have expressed frustration that the governor’s budget does not adequately fund additional transportation and special education needs fueled by COVID-19. Of the education spending, the governor proposed $400 million for schools to expand learning opportunities and potentially add instructional time for their students. Additionally, the budget also includes $79 million to support broadband connections for...
A different take on Gov. Jay Inslee’s capital gains tax, less broad and friendlier to small family-owned businesses, will likely be introduced later in this year’s legislative session. “We are considering proposals similar to what the House has considered in years past,” said Rep. Noel Frame, D-Seattle. “So, for instance, the filing threshold has been higher in the past House versions, so that's one major difference. Also what we have had the last several years is an exemption for bona fide family owned businesses.” Frame emphasized the goal of...
Due to the COVID-19 coronavirus outbreak, meetings and events usually listed here have been canceled or changed to online participation until further notice. The Eagle was advised of the following events: Online Recovery Meeting, Lower Columbia River Refuge Recovery. Mondays 6:30 p.m. Zoom ID 960 8413 9102. Community Center, Mon. 9-12 & 1-5. Tues-Thurs. 9-1. Friday by appointment. Cathlamet Library T-F 2-5 p.m. Covid restrictions enforced. Community Integrated Health Services, Monday, 6-8 p.m., Video Link: https://cihealthse...
Commissioners of Port District 2 boosted salaries and picked out two candidates to fill a vacancy on the three-person board when they met Tuesday. Commissioners Brian O'Connor and Austin Burkhalter recessed into executive session at the end of their meeting to consider applicants to fill the vacancy created by Lee Tischer's resignation to assume a position on the county board of commissioners. When they returned to open session, attorney Tim Hanigan announced that the board would interview two candidates, Mike Backman and Allen Bennett, at the...
Some local citizens who are concerned about abused, neglected, abandoned, and stray animals formed the Wahkiakum Animal Advocates Group (WAAG) in 2019. The pandemic slowed their plans a bit, but they have continued to move forward, getting their 501c3 status, setting up a bank account, talking with local leaders via Zoom, and even performing a trap, neuter, and release operation for a feral cat colony in the Elochoman Valley in recent months. “We’ve made a lot of progress in the last yea...
Wahkiakum County commissioners on Tuesday by consensus declined to become partners in a project to create a public wifi system through the town of Cathlamet. The Town of Cathlamet, Port District 1, Wahkiakum PUD and other parties have been working on the plan, and last fall, the county commission agreed to participate in funding, allocating the use of $12,406 in CARES Act funds to pay for all the hardware needed to make the project happen. However, the board declined a request to join the town, port district and PUD in a governing board with...
Wahkiakum Health and Human Services reported two additional cases of covid-19 in Wahkiakum County on Monday, bringing the cumulative total to 73. Of those, 16 are considered potentially active. The two are in self-quarantine. There is no known connection to Wahkiakum School District or St. James Family Center. WHHS is working to identify people who may have an exposure risk and will be notifying anyone who is determined to have had close contact. There is active community spread in Wahkiakum County, and the risk of contracting covid-19 in...
It was an unlikely sight for motorists on SR 4, when an errant Steller sea lion was seen testing out his land legs Jan. 6 while taking a walk on the highway in the Grays River area. The sea lion was described as a sub-adult male, likely five or six years old, and probably weighing 800 pounds, according to a report by Columbia River Pinniped Biologist John Edwards of the Washington Department of Fish and Wildlife. In an earlier report, Captain Dan Chadwick of Region 6 wrote that when the WDFW...
Kellie Mendez had been staying at a friend's house when she developed a headache on December 12, but she didn't give it too much thought. There isn't anything too unusual about a headache. But when she went to bed that night, she felt sluggish and tired, and didn't sleep well. The next morning, on her 43rd birthday, it hit her. "I had full blown body aches," Mendez said. "It felt like when you have the flu, but it was probably 100 times worse. I was completely drained and my body was killing...
Wahkiakum County commissioners dealt with the impacts January's heavy rain when they met Tuesday. The board voted to declare a state of emergency to allow fast track repair of a failing culvert on Salmon Creek Road. Public Works Director Chuck Beyer reported that a culvert, 24-30" in size, was partially gone, taking away one lane of the road. The department is working with the Washington Department of Fish and Wildlife on emergency permitting to allow the replacement; the new culvert will have to be 6-8' in diameter, Beyer said. The emergency...
As of Tuesday, the number of confirmed cases of covid-19 in Wahkiakum County had risen to 64, with 12 considered active. Three had been hospitalized, and 1,110 tests had been conducted so far, according to the Washington Department of Health. Pacific County was reporting a total of 616 cases, with 22 considered active, and seven deaths attributed to covid-19. The total number of cases in Cowlitz County had risen to 3,043, with 319 considered active, and 29 deaths reported. Across the river,...
Local restaurant owners are eager to reopen and are developing outdoor solutions, but the question remains whether outdoor dining will happen in Wahkiakum County. Abiding by state and local guidelines proves difficult both financially and logistically. Under regional reopening the county is at the mercy of its neighbors Cowlitz, Clark, Skamania, and Klickitat. The uncertain future of the county unsurprisingly forces restaurant owners to make difficult business decisions to ensure their...
This year's legislature won't just be about numbers and budgets: it will explore social inequities, the proper role of policing and just how much authority the governor is due. Gov. Jay Inslee said his budget proposal specifies funds for marginalized communities, who have been disproportionately affected by the COVID-19 pandemic. His plans to address these issues include forming independent agencies to investigate police violence, expanding early childhood education and increasing access to healthcare. “You can't just address economic dispariti...
A proposed ban on the use of chokeholds, unleashed K-9 dogs and other use-of-force tactics by law enforcement is just the beginning of an effort by several state lawmakers to address police violence and its impact on marginalized communities. If passed, House Bill 1054 would ban several tactics, including the use of tear gas on civilians, shooting at or pursuing a vehicle, and the use of military-grade equipment by officers. Several community activists testified in a public hearing Tuesday saying these changes would address racism in policing,...
Desperately needed covid-19 relief is a top priority for this year's Legislature, and Republicans and Democrats generally agree it will be necessary to get that aid out as soon as possible. The parties are split, however, when it comes to increasing some taxes to erase a pandemic-caused revenue shortfall. House Speaker Laurie Jinkins, D-Tacoma, outlined on Jan. 7 some of the early action economic relief Democrats have lined up. This included, among other things: at least $300 million for rental and utility assistance, $120 million for business...
Due to the COVID-19 coronavirus outbreak, meetings and events usually listed here have been canceled or changed to online participation until further notice. The Eagle was advised of the following events: Online Recovery Meeting, Lower Columbia River Refuge Recovery. Mondays 6:30 p.m. Zoom ID 960 8413 9102. Community Center, Mon. 9-12 & 1-5. Tues-Thurs. 9-1. Friday by appointment. Cathlamet Library T-F 2-5 p.m. Covid restrictions enforced....
Gene Healy took the oath of office on December 15, 2020, to begin another six-year term as District #1 commissioner for the Public Utility District of Wahkiakum County. Healy, a native of Wahkiakum County, resides on Puget Island with his wife Karen, and has served as a PUD commissioner since 2011....
Jim Coffee was recently announced as the next Chief Executive Officer for the Cowlitz Family Health Center, which operates the clinic in Cathlamet. He has been the deputy director and chief operations officer at CFHC and will replace CEO Dian Cooper following her retirement. Cooper was the CFHC founder and served as CEO for 38 years. “[Cooper’s] vision and leadership has established CFHC as one of the finest, most successful Family Health Centers in the state of Washington,” a press release from the CFHC Board of Directors stated, “with...
Two more Wahkiakum County residents tested positive for covid-19 on Thursday, according to a press release from Wahkiakum Health and Human Services, bringing the cumulative number in the county to 66. Both individuals are in self-quarantine. There is a connection to the Wahkiakum School District and St. James Family Center. Because of close cooperation with the health department, as well as the significant protective measures already in place, the school district and St. James will remain open. WHHS is working with the two individuals to...
Wahkiakum Health and Human Services reported that another Wahkiakum County resident had tested positive for covid-19 on Friday, bringing the cumulative number of cases in the county to 67. Of those cases, 13 are considered active. The individual is in self-quarantine. There is a connection to Wahkiakum School District and St. James Family Center, but because of the protective measures in place and the close cooperation between the health department, the school district, and St. James, they will remain open. “The school, St. James, and Health D...
Four more Wahkiakum County residents have tested positive for covid-19, according to a press release from Wahkiakum Health and Human Services on Tuesday, bringing the cumulative number of cases in the county to 71. Of those cases, 18 are considered potentially active. The four are in self-quarantine. There is a limited connection to Wahkiakum School District and St. James Family Center. WHHS is now defining a limited connection as someone who was already in quarantine because they had close contact with another case. Because of the protective...
