Established as The Skamokawa Eagle in 1891
Established as The Skamokawa Eagle in 1891
Sorted by date Results 2501 - 2525 of 9666
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...
Life can turn on a dime, it's said. I heard this story on a Wednesday morning. Before the day was over, it had taken a surprising and brighter turn, I'm pleased to say. Let's start at the beginning. If you've been lucky enough to catch some Wahkiakum Mules girls basketball in the last few years, you know about the Watkins twins, Alexzandria and Kimberlee. The two are juniors this year, 17 years old, and have been on the varsity team since they were in eighth grade. It's been a hard year for many...
The Washington State Department of Transportation has closed SR 4 in the Seal River area near Rosburg because of high water. There is no estimated time for reopening. Here is the announcement that came Tuesday evening: WSDOT ALERT: SR 4 - CLOSED in both directions between mileposts 13.0-13.7, due to flooding – 4-miles west of Grays River DATE/TIME: Jan. 12, 2021 - 8 p.m. LOCATION: SR 4 - between mileposts 13.0 –13.7, near Seal River Road (4-miles west of Grays River) - Wahkiakum, County DESCRIPTION: Due to water over the roadway, ALL lanes of...
Four or more inches of rain (perhaps even more) over two days brought flooding to the Grays River Valley. Photo by Darrell Alexander....
As of Wednesday morning, the number of Wahkiakum County residents to test positive since March for the covid-19 virus had grown to 60. Wahkiakum Health and Human Services considers 14 of those cases to be active. “Recovered is more of a math issue,” WHHS Director Chris Bischoff said on Monday. “We are not doing tests for people that recover, so if you haven’t had any symptoms for 10 days, you’re recovered. That’s CDC guidance.” Because of privacy issues that arise in small populations,...
Wahkiakum county officials said Tuesday they would lobby against a proposal to replace county health districts with region-wide districts. Officials fear they will lose local control over public health issues if decisions are made at a regional level. The proposal comes from Governor Jay Inslee. It arose in response to some political conflicts involving county health districts around the state, said Chris Bischoff, director of Wahkiakum County Health and Human Services. County commissioners from around the state have discussed the proposal in...
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. Great Rivers Behavioral Health Governing Board via web/phone call, 1 (872) 242-7644, PIN # 58337, Fri.,...
On Tuesday, Governor Jay Inslee announced a new phased regional recovery plan for the State of Washington. The goal of the plan is to ease some restrictions, addressing the continued need for hospital capacity and health care during the pandemic while “paving the way for economic recovery.” There are eight regions in the plan, based on health care services available. Wahkiakum County joins Clark, Cowlitz, Klickitat, and Skamania to form the Southwest region. Phase 1 begins for all regions on...
Wahkiakum County commissioners elected Gene Strong chair of the board for 2021 and acted on other business when they met Tuesday in their first meeting of the year. Lee Tischer, attending his first meeting as a newly elected county commissioner, was voted vice-chair. In his report to the commissioners, who were acting as the county board of health, county Health and Human Services Director Chris Bischoff said department staff and volunteers are proceeding so fast with covid-19 vaccinations that he's under pressure to slow the process and share...
