Established as The Skamokawa Eagle in 1891
Established as The Skamokawa Eagle in 1891
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Health officials across the nation are starting to consider widespread easing of restrictions designed to halt the spread of the covid-19 virus. The rate of vaccination has slowed locally and nationwide, Chris Bischoff, director of Wahkiakum County Health and Human Services said Tuesday, and health officials are starting to doubt they'll be able to vaccinate enough of the population to reach a herd immunity that would stop the spread of the vaccine and its variants. Public demand has dropped for the two-shot Moderna vaccine the county has been...
On Tuesday, the Wahkiakum County PUD Board of Commissioners listened to a quick report about activities at the PUD, discussed the general manager search process, whether or not to record meetings for public access, and continued the conversation about bringing water to Deep River residents. “With our reserves at the level they are, I don’t see any reason why we can’t start doing some work at getting water to the Deep River people,” Commissioner Dennis Reid said. When asked for specifi...
Another Wahkiakum County resident tested positive for covid-19 on Tuesday, bringing the cumulative total of cases to 115. Nine of those cases are potentially active. Cowlitz County is reporting 5,379 total cases, with 160 considered active. They have had 70 deaths attributed to covid-19. As of Friday, Pacific County had 966 cases, with 25 considered active, and 11 deaths. Across the river, Columbia County is reporting 1,671 cases and 26 deaths, and Clatsop County has had 961 cases and eight...
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. Wahkiakum PUD, Tuesday, 8:30 a.m. Johnson Park, Tuesday, Thursday, Saturday, 10 a.m.- 4...
• Major transportation funding goes undone • Funnels billions to public health, childcare As the end of the mostly virtual legislative session drew near April 25, Washington state lawmakers passed a hefty $59 billion budget that will funnel millions into childcare, public health, rental assistance and addressing the economic impact of a yearlong global pandemic. The budget includes a controversial capital gains tax which would collect 7% on the exchange of capital assets such as stocks above $250,000. Democrats plan on using the revenue to fund...
In last week's edition, photos of two Wahkiakum High School seniors were switched. Here they are with correct identification....
Earth Day Students in Cathlamet schools celebrated Earth Day on April 22 and also the school garden's seventh birthday, garden manager Robin Westphall said. Fifth graders planted apple trees in the lower orchard and, above, Kyle Hurley's students planted Douglas fir seedlings in the Farm Forest. Courtesy photos....
Motorists traveing SR 4 will experience two major projects this year. The Washington Department of Transportation (WDOT) has scheduled paving work from Skamokawa to Longview and the start of crosswalk and speed limit reductions in the Cathlamet area, including the installation of speed feedback signs, school speed zone signs, crosswalks at high volume locations, and rectangular rapid flashing beacons. "This effort will also include a permanent regulatory speed reduction to 35 miles per hour,"...
Wahkiakum County commissioners on Tuesday set the salary for a new elections supervisor position and planned a meeting of county officials to consider adjustments to their salary schedule. They also heard concerns about herbicide application; they voted to give employees 3 percent cost of living raises, and they discussed concerns over noxious weed control. Auditor Nicci Bergseng last week requested the board approve a memorandum of understanding with the employee union to create the elections position and asked that it be paid at pay class 8...
On Monday, Wahkiakum Health and Human Services reported that six more people had tested positive for covid-19 in Wahkiakum County, bringing the cumulative total to 114. Of those cases, 10 are considered active. As of Tuesday, there had been 5,242 cases in Cowlitz County with 68 deaths attributed to covid-19. According to the weekly report from Pacific County last Wednesday, they had 936 cases, with 52 considered active and 11 deaths. Columbia and Clatsop County were reporting 1,617 cases and...
Wahkiakum County officials and District 19 legislative representatives had little good to say about legislation reclassification of possession of small amounts of drugs. The legislation reclassifies possession as a misdemeanor, sending people into diversion programs for the first two offenses. "They know they can't get arrested," Mark Howie commented before the board of county commissioners on Tuesday. "We're already seeing an increase in thefts and burglaries." Prosecuting Attorney Dan Bigelow noted that the change expires in two years to...
The budget passed by the state legislature last week contains funding important to Wahkiakum County, District 19 legislators (Senator Jim Wilson and Representatives Jim Walsh and Joel McEntire) told the board of commissioners Tuesday. The budget includes continued funding for the county ferry, the Oscar B, they said. This includes the funding for the state's 80 percent funding of ferry operations and backfill money to cover the state share of expenses beyond normal operations. County commissioners have requested increased support, even state...
• Major transportation funding goes undone • Funnels billions to public health, childcare By Washington State Journal As the end of the mostly virtual legislative session drew near April 25, Washington state lawmakers passed a hefty $59 billion budget that will funnel millions into childcare, public health, rental assistance and addressing the economic impact of a yearlong global pandemic. The budget includes a controversial capital gains tax which would collect 7% on the exchange of capital assets such as stocks above $250,000. Democrats pla...
In a special meeting on Tuesday, the Wahkiakum School District Board of Directors quickly moved through four matters, approving the resignation of middle school science teacher Jen Barry, a one year leave of absence for elementary school teacher Lisa Sauer, and two overnight trips for students, one to Cispus for eighth grade transition to high school, and the second allowing the trapshooting team to attend competition. Details regarding the trapshooting competition had not been formalized at...
Gov. Jay Inslee signed into law an automatic right for tenants to have an attorney, though it came with a catch — Inslee sent back two parts of the bill regarding landlord rental assistance. In a memo after the April 22 bill signing, Inslee said the measure lacked guidance for how landlords could qualify for the rental assistance. “It creates an entitlement for landlords to receive rent assistance without a sufficient framework to prioritize resources to those landlords who have the greatest need,” Inslee wrote in the release. The amend...
A tax credit for working families in Washington passed the Senate in a bipartisan vote April 11, with lawmakers on both sides saying the exemption for low-income earners was a long time coming. “Expanding and fully funding the Working Families Tax Credit will make a difference for hundreds of thousands of Washingtonians who may face an unexpected cost – an auto repair, a sick child, a loss of hours at a job – that can lead to a downward economic spiral,” Sen. David Frockt, D-Seattle, said in a statement. The Working Families Tax Credit would f...
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....
The Naselle-Grays River Valley School District Board of Directors held its monthly meeting on April 20. In personnel matters, the board acknowledged the resignations of Rachel Suomela, registrar, Robert Eaton, head football coach, Kathryn Green, middle school track coach, and Scott Smith, assistant track coach. Both Green and Smith tendered their resignations to accept new positions within the coaching ranks. In other matters of business, the board adopted four policies: Sexual Health Education, Equivalency Credit Opportunities, Student...
With the arrival of the spring equinox comes the return of birds; and an osprey couple has returned to a nest on the Puget Island bridge. Photo courtesy of Sarah Lawrence....
Department of Natural Resources along with Pacific, Grays Harbor, Lewis, Cowlitz, Clark, Skamania, Klickitat and County Officials are extending an Emergency Burn Ban in Wahkiakum County, WA. Due to lack of precipitation and dry conditions prompted a coordinated burn ban for SW Washington. Effective 12:01 A.M., Friday April 23, 2021, officials from Wahkiakum County are enacting a ban on all outdoor burning until weather conditions improve. All land clearing, residential and silvicultural burning is banned until 12:01 A.M., Tuesday April 27,...
On Monday, Wahkiakum Health and Human Services (WHHS) Director Chris Bischoff reported six new cases of covid-19 among Wahkiakum County residents. Bischoff said the patients were associated with the Naselle/Grays River Valley School District, and all were in quarantine. "The risk of contracting covid-19 in Washington is very high," Bischoff said in the announcement. "Highly effective vaccines are available for anyone 16 and over; the sooner everyone is vaccinated the sooner we get back to normal." This brings Wahkiakum to a cumulative total of...
By Rick Nelson The Wahkiakum School District board of directors discussed the need for an information technology (IT) strategy plan and what Superintendent Brent Freeman called funding inequities when they met Tuesday evening. The district needs to plan how it will develop and maintain its IT program which could be valued roughly at $750,000 and has equipment that needs to be replaced roughly every five years, Freeman said. "That scares me; that's a lot of money," Freeman said. "It concerns me that we have such a big requirement on a small...
Wahkiakum County's number of cases inched up by two cases to 108 this week as cases mounted in nearby counties. In a Monday morning briefing, Chris Bischoff, director of Wahkiakum County Health and Human Services, said one of the new cases was actually a Castle Rock resident, but the state Department of Health is attributing it to Wahkiakum County because of a mistaken address. "We can't get it corrected," Bischoff said. Four of the 108 cases are considered potentially active. Cowlitz County's...
On Monday, the Cathlamet Town Council passed a motion to enter into contract with ARC Architects to perform on call work in 2021 for a variety of projects. “I’m very supportive of this. We have a number of projects that this is vitaly necessary for such as the Chinook Heritage sign. We need these services on the ground,” Council Member David Olson explained. Town Clerk-Treasure Sarah Clark discussed the status of the Town’s Waterfront Park grant. “We have received preliminary approval from the Recreation & Conservation Office (RCO) for the wate...
A request to create a new position at a new pay rate has spurred county officials to begin a new analysis of their salary schedule. The position, said Auditor Nicci Bergseng, is called Auditor Recording/Election Coordinator and would be paid at step 8 on the county salary schedule. Commissioners were ready to vote on a motion to approve the request, but after other department heads raised concerns, they amended their motion to say they would vote on the issue at their April 27 meeting. Bergseng had explained that the employee in the position...
