Established as The Skamokawa Eagle in 1891
Established as The Skamokawa Eagle in 1891
Sorted by date Results 2528 - 2552 of 9791
A tax on capital gains, the sale of assets like stocks and bonds, passed the Senate by a single vote March 6. The bill was first amended to remove the emergency clause, meaning the issue is likely to appear on the ballot later this year. The bill in its current form imposes a 7% tax on the sale of assets, like stocks and bonds, when exceeding $250,000 in capital gains for a year. Exempt from the tax is all real estate, assets held in a retirement account, livestock, timber and the sale of a family-owned small business that grosses less than...
The College Bound Scholarship for Washington students is being reworked to reach more students across the state. Currently, students who qualify for free or reduced-price lunches during the 7th or 8th grade sign a form with their guardian pledging to graduate with at least a C average and without a felony conviction. If students remain in Washington for their post-secondary education and their families fall below 65 percent of median state income, the student could be awarded up to $12,000 per year after other state and federal aid is taken...
Essential frontline workers, such as grocery store employees, will begin receiving COVID-19 vaccines later this month, Gov. Jay Inslee announced March 4. Others set to be vaccinated starting March 22 include workers in agriculture, food processing, public transit, firefighters, law enforcement and corrections. Previously, only essential workers age 50 or older who were defined as high-risk were going to be eligible. Also in the next tier are people 16 and older who have a high-risk disability and pregnant women. They join K-12 educators and...
By Patric Haerle Washington State Journal The return to in-person education in public schools is underway. Gov. Jay Inslee signed two bills March 2, assuring students affected by the pandemic can graduate on time. The first bill waived graduation requirements for students who were previously on track to graduate before the emergency. The other bill allowed a waiver for previously required make-up days for private school students. Shortly after signing the bills, in response to direction from President Joe Biden, Inslee announced the addition of...
As the end of an emergency eviction moratorium looms over thousands of Washington renters, a bill requiring landlords to have just cause for evicting a tenant passed the House of Representatives in a 54-44 vote March 7. “Stopping evictions means preventing homelessness,” Rep. Nicole Macri, D-Seattle, told the House as the bill’s primary sponsor. HB 1236 puts an end to “no-cause evictions,” which some described as yet another way for landlords to practice discrimination against tenants. The bill defines reasons landlords can use to justify t...
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 BHO Governing Board, Fri., March 12, 1 p.m. online meeting log in: www.gr...
A sea lion took a rest on Puget Island dock last week. Photos courtesy of Scott Echols....
Wahkiakum County residents on Tuesday called on the county board of commissioners to use their political influence to address problems in the region. Grays River resident Karen Bertroch asked the board to press the Washington State Department of Transportation (WSDOT) to construct a one-lane bypass around a slide that has closed SR 401 between Naselle and the Astoria-Megler Bridge. Altoona/Pillar Rock Road resident Steve Gacke sought commission advocacy in getting the US Army Corps of Engineers to add the area waterfront to sites receiving dred...
Last month, one of the Wahkiakum County PUD’s water systems was showing a substantial loss in distribution, General Manager Dave Tramblie told the board of commissioners at their meeting on Tuesday. The water crew looked for a leak but wasn't able to track it down. When they revisited the data this month, the losses were much smaller. Tramblie said he had considered installing bypass meters as a possible solution, making it easier to find and address large leaks when they happen, but u...
On Monday, the Cathlamet Town Council swiftly passed several ordinances during a short council meeting. The meeting was delayed once again by technical issues related to Zoom and the idea of safely having in-person council meetings was proposed but not decided upon. Town Attorney Fred Johnson reminded council members that the ordinances up for vote were those reviewed by Code Publishing as a part of an external legal review of the town’s municipal code (CMC). Code Publishing has made recommendations for updates in order to be in compliance w...
On Tuesday, the count of covid-19 cases in Wahkiakum County had reached 100. Of those, 19 were considered potentially active. According to the Washington Department of Health, 1,483 tests of county residents have been conducted, and five people in the county have been hospitalized. There have been 4,248 cases of covid-19 in Cowlitz County, with 94 considered active. They are attributing 54 deaths to the virus. Pacific County reported 21 new cases on Monday, for a total of 762 cases. Of those,...
On February 16, the Wahkiakum School District Board of Directors got updates on the budget, the four day school week, and Superintendent Brent Freeman’s ongoing challenge to fund renovations at the high school. Budget Manager Shelby Garrett started the meeting with an apportionment comparison of the September-December period to the January-August period, which showed a loss of $167,751.61 because of decreased enrollment. Freeman was hopeful that enrollment would go up next year if the s...
A ban on the use of chokeholds, military equipment, and most types of car chases by law enforcement passed the House of Representatives after lawmakers voted along party lines in a 54-43 vote Feb. 27. HB 1054 was the subject of much debate. Some Republican leaders said the bill went too far to strip police of self-defense options, and Democrats said the bill addressed a growing problem with violence and racism in law enforcement. “While Washington State still has work to do to demand equity in our law enforcement, today’s vote is a step for...
A low carbon fuel bill passed the state House of Representatives Feb. 27 in a 52-46 vote with every Republican voting no. Its next stop is the Senate. The bill directs the Department of Ecology to institute rules that require refineries to produce fuels, like gasoline and diesel, to have reduced greenhouse gas output over time. Current goals within the bill require emissions per unit of fuel to be 10% below 2017 levels by 2028, and 20% below 2017 levels by 2035. The bill also requires an annual report from the Department of Ecology and...
Washington’s only private detention center is proposed for closure. House Bill 1090 prohibits any person, business or government from operating private, for-profit detention facilities. It recently passed in the House of Representatives with strong bipartisan support and will receive a Senate vote in the coming weeks. “When you have to report to [stakeholders] that profit, there is a conflict with meeting the needs of those that are incarcerated,” said Rep. Lillian Ortiz-Self, D-Mukilteo, who was prime sponsor of the bill. “And it's easy to...
Outrage over deaths of citizens in police custody sparked efforts by lawmakers to address racial equity, hiring and training, and the use of force within law enforcement. Now, nearing the halfway point in the 2021 legislative session, the steps toward major reform of police tactics have gained support from both sides, though not without controversy. “I wouldn't argue that we have complete agreement amongst all of them but we're continuing to work to bring people together and to move the bills,” said House Speaker Laurie Jinkins, D-Tacoma, in a...
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. Cemetery District #2, Monday, March 8, Skamokawa Fire Hall, 7 p.m. Wahkiakum PUD, Tuesday, March 9, 8:30...
People will continue to be able to get a mixed drink with their takeout food until 2023 under a bill now moving to the state Senate for consideration. Delivery and curbside/takeout service of alcoholic beverages and spirits has been in force during the COVID-19 pandemic, but now HB 1480, which passed out of the House with an 86-12 vote, extends these privileges until July 1, 2023. The hospitality and leisure sectors were among the hardest hit during the pandemic, with a 32% decline in revenue as of January this year, according to the...
Three more Wahkiakum County residents have tested positive for covid-19, according to a press release from Wahkiakum Health and Human Resources on Thursday. This brings the cumulative total of covid-19 cases in the county to 103, with 20 considered potentially active. The individuals are in self-quarantine. One case has a connection to Wahkiakum School District, but none of the cases have a known connection to St. James Family Center. Because of the close cooperation between the health department and the school district, as well as the...
Wahkiakum Health and Human Service reported that one more Wahkiakum County resident had tested positive for covid-19 on Tuesday. This brings the cumulative total of covid-19 cases in the county to 104, with 18 considered potentially active. The individual is in self-quarantine. There is a connection to Wahkiakum School District, but no known connection to St. James Family Center. Because of the close cooperation between the health department and the school district, as well as the significant protective measures in place, the school district...
Over the past couple weeks, some of the new covid-19 cases in Wahkiakum County have had a connection or limited connection to the Wahkiakum School District. According to the press releases from Wahkiakum Health and Human Services, those people are in self-quarantine. For one reason or another, those cases, which didn’t appear to have any connection to each other, found a strange convergence in the fifth grade classroom. It also meant that more than one person in the two fifth grade classrooms w...
The Washington Department of Fish and Wildlife has announced that angling for spring chinook salmon will open March 1. Here's their announcement: Spring Chinook salmon fishing season set for lower Columbia River OLYMPIA – Fishery managers from Washington and Oregon on Tuesday approved this year’s spring Chinook season for the lower Columbia River, with low returns expected to once again impact recreational fishing. The 2021 forecast for upriver spring Chinook numbers just 75,200 fish, which would be the second-lowest return in the past 20 yea...
If you ask Stacey Lane, it was serendipity that brought her to Wahkiakum County. "I don't necessarily believe in luck," she said. "I love being in Cathlamet. It's probably the most hidden little gem of the state. I know one of the challenges is that it's off the beaten path, but that's one of its charms, and the people are amazing." Lane is the new director for the Wahkiakum Chamber of Commerce. She joined the organization as the assistant director part time last year, before stepping into the...
As of Wednesday, the number of covid-19 cases in Wahkiakum County was up to 97, with 16 cases considered active. According to the Washington Department of Health, 1,445 tests had been conducted so far. Pacific County's total was up to 736, with seven cases considered active. Nine people have died because of covid-19. There have been 4,156 cases of covid-19 in Cowlitz County with 103 considered active. They are attributing 49 deaths to the virus. Across the river, there have been 1,232 cases in...
On Feb. 11, the Cathlamet Town Council held a special meeting to fill a vacant council member position. Five year resident CeCelia Raglin was appointed to Town Council Position No. 3 for the unexpired term. One other candidate was considered, Jeanne Hendrickson. Former Council Member Paige Lake resigned from position No. 3, and Raglin will have to file in May and run against other applicants during the normal election period to continue in the position beyond this year. Position No. 5 and the mayor position will also be up for election this...
