Established as The Skamokawa Eagle in 1891
Established as The Skamokawa Eagle in 1891
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In this column we showcase the special education teachers who work tirelessly to encourage students to suceed. Each student has a different gift and special circumstance that impacts their learning. We offer kudos to our special education teaching team and the talents they offer our students. Shannon Smith Shannon Smith is a special education teacher at Julius A. Wendt Elementary and joins our team for the second year. She has sixteen years of experience in education, with eight years certified...
There is a gemstone growing in winter gardens, ready to harvest about Christmas time. The brussels sprout loves the cool weather the PNW offers and is growing happily while everything else is laying in dormancy or harvested, the brussels sprout continues to plump and develop as it soaks up the ideal climate. Brussels sprouts resemble a tiny cabbage and enjoy the same lineage, with leafy green edible buds. The were first cultivated in in the 13th century in Brussels, Belgium giving them their...
A stopgap update to the 60-year-old Columbia River Treaty between the U.S. and Canada upends flood control and hydropower across the river basin. The U.S. Department of State announced the temporary agreement late last month. It shifts flood risk management mostly to the U.S., which could make it trickier to manage floods on the Lower Columbia. But it also lets the U.S. keep an estimated $100 million in hydropower previously sent north. The new regime will have downstream impacts on hydropower...
On December 16, the Cathlamet Town Council met for their regularly scheduled meeting. During the first Public Comment period, a resident asked the Town Council to address ADA access and parking at Town Hall and the Library. Another citizen revealed the results of a recent study conducted on the Strong Park tree by a certified arborist. The arborist used a resistograph to test the tree’s age and determined it to be around 230 years old. Sheriff Mason reported that the vehicle stops occurring on Columbia St. or adjacent accounted for about 64% of...
Wahkiakum County Sheriff’s Department responded to a report of a missing Cathlamet resident in the early morning hours of Dec. 14. Family members said they had not seen the resident since the night before; the search began at 1:30 a.m. and a silver alert was issued later in morning. Search and Rescue was called in. Their first steps were to call the State Emergency Operations Center and establish a base camp. The resident was last seen near Columbia Street in Cathlamet. Sheriff’s deputies began driving all the roads within town limits and SR-...
Speeches and candlelight celebrated the induction of six new members of the Wahkiakum High School chapter of the National Honor Society (WNHS) on Monday, December 6th, in the high school library. Each year, Wahkiakum sophomores, juniors, and seniors with at least a 3.25 accumulative GPA are invited to apply for admission in our local chapter. Applications reflect not only scholastic achievement, but the four pillars of the National Honor society: scholarship, service, leadership, and character....
The Wahkiakum School District Board of Education held its regular December meeting on Tuesday, Dec. 10. The original agenda was amended to add an executive session and discussion on the pool information. The consent agenda was approved as submitted, which included regular payroll, vouchers, meeting minutes, supplemental contracts, and the second reading of the civil rights policy update. The old business was short, and the focus of discussion was on the child’s nutrition review with the upcoming January audit of the school nutrition program. ...
The Wahkiakum County Commissioners held their regularly scheduled meeting on Tuesday Dec. 17. During the Commissioner’s reports, Commissioner Lee Tischer reported that the Town of Cathlamet will be raising sewer rates for the courthouse by nearly 17,000 dollars next year. Commissioner Gene Strong reported that the VFW requested permission to place a solar light at the new veteran’s memorial in front of the courthouse. Commissioners approved the appointment and re-appointment of several Marine Resource Center committee members: Bret Deaton, Sam...
Since publishing the story entitled “HHS Works Toward Healthcare Kiosk Relaunch”, Washington State Department of Health announced an extension of the DOH COVID-19 Testing Kiosk Program, allowing all kiosks to remain operational until end-of-day on March 31, 2025. This extension will help Wahkiakum County through the respiratory virus season and gives Wahkiakum County Health and Human Services more time to secure a harm reduction product dispensing alternative. Residents may continue to use the kiosk located below the Cathlamet Public Lib...
WET AND WETTER. We had a fairly damp and nasty Saturday but nothing like what hit up north; the Sound area people were rescuing decorations, flags, and anything else that wasn’t nailed down so at least we didn’t lose power or have any more than short bursts of wind and rain out here in West Valley. With the entire week looking wet, we may need waders or a boat to get around with the King Tides and added rain. Folks in low-lying areas, like Swedetown and over in the Grays River, Rosburg area were experiencing road closures due to water over the...
My husband, the generous giver that he is, shared his germs with me and I was laid out with a bad head cold all last week. Since I was sick, I missed out on all the plans I had for the week. I was disappointed to miss the Christmas party at the Grays River Grange, playing Bunco with friends at the Naselle Community Center, and just being able to get out and about. Thankfully, I was feeling well enough on Sunday to get to some fun events. Mark and I ventured into Naselle to the Finnish American...
Create a Disaster Plan: It is important to have a good communications plan before, during and after a disaster. Develop a family/household communication and reunification plan so that you can maintain contact and take the best actions for each of you to re-unite if you are separated. Discuss the types of disasters that are likely to happen and explain what to do in each case. Discuss what to do in an evacuation and pick two places to meet: • Right outside your home. • Outside your neighborhood in case you can’t return home. Make sure that every...
The Wahki Parent Teacher Organization (PTO), is an ambitious group of parents and school supporters that have come together to support students by filling the gaps for needs in the classroom, while offering exceptional support to literacy and other academic needs in the community. The PTO consists of parents, teachers and school volunteers. Leadership of the group consists of board members: Ashley Hilton, President; Chris Coleman, Vice President; Alice Coleman, Treasurer; and Lyndsey Hansen, Secretary. All are actively supportive parents in...
Dear Puget Island Water System customers, Wahkiakum PUD is required to have a Washington State Department of Health approved Water System Plan for the Puget Island Water System. This is the foundation of a safe, successful, and sustainable public water system. The last remaining significant, capital project in the water system plan is to develop an alternate source of water. Currently the only source of water for Puget Island water customers is through the Town of Cathlamet. The preferred...
Last week, we ran an article on the controversy around the Strong Park tree. This was an ambitious article, getting at important issues around how decisions are made and communicated. However, we published it before it was ready—more work was needed to achieve the level of journalistic excellence we aspire to. It is a challenge to provide the kind of coverage of local government issues like this deserve without the knowledge of government workings and the skill with communication that comes with a journalism degree. Our staff and c...
Next week, Eagle printing will move from Astoria to a facility in Lakewood, WA. This will delay when you receive your paper by a day. We have printed with The Astorian since 2019, and they fit like a glove. Their print quality has been high, their staff have been friendly and helpful and we fit into their printing schedule well. Right before Thanksgiving, Astorian staff were told their new owners had decided to close the press there and move all printing to a sister company in Lakewood, WA. This change took effect very quickly: by Christmas, al...
The Town of Cathlamet respectfully submits these comments in response to the opinion concerning the Strong Park tree which ran in the Wahkiakum Eagle’s December 5, 2024, edition. Strong Park is recognized as a Town Park in the Cathlamet Municipal Code and has beenmaintained by the Town of Cathlamet for over 30 years. A tree has eroded and buckled the narrow pathways in lower Strong Park, making the pathways hazardous to pedestrians, particularly elders, mobility limited, and families with children, as assessed by the Town’s Public Works Dep...
A weekend of Christmas events When I opened the blinds on Saturday morning, it was 8 a.m. but it was so dark out I wondered if I had looked at the clock wrong. Thick, oppressive clouds brought a deluge of rain and after a week of sun, it was an unwelcome way to start the day. I had already had a rough week, between nursing a sick husband and battling a self-doubt-filled depression spiral, I was left exhausted. However, I was determined not to let those things keep me from all the great events...
As crazy American traditions would have it, hanging a pickle on the Christmas Tree is a popular and bizarre ritual. It is connected to the German American folklore of receiving good fortune in the year to come and yielding an extra special gift under the tree to the lucky person with the keen sense to spot the prize. The tradition of the Christmas pickle ornament to German heritage has a variety of historical originations. One story credits a Bavarian soldier during the American Civil War for requesting a pickle while starving at battle, which...
NOT SO GREAT. Last week we had temperatures down in the twenties for several nights but thankfully it warmed up only for it to rain. We also had a long power outage, so while it may not officially be winter, it’s sure acting like it! At the start of this week, it shows that we will catch a break and get a couple of dry days, but the next six days look very wet. With all that extra rainfall, I hope everyone will slow down and take it easy as there may be more fallen trees and rocks on the roadways. We’ve got less than two weeks until Chr...
St. James Family Center (SJFC) in Cathlamet has received a $10,000 grant through the 2024 Member Impact Fund, a partnership between the Federal Home Loan Bank (FHLB) of Des Moines and Bank of the Pacific. The grant includes a $2,500 contribution from Bank of the Pacific, matched three-to-one by FHLB for a total of $10,000 to support SJFC's community-focused programs. Founded in 1985, SJFC has been a vital resource for Wahkiakum County, offering licensed childcare, family support services, and...
Businesses and nonprofit organizations should watch out for fraudulent letters that claim to be asking for money on behalf of the Washington Office of the Secretary of State. Since early November, the attorney general’s office has received at least 40 complaints about the letters, which ask businesses for payment and fines “well beyond” what the state requires for business filings. There have also been several reports of telephone scams targeting Latino businesses and threatening jail time if payment isn’t made. The secretary of state’s...
If a tree falls in a forest and no one is around to hear it, does it make a sound? Well one forest went up in flames and the entire world heard. And soon the forest will make people talk, standing once again. Notre Dame de Paris, a world-renowned cathedral in the heart of Paris, France, with its towering spires, intricate façade, and breathtaking stained glass, has stood as a symbol of French culture for over 850 years. Sadly, in April 2019, the iconic monument and active place of worship was the victim of an accidental fire that destroyed...
When the Wahkiakum School District shifted to a four-day school week in September this year, it allowed for Wahkiakum Community Network to pilot its program Kid’s Connection. Wahkiakum Community Network saw this not only as an opportunity to help parents but to make the transition easier for young students as well. The students that attended Kid’s Connection played a game called Putting It All Together Jeopardy and were asked questions like “Name two ways to manage your feelings that are healthy and safe for yourself and others.” This 200-poi...
The Wahkiakum County Eagle has brought on author and editor Kirk McKnight to cover Clatskanie high school sports for the paper. McKnight, who has spent the last two years covering high school sports in Southwest Arizona, is the author of two nationally published books that feature over 115 MLB and NHL broadcasters. “Getting to know these broadcasters and gather their experiences has been so rewarding,” said McKnight. “The day after I interviewed Bob Costas, I got a phone call from him while I was sitting in church. I texted Mr. Costas the r...
