Established as The Skamokawa Eagle in 1891
Established as The Skamokawa Eagle in 1891
Sorted by date Results 19 - 43 of 2653
To The Eagle, As election day approaches, I wish to express my support for the election of John Mason to continue as sheriff for our county. I attended a meet-and-greet for John this past summer and have personally met with him twice since. In our meetings, he has shown an extraordinary degree of patience and concern for what I had to say. These qualities are reflected in the attitude and conduct of others in his department clearly demonstrating the confidence and respect that John's subordinates have for his leadership. In a small community...
To The Eagle, In 2018, while in his 60’s, Bill Coons successfully ran for the County Assessor position. He largely separated himself from the other, younger candidate by stressing the value of his experience and local knowledge. I agreed and supported him accordingly. It turned out to be a good choice and Bill’s experience capably led us through some tough years. Laurel Waller retired from a business management career, where she worked with business plans and people. She is fiscally prudent, and has both a deep personal and business com...
To The Eagle, Our quiet weekends will soon be shattered by the early morning blasts of shotguns aimed at the magnificent geese stopping here on Puget Island. Landing here and on many other river islands to recover from their exhausting migration, many of these innocent creatures will be shot to death instead. What a terrible irony. Animal researchers note that when a Canada goose's mate dies, the survivor is at their most vulnerable. When a goose loses its mate, the signs of grieving are disturbingly human. The widowed bird hangs its head,...
To The Eagle, Wahkiakum county and town of Cathlamet voters have the opportunity to elect a new generation of public servants this year. The race for Cathlamet mayor pits Laurel Waller, who will be 74 next year, against Nick Sevald, who will be 43. In the race for Assessor, Drew Jenkins will be 71 when this election is certified, and Justin Moriarty will be 36. It is my opinion that it is time to pass the torch to the next generation. I will be voting for Justin Moriarty for Assessor, and if I lived in Cathlamet, I’d vote for Nick Sevald for M...
To The Eagle, Grays River Grange #124 would like to invite Wahkiakum County voters to the 2025 Candidate's Forum on Tuesday, Oct. 14, at the Grays River Grange Hall (11 Hull Creek Rd.). The doors will open at 5:30 p.m. for coffee and refreshments with the program starting at 6:30 p.m. The Following candidates have agreed to attend: Natasha Crater - candidate for Naselle-Grays River Valley School Board Dist #4; Laurel Waller - candidate for Mayor, Town of Cathlamet; Drew Jenkins - candidate for Wahkiakum County Assessor; Justin Moriarity -...
To The Eagle, Kudos to the Cathlamet Public Library! We are grateful recipients of free library cards, a service extended to all Wahkiakum County residents. And we recently took advantage of the free passes offered by the Library to both Washington State Parks and Columbia River Maritime Museum. These passes can each be checked out for a week. The passes saved us a total of $50: $20 for the daily entrance fees at the two State Parks we visited and $30 for two senior admissions to the Museum. Thank you to the Cathlamet Public Library, Librarian...
We want to acknowledge that this week's edition of The Wahkiakum County Eagle was affected by a printing error that compromised the legibility of both articles and advertisements. We understand how important it is for our readers and advertisers to receive a clear, reliable paper each week, and we sincerely apologize for this disruption. We will be transitioning to a new printing press by the end of September. We are not the only newspaper that has faced unacceptable quality issues with this printer. We sincerely appreciate your patience and...
We want to acknowledge that this week’s edition of The Wahkiakum County Eagle was affected by a printing error that compromised the legibility of both articles and advertisements. We understand how important it is for our readers and advertisers to receive a clear, reliable paper each week, and we sincerely apologize for this disruption. We are actively working with our printing partner to determine how many copies were impacted and to ensure the issue is resolved so it does not happen again. We sincerely appreciate your patience and c...
Valued Eagle readers and subscribers, The Eagle has been covering the news and events in Wahkiakum County for 135 years. As we announced last week, the subscription and newsstand rate will be increasing to $1.50 at the newsstand starting on Sept. 11. The paper’s current price of $1 has been the same since Feb. 14, 2013. Since that time, The Eagle has increased the number of pages, improved our sports coverage, and added columnists, a crossword (and other puzzles), and comics. Even with the increased price, the paper still presents a great value...
To The Eagle, We’re looking for a local space to host upcoming candidate debates, a chance for our community to come together, hear directly from those running for office, and make informed decisions. Do you have or know of a venue that could be donated or offered at low cost to support this community event? We’re hoping to bring transparency to the election process, give voters a real opportunity to ask questions and make sure everyone has access to the information they need to vote confidently. If you're a business owner, school off...
To The Eagle, I want to say Thank You Mayor Olson for all you have done and tried to do for the residents of Cathlamet. During your time in office, you have worked tirelessly to make improvements to our sweet little town. Unfortunately, you have had to deal with folks that vehemently opposed your efforts and did so with name calling, false accusations and down-right disrespect. Whenever possible, you have shown up to support all the local causes and small organizations events. I personally always appreciated your eloquence and words of...
To The Eagle, With everything happening in this year’s Assessor race, it’s hard not to feel excited for the upcoming debates. I’ve been following the Assessor’s race, and one candidate stands out: Justin Moriarty. One thing that really stands out to me is his hands-on approach. If elected, he is committed to continuing the full-time work he is already doing rather than hiring someone to take over his role. From what I understand, Justin currently works full time in the Assessor’s office while also staying actively engaged with the public. H...
To The Eagle, My concern is that while the town struggles financially, leadership appears disengaged. We are watching this county slowly decline, and yet the response seems to be silence, or worse, budget cuts that hurt working people. Cutting jobs and focusing only on saving money is not the solution. We’re already operating on the bare minimum, and continuing down this path will only weaken us further. What we need now is bold thinking. This county needs to generate income, create opportunities, invest in what we have, and produce things t...
To The Eagle, Hello from the St. James Family Center Board! We want to send a big “Thank You” to everyone who baked, bought, and supported our Bald Eagle Days bake sale. You helped us raise $1,700 toward our “40 for 40” fundraiser celebrating 40 years of strengthening families in Wahkiakum County! SJFC provides early learning, after-school care, parenting classes, and is the only domestic violence shelter in the county. We’re aiming to raise $40,000 this year to keep these vital services going strong. Your sweet tooth made a big impact, a...
To The Eagle, I am writing in support of retaining John Mason as sheriff of Wahkiakum County. I’ve had the opportunity to speak with John several times, and each time I’ve been impressed by his openness and his genuine commitment to our community. John consistently makes himself available to residents, listens to concerns, and follows through. It’s clear that John cares deeply about the well-being of our county and is dedicated to serving with integrity and professionalism. I’ve also asked Undersheriff Gary Howell about John. Gary has worked...
Hello, Wahkiakum County Eagle readers. We at The Eagle truly appreciate your support and always strive to meet your needs to the best of our ability. With the political season approaching in Wahkiakum County, The Eagle has already received numerous letters to the editor arguing for or against candidates. Every week on Page 2, The Eagle prints the standing guidelines for letters to the editor. One of these guidelines is that “Letters should address local issues and refrain from personal attack or character assassination.” Some of the let...
To The Eagle, The time has come: Cathlamet should begin the orderly shutdown of its fire department and transfer of all assets to District 4. Having shed its two public utilities that generated recurring revenue (water and sewer), the municipality now lacks the resources to properly operate the one that remains, EMS, which generates only costs. Historically the town’s utilities were like a 3-legged stool that together supported a single clerk-treasurer to oversee the complex accounting state law requires. Keeping EMS solvent entails chasing use...
To The Eagle, These are the remarks that I made to the Board of County Commissioners on 15 July, 2025. I hope that they are of interest to your readers. “Honorable Commissioners, When appointed to the office of Wahkiakum County Assessor, I committed to run the office, complete the tasks of valuation, levies, and inspection, and find and train my replacement. I am pleased to inform you that I have completed these tasks. When you sought applicants for appointment as assessor, you provided me with possible candidates for my replacement. There w...
To The Eagle, I am a former mayor of the Town of Cathlamet, and I live in Cathlamet. I support the Town/PUD Water and Sewer Consolidation. The Council is doing what is best for the community by transferring ownership and management of the Water and Sewer utilities to the PUD. The PUD is a Utility, utilities is what they do! The PUD has funding opportunities that the town does not have, enabling the PUD to get funding for costly repairs and upgrades to the utilities resulting in good maintenance, timely upgrades, and most important, stable...
To The Eagle, We would like to extend many thanks and high praise to each and every person involved in fighting the July 4th fire at Maple Ridge at Nassa Point. We want to mention the quick response of all involved teams from around the area. We appreciated the Cathlamet Fire Department placing a tanker truck at our residence in order to protect our home. The fire fighters worked long and hard all night and into the next day so that no homes were destroyed. We also appreciated the follow-up over the next few days. Again, our deep thanks. Joe...
To The Eagle, When Sheriff Howie retired last year, he recommended Sgt. John Mason be appointed. It was a good decision and the Wahkiakum County Commissioners unanimously concurred. Sheriff John Mason now must stand for election to the unexpired term for one year. Sounds crazy but that is the law! The good news is, as voters, we have had time to assess Sheriff Mason’s performance. Not just words or campaign slogans, but how he actually performs on the job! I knew Sheriff Howie and Undersheriff Howell, but I did not know John Mason. This past y...
To The Eagle, In the earlier years of Timberland Regional Library, I was invited to give an inspirational address at their All-Staff Day in Tumwater. Presumably this was because of my outspoken love and support for books, libraries, and the people who love them both, a devotion shared by TRL's founders, staff, and directors of the day. It's a long way from there to now, when TRL's Public Information Officer feels impelled to write my local paper to call me a liar. It's also a sad tale of serious mission drift. As chief flak for the "New...
To The Eagle, I am writing to express my unwavering support of Sheriff John Mason’s continued leadership as the Wahkiakum County Sheriff. In my service as a firefighter and first responder on the West end of the County, I have had the privilege of working alongside Sheriff Mason on numerous occasions, often in challenging circumstances. His ability to bring peace and comfort to all involved is truly commendable. Throughout our collaborations, I have consistently observed the utmost respect Sheriff Mason extends to all parties, regardless of the...
To The Eagle, I am writing on behalf of Timberland Regional Library in response to incorrect assertions made by Dr. Robert Pyle in his column, "Two down, one to save" published on June 12, 2025. TRL has previously addressed Dr. Pyle's concerns regarding the Naselle library at length in a letter published on September 29, 2024, in the Chinook Observer, a version of which is also available on our website as a press release. Dr. Pyle's most recent statements regarding plans for South Bend, Raymond and "other small branches" are similarly false....
To The Eagle, My wife Dee and I, here at the Finnish Line in Deep River, are proud to endorse John Mason for Wahkiakum County Sheriff. He is a quality individual with over 12 years of experience as a deputy and later as a sergeant in the County Sheriff’s office. He has a strong record of leadership and excellent decision-making rooted in an impressive level of situational awareness. It is recognition of his experience and abilities that resulted in his appointment by the Board of County Commissioners as Sheriff upon Mark Howie’s ret...
