Week of December 18, 2025
Week of December 18, 2025
During Tuesday's meeting, the Wahkiakum County Commissioners approved the re-appointment of Fair Board members Brian McClain and Becky Thacker, as their terms are set to expire on Dec. 31, 2025. McClain and Thacker's new terms will be effective Jan. 1, 2026 through Dec. 31, 2028. The commissioners also accepted the resignations of Fair Board members Jason Lewis and Neil Beerbower. Public Works Director Chuck Beyer then presented a request to approve the transfer of $20,000 from the C/R (Cumulative Reserve) Public Works Fund to the Solid Waste...
Washington timberland owners are suing three state agencies to overturn a rule that will prohibit logging within 75 feet of streams without fish in Western Washington. The rule will take 200,000 acres of timberland out of production, according to the Washington Forest Protection Association and Washington Farm Forestry Association. The forest groups claim in a lawsuit filed Nov. 25 in Thurston County Superior Court that the expanded riparian buffers are economically, scientifically and legally indefensible. The suit names the Forest Practices...
Wahkiakum Conservation District (WCD) Voluntary Stewardship Program Coordinator Brooke Bennett, having grown up in Oregon, "loves rivers and being on the water." With WCD's mission being "protect and improve natural resources, guide resource development, and provide the highest quality of life for present and future citizens," the entity "offers technical and financial assistance to farmers and landowners in Wahkiakum County," according to Bennett. Having studied ecological engineering at...
As of Tuesday, Dec. 16, the only roads remaining unopened in Wahkiakum County were Eden Valley Rd. and the west end of Loop Road, both of which had water "over the roadway." Last week, President Trump approved an emergency declaration for the state of Washington. "The emergency declaration allows us to work with agencies outside of the county, including higher levels of government - both state and federal - to provide assistance for emergency response and recovery," said Wahkiakum County...
Because the dates line up, The Eagle has decided to reprint events from 1975. Thank you to the volunteer Julie O’Neil and volunteer curator, genealogist, and board member Kari Kandoll. Skamokawa News By Mrs. Howard Madden Mr. and Mrs. Albert Centers are visiting Vi and Al, Jr. from Kentucky. They are staying for the holidays. Yours truly along with almost everyone else is up to ears in Christmas, shopping wrapping etc. Phones have been out again and it’s next to impossible to gather news items thus, no news last week. Cecil Evans is home!...
The Eagle is proud to partner with the WCSO to bring you this monthly message from your local Sheriff. Hello from your Sheriff! I want to highlight all the great charitable groups and people who have focused on bringing good cheer to our community this season. From the Stars Program, Shoe Boxes of Joy, Shop with a Cop, Food Banks, local Churches, to individuals taking it upon themselves to put together gifts for families in need, just to name a few. Thank you to everyone who works so hard to spread the Christmas spirit. If you are travelling...
Today is Thursday, Dec. 18, the 352nd day of 2025. There are 13 days left in the year. Today in history: On Dec. 18, 2019, the U.S. House impeached President Donald Trump on two charges, sending his case to the Senate for trial (It was the first of two Trump impeachment trials that would end in acquittal). The articles of impeachment accused him of abuse of power to investigate Democratic rival Joe Biden before the 2020 election and obstructing Congress’ investigation of the matter. Also on this date: In 1865, the 13th Amendment to the...
I recently interviewed Nancy Toteff for our 42nd installment of Reader's Fave, a casual interview with someone who shares their favorite book. Nancy and her family live on Puget Island. Nancy admitted she wished she had a list of all the books she'd read and that it was difficult to narrow it down to one. She finally decided to discuss "Dune" by Frank Herbert. Although there are more than 20 different books pertaining to the "Dune" series, only six were written by Frank himself. "I really...
Westside Stories By Lisa Yeager This past Sunday was filled with Christmas events throughout the West End and Naselle, and while it was impossible to be everywhere at once, the holiday spirit was hard to miss. I spent the afternoon manning a table at the Christmas Bazaar at Naselle School, but by all accounts, the concert at Deep River Church was packed. Festive music filled the church, with performances by Carl Wirkkala, along with Wren Hendriks and Erik Friend of Skamokawa Swamp Opera. A...
The saga of the diabetic chipmunk "All my candies are gone," read the first text of the morning from my wife, Julie. I was stymied, but then came the picture of an empty cutting board, an empty cookie sheet, and roughly 40 or 50 missing little paper baking cups. By the looks of things, she was right. They were gone. "They," to be more specific, were homemade chocolate covered cherries and peanut butter cups, both of which I would eat far ahead of anything containing any sort of nutritional...
The Lower Columbia lighted Christmas ships will make their dazzling return to the Rainier riverfront on Sunday, Dec. 28 at 6 p.m. The annual event always draws a crowd and, judging by the chatter on the Rainier community boards, many are already looking forward to this year's show. The parade consists of skippers who participate in the annual event in the Portland and Longview areas. These skippers volunteer their time to decorate their boats for the annual parades to bring festive cheer during...
Most people don’t know this, but the walls of my office at Rainier City Hall are covered with framed photographs. Some of them, naturally, are of my wife, children, and parents. However, the photos also include former Oregon Governor Vic Atiyeh, Secretary of State Dennis Richardson and President Dwight Eisenhower. The pictures of those great leaders are hung alongside a copy of the U.S. Constitution. They are reminders of the kind of leadership values that I hope to emulate in my position and as a private citizen. Also hanging is the...
In May of this year, the Oregon Senate passed House Bill 2299A. This bill updates existing Oregon law regarding unlawful dissemination of intimate images statute. The modified law expands the definition to include digitally created, manipulated or altered images, including the use of artificial intelligence or deepfake technologies. This includes photographs, film, videotape, recording, digital picture or other visual reproduction One of the chief sponsors of the bipartisan bill was Rep. Kevin Mannix (R-Salem), who was also a chief sponsor of...
Nestled among storefronts on A street along the waterfront in Rainier and two doors down from Hometown Pizza is Bridgeway Uniques and more. The store presents an 1800-square-foot showcase full of hidden treasures waiting to be discovered. When walking past or peeking in, one might think the front room is where everything ends. However, enter through a doorway connected to the main showroom, and you'll find two additional side rooms and one large room in the back. Opened in fall of 2023,...
Donald R Seaberg, Lifelong Cathlamet resident, died on December 4th in Tacoma. A celebration of life will be held on January 11th at the Duck Inn in Skamokawa. A full obituary will follow next...
As Wahkiakum County prepares for a transition in District 3 leadership, I want to share why I'm not just comfortable with my wife Cindy Langston's application for county commissioner—I'm enthusiastically supporting it. In our years together, I've watched Cindy tackle every challenge with the same practical determination she brings to our farm. When she commits to something, she sees it through with integrity and tireless effort. Some might wonder if a spouse's political involvement creates household complications. Cindy doesn't need my...
The Clatskanie girls varsity basketball team rebounded from the season's first loss against Central Linn with a home victory over Gervais on Tuesday, Dec. 9. Jumping out to a 25-9 lead to end the first quarter, the Tigers still nearly had double the points of the visiting Cougars at halftime. The gap grew all the larger for Clatskanie, as they outscored Gervais 14-2 in the third quarter to take a 51-20 lead going into the final frame. While the Tigers only managed two points in the fourth, so...
The Clatskanie Tigers varsity boys basketball team continued its perfect start to the 2025-2026 season by taking care of Gervais 56-51 on Tuesday, Dec. 9. Though Gervais outscored Clatskanie in both the opening and closing quarters of the game, Clatskanie had a strong third period to pull away from what was a tie game going into halftime. Though outrebounded 31-28 by the Cougars, the Tigers outmatched their opponent in assists (18-10), steals (14-9), blocks (4-3), transition points (16-10), and...
The holiday break for Naselle and Wahkiakum is fast approaching. While students from both schools could probably use a respite from their studies, the break also means a hiatus from getting up and down the basketball court for the Comets and Mules. The final games before the holidays will be this week. With that in mind, let's take a look at how Wahkiakum and Naselle have begun their campaigns in 2025. Wahkiakum Basketball Head Coach Rob Garrett and the Mules boys basketball team have hit the...
December 8 1:07 a.m. A Puget Island resident called to complain that a neighbor’s dog had been barking for over an hour. 9:46 a.m. A Driver on SR4 in Skamokawa reported that a fallen tree was blocking the roadway. 10:25 a.m. A large boulder rolled down the hill and hit a vehicle on SR4 near Nassa Point. 12:47 p.m. A driver on Beaver Creek Road reported that a tree was down, blocking the westbound lane. 2:37 p.m. A tree was down, blocking both lanes on Brooks Slough Road. 4:17 p.m. A concerned citizen called to report a suspicious vehicle...
