Week of April 2, 2026
Week of April 2, 2026
The federal agency that maintains the Columbia River's shipping channel is proposing to build seven giant in-water pens as part of a $377 million project to manage dredge spoils over the next 20 years. Meanwhile, the river's shipping industry is working to get local ports off the hook for part of the $132 million they will soon have to pay for the project. Shippers move tens of billions of dollars in goods on the channel each year, which, in turn, generates tens of thousands of jobs. But all of...
On Tuesday, March 24, the Cowlitz-Wahkiakum Council of Governments (CWCOG) met as a continuation of the previous meeting of the Wahkiakum County Commissioners on Tuesday, March 17. Those in attendance included the Wahkiakum Board of County Commissioners, Cathlamet Mayor Nick Sevald, Brian Anderson of Governor Ferguson’s office, and Noah Sullivan on behalf of U.S. Representative Marie Gluesenkamp Perez’s office. Conducting the meeting was CWCOG Executive Director Bill Fashing. Sullivan noted Representative Perez’s efforts in bills...
This coming Friday, Saturday and Sunday, April 3-5, graduate students from the University of Washington (UW) will be in Cathlamet to help gather community input on what matters most and what people want to see for the future of this area. This is a chance to speak to what makes this place what it is and what the community itself wants to carry forward. The public is invited to stop by and share their thoughts at one of several public sessions. On Friday, April 3, sessions will be held at the...
Welcome, my friends, to the first week of April. It's gonna be a busy month. To name just a few of the many events taking place, there's a lowland trout opener, turkey season, spring chinook, salmon derbies, razor clam tides, clam festivals, sportsman's shows, and a plethora of nesting songbirds to watch. Fishing licenses If you fish and you're over the age of 15, as of Wednesday, April 1, you're going to need a new fishing license. New, albeit resurrected for 2026, is the Columbia River Salmon...
Thursday March 26, marked a banner event for the Skamokawa Fire Department (FD). That's the day we finally got rid of the three big blue barrels (160 gallons) of obsolescent AFFF (Aqueous Film Forming Foam) concentrate that had besieged our floor space like three unwelcome guests we couldn't evict. Although highly effective in suppressing fires - especially chemical and petroleum blazes - AFFF is also a nasty substance. Formulated to blend perfectly with water and resist extreme temperatures,...
Tsuga Gallery announces Debbie Patana as the artist of the month for April. Debbie is one of our newest artists. She recently moved from Chinook, Wash., to Skamokawa with her husband, Richard (Pat). Debbie grew up in Southern California, where she enjoyed the ocean and the landscape. She dabbled with stained glass for several years and loved the endless possibilities and colors that glass gives. In 1992, Debbie opened her own gallery and glass supply in Chinook. She did well with the stained...
Due to 1976 being a leap year the dates no longer line up with 2026. We would like to hear from readers about reprinting articles from the past. Call, email, or stop by our office and let us know what you think. Thank you to volunteer Julie O’Neil and volunteer curator, genealogist, and board member Kari Kandoll for digitizing these articles. District Meeting Four ladies of the local Rebekah lodge attended the Rebekah district meeting held in Kalama on Saturday. Those taking in the event were Effie Wright, Louise Lawrence, Emily...
Today is Thursday, April 2, the 92nd day of 2026. There are 273 days left in the year. Today in history: On April 2, 2005, John Paul II, the Polish pope born Karol Józef Wojtyła, died in his Vatican apartment at age 84. The first non-Italian pope in over 450 years, John Paul II became one of the most influential leaders of the late 20th and early 21st centuries while playing a crucial role in the fall of communism in Europe and the former Soviet Union. Also on this date: In 1792, Congress passed the Coinage Act, which authorized...
On Saturday, April 19 from 1-6 p.m., the rhythm of Scandinavia will be felt and even heard on Cathlamet's Little Island. With the island serving as a local cradle for Wahkiakum County's Swedish, Norwegian and Finnish heritages, Little Island Creamery will host a Scandinavian Dance Workshop and Supper featuring world-renowned dance instructor Beret Bertilsdotter. Her journey having begun on a small dairy farm in west central Sweden's Jämtland, Bertilsdotter was raised in a traditional...
During the meeting Monday, March 23, the Longview School Board began with Superintendent Dan Cloninger’s report, which outlined a strategic planning process that includes a community vote on a “promise statement,” meant to guide the district’s direction and branding. The process involves input from students, staff and community members, and will also connect to a new district logo created by students. Upcoming events announced during the March 23 meeting include the Discovery program graduation on Thursday, June 4, and the Mark Morris...
During their meeting Thursday, March 26, Longview City Council approved Ordinance 3546, a business and occupation update. The ordinance’s purpose is to align city code with Washington state changes in Senate Bill 5814. The main differences with this update are the reclassification of several services, including retail sales, IT (Information Technology), advertising, custom software, security and temporary staffing. This ordinance is “largely administrative” and “likely to have a small impact on local businesses.” Council members...
During their meeting Tuesday, March 24, the Cowlitz County Board of Commissioners discussed infrastructure and public works. A project for the Tower Road Water Main and the Juanita Way Booster Pump Station was officially closed after being successfully completed at a total cost of approximately $1.4 million, roughly $177,000 under budget. The County renewed a five-year contract for consulting services with WSP USA and Parametrix to support Public Works. The board also approved a land-use license for Weyerhaeuser to operate a portable horse...
On Wednesday, March 25, the Port of Longview Board of Commissioners discussed several ongoing projects and key concerns for the future. The board received an update on the Industrial Rail Corridor (IRC) project. Officials said 25 percent of working days have been completed, with about 50 percent of budget items finished. Utility work and demolition are expected to wrap up this summer. A resolution for 2026 brought discussion on acquiring land tied to the Port’s long-term plans. The focus is on voluntary purchases at fair market value, while...
During the meeting on Tuesday, March 24, the Cowlitz County Public Utility District (PUD) Board moved forward with a geotechnical project involving the installation of permanent piezometers in the canal embankment to monitor water levels. This exploration was mandated by FERC (Federal Energy Regulatory Commission) following the identification of unknown soil conditions during a previous seismic analysis. The board also approved a $768,670 contract with General Pacific to supply ductile iron poles for a reconductor project. The district is...
The Longview Public Library invites community members to “Considering Hearing Aids? Learn About Your Options,” an informative session taking place on Thursday, April 9, from 12:30 to 1:30 p.m. Hearing aids have advanced significantly in recent years, offering new features and more choices than ever before. This informal session, led by hearing advocate Heidi Crabtree, will provide an overview of current options, coverage considerations, and key factors to consider when selecting a device. Attendees are encouraged to ask questions and...
Last Thursday, March 26, at the Julia Butler Hansen Pool in Cathlamet, the western Washington Regional Qualifier for high school robotics ran under clear skies and light winds. The weather proved to be a very welcome change from previous years. The Wahkiakum Mecha Mules team set an unofficial world speed record for the Obstacle course of 38 seconds by maneuvering through five hoops and returning back to the starting line using very well-honed pitch controls on an incredible, fish-like robot...
I recently interviewed Cathlamet resident Shannon Britt for our 57th installment of Reader's Fave, a casual feature where someone shares their favorite book. Shannon discussed "SeaMan: The Dog Who Explored the West with Lewis & Clark" by Gail Langer Karwoski. "I read a lot of Lewis & Clark history this past year," Shannon said. "I read their journals, and I wanted to leave the fiction for last to make sure I had the facts first. I had my eye on this book since last spring." "This book is from...
Clatskanie's annual Easter weekend tulip sale by Chapter T, P.E.O. (Philanthropic Educational Organization) is set for this Friday and Saturday, April 3-4. The sale is a fundraiser for the philanthropic education organization's scholarship programs for women. Fresh tulip bouquets will be sold by local P.E.O. members Friday, April 3, and Saturday, April 4, from 9 a.m. to 6 p.m. outside of Farmhouse Coffee and Hi-School Pharmacy in Clatskanie's Evergreen Shopping Center. Clatskanie's chapter of...
You are invited to join with Cathlamet Public Library as we partner with over 140 libraries for a two-month book club, called, One Book, One Coast, from Wednesday, April 1 to Sunday, May 31. Libraries up and down the west coast of America will be participating in the largest book club on the west coast, as we read together main title selection "They Called Us Enemy," a bestselling graphic memoir by author and Star Trek Actor George Takei. In this Eisner-autobiographical comic, Takei describes...
Robert (Bob) Beyer passed away peacefully among family on March 21, 2026, at the age of 85. Bob was born on Nov. 8, 1940, in Silverton, Ore., to parents Matthias and Ottilia Beyer and was the youngest of eight children. Bob was raised on the family farm and attended school in Mt. Angel where he met his wife, Pat (Patricia) Beyer. They were married in Salem, Ore., on Oct. 24, 1964, sharing a life of almost 60 years. Bob also served in the US Army and Air Force National Guard from 1962 to 1968....
To the Eagle: My very large thanks for publishing Murrow Fellow Henry Brannon's exhaustive three-part report on our county's timberlands and their absentee landlords. I hope I may be forgiven for saying that I raised these issues in my book “Wintergreen” 40 years ago, when things were much better--with local ownership and lots of legacy forest still standing--but big change just beginning, with the sale of the Cathlamet Managed Forest by Crown Zellerbach. We all know what followed: younger and younger forests, more and more gates, no...
Clatskanie’s varsity baseball team shrugged off an 0-2 start for the season with two straight wins against Oakland and Pleasant Hill. The Tigers started off the season falling 9-1 at Regis on Tuesday, March 17. Kash Hodges scored the only run of the game for the Tigers in the top of the sixth inning. Though not scoring themselves, Lucas Andreasen and Zach Mollenhour stole three bases between them, with Mollenhour getting two to Andreasen’s one. The following week, the Tigers would surrender six runs in the first inning to Umpqua Valley...
The Clatskanie Tigers varsity softball team got off to an 0-2 start for the season, falling 7-4 to the Regis Rams on Tuesday, March 17, and 9-6 to the Perrydale Pirates the following day. Catching their stride offensively, the Tigers defeated the Madras White Buffaloes 20-0 on Monday, March 23. Later that day, Clatskanie defeated the Lost River Raiders 17-3. The offense would continue to pile up the next day, as the Tigers defeated La Pine’s Hawks 11-5 and dominated Rogue River’s Chieftains 16-1 later on that day. “We have 5 athletes...
The rain has made it hard for Naselle to get into the outfield and onto the diamond this spring, but April will bring better weather and more chances for softball and baseball to flourish. Naselle Baseball Head Coach Randy Lindstrom and the Comets have a young squad this season, with nine sophomores and nine freshmen helping make up a large squad for Naselle. Despite the unit's youth, the team has a lot of baseball savvy for their age. "Although we have a large group of underclassmen, the...
Wahkiakum High School’s track and field team had its first ever appearance at the Kelso Kickoff meet on Thursday, March 19. The meet featured 3A, 2A, and 2B schools as well. Overall, men’s varsity came in fourth out of five teams competing, while the women came in fifth out of six teams competing. In the 200m, Jayden Stoddard came in first with a time of 24.26. Stoddard also competed in the 100m, coming in third with a time of 11.89. Dane Sexton came in second in the 800m with a time of 2:32.50. Landon Mogush came in fifth in the 400m...
March 23 6:09 a.m. A Skamokawa resident called to report that they heard what they believe were animals being drowned in the creek nearby the day before. The caller said they did not see it happen, but they heard animals whimpering and drowning, and that they had been informed on Facebook that the people responsible were out with coyote calls because cows were due to calve. 8:37 a.m. An anonymous tip came in about a suspicious garbage can chained to the guardrail, and someone in a vehicle with a garbage bag was there, acting suspiciously,...
