Established as The Skamokawa Eagle in 1891
Established as The Skamokawa Eagle in 1891
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Wahkiakum County, the Naselle/Grays River Valley School District (N/GRVSD) and other entities on Dec. 30 filed suit against the state Department of Natural Resources over the state marbled murrelet habitat management plan. And on Thursday, individuals and environmental groups filed their own suit against the DNR over habitat management and timber harvest programs, arguing that the agency hadn't done enough to preserve habitat for the endangered seabird. Besides Wahkiakum County and the Naselle/Grays River school district, other plaintiffs in th...
Darned if you do and darned if you don't? When I first started in this business in the 1970's, I remember an editor proclaiming that one shouldn't add editor's notes to letters to the editor. So, I sometimes let things go that I know are incorrect. In these cases, I hope the readers themselves will police the offense. This happened last week, and I had a call from a reader; I suggested the caller submit a letter, but, alas, it didn't come. So, with the help of a family member, here's this about a letter printed last week: The statement,...
Persons attending the Tuesday meeting of the Wahkiakum County Board of Commissioners were in for a treat this week: The board entertained a visit from a robotics demonstration by students participating in school and 4-H club programs. The meeting did have its serious side with discussions of mental health crisis response and the incidence of influenza in the region. During the public comment period of the meeting, Elochoman Valley resident Rick Selby said he wanted to mention the state's Involun...
"Cape is optional," reads the card recruiting people to serve their communities as designated drivers. They're superheroes, says Tony Cataldo of Rainier, Ore. For many years, Cataldo has encouraged and enabled volunteers to become safe, recognized drivers for people who have imbibed so much that they wouldn't be considered safe drivers. Several years ago, several volunteers came forward to provide rides from Skamokawa establishments. Drivers receive training and act independently, Cataldo said, so he doesn't know if that group is still...
On Tuesday, it appeared that the print edition of The Wahkiakum County Eagle would be delivered a day later than usual this week. The US Postal Office in Cathlamet closed down at noon on Tuesday,Christmas Eve, and we were unable to deliver this week’s edition in time to meet that holiday schedule. The delay meant that the papers would be mailed Thursday and delivered Friday, a day later than normal. However, we spoke Tuesday morning with clerk Lisa Mooers, and thanks to her, we were able to get our papers into the postal system after hours. T...
Wahkiakum County residents will soon see information about the 2020 census coming their way. "It's pretty important because those numbers give you lots of things," local census coordinator Sandi Benbrook Rieder told the Wahkiakum County Board of Commissioners on Dec. 17. Benbrook-Rieder is working for the Cowlitz/Wahkiakum Council of Governments, which is conducting the census for the two counties. "Our goal . . . is to count everybody and get as complete a count as possible," she said. Planning for the 2020 census has been underway since...
Commissioners of Port District 2 breezed through a light agenda when they met Dec. 17 in Skamokawa. Commissioners held a public hearing on their comprehensive plan update. They plan to vote on the plan at their January 20 meeting. Manager Jeff Smith reported the paving project went well and the contractor was able to do more than planned. Parking at the tent sites is improved, and more tent sites can be developed. Smith said he has submitted a grant funding request to the Wahkiakum County Marine Resources Committee to help finance replacement...
Following an attack that led to the death of a small dog, the Town of Cathlamet is moving to enforce its ban of pitbulls in the town limits. The attack occurred on the evening of Dec. 8 at the DeBriae Fire Hall. Carol Wegdahl was inside the hall to collect materials for a first aid class she was scheduled to teach. Her husband, Bob was outside loading materials into their car with their small mixed breed dog, Roxie, who was on a leash by the car. The sounds of children playing came from across the street. Suddenly, Bob Wegdahl told the...
With two new members at work, the Cathlamet Town Council tackled a variety of business at the December meeting on Monday. Town Attorney Fred Johnson issued oaths of office to Bill Wainwright and Paige Lake, who were elected this fall. They took seats at the table; Robert Stowe was also elected this fall but chose to sit in the audience; he swore the oath of office after the meeting and will join the council at their next meeting. The council started with consideration of service fees and...
A short-handed Wahkiakum County Board of Commissioners cruised through their pre-Christmas holiday meeting on Tuesday. Commissioners approved resolutions for the county's 2020 budgets, increasing property taxes 1 percent, and acting on a variety of other business. Commissioners also approved a resolution amending 2019 budgets to incorporate unanticipated revenues and expenditures. Harvest of timber in the county produced some of the unanticipated revenue. Revenues from harvest of state-managed trust land totaled $1.5 million, $300,000 more...
Wahkiakum County commissioners addressed issues ranging from junk vehicles to transportation funding when they met Tuesday. In response to a question from an Elochoman Valley resident, Health and Human Services Director Chris Bischoff said a committee formed to update the county's ordinance governing storage of junk vehicles on private property. The resident asked if agencies such as the US Environmental Protection Agency should be concerned about fluids leaking from old cars. Bischoff responded that neither the EPA nor the state Department of...
A young news editor once told the story: "Sports are like hunting bear with a switch," she said in her Arkansas drawl. "Sometimes you get the bear; sometimes the bear gets you, and sometimes you shouldn't go in the woods at all." And that anecdote can sum up the Naselle Comets football season: They ran roughshod over league and playoff opponents until they ran into the buzzsaw that was the Odessa Tigers team who claimed an 80-26 victory in the state Class 1B football championship last Saturday....
The Wahkiakum PUD water crew will soon have to stop water flow to Puget Island to replace a faulty valve, General Manager David Tramblie announced at the Tuesday meeting of the utility board of commissioners. The water crew recently replaced the master meter at the Island end of the highway bridge, and when they tried to open the valve to restore flow, they found the valve was frozen and wouldn't work. Water continues to flow to the Island through a bypass. To replace the valve, the crew will have to shut off water flow "for the better part of...
Commissioners of the Grays River Habitat Enhancement District have set their sights on a big project: Clearing the channels of Grays River and Deep River across Grays Bay. They'll have support from the Wahkiakum County board of commissioners. The bay is filling up with silt and sand which backs up the two rivers and exacerbates flooding in storms, county Commissioner Gene Strong said Tuesday. Local officials also say the dredging program of the US Army Corps of Engineers has piled up sand from Columbia River shipping channel maintenance at the...
A short-handed Cathlamet Town Council made their second vote of approval for their 2020 budgets in a special meeting Monday night. Mayor Dale Jacobson was ill, so Council Member Ryan Smith presided as mayor pro tem. Also attending were Council Members Laurel Waller and David Olson. According to a town ordinance, the council must vote three times on the budget; the council gave first approval Nov. 18. The budget totals $6.2 million. Of that $2.3 goes to water system operations;$704,926 to sewer bond payment; $148,587 to water bond payment,...
The Naselle Comet football team roared into the state Class 1B football championship with a 70-44 win over the Warriors of Almira/Coulee-Hartline last Saturday. The Comets will take on the top-ranked Odessa Tigers in the title game this Saturday, 12 noon, at Mt. Tahoma High School, Tacoma. The Comets took a 24-8 lead in the first quarter against ACH. The Warriors scored 22 points in the second quarter, but the Comets put in a converted touchdown for a 34-30 halftime lead. For a while, it was all Naselle in the second half, with the Comets scori...
Commissioners of Wahkiakum County Port District 2 last week adopted their 2020 budget, heard suggestions to work on two Westend properties and approved improvemets at two parks. The commissioners approved a $1.05 million budget, highest in the district's history. This included a 1 percent increase in property taxes, which will raise $724.91 for a total levy of $72,490.92. Port Manager Jeff Smith presented a draft update to the district's comprehensive plan. According to the plan's Executive Summary, "The goals associated with this plan are to...
Wahkiakum County's board of commissioners will hold a public hearing next Monday before beginning final deliberations on their 2020 budgets. Commissioners met Tuesday (as The Eagle went to press) with county fair officials to go over issues. The board's preliminary budget shows revenues of $81,470 for the fair and expenditures of $85,870, a deficit of $4,400. Last week, fair officials asked the board to increase the appropriation to add hours for the manager so that she can work on fund raising activities in the off season. They point out that...
Photo and story by Rick Nelson Editor’s Note: This story has been updated to include information received after the print edition went to press. Work on the Puget Island bridge is coming to an end this month, Washington State Department of Transportation officials said this week. The project, which consisted of painting and installation of a new deck on the bridge, has been completed over a year ahead of schedule, according to a department news release. On Nov. 8, construction workers removed l...
Wahkiakum County Commissioners Dan Cothren and Mike Backman were asked to adjudicate neighborhood disputes at their meeting Tuesday. [Commissioner Gene Strong was out of town at a statewide meeting of county officials.] The first dispute involved the commissioners. Cathlamet resident Jim Kolberg asked the board to trim trees along the property line between his house and the Johnson House on Division Street. The trees drop debris, and one leaning tree hovers dangerously over the skylight in his bedroom, Kolberg said. He added that he had...
Members of the Cathlamet Town Council on Monday voted 3-1 to open their Butler Street lot to parking with a six-month deadline to begin improvements to the lot. The action was one of several initiatives from Council Member David Olson who also suggested changes to the composition of the town planning commission, a formal agenda for meetings, and guidelines for conduct during meetings and public comment. In other business, Mayor Dale Jacobson announced that Public Works Director Duncan Cruickshank is leaving his position at the end of this...
Wahkiakum County Commissioners on Tuesday tentatively accepted an offer from Port District 1 to purchase the county's Johnson House. Commissioners have wanted to sell the house on Division Street but maintain ownership of the land on which it sits for possible future county use. Port Manager Jackie Lea presented the offer to the county commission, suggesting a 10-year lease, after which the port would remove the house and pay $5,000 for it. Commissioner Gene Strong suggested the county would like a provision that would allow them access to the...
The Wahkiakum Mule's 2019 football season came to an end in a 50-0 loss to top-ranked Onalaska Loggers last Friday night in the opening of the Class 2B football playoffs. The Loggers scored twice in the first quarter and twice in the second to lead 28-0 at halftime. While the Mules lost, Coach Eric Hansen was pleased with the young team's effort. "Our kids played hard, much better than last week against Winlock," Hansen said. "I was proud of them. They didn't back down." Onalaska's defense kept...
The effort to find the cause of elk hoof disease has turned into a scientific quest. The disease attacks the hooves of elk, eating away the foot and causing them to walk on soft tissue. The hooves grow long and can eventually slough off. The disease was first observed in southwest Washington but has been observed in Clallam County, the Skagit River valley, east of the Cascades in Washington and Oregon along the state line and into Idaho. Residents of southwest Washington have noticed a decrease...
In an election with low turnout, voters in Wahkiakum and Pacific counties joined others across the state in deciding few contested races and showing their will on statewide issues. In one of the few contested local races, Bill Wainwright defeated Janis Dodrill 76-42 in a race for a position on the Cathlamet Town Council. In another contested local race, incumbent Brian O'Connor held off challenger Austin Smith in a race for a seat on the Port District 2 board of commissioners, 241-166. In a contested race for Pacific/Wahkiakum Superior Court...
