Established as The Skamokawa Eagle in 1891
Established as The Skamokawa Eagle in 1891
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(Editor's note: The language about the amount that would be added to the sales tax by the proposal outline below. Undersheriff Gary Howell on Thursday said the new tax for radio communications would be .02 percent, not as stated in the original version of this report.) Wahkiakum County voters this fall will likely face a request to boost sales tax to fund improvements to the radio system serving local governments and emergency responders including law enforcement, fire and ambulance crews, utility crews, school district and county and...
Wahkiakum County commissioners on Tuesday approved contracts for constructing a small animal barn at the county fairgrounds and security upgrades for the county courthouse. Commissioners also reported progress in talks with the US Army Corps of Engineers on potential projects to address erosion on Puget Island and siltation of Gray's Bay. Fair officials have sought funding for the barn, which would house sheep, goats and pigs. The commission approved a $93,988.60 bid for the project. The fair has been awarded a grant from the state Department...
Here's how you turn a democracy into an autocracy. Follow these steps: --Identify a group of citizens to vilify as The Enemy; it can be an ethnic group, immigrants, a political group/party, or other, such as the LGBTQ+ community. Identify them as threats to the nation and stir up anger against them so that the public will support you as the protector of the nation. Invoke religion to set the standards men and women must meet to be considered legitimate citizens and not part of The Enemy. --Take control of the media so that only your messages re...
They came; they saw, they had a good time, and they headed out early Friday morning to catch the ferry on Puget Island and head to Astoria on the next leg of a bike ride to San Diego. "They" are 12 young women doing the Seattle-San Diego Pedal the Pacific ride which is a fund raising activity with a goal of raising $150,000 for the anti-trafficking movement, with funds going to the National Center for Missing and Exploited Children. The organization's mission statement says: "We ride because...
Wahkiakum County commissioners spent much of their Tuesday meeting discussing issues with constituents; they also worked with county fair officials to solve problems for financing improvements at the fairgrounds so that projects could be done before the start of the county fair in August. West Valley resident Bill Spillman described problems with an undersized culvert on West Valley Road and asked that county workers address the issue. Public Works Department Director Chuck Beyer said the road department is aware of the problem. The culvert...
Former Wahkiakum County Commissioner Blair Brady announced Tuesday he has filed to run as a write-in candidate for the District 3 seat on the county board of commissioners. Incumbent Commissioner Gene Strong filed for re-election to the position in May. Both are running as independents. Brady had served approximately 3 1/2 terms of office. He lost the 2018 election by two votes to Strong, who ran as a write-in candidate that year. Brady said that to qualify for the November general election ballot, he will need to draw at least 11 votes in the...
Cathlamet Town Council members on Monday covered a variety of new ordinances and wrestled with a request to lease the community center. Community Integrated Health Service contacted the town about leasing the community center, which has been closed since last winter. The agency would use the facility for services to youth. Council members said they were sympathetic to the agency's intention, but they felt the facility wouldn't meet the agency's needs, which included the need for a separate room for confidential consultations. The community...
Commissioners of Port District No. 2 on Tuesday adopted a resolution appointing Samuel Shogren as port manager. The port's previous manager resigned in January, and Assistant Manger Terina Davis has since served as interim manager. Shogren's first official day on the job was yesterday (Wednesday). In other business, Davis reported that the port commission: --Decided to name the old Methodist church building the Carlton Appelo Annex to honor Appelo, one of the district's original commissioners, for everything he did for the port; --Decided to...
Wahkiakum County commissioners heard complaints about food service inspections for vendors and a report about a new program to provide assistance to people with a variety of needs. Puget Island resident Robert Hill told the board that application for food service rules has been inconsistent and expensive and hurts his food vendor business. Permitting has been inconsistent, he said; vendors were able to obtain a year-long permit last year but can't this year. He missed a 14-day deadline to apply for a permit for the recent car show in...
Wahkiakum County commissioners responded to constituents' concerns when the board met Tuesday. Commissioners also authorized purchase of commercial quality refrigeration equipment for the county fair and further moves to address flood damage to kitchen equipment. Puget Island resident Olaf Thomason asked commissioners what could be done to improve restroom access at County Line Park. Access to the restroom building is limited to RV campers, he said, and two portable toilets are set up for travelers. Thomason said he had recently stopped at the...
(Editor's note: This story has been corrected to say that the council will meet Tuesday, June 21, not Monday, June 20, which is now the Junteenth Holdiay.) The regularly scheduled meeting of the Cathlamet Town Council set for June 6 has been cancelled, Clerk/Treasurer Sarah Clark announced Thursday. The announcement said there was a lack of agenda items for the meeting. The council's next meeting is set for 6 p.m June 21, a Tuesday. The council normally meets on the third Monday of each month, but this year, it is the Junteenth Holiday. The...
The Washington State Department of Transportation is still working to schedule two projects that will affect traffic between Longview and Astoria. The contractor is waiting for the right weather to complete work to add pavement markers and finish crosswalk work along the stretch of SR 4 through Cathlamet. "Because this work requires dry, warm weather, they are anticipating that they can schedule the work within the next couple of weeks," Celeste Dimichina Communications & Media Relations specialist said Tuesday. At the end of the project the...
The trophy case at Naselle High School became a bit more crowded this past weekend. The Comet boys track and field team placed second in the state Class 1B meet (see related story on this page); the Comet girls finished in fourth place in the state 1B softball tournament, and the boys baseball captured the state 1B championship. The Comets opened the baseball tournament May 21 with a 13-3 win over Wilbur-Creston. That put them in the semifinals, and they outscored Almira-Coulee-Hartline 15-10....
There were few surprises from candidates for 2022 elections when the filing period ended last week. With county Assessor Bill Coons having announced his retirement; Deputy Assessor Falon Hoven filed for the office as an Independent. Cathlamet native Holly McKeen, a deputy prosecuting attorney for Cowlitz County, is challenging incumbent Wahkiakum County Prosecuting Attorney Dan Bigelow. Other incumbent county officials filed for re-election without any opposition. Across the state and region, however, there will be races for all offices. US...
Both the Naselle Comet baseball and softball teams will play in the state Class 1B tournaments this Friday and Saturday. The ladies are headed to the Gateway Sports Complex in Yakima. They open Friday, 12 noon, against DeSales of Walla Walla. The winner of that game advances to the semifinals at 4 p.m. that day against the winner of the Darrington-Liberty Christian matchup. The losers of the two games meet at 4 p.m. The winner of that game continues action on Saturday, 12 noon with a chance to reach the 3 p.m. game to determine third and...
Wahkiakum County officials find themselves dealing with the good, the bad and the ugly. The good is an increase in revenue from rising investment interest rates and state timber excise tax revenue; the bad is a cooling of timber markets that is chipping away at revenue from logging on county trust timber lands, and the ugly is the inflationary impact on fuel used to power modes of transportation. The increases in interest rates since the beginning of 2022 is good news, Treasurer Tammy Peterson told the county board of commissioners on Tuesday....
Cathlamet town officials are getting closer to revising rates for sewer and water service, but fine tuning continues. The town's utility rates contain inequalities, with some customers subsidizing others, and out of town customers paying higher rates than those inside the town boundaries. The council is trying to develop a schedule that combines basic rates and usage fees for consumption of water above a basic quantity. Clerk/Treasurer Sarah Clark reported that she and Council Members Laurel Waller and Jeanne Hendrickson had spent hours working...
As the environment of the lower Columbia River region evolves, Wahkiakum County's Noxious Weed Control Program is trying to keep up. Originally created years ago to control poisonous and similar weeds on agricultural land, the program is now having to focus more and more on aquatic weeds. On Tuesday, members of the weed board of supervisors and the county board of commissioners heard pleas from Puget Island residents to expand this year's planned herbicide application in Birnie Slough to include Jackson Inlet and small sloughs at the head of th...
It likely will take an act of Congress to get the US Army Corps of Engineers to dredge sediment in Gray's Bay. Residents of the Grays River and Deep River valleys have been pressing the Corps for years to clear sediment from the rivers' channels across the bay. They contend that Corps activities to manage the Columbia River shipping channel have plugged the tributary channels' outlets, and this has resulted in increasingly adverse flooding in the valleys. In discussion Tuesday sponsored by the county board of commissioners, Corps officials...
Filing for offices on this year’s election ballots opens next Monday. All county offices will be on the ballot, and the District 3 Wahkiakum PUD commissioner will be on the ballot. Other positions include US Senator, District 3 congressional representative, and the two state District 19 representatives. Several people have announced they will run for local offices. Incumbent Prosecuting Attorney Dan Bigelow has announced he will seek re-election. This week, Cathlamet native Holly McKeen announced she will be a candidate for the position (see s...
Cathlamet native Holly McKeen this week announced she will be a candidate for Wahkiakum County prosecuting attorney. McKeen is a 2003 Wahkiakum High School graduate. She is now a deputy prosecutor in Cowlitz County and resides in Cathlamet. “My step-father, Fred Johnson, is the former prosecutor of Wahkiakum County,” she said in her announcement. “My son, Maddox Moore, is a freshman at Wahkiakum High School. “I moved back to Cathlamet last fall to be closer to family. I am excited about the opportunity to serve the citizens of the county I was...
Wahkiakum County commissioners on Tuesday approved two measures that will impact transportation routes. On Monday, the ferry Oscar B. will go out of service from 6 a.m. to 12 noon for mechanical work. County Public Works Director Chuck Beyer said the closure is needed for engine maintenance, repairs and replacement of recalled engine parts. The board also approved a closure of Risk Road for replacement of the bridge over Nelson Creek. The closure was effective Tuesday and authorized to last until September 23. The non-profit habitat...
The Cathlamet Town Council on Monday decided to extend the public comment period to May 16 on proposed changes to rates for water and sewer service. The council wants to modify rates to end inequalities among customer groups. The new rates would include a basic charge and also rates based on customers' consumption of water. At the April 18 council meeting Clerk/Treasurer Sarah Clark reported that 80 percent of customers would pay only the minimum charge, and the remaining 20 percent would pay extra based on the amount of water consumed. An...
Wahkiakum County commissioners addressed a variety of issues at their meeting Tuesday, including a property donation request, commissioners' salaries, and Gray's Bay siltation. Members of the Skamokawa Fire Department asked the board to consider donating a lot adjacent to their fire hall to the department. Assistant Chief Austin Smith said the department is growing and wants to expand their building to accommodate more equipment and training. "Is that (the lot) something that could be turned over to us?" he asked. Commissioners were receptive...
Patrons of Cathlamet water and sewer utilities may be paying new rates starting July 1. The town council on Monday voted to propose a new rate structure based on usage and designed to even out differences in rates between customers. The council plans to hold a public hearing on the proposal on May 2 and vote to adopt them May 16 unless there is compelling comment for modifications. The town will notify customers of the proposal and how it would affect their accounts in advance of the hearing, Mayor David Olson said. In other business Monday,...
