Established as The Skamokawa Eagle in 1891
Established as The Skamokawa Eagle in 1891
Sorted by date Results 776 - 800 of 2699
County Commissioner Mike Backman dropped a bomb at the end of Tuesday's meeting of the county board of commissioners when he asked colleague Dan Cothren to pass a motion ordering county fair personnel to stop raising funds for a planned bull riding program. Fund raising hasn't reached goal, Backman said, and even though the county fair board voted to suspend fund raising and cancel the program for this year, some fair personnel, who are continuing fund raising efforts, are still planning to put on the program. With the fund raising not reaching...
By Rick Nelson Just like the river that's eroding beaches and threatening property on Cape Horn and Puget Island shorelines, the requirement for permits to address the situation just keeps flowing. Wahkiakum County's board of commissioners, acting as commissioners for four flood control zone districts (FCZD), have been working for two years to set up beach nourishment programs that replenish eroded beaches with sand dredged from shoals in the Columbia River navigation channel. With biological studies and engineering nearing completion this...
A week ago my house became filled with laughter and fun after the arrival of three of my teen granddaughters. We have been to the beach, to the Astoria Column, shopping, hiking, hot-tubbing and just plain being lazy. I needed this, and to top it off, now my niece and her daughter have arrived. This is heaven with the young giggles and music in the car and in the house. Such fun. I didn’t plan too well for the two-week visit with the granddaughters as it cut into the Father’s Day weekend. So I will make a quick trip to California on Friday to...
A special filing period started yesterday (Wednesday) for positions on the 2017 election ballots which drew no candidates in the regular May filing period. The positions include: Fire District 2, Commissioner 2, Oliver Van Den Berghe, incumbent; six-year term, $10 filing fee. Fire District 3, Commissioner 1, Linda Strong, incumbent; six-year term; no filing fee. Cemetery District 1, Commissioner 2, Crystal Stanley, incumbent; six-year term; no filing fee. Cemetery District 1, Commissioner 2, Theresa Kuljis, incumbent; six-year term; no filing...
Eroding shorelines on Puget Island's East Sunny Sands won't receive any dredge sand this year, the US Army Corps of Engineers announced Monday. And neither will the site inside the East Sunny Sands dike road on the Philip Vik Farm. In a June 5 letter to the Wahkiakum County Board of Commissioners, Kevin Brice, deputy district engineer for project management, explained that county delays in permitting and obtaining right-of-entry easements from landowners along the beach pushed the projects beyond the window for organizing them for this year....
This is a long awaited week coming up for me. I will have three of my granddaughters here with me and a niece and great niece. If anyone has any suggestions for something fun to do with five girls ages 35 to 12, please let me know. News from Naselle: Eighth grade Move-up for Naselle-Grays River Valley will take place tonight at 6 p.m. Congratulations to all the students. The final day of school for Naselle students is Monday. I want to wish everyone a safe and happy summer. Westend news: Another Blood Drive is coming up next week on Wednesday...
There will be several changes in health and county personnel in coming months. At Tuesday's meeting of the board of county commissioners, Sue Cameron, director of county Health and Human Services, announced she is advertising for a new deputy director to replace Brent Freeman, who is leaving soon to take an administrative position in the Wahkiakum School District. Further, Cameron said she wants to retire. "I'm having second thoughts about my retirement date," she said. "I don't have a good feeling about leaving the department in an unstable...
The Wahkiakum County Auditor's Office will hold a special filing period June 14-16 for 2017 elections which drew no candidates in the regular May filing period. The positions include: Fire District 2, Commissioner 2, Oliver Van Den Berghe, incumbent; six-year term, $10 filing fee. Fire District 3, Commissioner 1, Linda Strong, incumbent; six-year term; no filing fee. Cemetery District 1, Commissioner 2, Crystal Stanley, incumbent; six-year term; no filing fee. Cemetery District 1, Commissioner 2, Theresa Kuljis, incumbent; six-year term; no...
The start of a three-day opening for a sport sturgeon fishery resulted in traffic chaos on Oneida Road, area residents told the county board of commissioners Tuesday. Anglers flocked to the state Department of Fish and Wildlife (WDFW) boat launch Monday morning and overwhelmed the site, said Oneida Road resident Corbett McMasters. McMasters said vehicles and trailers were parked along the narrow road, partially blocking the lane of travel and making it difficult if not impossible for residents or emergency vehicles to pass through. "The boat la...
The failure of an electrical panel controlling a steering mechanism forced the ferry Oscar B. to cease service last Thursday. Wahkiakum County Public Works Director Chuck Beyer said a replacement part was expected last Saturday, but it was not shipped because of unforeseen circumstances. Instead, a ferry crew member journeyed to Woodinville north of Seattle to deliver the part to the ferry on Tuesday. "At this time," Beyer said Tuesday afternoon," "once new parts are installed this afternoon...
After I posted my column last week from California telling everyone how hot it was, the weather took a turn to cooler. The rest of my trip was in the high seventies and low eighties. Nobody wanted me to leave, because apparently I brought the nice temps with me. It turns out the weather was warmer here than down there. Go figure. I just know it is so good to be home in the trees, green grass and quiet. No traffic noise, sirens and weird folks walking up and down the sidewalks. Three of my granddaughters will be flying in on the 7th for a...
There's good news and not so good news for the Wahkiakum County board of commissioners efforts to set up a beach nourishment program for eroding shorelines at Cape Horn and on Puget Island. Acting as commissioners for the area's four flood control zone districts (FCZD), commissioners have been trying to collect right-of-entry easements from property owners that give dredging crews permission to work along their shorelines. The US Army Corps of Engineers, which engineers the dredging programs and spoils sites, wants to have entry easements for a...
A group of citizens hopes to pressure the Wahkiakum County board of commissioners to fight state mandates before adopting an update to the county's shoreline management program (SMP). The Wahkiakum Real Property Rights Advisory Board has sent a mailer across the county asking residents to return a portion which tells the board the senders "support their efforts to protect our property rights and say no to the SMP." Shoreline programs are required by state law. The county's was last updated in 1992, and this proposed update has been in the...
Filing for positions on the 2017 election ballots with candidates filing for some offices but not for others. County election officers will schedule a special filing period, probably in June, for offices which had no filings, Auditor Diane Tischer said Tuesday. As of Friday afternoon, candidates who filed included: --Port District No. 1, commission position 2, Bruce M. Holland and Scott Anderson. --Mayor, Town of Cathlamet, Dale Jacobson, incumbent. --Cathlamet Town Council, position 3, Sue Cameron. --Cathlamet Town Council, position 4, two...
Down River Dispatches Greetings everyone from hot and sunny California. It’s already 96 degrees and only noon. Thank God for air conditioning. This weather is only one reminder of the reasons we left here for our little piece of heaven in Grays River. That said, it’s wonderful to spend some time with the kids and grandkids here. News from Naselle The Naselle Track team is headed to Cheny for the State Championship playoffs. Great job team, let’s go Comets! Best of luck. Open Gym will be available on Sundays 6-9 p.m. and Mondays through Thurs...
Wahkiakum County commissioners continue to deal with beach nourishment issues while attending to other business. On Tuesday, commissioners and residents living along eroding Columbia River shorelines discussed hurdles in the way of setting up a program to deposit dredge spoils on those beaches. The county is working to set up a long-term beach nourishment program under the US Army Corps of Engineers. The Corps has said it needs a long, unbroken stretch of beach to make beach nourishment economical, and the county is working to obtain...
The Cathlamet Town Council reviewed a proposed update for their Shoreline Management Program (SMP) when they met Monday. The council also wrestled with biosolids issues, heard an appeal about water billing, approved exploration of using a town administrator, approved an ordinance for building requirements for a subdivision, set new rates for the municipal pool, and okayed a purchase plan for a fire engine. In a workshop before the start of the council’s regular monthly meeting, the council and town planning heard a presentation about the propos...
News from Naselle: Naselle Comet baseball team will compete in a state playoff game in Chehalis on Saturday. Team and time to be announced. Go Comets! This year’s annual Naselle School Spring Concert will include students from Kindergarten through High School and will be held on Monday at 6 p.m. Bring your whole family for a delightful evening of music. The students who are participating in the program have spent many hours fine tuning their individual and collective talents to bring this program to the community. Many thanks to each of the p...
Filing for positions on the 2017 election ballots started Monday and runs this week. As of Wednesday morning, candidates who filed include: --Wahkiakum School District, director position 3, Susan O'Connor, incumbent. --Mayor, Town of Cathlamet, Dale Jacobson, incumbent. --Port District No. 1, commission position 2, Bruce M. Holland. --Cathlamet Town Council, position 5, Laurel Ann Waller. --Wahkiakum School District, director position 1, Kurt Shawn Mace. The filing period runs May 15-19 in the office of the Wahkiakum County Auditor, 8 a.m. to...
As Wahkiakum County commissioners try to set up a long-term dredge disposal program to nourish eroding beaches at Cape Horn and on Puget Island, they've encountered a concern from the US Army Corps of Engineers. The county has set up four flood control zone districts (FCZD) for beach nourishment, and commissioners are trying to obtain easements from property owners in the districts to allow dredging crews to work along the shoreline. All property owners in a district must sign the easements, for the Corps has said it won't deposit sand in a...
Wahkiakum County's board of commissioners this week started their formal review of a proposed update of the county's shoreline management plan (SMP). The board held a workshop with members of the county planning commission, their planning consultant, and a representative of the state Department of Ecology to hear a summary of the plan and ask questions about it. Commissioners received the plan last Friday and studied it over the weekend to varying extents. Their questions and comments showed muc...
Washington State Department of Transportation has updated its schedule for its Puget Island bridge project. The contract for the project will be put out for bids at the end of June and should be awarded in August or September, WSDOT communications officer Tamara Greenwell said late last week. "Once a contractor is on board, we are planning a follow up meeting with the community," Greenwell said. The contract will involve replacing the asphalt deck on the steel portion of the bridge and painting the structure. Department engineers outlined the p...
This past week has been a great catch up time for my sisters and me. Just hanging out with no particular rhyme or reason for doing things, except being together. We had a wonderful time at the Little Mermaid play in Naselle last Saturday evening. On Monday, since it was such a lovely day, we headed to Woodland to visit the Hulda Klager Lilac Gardens. What a lovely place to visit, beautiful gardens with a variety of flowers and trees, but a concentrated effort on lilacs. The old home of Hulda Klager is maintained beautifully with knowledgeable...
A small group of local residents gathered Saturday in Cathlamet to join in the nationwide marches in support of climate science. Members of the group also held a march the previous Saturday in support of the nationwide marches for science. Photo by Rick Nelson....
Wahkiakum County commissioners on Tuesday voted to send shoreline management permit for a coalition of upriver ports back to the county planning commission. The permit would allow the ports' dredging crews to cross the East Sunny Sands beach and dike road to access a dredge disposal site on Island farmland. The planning commission had sent the permit to the board of commissioners for final action, but after weeks of discussion before the board on the merits of interior disposal site, planners asked that the board return the permit for further...
