Established as The Skamokawa Eagle in 1891

Articles from the January 26, 2023 edition


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  • Bills push for improving salmon habitat, removing barriers to spawning streams

    Renee Diaz, Washington State Journal|Jan 26, 2023

    Starting at the Olympia Ballroom in the state capital's historic district, students from across Washington carried inflatable orcas and salmon and marched through the streets of Olympia to the steps of the Legislative building. Chanting "Save our salmon," members of the Washington Youth Ocean and River Conservation Alliance (WYORCA) and other environmental groups advocated for the protection of Northwest salmon runs and the orca pods that depend on them. "We need Inslee and the political leaders...

  • County approves inflation adjustment increases in pay

    Rick Nelson|Jan 26, 2023

    Most Wahkiakum County employees will receive an extra 3 percent increase to go along with already scheduled pay increases this year, county commissioners decided Tuesday. According to the board of commissioners’ proposal, the increases are “in response to extraordinary high inflation.” Members of the American Federation of State, Municipal and County Employees Union were set to receive a 2 percent wage increase this year; the commission approved another 3 percent increase. The 3 percent increase also applies to members of the Masters, Mates...

  • Council reviews Butler Lot costs, discusses Columbia Street speeds

    Diana Zimmerman|Jan 26, 2023

    Town of Cathlamet Mayor David Olson presented a breakdown on the total costs for the Butler Lot at the town council meeting last Tuesday equaling an amount closer to $450,000, not the $600,000 reported by a council member at the previous meeting, which was not disputed at the time. The breakdown included expected costs for the remaining work, which includes electric vehicle equipment, a kiosk, flora, and other details. The panel for the charging station was held up because of supply chain...

  • School facilities suit headed to state supreme court

    Diana Zimmerman|Jan 26, 2023

    A 51 page closing brief for Wahkiakum School District’s suit against the State of Washington has been submitted to the Supreme Court in preparation for their court date before the Washington State Supreme Court on March 14. The school district, which is represented by Thomas Ahearne, the winning litigator in the landmark McCleary case, first filed the lawsuit in Wahkiakum Superior Court in December of 2021, after the community voted against a 22 year $28.75 million bond in 2020 for r...

  • Mule boys post wins over Adna, Onalaska

    Diana Zimmerman|Jan 26, 2023

    The Wahkiakum Mules boys basketball team added two more to their win column this week. On Wednesday, the Mules traveled to Adna, and after falling behind early in the game, Wahkiakum hit some big threes and took advantage of Pirate fouls to pull even and then ahead, with two Mules combining nine for nine on the free throw line. The Mules won 63-54. "That was a big game for us," Coach Todd Souvenir said. "I thought the guys did a really good job. We came out and they got a 16-8 lead on us to...

  • Lady Mules fall to Napavine

    Diana Zimmerman|Jan 26, 2023

    The Wahkiakum Mules girls basketball team lost 72-37 to Napavine last Thursday at home. Reigha Niemeyer led the Lady Mules with 17 points. Miya Kerstetter added 13 points. Amirah Abdul-Kariem had four points and Bailey McKinley finished with three. Napavine 14 18 31 9 --72 Wahkiakum 7 8 11 11 --37 The girls' final home game is against Kalama on Thursday. The team travels to Winlock on Monday and Toutle Lake on Wednesday. District play begins on Saturday, February 4. The Lady Mules are currently...

  • We can learn from our neighbors

    Jan 26, 2023

    To The Eagle: Mayor Olson’s council letter published in last week’s Eagle attempted to counter my earlier stated rationale regarding Cathlamet’s need for a town manager. By picking and choosing certain details, yet conveniently forgetting others, his obfuscating of actual facts (while accepting limited accountability) actually helps make my case. My statements were largely based off previous budget discussions with our clerk treasurer, direct Q&A with Jon Hinton (the town’s consulting engineer at the time) and time spent on both the town’s...

  • Local heroes praised

    Jan 26, 2023

    To The Eagle: This is a shoutout to some of my heroes. First is soon to be 90, Lou Cunningham. She likes to make knit hats. She gave me over 200 hats for Santa to pass out to all the students and workers at the grade school. And she wants to do it again this year. Next is Lacy Woodside Vik, not turning 90. For Thanksgiving she takes dinner packages to needy people. At Christmas she delivers gifts, lots of gifts, to deserving households. Santa went with her at Christmas and it was an awesome experience. At one stop Santa saw one of the students...

  • Heaven help us

    Jan 26, 2023

    To The Eagle: One writer last week said he missed Howard Brawn's letters. I join him. It's times like this that I wish he was still wielding his pen to cross with mine but, alas, it's not to be. On that regard let me throw out a challenge to any and all writers to this paper. Google Century 25 and give me your best shot. It appears to me that our society and perhaps most of the world have reached or are nearing what this study has concluded. In the news this morning a gang of youth were told to quit hassling an elderly man on the subway and...

  • Inslee: Homeless programs need more money

    Alexandria Osborne, Washington State Journal|Jan 26, 2023

    Homelessness is still a big issue throughout Washington, and while the state has spent millions, the governor wants to invest more. In a press conference Jan. 19, Washington State Governor Jay Inslee said while certain encampments have been cleared as a result of past funding efforts, there are still not enough places to house the homeless. "Many of these people have chemical addiction problems that have to be treated if they're going to succeed. Many of these people have mental health problems...

  • Bill would seal name changes for victims of abuse

    Renee Diaz, Washington State Journal|Jan 26, 2023

    People who change their names to hide from their abusers should be afforded more privacy. That, at least, is the conclusion Maia Xiao came to after a transgender friend committed suicide after being harassed online despite a name change. Her friend’s “deadname,” the name used before transitioning, was discovered since it was a public record under Washington state law. “Even if she knew she was in a dangerous situation, she could not have changed her name privately because of our law,” Xiao said. Under consideration now is Senate Bill 5028, whi...

  • Torres introduces bill to further efforts regarding missing and murdered Indigenous people

    Jan 26, 2023

    OLYMPIA--State Sen. Nikki Torres introduced a bill to continue the Legislature’s efforts to identify the root causes of the shockingly large number of missing and murdered Indigenous women in Washington. She said Senate Bill 5477 is aimed at enacting practical, long-term solutions that address systematic failures in investigating these crimes, holding perpetrators accountable and getting justice for victims. “Crimes against Indigenous people, especially women and children, have continued to plague our state and our nation,” said Torres, R-Pas...

  • Crab and oyster feed in Rosburg this Saturday

    Kay Chamberlain|Jan 26, 2023

    BRR--As we woke up this past weekend, it was below freezing in West Valley and we even got to see a bit of snow and “graupel”; those tiny snowballs which I used to lump into the category of just hail. Anyway, it was cold and definitely not a time to be without an extra layer of clothing or bedding! Some areas along SR4 on Sunday morning had folks slipping and sliding and saying it was a “sheet of ice” as some folks even met with a trip to the ditch. It’s just a reminder that winter has just begun and we are a long ways from enjoying those war...

  • The Eagle Calendar

    Jan 26, 2023

    THURSDAY Cowlitz-Wahkiakum Council of Governments Board, 961 12th Ave., Longview, Noon. Cathlamet Fire Department, 7 p.m. District No. 4 Fire Department, drill night, 7 p.m. Grays River Fire Department, fire/ambulance, 7 p.m. Skamokawa Fire Department, 7 p.m. Wahkiakum Planning Commission, Courthouse, 6 p.m. Wahkiakum Commissioners, Courthouse, 9:30 p.m. Senior Citizen Luncheon, Hope Center, Noon. Senior Citizen Luncheon, Rosburg Hall, Noon. Free Senior Fitness and Balance Class, Hope Center, 3rd & Maple, enter via door on 3rd, 12:45-1:45 p.m....

  • What's happening at the Fair?

    Patty Dursteler|Jan 26, 2023

    Greetings from the fair office. Wow! What a turnout for our first Crab & Oyster feed. It was awesome. Thank you to Diane Dyer for being the chair and bringing a wonderful event to the fair. Also to her husband Don for everything he did. Thank you to all the board members who brought raffle and auction items in. Special thanks to the following donors of items to the auction: Sam Longtain (a load of gravel), thanks to first buyers Deb & Gary for donating it back, the Duck Inn, Smoke on the water music fest, Amber Eaton, Carol McClain, Ryan Helms...

  • Downriver Dispatches

    Karen Bertroch|Jan 26, 2023

    Sunday's Concert: It's a lovely Monday with fog lifting and sunshine coming through. A good day to smile and remember the wonderful concert yesterday at the packed Naselle Community Center with the Skamokawa Swamp Opera group. I was so happy to hear the Sheriff's Report song first thing and then the Sheriff's Report Volume Two at the end. Folks came from Raymond to the west and Puget Island to the east. The group sang for an hour with songs of Finland and the region, giving the audience a wonder...

  • Naselle GRV School Board begins planning process

    Karen Bertroch|Jan 26, 2023

    On January 17, the Naselle GRV School Board met with long range strategic planning as a goal for the coming months. During the meeting, issues of transparency and process were on the table twice. One of the goals of the board set this school year is transparency for the public. With that goal in mind, at public comment this reporter asked that the Superintendent make every document given to the board for their meetings, available on the school’s web site and passed out with the other documents normally given at the beginning of the meetings. T...

  • Two locals appear in Longview play

    Leslie Slape|Jan 26, 2023

    Two Cathlamet-area women, Heather Passmore Odom and Sarah Lawrence, are appearing in "Calendar Girls," currently playing at Stageworks Northwest Theatre, 1433 Commerce Ave., Longview. The play is a fictionalized version of a true story from Yorkshire, England, where a group of mature women from the Women's Institute created a tastefully nude calendar to raise money for cancer research after the husband of one of the women died of non-Hodgkins lymphoma. The 2000 calendar was a hit beyond their...

  • Skamokawa Swamp Opera performed in Naselle

    Jan 26, 2023

    The Skamokawa Swamp Opera group after they performed in Naselle on Sunday afternoon with an audience of over 100. Front: Kyleen Austin and Andrew Emlen, back: Wren Hendricks and Erik Friend. Photo by Barb Swanson....

  • LCC to hold Education Job Fair in February

    Jan 26, 2023

    Lower Columbia College has announced that it will hold an Education Job Fair on February 21 for current high school and college students and community members interested in employment in teaching, substitute teaching, or paraeducation. The event, which is free and open to the public, will be held from 2:30-6:30 p.m., on February 21 in the Student Center on the Lower Columbia College campus. Local school districts and childcare facilities will be on site to answer questions and accept resumes to fill current and future positions. Staff from...

  • Muffins with the mayor on Friday

    Jan 26, 2023

    Mayor David Olson will host an open forum with muffins and coffee at noon on Friday February 3 in the meeting room at the Cottage Bread & Breakfast, 380 Una Ave, Cathlamet. Citizens, residents or anyone interested are invited to drop by and join the mayor for complimentary muffins and coffee to discuss issues, ask questions, or raise any interests or concerns regarding the Town of Cathlamet. Mayor Olson states “This event is to provide for citizen discussion and input, as well as information exchange. There is a lot going on at the town, and I...

  • Lions Club presentations

    Jan 26, 2023

    Lions Club District Governor Debbie Mansell presented Terri Elfers, President of the Wahkiakum Lions Club, with a Superhero Award for the community service project of having Bingo at the Wahkiakum County Fair each year. Courtesy photo....

  • Sheriff's Report, January 26, 2023

    Jan 26, 2023

    Wahkiakum County law enforcement officers and emergency response personnel handled a variety of reports during the past week, including: January 16 — 12:05 a.m. Two deputies stopped an individual seen standing in the middle of the westbound lane of SR 4 near Jacobson Road. He said a person known to him picked him up from Cowlitz County jail and left him in Skamokawa after threatening him and stealing his backpack containing a laptop and other items. A butterfly knife and drug paraphernalia were found on the man and he was transported to L...

  • Covid update

    Diana Zimmerman|Jan 26, 2023

    With no new cases of covid-19 reported in Wahkiakum County in the last two weeks according to the Washington Department of Health, the cumulative total remains 633. The number of hospitalizations is 49, and the number of deaths attributed to the virus is 10. Disclaimer: With the easy accessibility of at home tests, the actual number of active covid-19 cases and actual cumulative numbers in the county are hard to know. While 70.5 percent of the population in the state of Washington opted to...

  • Inaugural KM Robotics Cup

    Jan 26, 2023

    Submitted by Ron Wright Last Friday afternoon Naselle Grays River Valley School District hosted the inaugural robotics competition for middle-schoolers, called the "KM Cup," pitting robotics clubs from the east of KM versus clubs from the west of KM. Each club can sponsor one or more teams, where these teams of two robots each are called "alliances." There were three from NGRVSD (6 robots, 8 students), two from Wahkiakum SD (4 robots, 4 students), and one homeschool team from east of KM: the...