Established as The Skamokawa Eagle in 1891
Established as The Skamokawa Eagle in 1891
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There was a crowd at last Tuesday's National Night Out, hosted by the Puget Island Fire Department. There were hot dogs and root beer floats, a movie and games for the kids, and lots of laughter and conversation as the community celebrated local first responders. National Night Out is an annual event celebrated by communities all over the United States. Photos by Diana Zimmerman....
The phone calls came in quick succession to Wahkiakum County Sheriff's Department early Sunday morning,. At 12:33 a.m., someone reported hearing six gun shots, possibly a rifle, west of her home at Cape Horn. At 12:37 a.m., multiple callers reported that a brush fire that had started along SR 4 between milepost 41 and 42, in the Cape Horn area, about five miles east of Cathlamet. Deputies arrived, and then the District 4 Fire Department. Seeing the extent of the problem, District 4 Fire Chief...
A search and rescue for two young men who went missing during a swim in the Columbia River at Skamokawa Vista Park on Saturday has now become a search and recovery. Ismael and Elmer Lopez, both of Longview, were camping with friends and families at Vista Park over the weekend. According to the first press release from the Wahkiakum County Sheriff’s Office, three men in their mid-20s were swimming when dispatch received a report at 12:04 p.m. that the men were out of sight. The Wahkiakum C...
Election officials across Washington state last week updated vote tallies from the August 2 primary election, and on Tuesday afternoon, incumbent Congresswoman Jamie Herrera Beutler conceded her race with fellow Republican Joe Kent. According to the Washington Secretary of State Tuesday afternoon report, Kent had 49,515 votes and Herrera Beutler had 48,587. In Washington's primary elections, only the top two candidates advance to the general election, regardless of party affiliation. Democrat Marie Guelsenkamp Perez leads the race with 30.97% o...
After the Wahkiakium School District lawsuit against the State of Washington was dismissed with prejudice by Judge Donald Richter in Wahkiakum Superior Court on June 24, district lawyers promptly filed an appeal on June 27 and followed that with a request for direct review from the Washington State Supreme Court. The district claims in their lawsuit that the state is failing to meet the standard set by Article 9 Section 1 of the Washington State's constitution, which says "It is the paramount...
Last week turned out to be an exciting week for Eagle staff. You should know that we plan ahead to make sure we cover local events, such as the Finnish American Folk Festival that occurred July 29-31 in Naselle. Reporter Diana Zimmerman already had a series of interviews planned for the weekend, but western Wahkiakum/Naselle correspondent Karen Bertroch said she would be happy to cover the event for The Eagle. I have a compromised immune system and avoid crowds. And when Friday rolled around, I became concerned about my health. My lower left...
To The Eagle: “If folks want to announce how they feel,” said the man, “let them do so in a paid ad, not a letter to the editor. They can print and mail their own broadsheet to county residents.” What condescending claptrap. This is a small local newspaper, not the Scientific American magazine. Most contributors write from the heart, not from a peer reviewed database. Such ‘educated elites’ might opine that we rural bumpkins are better seen than heard. Our loggers, farmers, ranchers and fishermen, homemakers, local professionals, minimum wag...
To The Eagle: Crazy times we are living in, no? Prices for everything are soaring; the national debt has been raised again while we send billions to Ukraine in the newest forever war. Our strategic debacle in Afghanistan has our own military turning on its own with politicized brass more worried about the politics of soldiers than the threat of foreign armies. Our public schools across the country continue to repay poor academic performance with less STEM and civics and more gender bending curriculum. The summer riots of 2020, in which 30...
To The Eagle: It’s painfully clear that the Covid pandemic has caused deaths, to not only people, but sadly also some small businesses that fell through the cracks, getting the help from Biden’s Rescue Plan. Our dependence on parts from all over the world, which had the same problems, is slowly getting back on track. Jobs are at an all time high, with rising wages, though not keeping up with inflation. Gas is finally going back down. I’d like to know why, as there were massive profits for oil companies. Democrats and Biden have a bill in progr...
To The Eagle: Wahkiakum County has placed on the November ballot an initiative for a minimal increase in sales and use tax of 2/10 of 1% (.2%) to set up a fund for future upgrades, repairs, and maintenance for the Wahkiakum County Emergency Radio System. The WCERS serves all residents and visitors and is utilized by all first responders in the county including Law Enforcement, Fire, Emergency Medical Services, Public Works, Public Utilities, the Wahkiakum School District, Town of Cathlamet, Washington State Patrol, and all other emergency...
To The Eagle: Mr. Puddicombe suggests in last week's Eagle that those of us holding views that conflict with the wisdom and sagacity of the editor should use paid ads rather than letters to the editor. When I complained about election fraud in Nov of 2020, our editor accused me (in print) of writing "fiction," and announced he would print no further letters on the subject. I responded by offering to put the info in a paid ad rather than a letter. His response to me via email: "If we don't think your letter deserves publication because of...
Last week, in a story about the Wahkiakum High School baseball team beautifying structures at the baseball field, pictures were erringly attributed to Diana Zimmerman. They were courtesy photos provided by WHS Baseball Coach Garrett Radcliffe....
Wahkiakum County Fair volunteers are already busy getting their areas ready for the big event next week, the 2022 Wahkiakum County Fair, Aug. 18, 19, and 20. Fair Manager Patty Dursteler is anxiously awaiting new asphalt for the Midway, which she expects to be done this Wednesday or Thursday. “That’s the big exciting thing for me,” Dursteler said. “That’s huge for the fairgrounds. That was probably the main reason we went after state funding, the grants, to get the new paving in here. It’s goin...
Tansy ragwort, Jacobea vulgaris, is a class B noxious weed in Washington. You might see its bright yellow flowers blooming in summer. This is a biennial plant that forms a rosette the first year, over-winters, then bolts to produce flowers and seeds the next year. Tansy is toxic and can be lethal to cows and horses if it is grazed or baled with forage. Mowing or clipping can reduce flower and seed production. Digging or pulling the entire plant is best. Herbicides applied in the spring or fall are also effective. If you need help with this...
The Cathlamet Wooden & Classic Boat Show returns this Saturday, August 13 at the Elochoman Marina in Cathlamet from 9:00 a.m. to 4:00 p.m. They are expecting all types of classic craft including those of various construction materials, modes of propulsion, and function, be it boats used for work or pleasure. A few examples of boats that will be at the show include “Glencannon,” a beautifully restored 26-foot Bartender designed by the late George Calkins specifically for the waters of the Pacific Northwest. Glencannon is the pride and joy of...
Change is coming slowly to Wahkiakum County regulations covering festival food vendors and other food service, Health and Human Services Director Chris Bischoff said Tuesday. Bischoff's comments came in response to questions from vendor Bob Hill, who had raised complaints about the county's regulations to the commission in June. Hill said the regulations were inconsistent and the fees more expensive than those of Cowlitz or Pacific counties. At that time, Bischoff said he would consult with groups like the county fair and the Chamber of...
STILL TOASTY--Maybe I’m in the minority but I have had enough of the heat wave thing already! We are supposed to cool down some by midweek, which would be nice as it’s in the mid-90s at the beginning of this week, and that’s too hot for me! Here’s hoping you and all your animals are staying cool and hydrated someplace during the hotter parts of the day. TRAGEDY--Our sincerest condolences to the family of the two young men who lost their lives in the Columbia River this past Saturday; just so very tragic. A huge thank you to all those who res...
THURSDAY Walking Group, Community Center, Cathlamet, 9 a.m. Free Senior Fitness and Balance Class, Hope Center, 3rd & Maple, enter via door on 3rd, 12:45-1:45 p.m. Food Addicts, Hope Center, 3rd & Maple, Cathlamet, 6-7 p.m. Cathlamet Fire Department, 7 p.m. Senior Citizen Luncheon, Rosburg Hall, Noon. Puget Island Fire Department, drill night, 7 p.m. Port District No. 1, 500 2nd St., 5 p.m. District No. 4 Fire Department, 7 p.m. Grays River Fire District No. 3 Commissioners, 7:30 p.m. Grays River Fire Department, fire training, 7 p.m....
Hoof Rot disease of elk has been impacting our elk herds for many years. Answers to “What is it and what’s being done?” will be discussed by the Ungulate (elk/deer) specialist of Washington Department of Fish and Wildlife during a “Wahkiakum Outdoors Program ” presentation on August 18 at 6:30 p.m., in the Hope Center in Cathlamet (320 S. 3rd Street). Bring your questions and observations. Masks are recommended. Questions concerning the event should be directed to 601-831-0360 (Cathlamet)....
I am so sorry to have missed last week's Dispatch. I was hit hard by Covid just after Finn Fest. I am embarrassed to say it was my own fault because being in a big, concentrated crowd from all over the world, one might think I would have considered wearing a mask, but no. Like so many of us who had begun to think our sweet little oasis was forgotten by the Covid critters, I was quite mistaken. I finally called our dependable ambulance at Grays River Fire Department and they transported me to my...
Wahkiakum County law enforcement officers and emergency response personnel handled a variety of reports during the past week, including: August 1 — 2:25 a.m. A caller reported a disabled vehicle with hazard lights on in the westbound lane of SR 4 on Abe Creek Hill. A deputy responded and said the vehicle appeared to be out of gas. State patrol was en route. 11:48 a.m. A caller complained of smoke along a chain link fence between the trailer park and cement plant in the Rosedale area. 3:27 p.m. A caller was concerned about the condition of a neg...
Wahkiakum West Communications, which provides telephone and internet service to western Wahkiakum County continues to expand in eastern Wahkiakum and is now offering television service to their customers. They began a project this year to extend broadband to provide 10 gigabits per second to homes along SR 4 from an area west of Skamokawa to Cathlamet, and on to the eastern reaches of the county, with plans to branch into East and Middle Valley, and Elochoman Valley. "We’re ready to go as far a...
Donald A. Rathjen, 78, of Cathlamet, died July 25, 2022 at his home. He was born in Bellingham on January 28, 1944 to Eugene and Josephine (Zybura) Rathjen. His family moved to Yakima where he grew up and graduated from Davis High School in 1963. He joined the Coast Guard and was stationed on the Lightship Columbia and at Bremerton. He eventually joined the Yakima Fire Department where he worked as a firefighter until he retired in 1992. He enjoyed some time as a Trolley Engineer on the Yakima Valley Trolley. In 2002 he moved to Cathlamet...
Donald Lee Kinney, 69, of Cathlamet, died at his home July 30, 2022. He had lived in this area for 11 years, coming from Banks, Oregon. He is survived by a sister Patty Wilson and her husband Gary, a nephew and his friend, Kay Walters. No service will be held. Dowling Funeral Home is in charge of arrangements....
Marian Molly (Greene) Strong, 93, of Rosburg, passed away August 9, 2022 in Ocean Park, Washington. She was born April 5, 1929 in Nisqually, Washington, to Esther Pearl Taylor. Her mother would marry Norman Greene, who adopted Marian as his own. She grew up an only child. During her younger years, she worked in nursing in Glendale, Calif. She would later meet and marry Donald Strong, and together they had six children. She spent her children's youth as a home maker, lovingly caring for her husband and family, and would later work 10 years as...
