Established as The Skamokawa Eagle in 1891
Established as The Skamokawa Eagle in 1891
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I am continually impressed by the generosity of our community. I have recently learned about several projects and contributions taking place behind the scenes that deserve recognition. First is the Lenten project at Naselle Lutheran Church. For the second consecutive year, a group of women from the church has been providing food for the Westend Food Pantry at Johnson Park. Held on Tuesdays, the Lenten gatherings feature lunch and Bible study, as well as the assembly of dry soup mixes. These...
Donald Herman Raistakka, was born June 29, 1934 in Astoria, Oregon and passed away January 30, 2025 in Portland, Oregon. He was the son of Herman and Hilia (Kaukua-Olson) Raistakka. Donald attended Grays River Elementary School and graduated from Naselle Grays River Valley High School. During high school, he had his first job in the dairy industry. At age 15 he worked at the Lower Columbia Dairymen's Association plant at Grays River. Many refer to this as the Creamery. Following high school grad...
Julie and I took grandsons Tristan (14) and Wyatt (10) to the Radar Lakes on Friday just to get away for a bit. The weather was gorgeous. State Route 4 was virtually empty. The 69-cent rack at Johnson's One Stop in Naselle had recently been restocked. Can you say "Old Fashioned Glazed Donuts?" The lakes were devoid of humans, and the trout were incredibly cooperative. Finish this with hot dogs roasted over a fire, not one but two salamander sightings, and nary a single full frontal dunking, all...
Wahkiakum is off to a flying start this baseball season, and the Mules are proving to be a tough out as they caught W's in four of their first five games. With conference play underway, the Mules will look to continue their form as they vie for the state playoffs. The lone blemish during the first five games for the Mules came against Naselle on Tuesday, March 25, but Head Coach Matt Mogush came away from the 12-2 defeat largely content with his squad's effort against a formidable Comets team....
Due to weather conditions, last week's track meet for Wahkiakum High School was moved from Naselle to Randle. For women's track, Mayleonna Casey took first in the 800M with a time of 2:45.46 and took first in the 1600M with a time of 6:06.07. Clara Hogue was second behind Casey in the 800M with a time of 2:56.87. Sam Dela Cruz took fourth in the Women's 100M with her personal-record time of 14.17 to round out the girls' individual competition. In team competition, the quartet of Casey, Hogue, Dela Cruz and Anna Vik took second in the Women's...
Wahkiakum Youth Mentoring Program This week, as part of my ongoing series on the Department of Health and Human Services, I am highlighting the Youth Mentoring Program. The program's mission is to strengthen the connections that young people have with our local community by providing opportunities for adult support and community involvement, and its goal is to help develop healthy-minded, confident, and skilled young leaders. I recently met with program coordinators Terrie Howell and Diana Zimmerman, who shared their enthusiasm for the program...
BIG STORM? We received numerous warnings last week about a major storm approaching. As time went by, more updates came in saying it was going to hit us pretty hard. However, not much happened except for some loud thunder and lightning, but nothing too awful. Hooray! I scrambled around getting everything nailed down and put away, but that’s ok as it’s much better to be prepared for the worst and have nothing happen than to be caught unprepared and now all your things are scattered far and wide. Always err on the side of caution, and you wil...
In the past three seasons, no school in Washington's 1B Class has had more success on the baseball field than Naselle High School. The Comets were back-to-back champions in '22 and '23 and, after a third-place finish last season, Head Coach Randy Lindstrom and his team have their sights set on the finals this year. Last season, the Comets' streak of state titles came to an end in the semifinals at the hands of Almira Coulee Hartline. The loss was Naselle's first in the state tournament since...
A bill that would have transferred ownership of the former Naselle Youth Camp to the Chinook Indian Nation has died in the Washington State Legislature, leaving supporters frustrated and the site's future uncertain. Introduced by Sen. Jeff Wilson (R-Longview) earlier this year, Senate Bill 5247 never made it to a public hearing before the legislative deadline, effectively halting its progress for this session. The bill aimed to return the long-shuttered youth camp to the Chinook, whose ancestral lands include the site. Despite the setback,...
The Bubblehead team from Naselle won the SeaPerch Cathlamet Qualifying tournament last Friday in wet and cold conditions. In Seaperch, a team prepares an underwater Remotely Operated Vehicle to move very fast through an obstacle course, and then to precisely move objects between underwater platforms. They also prepare written documentation of their engineering design process. The team that does the best in all three of those tasks qualifies to represent Washington State at the International...
Introducing Appelo Archive Center's new Director, Angela Metcalf It is a privilege to introduce Angela Metcalf as the new Executive Director of the Appelo Archives Center in Naselle. Angela grew up in Cathlamet and is an alumnus of Wahkiakum High School. She met her husband, Brandon, on a blind date, and after their marriage, she moved to Naselle 18 years ago. They have two daughters; their oldest attends Naselle School, while the youngest is being homeschooled by Angela. Her father was a...
The Naselle-Grays River Valley School Board held its monthly meeting on March 18. During public comment, Luke Gardner read a prepared statement expressing his concerns. Gardner stated, “I have asked this administration if they could inform me of any policy that regulates advertising or promoting opinions about political figures and displaying such on or about the school… As everyone in this room is probably well aware, there became a controversy over the appropriateness of a particular pin-up board in the elementary hall… It would be reall...
I often hear people say that the problem with young people today is this, or that, or something else. Following the announcement, I'll be informed of said problem; perhaps, more than one. However, what I don't hear is the solution. Problem, solution? No, sir. Problem, problem. Well, I ain't that guy. Do you want to know what the problem with young people is? No old men. Simple as that. The solution? Old guys. That's right. Get yourself an old guy. Problem solved. How, pray tell, is that a...
With over 50 years of continuous service as a volunteer firefighter, EMT and ambulance driver for Pacific County Fire District 4 in Naselle, Cliff Kilponen has received local recognition. The level of recognition took a big jump recently when Kilponen was informed he had been named as the 2024 Firefighter of the Year by Washington State's Department of the American Legion. Each year, the 148 American Legion Posts within Washington State and their 16,000+ members are invited to submit...
The Mules are back on the basepaths, and growth is the aim for Wahkiakum's softball season. Head Coach Kami Gray is excited about the potential of her team's development, not just this season but into the future. The softball program at Wahkiakum has been developing and building year after year. Gray said that in the past, softball hasn't been a consistent fixture of Wahkiakum High School sports due to low participation numbers, but this season has marked a shift. "This season, we're thrilled...
We had a wonderful time attending two amazing community events this past Saturday. The lasagna dinner fundraiser hosted by the Wahkiakum Fair Foundation at Rosburg Hall was absolutely delicious. That was the best lasagna I’ve ever had! It was a delight to meet all the fantastic volunteers who pour their hearts into planning and organizing events at the fairgrounds. Their dedication keeps the fairground facilities filled with activities all year round. About 40 people came out to the Grays R...
Local history comes alive again at Little Island Creamery when local historian and author Janine Klint Davidson presents the “History of Ocean Beach Highway.” Hundreds of vehicles travel the route between Naselle and Longview/Kelso daily. Still, many don’t realize the history that this highway has shaped or the economy that has boomed due to its installation. Cathlamet is the county seat, the hub of the community, so to speak, and early highway planning nearly passed the town by. The Little Island Creamery will present “The Highway that Al...
Hundreds of bills died in committee last month, extinguishing their hopes of passing and becoming law in this year’s Washington state legislative session. Among the legislation that lawmakers are no longer considering is Senate Bill 5247, sponsored by state Sen. Jeff Wilson (R-Longview), which would transfer ownership of the dormant Naselle Youth Camp property from the state to the Chinook Indian Nation. But Wilson hasn’t given up the fight for a solution to the youth camp’s fate during this year’s session, turning his attention to the state bu...
My column is brief this week because we returned from a 7-day cruise to Mexico on Saturday to celebrate my 50th birthday. It was a fantastic week spent lounging in the sun and enjoying much-needed downtime. Unfortunately, on the day we traveled home, I came down with a bad cold and was laid up in bed. In the coming weeks, I will continue my series on the Department of Health and Human Services. I will also feature a spotlight on the Appelo Archives Center, introducing its new director, Angela Metcalf. I wanted to highlight two events happening...
High School wrestling is off the mats and onto the offseason for Washington schools, and this year, both Naselle and Wahkiakum had athletes representing them at the state championships in Tacoma. The Mat Classic XXXVI Boys & Girls Wrestling Championships played out at the Tacoma Dome on Feb. 21-22, and both programs saw wrestlers win matches and score points for their schools. Wahkiakum Three Mules wrestled at the Tacoma Dome on different ends of the age spectrum. For Senior Marlon Aparicio,...
Gary Raymond Tischer (GTO Gary), 81 passed away February 28, 2025, at Chaplaincy Hospice Kennewick, WA. With his family by his side. Gary was born October 11th, 1943, in Breckenridge Minnesota to Raymond and Artyce Tischer- Quigley Gary graduated from Naselle High School class of 1962; he then joined the US Air Force Reserves. He married Sharon Bunn June 4th, 1966, in Skamokawa WA. She preceded him in death in 2004. Also preceding were his brother John, sister Janine, nephew Jeff Pummell and...
Hello from your Sheriff! We certainly had a wild and windy day last week. The Sheriff’s Office, including myself, Undersheriff Howell and Deputy Getman, and the Washington State Patrol Naselle detachment were out and about assisting our great PUD with traffic control for the majority of dayshift on Tuesday March 25th. Trees blown down from the storm took out power lines and blocked roadways in multiple locations. The response from the PUD, local Public Works, and DOT was much appreciated as many of them worked tirelessly to restore power and c...
