Established as The Skamokawa Eagle in 1891
Established as The Skamokawa Eagle in 1891
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Hundreds of election workers in Washington state's second-largest county were busy opening mail-in ballots earlier this month when one of them came across a plain white envelope. As she cut it open, white powder leaked out. She carefully took off her gloves, put them down, backed away and called her supervisor. Workers evacuated the building and waited for the Tacoma Fire Department to arrive. While first responders tested the substance, Democratic and Republican observers gathered at the emergency management center looking at security feeds...
The Naselle/Grays River Valley school board added Robert Torppa and Natasha Crater to the board at their most recent meeting on Tuesday, Nov. 21. Even though Torppa won the election, he applied for appointment and could therefore start in November instead of December when new Board members are sworn in. Crater was the only volunteer from the Parpala Road area who stepped forward to serve in the position Amy Chadwick filled before she resigned at the September meeting. The board now has members from all the school district’s areas. Prior to t...
THURSDAY Westside Play & Learn Group, Valley Bible Church, 9:30-11 a.m. Port District 1, 500 2nd St. Noon Eastside play and learn group, St James family center 1:30-3 p.m. West End Food Pantry, Johnson Park, 1- 5 p.m. Johnson Park Community Center Library & Computer Center noon—5 p.m. Senior Citizen Luncheon, Hope Center, Noon. Senior Citizen Luncheon, Rosburg Hall, Noon. Cathlamet Fire Department, 7 p.m. Skamokawa Fire Department, 7 p.m. Grays River Fire Department, 7:30 p.m. Puget Island Fire Department, 7 p.m. District No. 4 Fire D...
By Laurel Demkovich People in Washington often face high costs for ambulance rides, despite not having a choice about the service, an October state Office of the Insurance Commissioner report found. State lawmakers and health officials are now looking at ways to change that, including by prohibiting ambulance operators from billing consumers for costs their insurance doesn’t cover or by setting fixed reimbursement rates for service. “I fully expect this will be a focus in the upcoming session,” Sen. Annette Cleveland, D-Vancouver, told the S...
The Cowlitz-Wahkiakum Council of Government (CWCOG) has been awarded funding for four years to continue operating a program to improve transportation accessibility in Wahkiakum, Pacific, and other neighboring counties. The grant funding will support and sustain the operation of the Regional Mobility Management program to improve accessible transportation in the Southwest Washington Regional Transportation Planning Area (SWRTPO), as well as the Longview-Kelso, and Rainier, Ore., Metropolitan Planning Area (MPA). Program leaders seek to...
Wahkiakum County commissioners met Tuesday to approve some routine expenditures, but the majority of the meeting was focused on public comment. Town Council member Jeanne Hendrickson came to the meeting to tell the commissioners that she has found a way to eliminate the fee for library cards in Cathlamet. Commissioner Hendrickson asked the commissioners to step up and assist her new program by allocating $1,500 from the County budget to assist the new library program. The other comment came from a county resident who felt unsafe at a recent...
Grays River gorge, seen from Fossil Creek Road. Photo by Ian Brandon....
Votes were certified on Tuesday and results remained unchanged. Joe Baker held off challenger Michael Severson in the closest race. Appointed during the last term, Baker will continue his position on the Cathlamet Town Council with 91 votes to Severson’s 85. Patty Anderson held on to her seat on the Wahkiakum School District’s Board of Directors after besting challenger Kandice Merz, 935-434. Voters chose Brian Heston to replace outgoing Director Paula Culbertson on the Wahkiakum School Dis...
Rising costs of transportation projects. Using artificial intelligence in Washington classrooms. Preserving affordable housing. Spending proceeds from the state’s new capital gains tax and recent cap-and-trade auctions. Those are a few topics state lawmakers will delve into when they return to Olympia for committee days, an annual fete in which they get schooled on issues that may arise in an upcoming session. In this case, it’s the 60-day session that begins Jan. 8. Senators will gather this week with 14 committees holding work sessions Thu...
The story of Geri Florek is a story of the Wahkiakum County Eagle. Or perhaps, the story of the Eagle is a story of Geri. After 30 years, it's hard to tell anymore. Their tales are too intertwined. It's also a story of three publishers. It's Rick Nelson's story, and Bob Nelson's story before him. It's the beginning of Brandon J. Simmons' story. And it's mine. Geri's life encompasses the chapters of so many who have walked through the Eagle's doors these last 30 years, all sharing a common love...
A Pacific County judge has sentenced a recreational fisherman to 50 days in jail, fined him $1,500, and imposed a five-year fishing license suspension for repeat salmon snagging violations, the Washington Department of Fish and Wildlife (WDFW) announced today. WDFW Police investigated the latest snagging case in August 2023. David Gretzner, 66, from Long Beach, was sentenced Nov. 16 by Pacific County District Court Judge, Nancy McAllister, after pleading guilty to one count each of Unlawful Recreational Fishing in the first degree and Unlawful...
There was a lot to unpack at the Town of Cathlamet’s meeting last week. It began with one resident venting her frustrations about the town’s response to her earlier request to add more chickens, geese, and ducks to the five chickens now allowed in city limits, thanks to an ordinance passed just last year. Crystal Baker asked for the council’s justification, and wanted to know what they had against sustainable foods or children participating in 4-H. She claimed that larger communities like Seatt...
THURSDAY Westside Play & Learn Group, Valley Bible Church, 9:30-11 a.m. Eastside play and learn group, St James family center 1:30-3 p.m. West End Food Pantry, Johnson Park, 1- 5 p.m. Johnson Park Community Center Library & Computer Center noon—5 p.m. Senior Citizen Luncheon, Hope Center, Noon. Senior Citizen Luncheon, Rosburg Hall, Noon. Cathlamet Fire Department, 7 p.m. Skamokawa Fire Department, 7 p.m. Grays River Fire Department, fire/ambulance, 7:30 p.m. Puget Island Fire Department, drill night, 7 p.m. District No. 4 Fire Department, 7 p...
It seems that, if you're a hearing person, you possess at least a passing familiarity with Christmas music. It's everywhere this time of year. The music of Christmas is so familiar that for many it fades into a background soundtrack; after decades of listening, how fresh can Jingle Bells really sound? One way to find out might be to travel a little closer to the source. Phil and Gayle Neuman do just this each time they pick up one of their fiddles, flutes or flageolets. In addition to being...
Local organizers are combining two popular events this Christmas season in Cathlamet, with a tree lighting joining the lighted parade and vendor market. Santa Claus will make a special appearance at the Hotel Cathlamet from 3-4:30 p.m., and kids young and old are invited to stop in to say hello and get a picture. Shoppers can head down to River Mile 38 Brewery from 3-7 p.m. to visit their annual Holiday Market. From 4:30-5 p.m., there will be a few rounds of Christmas Carols and a tree...
Washington’s controversial carbon pricing scheme drew fire and praise Tuesday as critics turned in signatures for an initiative to repeal the program, while its architects, including the governor, vowed to fight the measure should it reach the ballot. Shortly before 1 p.m., opponents, led by a hedge fund manager and the leader of the state Republican Party, delivered 24 boxes of signed petitions to the Secretary of State’s Office in Tumwater. Standing on the building’s steps, Brian Heywood, founder of Let’s Go Washington and chief financi...
Council members for the Town of Cathlamet passed a resolution last Monday that supports local volunteers for the Cathlamet Fire and Emergency Medical Services Department in the form of a stipend. Though they are still considered volunteers, drivers and firefighters may now expect to receive $5 for each call they respond to, Emergency Medical Responders (EMR) will get $10 per call, Emergency Medical Technicians can expect $20 per call and Advanced Emergency Medical Technicians (AEMT) will...
A vessel that strayed from its course while traveling upriver collided with the Beaver Dock near Clatskanie, nearly resulting in the spill of thousands of gallons of oil into the Columbia River. The Port of Columbia County released a statement in response to the event: "The morning of Nov. 12, a vessel...was underway, traveling upriver. The vessel navigated off course and collided with the Beaver Dock causing damage to the downriver approach and infrastructure. At this time there are no known...
The Wahkiakum County Commissioners met before the Thanksgiving holiday in a brief session. Work continues on the Hope Center as Health and Human Services settles into the building. Duncan Cruickshank asked the commissioners to authorize a request for bids to make the front entrance ADA compliant. Two offices will also be created at the center and the HVAC for the great room will be updated. Wahkiakum Health and Human and Human Services will renew their contract with RYC Analytics for data analysis services. Their fee for analyzing health data...
There was a lot to unpack at the nearly four hour Town of Cathlamet meeting on Monday including a preliminary discussion about a possible remediation of the existing town hall after an inspection found mold and a variety of problems in their current home. “My own view is that it would be an improvident use of town funds to try and rehabilitate that existing sick, toxic building,” Mayor David Olson said. “I think a better choice is to look at a new structure and not put good money after bad o...
Sunrise on the Cathlamet Channel. Photo by Ian Brandon...
Flu shots are now available at Wahkiakum Health and Human Services, but their regular vaccine clinic is still on hiatus. For more information or to schedule an appointment, call 360-795-6207 or 360- 795-8630. The Cathlamet Pharmacy is offering flu shots, RSV shots, and the Moderna covid-19 vaccine. Please call to make an appointment. 360-795 3691. Appointments are usually between 2-5 p.m. Monday through Friday, though additional slots may be available in the morning....
Wahkiakum School District is improving their bus fleet one at a time thanks to a depreciation program, and it is paying off in surprising ways. “Our maintenance costs are down significantly,” Superintendent Brent Freeman said. “My first year here, we had 14 or 15 buses on hand. The lowest mileage bus we had was about 57,000- 58,000 miles and [mileage for] half of the fleet was over 200,000 miles. The first time I met Calvin he was under a bus repairing a transmission.” “We’re talking ten...
Steady rates at Wahkiakum County Public Utilites District was good news for the Board of Commissioners as they approved a nearly $8.5 million dollar budget for 2024 this week. Commissioner Dennis Reid said that like Wahkiakum, a few utilities around the state were not increasing rates, but others were raising their rates anywhere between three and 17 percent. “Anything double figures you want to avoid,” Reid said. “I just feel we are so fortunate that we’ve been able to present another budget...
