Established as The Skamokawa Eagle in 1891
Established as The Skamokawa Eagle in 1891
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To The Eagle: Brian McClain is running for County Assessor. On his Facebook post “Vote Brian McClain for County Assessor” he writes: “Yes, I have been endorsed by both the Republican and Democratic parties in Wahkiakum County.” Please note, the Wahkiakum Democratic Party has not endorsed either candidate. Dave Zabel Chairman, Wahkiakum County Democratic Party...
To The Eagle: When I read the letters to the editor during this local election cycle I can not help but notice how personal some comments have become. If you read comments made about the Assessor Mr. Coons you might come away thinking the guy breaths fire and has horns on his head. The comments made about the sheriff’s leadership of his department might lead one to think that he should never be left alone with an armed deputy. The gentleman making the comments about Sheriff Howie claims to have had a 42 year career in law enforcement. That i...
To The Eagle: I find it very ironic that Sheriff Howie’s campaign slogan is “Proven Leadership.” After serving my community for 19 years in the Sheriff’s Office, I am sorry to say that the leadership within the Sheriff’s Office has been repressive and the current morale of most employees in the Sheriff’s Office is in serious trouble. Out of six deputies, one is retiring due to medical issues, two are in the process of leaving, and another two are looking to leave. All of them have dealt with not only the stress of surviving the day to day issu...
To The Eagle: I’ve known Mark Howie for about eight years now. His heart is in the right place as he is deeply involved with our community. I believe he has proven his leadership many times. We were voted one of the safest towns in Washington thanks to Mark and his team. I am proud to live in Cathlamet and to call Sheriff Howie a friend. Nicole Emery Cathlamet...
To The Eagle: I’m a current resident of Wahkiakum County, Washington. I enjoy the close atmosphere of the people and friends. I’m writing to let you know about the dealings I have had with our candidate for County Assessor. Brian McClain is very capable of repairing and improving the communication and dealings with the people of Wahkiakum County. This is a position where customer service is a must and is severely lacking as we are now. Brian volunteers his time with many organizations, Wahkiakum FFA, Lions Club, 4-H programs just naming a few...
To The Eagle: Would like to do a quick shout out to the Wahkiakum Sheriff's Department. Our daughter and grandchildren are visiting from Texas and we thought we had all last minute details taken care of. However we realized our granddaughter was still of car seat/booster seat age. What to do? I talked with Deputy Vern Barton just to inquire if he knew of anyone that might "loan" carseats.He had me meet him at the Fire House where he proceeded to give me a brand new one at no cost to us! What a wonderful blessing and a fantastic program that...
To The Eagle: Integrity, service, professionalism. In 39 years of law enforcement these were my guiding words. Do what you say you will, speak the truth. Don't do the minimum, but go the extra mile to serve. Be willing to risk your life for others. Treat people like you would want to be treated. Pretend that when that call comes in that it's your daughter, son, mother or father you’re serving. Don't forget that tax payers are paying your salary and deserve your best.You are their servant! Every call counts. In long conversations with both t...
To The Eagle: Readers will be well aware that the past month has been very dry with almost no rainfall whatsoever. Burn bans are in place. River levels across the county are at near record low levels. The blood on our roads serves as testament to thirsty animals moving at unusual times. What can individuals do to help out? The Town of Cathlamet is asking people to voluntarily limit their water use. This means that people should limit irrigation to hand water lines and strongly consider not watering lawns at all. Most people over water when...
To The Eagle: Responding to 7/16/18 town council article: The 20 Butler purchase process began in January at the first town council meeting of the year when Dale [Mayor Dale Jacobson--ed.] introduced the opportunity to purchase the lot to council members. The town took ownership of the lot on 7/16/18, the day of the last council meeting. The property’s tie to the Department of Ecology is significant. The Department of Ecology produced a “No Further Action Determination” in February 2006. The document states in its introductory paragraphs that...
Well, the vote by mail ballots for the 2018 primary election are out, and some are already headed to the auditor's office to be ready for counting August 7, the official election day. With Washington's top two primary system, we have just a few races that will be decided in the primary. One of the more interesting races is that for US House of Representatives. Incumbent Republican Jaime Herrera Beutler faces challenges from four Democrats and two Republicans. Herrera Beutler is bound to advance to the general election, so who will advance with...
To The Eagle: As I circle ever closer to my 75th birthday it is becoming more clear by the day that the war involving the civilized world against fascism seems to have been forgotten by many. Like some of you older folks, I had relatives that served honorably fighting in Europe, Africa and the South Pacific. What is troubling to those paying attention to what is happening is the apparent recurrence of a very similar set of circumstances that gave my generation the honorific title of War Babies. I would hate to think that your children or...
To The Eagle: The Free Summer Lunch Program is up and running! Our first week we served more than 90 meals. In addition to providing healthy food, the program has WSU Extension & 4-H leading Cooking Matters Food Demonstrations on Mondays. Those attending this week learned about Drinking Smart and left with their own personal water bottle and encouragement to refill and reuse for a cleaner environment. On Thursdays every kid can pick out a free book. We are encouraging youth to take their lunch to The Hope Center and join our local Senior Citize...
To the Eagle: Now that we have our ballots in hand, and we have the information before us to choose the candidates we prefer. Please, vote! After reading about and speaking with many of our local candidates, one man stands out in my mind. Mark Howie stepped into a big job when he accepted the position of sheriff a few years ago. He always seems to be available to the public, there seems to be more of a police presence on both ends of the county, and I for one appreciate him. He is a man of integrity, has knowledge of his profession and is...
To The Eagle: With the election of county officials only a month away, there isn’t much time left for the incumbent assessor to make good on his suggestion to hold a workshop (March 29, 2018, Letters to the Editor) to explain his property evaluation procedures. Property owners had complained in several issues of “The Eagle” about the difficulty in accessing the necessary information to file property value appeals. Bill Coons answered those concerns by volunteering to hold a workshop, but nothing has transpired since last March. In the meant...
To The Eagle: I want to thank the Town Council for having the foresight to purchase the Butler lot. As far as I can see, it is the only vacant lot in the city center area and is both a reasonable and wise investment. The Bank of Pacific sold it for 90K in 1996. Someone bought it for 75K in 2007, and now is selling it to the City for 68K. What's the problem here? Is someone jealous that they didn't get a chance at it? It's a no brainer purchase for the city. Let's use it for green space or parking or both. Thank you council members! Hilarie...
To The Eagle: I recently attended a candidate forum that was held here in Wahkiakum County. After listening to the prospective candidates speak and the public-submitted questions, I felt urged to voice my thoughts. First off, the high attendance at the event was impressive. For being such a small county, I was amazed at how many community members took time out of their day to come listen, to inquire, and to observe each candidate in action. This was the first thought that sparked my enthusiasm. Democracy, as described by Merriam-Webster, is a...
To The Eagle: Please think about Washington State Primary Election is just weeks away, August 7. Know why you support someone on the ballot. Best to ignore party politics and focus on the person. Do you agree with the candidate on issues at least 80 percent of the time? Does their past performance reflect your views? Also very important for state and national candidates is protecting your personal liberty and individual rights. In Washington State, all elected officials must protect individual rights. Washington constitution: “All political p...
To The Eagle: While attending the July Town Council meeting, I was saddened to realize that we have been influenced by the national trend to be caustic and lacking in basic civility at a public meeting, regardless of the issue over Ms. Goodroe’s property. I have the impression that some of us will no longer engage each other in what used to be called “civil discourse.” That is not an impression drawn just from public conduct alone. Even some of our elected council members lost awareness of their duty to conduct themselves as examples of prope...
To The Eagle: The Challenge of Champions Pro Bull Riding exhibition will be held at the Wahkiakum County Fairgrounds in Skamokawa on Friday July 20. The gates open at 6p.m. with the event starting at 7:30 p.m.; admission is $15 before event and $20 at the gate with children 5 and under free. Food will be available on site. Tickets are available at the Duck Inn and Road Kill Saloon in Skamokawa; Johnson's One Stop in Naselle and Bob's Surplus in Longview. The Fair Foundation has been working hard to bring this event to Wahkiakum County and...
To The Eagle: As residents of Wahkiakum County we feel that Mark Howie has done an outstanding job as sheriff. His knowledge and integrity of the job has made our county a safer place to live. We are proud to call him our friend. Sincerely, Ray & Ora Loraine Bauer Puget Island...
To The Eagle: As a concerned citizen of Wahkiakum county, I want to express my support for Brian McClain in his campaign for Wahkiakum county assessor. I have known Brian for over 10 years and found him to be a professional businessman during his years as an auctioneer and business owner. He ran his business with accuracy and fairness as well as having outstanding customer service skills. Brian has done so much for the community and we need someone who really cares about Wahkiakum county and the people in it. He volunteers his time and skills a...
By Rick Nelson People are saying the next meeting of the Cathlamet town council (Monday, 6 p.m. in the Cathlamet fire hall) should be moved to a bigger venue, for they expect a large crowd to attend and protest the council's vote last month to purchase a Main Street parking lot. Eagle readers may have seen some reporting and several letters to the editor concerning the issue. Some of the objections to the purchase which readers have expressed include: 1. The town's offer was much higher than appraisals from the county assessor's office and a...
To The Eagle: The Town of Cathlamet is about to spend money and many people’s time for a long overdue update to it’s legally required Town Comprehensive Plan. This updated Plan will allow the Town to accomplish two primary things. It will: a) allow us access to available grant money for needed projects and efforts to improve our town. b) serve as a guiding path, or “North Star” for the Town Council to most effectively plan and prepare for our future - whether it’s making decisions for current issues, or planning for ones that are 10, 15, or 20...
To The Eagle: Every day when my wife Lee and I make our way to the pool for lap swim we give thanks for the great way we have to exercise our no-longer-young-or-healthy selves. What we need is more company. It’s good that plenty of kids are still enrolling in swimming lessons (a new session begins next week). And thanks to the school's use of the pool in PE each fall, we probably live in one of the most swimming literate communities in the state. Also one of the safest, thanks to the supervised recreation the pool provides every day. One way w...
To The Eagle: As a local resident for some seven years, I would like to express several thoughts with the voters regarding our next county assessor. I will vote for Bill Coons, again. Why? When I bought my home here in Cathlamet, Bill Coons was my real estate agent. We spent days, literally days, driving around the entire town, Puget Island, too. Street after street, Bill would point out individual house after house, its history, its good/bad qualities, and where it fit in value-wise with the surrounding neighborhood. When choosing an...
