Established as The Skamokawa Eagle in 1891
Established as The Skamokawa Eagle in 1891
Sorted by date Results 1276 - 1300 of 2594
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...
To The Eagle: Just wondering since the city seems to have unlimited funds if they might use some for the grounds at the pool. It looks pretty shabby. And speaking of the pool, it is open and the guards are doing a great job. Swim lessons begin July 15 and there are scholarships available. The Cathlamet Woman’s Club offers scholarships each summer, ask the guards for information. JoAnn Prestegard Cathlamet...
To The Eagle: After reading the letter from Elizabeth Brinker of June 21, I would like to address some of her issues with our little piece of heaven and the Grays River Valley, in particular. She did get two things right, it is beautiful where we live and, yes, everyone should ask questions, speak their minds and vote for new ideas and responsible leadership. Lack of compassion for animals? In my years here, I have witnessed nothing like she alludes to. Unlike the city where people dump or lose animals all the time, they get picked up by...
To The Eagle: The Town of Cathlamet is carrying a debt of $6,272,000 in principal plus interest of $3,658,000 that will accrue over the life of the various loans, for a total of about $9,933,000. According to the most recent census, the town had 532 people, 258 households and 136 families. Broken down by those demographics, that equals about $18,671 per resident, $38,500 per household, and $73,036 per family. How do you feel as residents of Cathlamet about your elected officials saddling you with that kind of debt? How do you feel about them...
To The Eagle: Like most voters, I consider candidates for office as applicants for a job. My duty is to examine their credentials and cast a vote for the most qualified. No matter how amiable a candidate is, if they can't cut the mustard, they won't get my vote. The campaign for Wahkiakum County assessor is a case in point. In my view, incumbent Bill Coons is qualified for the job. But he is also a man who doesn’t suffer fools gladly, resulting in an occasional brusque demeanor. Challenger Brian McClain, on the other hand, a U.S. Navy retiree k...
To The Eagle: Wahkiakum County is fortunate to have such a dedicated leader for our office of sheriff. Mark Howie and his professional staff help in maintaining order in our community, and especially in Deep River where we reside. We support Mark Howie for Sheriff! Ron and Eva Malerich Deep River/Naselle...
To The Eagle: Start making money and stop spending money! I am concerned not only that the town is buying a parking lot and turning it into a “Green Space,” but that the cost of the new sewer plant is driving up sewer rates that really affect local citizens on a fixed income and small businesses trying to stay open. I am afraid the so called green space will turn in to a money pit because it will require maintenance. The town has trouble maintaining the parks it has now. I have been told the town won't put trash cans on Main Street because the...
To The Eagle: I do not know whom Prudence Diem was referring to in her July 5 letter to the editor when she stated “we still owe the county around $360,000 for hookups for Boege.” Certainly with her involvement with the Town Planning Commission she would know that hookup fees are the responsibility of the property developer or owner. Fact, the town owes nothing to the county for the county’s Sewer Line Extension Project. If Ms. Diem is not aware of this fact then where did she get her misinformation from? Ms. Diem did not live in our commu...
To The Eagle: I will quote again from Thomas Sowell: “If people in the media cannot decide whether they are in the business of reporting news or manufacturing propaganda, it is all the more important that the public understand that difference and choose their news sources accordingly.” I am referring to the photo of the little crying girl supposedly separated from her family at the Mexico-US border. As most of us now know, that never happened. The child was right there next to her mother with the border patrol. There is a picture to prove it....
To The Eagle: Great things can happen when we work together! The Kiwanis Club of Cathlamet has joined in the effort to feed our local kids this summer from July 16 – August 16. Partners also include First Interstate Bank, Wahkiakum Health & Human Services, WSU Extension, local churches, and many interested community members. Thrivent is generously donating $250 to help. Additional contributions are most welcome and can be mailed to Kiwanis Club of Cathlamet, Summer Lunch Program, PO Box 515, Cathlamet, WA 98612. With additional financial h...
To The Eagle: The town’s water system has had two large leaks this past week. During both events, there were neighbors who helped trouble shoot which I sincerely appreciate. Our leak on 3rd Street has really damaged the road there, and I will work to get that fixed as quickly as possible. The other leak, which we had a hard time finding, will be much more difficult to repair. It occurred on Sunday night and caused homeowners effected to have low to no pressure at their homes. We lost about a quarter of our reservoir storage in around two h...
To The Eagle: I don’t know if you saw last week’s letter in The Eagle, but there will be more to come about the mayor having the town treasurer pay $1,000 earnest money to purchase a parking lot, prior to their executive session. Later, it was on the town council’s upcoming agenda under “Property acquisition – action expected.” This was at least three months ago. What happened between then and their last June 18 meeting, I don’t know. Did the Department of Ecology do a soil inspection and sign off, allowing change of ownership, or are we now...
To The Eagle: We’ve been fortunate to live and work in Wahkiakum County most of our lives. Gordon has lived here his entire life and I’ve been here for more than 60 years of marriage. But we’ve also lived here long enough to have seen many changes in the community--some good and some not. Today, it’s encouraging to see a new generation of community leaders like Sheriff Mark Howie and his wife Debb. We’ve gotten to know them over the years. While we call him Sheriff, we also call them friends. They’re good people and they’ve both given their tim...
To The Eagle: I had to re-read Elizabeth Brinner’s article in last week’s Eagle a couple of times to make sure it was a serious letter. Initially I thought it was a poor attempt at satire. Not so I guess. I’m assuming she’s recently moved from Seattle, Portland or a city of similar size, which would explain her problem adjusting to the lifestyle we all enjoy living in Wahkiakum County. Before retiring to Cathlamet, I left a big city, fast paced, professional career working under neon lights and in front of a computer screen all day. After work,...
To The Eagle: Our editor’s entrance into the fray with commentary on the ethics of tax assessment might possibly constitute rushing in where angels fear to tread. In the normal course of events, a person setting up a for-profit enterprise gets a tax number from the fed and then later registers personal property used in that enterprise with state (if their state has a personal property tax law). The current imbroglio involves our local assessor placing people on the rolls involuntarily and without due process. In my case protests were simply i...
To The Eagle: First off, to no surprise of anyone who has ever met me or read my letters to this paper, I am a progressive liberal. The reasons are numerous and include liking child labor laws, laws that help keep the earth safe for us and our future generations. My education in science and human biology allows me to know the difference between a fetus and a baby and to understand that about 10 percent of all people in all cultures are homosexual. Enough history to realize that if I like what is happening in our country today, I would...
To The Eagle: The recent vote by the Cathlamet town Council to purchase the property owned by former Council member Bernadette Goodroe was clearly unethical and an obvious gift of public funds. When the existing gas station and auto repair shop were removed the site went through a remediation process to remove the majority of the contamination, but due to technical difficulties the site could not be fully abated. Consequently, the State of Washington Department of Ecology placed a restricted covenant on the property because residual...
To The Eagle: A top-two primary election is on August 7, 2018. Three Democrats are candidates in the primary for the 3rd Congressional District, David McDevitt, Caroline Long and Dorothy Gasgue. While Gasgue, Long and McDevitt are all Democrats there are differences. David McDevitt is the Progressive candidate. Long self-identifies as a moderate. Gasgue has said she is a “Libertarian Progressive.” McDevitt will work for fair progressive tax policies, a single-payer universal health care plan, a living wage, affordable housing, safe sch...
