Established as The Skamokawa Eagle in 1891
Established as The Skamokawa Eagle in 1891
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To The Eagle: Why are there so many half-full, in the USA? The country has made it through a worldwide pandemic in much better shape than most of the rest of the world. Inflation, would not have been or be as bad, had not all oil companies kept prices up, while making record profits, not Biden’s fault! Inflation has been on a downward trend since July, 2022. The US economy added an astonishing 517,000 jobs in January, the unemployment rate dropped to 3.4% in January, marking the lowest the unemployment rate has been since 1969. Even with intere...
To The Eagle: How on earth did our country get to the sorry state it seems to be in? The answer requires a deep reach back into pseudo-history before ‘the fall.’ It may seem strange, but it explains much. It began with two amateurish mistakes. “Do not eat from the fruit of that one tree.” Duh. What would any adventurous child do when challenged like that? It was destined to happen. Of course, there was some encouragement, from the world’s first politician. It was that kind of snake who fabricated creation’s first lie in order to deceive the...
To The Eagle: Regarding the January 26 article in The Eagle “Inslee: Homeless programs need more money,” does Inslee think we’re stupid? To say that the homeless consist of people with chemical addiction and mental problems is an insult. The real problem is the homeless are families whose livelihoods have been ruined by Covid. When Trump was President, he ordered a lockdown but it lasted about a month. He put America back to work with no mandates of any kind and business was back to normal. When Biden took over, he and the likes of him, Insle...
To The Eagle: On Jan. 9th the U.S. Consumer Product Safety Commission, studying the possible effects indoor gas cooking stoves might be having on air quality and health in homes, suggested that “stricter regulation of new gas stoves” might be in order. Immediately, gas stoves became the new hot button issue in the culture war. Fox News fabulist provocateur, Sean Hannity, seized the occasion to cultivate disinformation and anger, announcing "Not only is Biden coming for your paycheck, he is coming for your stove. You heard me right. The Whi...
To The Eagle: Regarding speed limits, the council and mayor might consider painting the roads instead of speed humps. There have been multiple studies and reports demonstrating that public art decreases traffic accidents and speed between 17% to 45%, and may be a safer option than speed humps. Plus, street art would bring some additional beauty to our town and local artists could be featured. I ask the council to refer to The Asphalt Art Initiative for information and potential grants. Hillary Lauren Puget Island...
To The Eagle: Last year April 2022, AT&T DirecTV shut down my favorite news channel OAN. Just recently midnight Jan 25 they shut down another news channel Newsmax. Quote from Newsmax: “DirecTV pays cable license fees to all top 75 cable channels and to all 22 liberal news channels it carries. Almost all of these channels are paid hefty license fees significantly greater than Newsmax was seeking, despite the fact that most of the channels have far lower ratings than Newsmax.” I may be wrong but I believe OAN was #1 news when DirecTV can...
To The Eagle: The last thing Cathlamet needs is a town manager. In my experience, this conversation arises because council members (or former members) seek to distract a mayor they disagree with, even though the idea is unrealistic. For one thing, there is no money in the budget to pay the cost of a full-time manager. It would cost, conservatively, twice the annual library budget. For another, you'd be hard pressed to find someone as effective as the town's current chief executive. Blaming him for the Butler situation, or for inflation and...
To The Eagle: Mayor Olson’s council letter published in last week’s Eagle attempted to counter my earlier stated rationale regarding Cathlamet’s need for a town manager. By picking and choosing certain details, yet conveniently forgetting others, his obfuscating of actual facts (while accepting limited accountability) actually helps make my case. My statements were largely based off previous budget discussions with our clerk treasurer, direct Q&A with Jon Hinton (the town’s consulting engineer at the time) and time spent on both the town’s...
To The Eagle: This is a shoutout to some of my heroes. First is soon to be 90, Lou Cunningham. She likes to make knit hats. She gave me over 200 hats for Santa to pass out to all the students and workers at the grade school. And she wants to do it again this year. Next is Lacy Woodside Vik, not turning 90. For Thanksgiving she takes dinner packages to needy people. At Christmas she delivers gifts, lots of gifts, to deserving households. Santa went with her at Christmas and it was an awesome experience. At one stop Santa saw one of the students...
To The Eagle: One writer last week said he missed Howard Brawn's letters. I join him. It's times like this that I wish he was still wielding his pen to cross with mine but, alas, it's not to be. On that regard let me throw out a challenge to any and all writers to this paper. Google Century 25 and give me your best shot. It appears to me that our society and perhaps most of the world have reached or are nearing what this study has concluded. In the news this morning a gang of youth were told to quit hassling an elderly man on the subway and...
Editor's note: Here is a copy of a letter Mayor David Olson sent to Cathlamet council members regarding expenditures for the development of the Butler Street parking lot.) To the Cathlamet Town Council: I want to respond to statements concerning the Butler Lot, many of them inaccurate or misleading, contained in the Letter to the editor published in the January 12th Wahkiakum Eagle. I recognize at the outset (and regret) the cost escalation associated with Butler lot development. Much of this arose from process delays (the latest is that the...
To The Eagle: To put my Butler parking lot comments from last week in perspective: · A much more efficient and aesthetically pleasing parking lot on Broadway St replacing Wally Wright’s old hardware store was recently and benevolently developed by a local resident. It has roughly 20 parking spaces, and designed with much easier entry and exit routes. The total development cost for this parking lot, after deducting the purchase price but including all the extensive demolition and infill required, was roughly $125,000. This works out to ap...
To The Eagle: Again, more misinformation from the anti-seaplane writer last week when he stated "there are no overhead flight paths in this area." There are actually three “overhead flight paths” in this area. Low Altitude Victor Airway T355 is about 1.5 miles west of Cathlamet. Airway J589 passes right over the top of Cathlamet. RNAV Airway Q1 passes right over the top of Cathlamet. There are also three Airspace Fixes close by: HOMKU, 0.6 miles west of Cathlamet, BIRON, 4.7 miles from Cathlamet, and KKARP 5.4 miles SW of Cathlamet. Also one...
To The Eagle: High level politics is fundamentally about dealmaking. You can’t succeed unless you’re willing to make a deal with practically anyone on almost anything. Faust’s deal with the devil was fatal. On Capitol Hill, it’s how you survive. Republican congressman Kevin McCarthy made a devilish deal with the GOP’s radical right wing fringe in order to secure the Speakership after his 15th dogged attempt to win the ballot. His razor thin Pyrrhic victory will fatally compromise his new position and the national legislation he intends t...
To The Eagle: I will never buy an EV car. I’ve read many negatives about them. While it takes an hour or more to charge a cell phone, iPad, iPhone, imagine how long it would take charging a car? Besides, charging an EV, the cost would be outrageous. To fill up and pump the car with gas would take less than three minutes. The idea to put charging stations by the bank, I don’t mean to sound harsh, is not smart. I wasn’t aware charging stations were being built. Should it not have been on the ballot for the people of Wahkiakum County to vote...
To The Eagle: We want to thank all of the people of Wahkiakum County that helped The Star Program for the 2022 Christmas season; the families that took stars, the businesses where we were allowed to place star trees, and to the volunteers that helped with the heavy work. We also appreciate the monetary donations, which without we would not be able to complete another year of gift giving for the children of the county. Sincerely, NovaLee Knopp Director, Star Program of Wahkiakum County Not a Wahkiakum County funded agency...
What the heck’s been happening in the Sheriff’s Office you ask? Well, several positive things happened in 2022 and are carrying over this year as well. Sometime this spring, patrol deputies along with the sheriff, undersheriff, and administrative assistant will be moving to the vacated space on the back side of the courthouse where the Health Department used to be. There will be a welcoming lobby for the public, more office space for the deputies and a more professional setting for employees and visitors alike. Victims reporting crimes in per...
To The Eagle: I am neither for nor against a seaplane hangar at the marina, but a writer in this column has been giving you inaccurate, misleading, and flat out wrong information trying to convince you to vote against one. The Cessna Caravan he speaks of carries 11 passengers, not “2 to 6.” Being that the channel is over 150 ft. wide, there would be no crowding in the channel, even two Caravans could easily pass each other without a problem. Further USCG COLREGS Rule 18 e) states “A seaplane on the water shall, in general, keep well clear...
To The Eagle: The Eagle recently announced that the Butler St parking lot’s first phase of construction is complete and partially ready for use. Town taxpayers though need to understand the horrendous cost they’ve incurred for this project: · Past Mayor Jacobson had the town pay over $60,000 to “a friend” for this literally contaminated lot. This was twice the then current appraised market value ... assuming it wasn’t contaminated. About two years ago, current Mayor David Olson made developing the Butler St lot his personal agenda, and...
To The Eagle: As each reader has no doubt experienced, the area in and around Cathlamet can be breathtaking and incredibly peaceful: it is a situation that is unique compared with nearly every other city on the lower Columbia River. While we are aviation enthusiasts ourselves (but not pilots), my family and I wanted to urge our fellow citizens to contact the county commissioners and ask them to reject all proposals for any type of seaplane hanger, ramp, or base near Cathlamet or on the Cathlamet channel. In our letter parts 2 and 3, we explored...
To The Eagle: As the armed forces of Ukraine face their own Valley Forge this winter, their President, Volodymyr Zelenskyy, in his address to this nation from our Capitol, has personally thanked the citizens of this community. The following is my condensation of his address to us. “Dear Americans in all states, cities, and communities, all those who value freedom and justice, who cheer us as strongly as we Ukrainians in our cities, in each and every family, I hope my words of respect and gratitude resonate in each American heart.” “Your finan...
To The Eagle: Now that Christmas is finally past, our CHINO (Christian in name only) friends can return to the thoughtless cruelty they're so good at. I well imagine the Lord and Savior was appalled that the powers that be in Texas couldn't even wait until after the birthday of the Lord to bus several dozens of immigrants to well below freezing Washington DC and dropping them off, infants included, in front of the vice president’s residence. Some of these folks were without shoes and none were prepared for the weather. Just shouts out the value...
To The Eagle: I have had 12 years serving the people of Wahkiakum County as Assessor. Being your Assessor is not a bed of roses, nor is it hell-on-earth. It is an important job that I have really, really enjoyed. I began in early January of 2011 with two senior people from the Washington State Department of Revenue sitting with me while we figured out how to certify the tax roll to the Treasurer so that tax bills could be created. In between, I learned more about how to better value property. Values became increasingly fair and equitable as...
To The Eagle: RE: A Seaplane base at Cathlamet. We are concerned Cathlamet residents who love this city we call home. But while I am an aviation enthusiast myself (but not a pilot), my family and I wanted to urge our fellow citizens to contact and petition the county commissioners to REJECT all proposals for a seaplane hanger, a seaplane ramp, or a seaplane base in any location near Cathlamet or on the Cathlamet channel. Two weeks ago in Part 1, we explored the potentially annoying noise impact. Then last week in Part 2, we talked about: the...
To The Eagle: We are concerned Cathlamet residents who love this city we call home. But while I am an aviation enthusiast myself (but not a pilot), my family and I wanted to urge our fellow citizens to contact and petition the county commissioners to reject all proposals for a seaplane hanger, a seaplane ramp, or a seaplane base in any location near Cathlamet or on the Cathlamet channel. Last week, we explored the potential noise impact. This week: Impact 2: The false promise of economic impact. The reality is that the impact on local businesse...
