Established as The Skamokawa Eagle in 1891
Established as The Skamokawa Eagle in 1891
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To The Eagle: We are almost halfway through October and The Charlotte House continues to sponsor activities that will hopefully bring awareness to domestic violence and get people thinking about how they can be a part of the solution to put an end to the violence. On Tuesday, October 4, I met with our county commissioners where they read and signed a Proclamation declaring October 2011 Domestic Violence Awareness Month. This can be viewed elsewhere in this issue of The Eagle. Thank you to our Commissioners for once again showing your support....
To The Eagle: Through this letter, I want to thank and recognize the work of The Charlotte House. Thanks for the opportunity of being admitted to the program and to those directly responsible, I want to congratulate the result and thank the efforts and dedication invested in me, in my process. As a consequence, I am on the verge of getting my permanent residence in the United States of America. Likewise, I want to emphasize the team spirit and fellowship observed during my stay in the months that I was living in the institution. I hope I can...
To The Eagle: I have blissfully sat by and been an armchair critic too long. As a tax-paying voting citizen of our community, I cannot be indifferent to either the mayor or the volunteer firemen's criticism. One must know that the mayor is essentially a full-time volunteer position receiving a paltry salary of $250 a month to supervise about seven full-time employees. As a volunteer, I believe the requirements are to serve your community or organization to the best of your ability with no expectation of compensation. One may learn more about...
To The Eagle: Every year in September the staff of The Charlotte House prepares for October and Domestic Violence Awareness Month (DVAM). We begin by looking at slogans of years past and brainstorm new ones all in an effort to draw attention to our hope of ending violence against women. It seems like when we want to grab people’s attention, we try to come up with the one phrase or image that will draw people in and spark them on to action. There have been many compelling anti-domestic violence messages over the years – slogans like, “Love...
To The Eagle, The Washington State Redistricting Commission has released the preliminary maps for new electoral district boundaries. There are five commissioners: two picked by Democratic state legislators, two picked by Republican state legislators and a non-voting independent chair. The Grays River Grange has examined the four maps regarding the proposed boundaries for the 19th Legislative District. We considered geography and also applied results from various elections in 2008 and 2010 to obtain a picture of partisan composition. The two...
To The Eagle: Sometimes a little story in The Eagle tickles your memory in a startling way. It's like yesterday. But it really was the doo-dah days, my junior year in high school when our football team went scoreless for the entire season. I am not making this up. Toward the season-end, one of our guys "scored" but it was the wrong goal post. We thought he had a slight concussion and was confused running those 98 yards. Your good story "Football season starts Friday" (The Eagle, 9/1/11) quotes coach Eric Hansen on summer camp saying "by the...
To The Eagle: The Town versus Fire Department squabble seems convoluted viewed through the prism of several lengthy articles in The Eagle plus a couple of high pressure meetings, but the source of the contention, the State of Washington Accountability Audit of the Town of Cathlamet is concise, straightforward and eminently readable, even to us primitives out here in the wilds of Puget Island. It clearly states that the fire department has four undeclared checking/savings accounts under the town's tax ID number, plus a petty cash account that...
To The Eagle: When George Wehrfritz ran for mayor of the Town of Cathlamet, I was impressed because I perceived him as being intelligent. After observing his actions and public statements, although I do not know him personally and don't always agree with his positions, I still believe he is intelligent. Wehrfritz, by his actions and public statements, has taught me many things, the most important of which is that the volunteer fire and emergency medical services are far more important to our town than having a town government. If our community...
To The Eagle: Very interesting! The current fire house flap certainly has raised the local blood pressure in a lot of directions. It seems that there is a lynch mob forming to dump the Mayor. Why fire the guy for standing up for the locals whose public contributions are funding this enterprise? Seems to me he's doing what previous mayors chose to ignore! Why kill the messenger? Unfortunately this has all occurred in a volunteer organization which is vital to all in the area. It appears that there should have been sufficient legal expertise...
To The Eagle: It happened again. We were driving down the road, where cars are supposed to be, when I noticed a movement on the pavement, a small dog. It had a collar, so it belonged to somebody, but unfortunately, that owner did not care enough about their pet to keep it at home, safe and secure, in their own yard and off the road! No matter at what speed I was going, when you talk car or truck versus critter, well, the vehicle wins just about every time. Fortunately for this pup, swift reflexes and a lot of luck kept it from becoming another...
To The Eagle: I want to say thanks, Wahkiakum, for a great fair. Sorry I'm a little late with this but better late than never. The whole fair looked wonderful. The fairgrounds are the best I've ever seen them; as always, the T-building and the Youth building had beautiful displays. It was such a fun time seeing old friends like Patty and Gordon, Lore and Sharon and my old 4-H leader Veryl Chamberlain. It was also fun to make new friends, such as Phil and Ivy Lou Vik. I would like to thank Kay and Daria for helping out with open horses at the...
To The Eagle: I love reading The Wahkiakum County Eagle. However, I dislike reading about the Mayor's personal attack on an upstanding citizen like Jerry DeBriae. Jerry has spent his adult life devoted to the Fire Dept. and the town of Cathlamet. I think the answer is for the Mayor to resign. Paul Bjornsgard Naselle...
To The Eagle: In response to Carol Weghdahl's insightful letter regarding our great fire department and emergency responders, I say "ditto." Maureen Zacker-Bockius Cathlamet...
To The Eagle: Cathlamet and Wahkiakum County are dependent and appreciative of its fire department (FD) and emergency medical service (EMS) volunteers; thank you all. These volunteers are absolutely necessary and vital for our safe and healthy community; we can’t do without you. We want our volunteers to advance both personally and professionally. Part of professional development is to learn from those in charge, the leaders and managers. Every citizen has a vested interest, morally and financially, in the ability of our elected officials to e...
If it isn't broke, don't fix it. Many people would like to apply that old saying to the Cathlamet Fire Department and Mayor George Wehrfritz's efforts to bring its management under his control. The department operates under an arrangement created in 1932. It put supervision of the department under the Cathlamet Commercial Club, which now operates as the Chamber of Commerce, with that supervision subject to approval by the town council. Over the years, the department grew to be a strong organization that operated largely on its own, with its...
To The Eagle: Several jokes in my repertoire, both straight and risque, start with Luigi coming ashore from Ellis Island with two bits in his pocket, filling a box with fruit and veggies for sale and graduating quickly to pushcart, then trucks, then warehouses and great wealth - an encapsulated summary of the American Dream. It's been an obsolete yarn for quite some time, since it's quite apparent that in today's reality, Luigi would need 16 licenses, five permits, union membership, and an environmental impact statement in place before acquirin...
To The Eagle: Recently Puget Island Landowners were mailed a letter and a valuation order for their parcel from the county Board of Equalization (BOE). I asked tor additional information to better understand what I had received. Colleen Haley, Clerk of the Board responded via e-mail with the property sales information I requested and an electronic copy of briefing materials the BOE had used to explain what they had done during the equalization process. The information is more useful and easier to understand than any information I have obtained...
Following is a proclamation from the Wahkiakum County Board of Commissioners: Sunday, September 11, 2011 Patriot Day Whereas, US House of Representatives Joint Resolution 71 was approved by a vote of 470-0 on October 25, 2001. It requested that the president designate September 11 of each year as "Patriot Day," and Whereas, President George W. Bush signed the resolution into law on December 8, 2001. It is a discretionary day of remembrance. On September 4, 2002, President Bush used his authority created by the resolution and proclaimed Septembe...
To The Eagle: Thank you Dan and Calvin for helping load some stuff. Thank you, Trudy for dinner. Shame on those who stole the many items and really did you need to dump garbage everywhere just to steal the garbage cans? I spent my time caring about people, land and animals and it is distressing to see how I was treated. Really all you’d have to do was ask. I would have given but stealing is so wrong and hurtful. Raven Webb formerly of Rosburg...
To The Eagle: With temperatures at 85 degrees and rising, humidity above 80 percent, dressed in overalls, helmets and all manner of safety gear, the young men of the DNR crew couldn’t have worked harder or more efficiently if they had been professionals. I was informed this crew had only been together for three days yet the coordination and flow of the work this crew performed was seamless. The Mariner Lodge team work was directed by supervisor Tim Tienhaara whose years of experience served to expand each crew member's exposure to power and g...
First, it was exhausting for those involved, but the Third Annual Cathlamet Downhill Corral longboard festival provided a weekend of entertainment. Competition was more keen than ever. Longboarders came from Canada, the East Coast and all over The West to compete. They brought some of the big names in the sport, too, the pioneers who figured out how to do all those moves. Longboarding is what I call an alternative sport. It doesn't have a lot of money. Competitors love the thrill, and they learn by challenging themselves, meaning most of us wou...
To The Eagle: I am writing in response to the recent article regarding another allegation against the Cathlamet Fire Department by Cathlamet Mayor George Wehrfritz. For over 20 years, I have been a volunteer EMT and have always been proud to serve in an organization responsible for saving lives and property in Wahkiakum County. Beyond the approximately 500 calls a year is a long list of state and federal requirements and continual maintenance to be ready at a moment's notice to go into action. Volunteers spend countless hours each month in trai...
To The Eagle: Teresa Hicks of Skamokawa is the winner of our beautiful coffee and tea basket given away at the Wahkiakum County Fair. We wish to thank everyone who participated in the drawing and came by to share their many uplifting comments. The Wahkiakum County Republican Party...
To The Eagle: As a ratepayer to the Wahkiakum PUD, are you aware that a rate increase from the Bonneville Power Administration of 9.5 percent would not require a 9.5 percent increase in a ratepayers electric bill? In actuality, BPA cost of power to the PUD constitutes approximately 50 percent of the cost of delivering power to the ratepayers. If the PUD's budget for the next calendar year maintains the same operating costs as the prior calendar year, the rate increase would 50 percent of 9.5 or 4.75 percent. If one was to go one step further...
To The Eagle I want to make sure there is no confusion regarding the appeal rights of the Puget Island property owners relating to the new property valuations issued by the Board of Equalization. By now, all of the owners of property on Puget Island should have received their new property valuations issued by the county’s Board of Equalization. Regardless of whether an individual’s property valuation went up, down or stayed the same, property owners have the right to appeal that valuation to the Board of Equalization. If you are a Puget Isl...
