Established as The Skamokawa Eagle in 1891
Established as The Skamokawa Eagle in 1891
Sorted by date Results 2482 - 2506 of 2591
To The Eagle: Many statements made during the recent biosolids seminar hosted by Wahkiakum County were misleading and deceptive. Biosolids is not just human waste, but a complex mixture of thousands of industrial and hazardous chemicals, that are not removed when this material is treated. Spreading it on land has sickened people, polluted drinking wells, degraded healthy soil, and killed live stock that ingested forage grown on land treated with biosolids. This waste is not "heavily regulated." In fact, the latest National Academy of Sciences...
To The Eagle: Thank you to the community and Mary Dasher. As one of the volunteers who are blessed with the opportunity to offer service to the community by working at Helping Hand, I want to explain what we do. Rick Dasher and his wife Mary started Helping Hand over 15 years ago, as a personal ministry. It was housed in the Adventist church for most of that time. Much of the food that was provided came from other private ministries and individuals throughout the area and within the state. Now we are temporarily housed in the the old River Rat...
To The Eagle: “Oh my God, it’s pooh!” These were the first words uttered when visiting the Renton wastewater treatment plant (WWTP) for the first time as an engineering student. That reaction is reminiscent of the knee-jerk reaction I’m observing today among Wahkiakum residents. I have studied biosolids a lot since then; and a dear colleague just completed his PhD on the matter. Let me attempt to explain why Class A biosolids should not be included in the County’s proposed ban. A biosolid itself is the solid material from the clarifica...
To The Eagle: I am a Republican, but there are worthy Democrats who keep their promises to the people that placed them in office. I am not in the habit of endorsing Democrats unless they show the following traits: 1. Truthfulness. 2. Honesty. 3. Trustworthy. 4. Who are incorruptible by affluent outside influence. 5. Who truly represent their constituents. For all of the above reasons, I am endorsing Blair Brady for re-election. In these times of little money, I believe that Blair fully understands and has proven his ability to tighten the...
To The Eagle: The snap, crackle and pop of Independence Day pyrotechnics echoing up and down the lower Columbia felt unusually festive and celebratory this year. Seems our little backwoods neighborhood has three major wins to crow about as we bid a not-too-fond but very relieved farewell to NorthernStar's LNG, ShoreBank's NHA and also the D.I.P. (Dreaded Incubator Project). Not too surprising, really, that our merry band of rustics and hayseeds is leading the trend that is gathering momentum all over the county: killing inappropriate...
To The Eagle: Recreation and rest or recreation and retirement, what does it mean for Wahkiakum County For years there are those of us whom have argued with the Lower Columbia Economic Development Council (LCEDC) and the Chamber of Commerce who continue to attempt to bring new businesses into Wahkiakum County. In my opinion you can have all the incubators in the world but they will die shortly after being hatched for lack of people using them. The LCEDC is still trying to bring businesses to Wahkiakum County but are not much help to the...
To The Eagle: On June 17, an editorial in the Daily Astorian stated, "Looking at the comparative economic success and diversification of Clatsop County and the Long Beach Peninsula and comparing that to the sad struggles of the hotbeds of National Heritage Area opposition, it is clear that our openness and other values are their own reward. Ultimately, we'll recover from the current downturn and do fine - NHA or no NHA. The same cannot be said of north Pacific County and Wahkiakum County where fear will continue to always interfere with...
"So much angst! So much anger! Big government! Elected officials are corrupt! Throw them all out!" While these messages aren't shared by all, there are enough people and organizations proclaiming them that confidence in all levels of government is weak. The reaction is to get tough and make them toe the line, "our line," what ever it may be to each individual or group. But with hard line, no compromise negotiating positions, it's hard to get differing groups together and address the troubling issues we face locally or worldwide. Cooperation...
To The Eagle: Our mayor's bleak characterization of the Wahkiakum Welfare State in last week's Eagle seems a bit skewed, particularly when he chooses to kick around those old straw dogs "political axes" and "ideological blinders." The "shrill critics" at the meetings we attended were mostly citing real concerns from past local history or thoughtful studies from respected foundations giving mixed reviews of the 27 year history of NHAs or making polite inquiries about the apparent connections between ShoreBank Enterprise Cascade and the Chicago...
To The Eagle: When I last checked, there were 565 souls living in Cathlamet, so these are my questions about the Queen Sally park design, (The Eagle, 6/10/10). Will the amphitheater reliably drain this existing aquifer sideways, or will water pool at its base and flow directly under the building? (I've had practical experience with this from my own faulty design.) Are any hydrodynamic or soil studies contemplated? Where is there to be parking for all that ADA access? Can the Town (County?) pay a new full time employee for maintenance:...
To The Eagle: In reference to the Honorable Mayor’s dissertation (The Eagle 6/17/10), from a “transplant of retirement age” citizen of Wahkiakum County, please indulge my feeble defense. Mr. Wehrfritz should be apprised of the knowledge that the “transfer payment” recipients contributed a minimum of 7 and a half percent (15 percent for self-employed) of every dollar they earned for 48 years to prepare for their “transfer payment.” It seems to me that our county is the beneficiary of our investment because we chose to live here and have impr...
To The Eagle: It is quite clear that, prior to the removal of the two floodgates on the lower Kandoll Road, and their replacement with two 13 foot diameter culverts, the Seal Slough Dikes were quite stable, and had been so for decades. It doesn't take a rocket scientist (actually, a Fluvial Geomorphologist!) to determine that the flow of tidewaters back and forth, through the culverts, is affecting the dikes. Rather than do a complex three dimensional incompressible fluid flow analysis of the river and the slough to prove what is self evident,...
I like soccer enough that every four years I try to watch the World Cup games on TV. This international tournament is going on right now. I probably should have entered the lottery they hold for tickets, won, of course, and headed off to South Africa to watch the matches in person. It probably would have been cheaper than how I spent my summer vacation. I came down with a severe case of the chills early in the morning June 9. During the day, my left leg ached. I took aspirin and didn't go to work that Wednesday morning, when we put the paper to...
To The Eagle: America was once a nation owned by the people. Now, nearly half our land is owned by government, international corporations and land trusts. Land is being concentrated back into the hands of the elite. Private property is what distinguishes us from all other nations. If government controls the land, they control our lives and America will be no different than the feudal systems our Founding Fathers fled in Europe. It is for this reason private property rights were central to the Constitutional principles of our nation. Private...
To The Eagle: Many who spoke against the proposed National Heritage Area recently evoked the county’s pioneer origins and tradition of self-sufficiency. Indeed, our area developed largely without outside help for much of its history (notwithstanding SR4 and the Puget Island Bridge, two seminal infrastructure projects built with federal money). Yet the image of Wahkiakum as a can-do frontier outpost is decades out of date. Consider two income profiles: back in 1969, according to U.S. Department of Commerce data, earned income made up 79 p...
To The Eagle: What great communities! The Derby Dollars For Scholars and the Rods & Reels Rod Run cannot give enough thanks to all that make the Sturgeon Derby and Car Show such a success. Naming each Sponsor would fill this page, let alone, the volunteers, participants and spectators that give so much. So in keeping this short, thanks to all that supported the Derby Dollars for Scholars and the Rods & Reels Rod Run. The community's support for this event is overwhelming. Whether you are a fisherman or a car enthusiast, you can be proud that...
To The Eagle: The Chairman of the Federal Reserve Board recently begged Congress to keep politics out of regulating our nation's money supply. Well, friends, that sort of advice is exactly what we don't need. Congress is contemplating some further regulation of the Federal Reserve and Wall Street. These efforts are misguided because Congress does not recognize the real cause of the financial disaster that has overtaken us. Our $14 trillion national debt and associated annual interest charges of $400 billion are a direct result of Congress...
To The Eagle: My goodness! We finally have at least two county commissioners who realize they were elected by their constituents and not by those waiting in the wings to capitalize on the way the commissioner votes on issues. Thank you, Blair Brady and Dan Cothren for standing up with the majority of voters in your districts and not bowing to those who see dollar signs. A National Heritage Area sounds lovely, but why not give historically significant properties loans or grants without designating three entire counties as a NHA. Let individuals...
To The Eagle: Three weeks ago we did a dot connecting exercise showing the tentacles...er, connections between ShoreBank Enterprise Cascadia, the outfit pushing the National Heritage Area, and the original ShoreBank of south Chicago, which in turn has ties back to radical organizer Saul Ailinsky and, more recently, convicted felon (fraud and bribery) Tony Rexko. Among other heartwarming projects of ShoreBank was a 10 million dollar credit line to Reverend Jeremiah (G..D..America) Wright's church. Right here in our backyard, we have noted that...
To The Eagle: As a property owner in Wahkiakum County, I think everyone should consider just what a "special interest group" -- namely NHA/ShoreBank would do to you (not for you)! Special interest groups/investors have ulterior motives for offering such great deals. Just look at our politicians! How many people from Wahkiakum County watched Glenn Beck 5/31/10 when he presented a complete chart on ShoreBank? I definitely do not want to be an investing partner with Rev. Jeremiah Wright. Please think this over. Helen Jolly Fresno,...
To The Eagle: I believe that 2010 is an election year. Some places, i.e. the state of Arizona, had a special election because their issue could not wait until November. Arizona needed to raise more revenue or cut existing programs. Waiting until November would be costly, so a special election ballot with a single issue was used in May to seek voter approval to raise (yes raise) the state sales tax by one per cent. And the issue passed. Time was an issue in Arizona. Higher state taxes in Arizona will not impact land ownership. Is time a factor...
To The Eagle: A recent announcement by a county commissioner said that he would vote against the NHA as per the wishes of a vast majority of his constituents. This announcement quickly drew a cheap shot (in my opinion) from his political party chairman. Many of us feel we would like a representative form of government, representing the people who put them there, regardless of party pressure, which I feel Commissioner Brady was practicing, just as he promised during his campaign. Mike Mouliot Cathlamet...
To The Eagle: I know this is a crazy time in politics not only in Washington DC, but also here in little Wahkiakum County. I am very disappointed in one of our county commissioner's comments in the May 27 issue of The Eagle. Commissioner Blair Brady said at a meeting three weeks ago that he was going to study the National Heritage Area issue before he makes a decision. Then he said that he had "concluded the NHA wouldn't have the adverse impact that the opponents predict." Then he said, "residents of my district are overwhelmingly opposed to...
To The Eagle: Regardless of being Democrat or Republican, representatives in Congress work to bring home the bacon. In this case, it’s $10 million with this thing called a National Heritage Area (NHA) -- a federal program supporting local history, culture and natural beauty. Commissioner Blair Brady has looked at this gift-horse. Even though he “has found no downside” Brady will still vote no -- only because he wants to represent his constituents. But who are these constituents? As far as I can tell, it’s a very vocal group of partisa...
To The Eagle: Just a note to say thanks for the Focus in The Eagle. I was getting so tired of the long drawn out letters on LNG and NHA ,taking over the paper. Then, on Focus I saw Jerry DeBriae's picture and the article of a home-town kid that has really done well. I knew his parents Ray and Marie DeBriae, very nice people and I know if they were living they would be so proud of him. Fred Johnson and his barn added to the hometown feeling, that is what I like about The Eagle, especially now that I am transplanted, I loved Cathlamet. Keep up...
