Established as The Skamokawa Eagle in 1891
Established as The Skamokawa Eagle in 1891
Sorted by date Results 2507 - 2531 of 2582
I don't know about you, but I'm ready to make up my mind on the proposal to form the Columbia-Pacific National Heritage Area and include Wahkiakum County in it. Business organizations throughout the region requested the formation of the NHA as a means of creating an internationally recognized brand for the area that could be used in marketing. The idea came out of the coalition formed in the Lewis and Clark bicentennial. Over the years, The Eagle has had occasional stories about the movement, but they've been few and far between because...
Kudos to Steven Sultemeier and Steve Gacke for taking the Naselle/Grays River Valley School Board of Directors to task over alleged violations of the state Open Public Meetings Act. In a complaint filed May 6 in Pacific County Superior Court, the men claim the school board violated the act by holding a special meeting March 9 without posting the required 24 hours notice in advance for the public, despite Sultemeier's warning that the notice was required. The men also claim that the board's agendas for the March 9 meeting and a February 11...
To The Eagle: Our community was stellar last night at the DOE hearing. Though most people would rather have a tooth pulled without pain killer than speak publicly, everyone had valid, well thought out statements and questions. I’d like to thank all those who came from Pacific County to lend their support. This, more than anything else is a reflection of how very much people care about our ecosystem and recognize how fragile it is. Many spoke to the issue of our five threatened species in the Grays River and the inevitable migration of waste i...
To The Eagle: Our once peaceful and "remote" over the hill valley seems to have become overrun by outside interests. We now have NGOs voting (40 votes) on local flood control issues, when they are in the business of taking out dikes. To top that, it is with your tax and ratepayer money, that is fueling this NGO ownership of local land. LCFRB wanted to install a plan for the valley without consulting the affected landowners. This is 10 years after a WDFW letter announced it wanted the whole valley to be flooded. WDFW was not allowed to buy up...
To The Eagle: I read the Naselle school board article in The Eagle last week and noted my comments were not reported correctly, practically regarding Board Policy 1440-Minutes. I have talked to several people who attended the meeting, and they said they were not able to hear everything I said. If possible, I would appreciate a correction in your next addition to reflect what I said. Superintendent Rick Pass, without board action or approval, unilaterally stopped taping the meetings at the March 16 meeting and that is supported by my verbatim co...
To The Eagle: What is a National Heritage Area? Is it a historical area? Is it a specific zoning area? What does it hope to accomplish and by what means? Who will administer it? What is the time frame to opt out and how? Most of the areas that fall into any of the above are usually administered by someone outside the affected area, that is, a board, (non-elected) who is based in another area with more population. The usual targets for historical and heritage sites are to restrict any development through the permit process. They will try and...
To The Eagle: I stopped my work day to attend the county commissioners meeting regarding ShoreBank Cascadia's proposed National Heritage Project. My first question was "Who owns ShoreBank?" Not one single person could answer. None of the people present knew with whom they were proposing to endow such a thing. The commissioners told their audience that just the day before, they had learned that those of us that did not want to participate could opt out! Are they just now being informed of what they can or cannot do? What about having all those...
Death by 1,000 cuts was the way one opponent of NorthernStar's proposed Bradwood Landing liquefied natural gas (LNG) plant described his group's strategy. It seems to have worked, for NorthernStar announced Tuesday afternoon it is suspending the project because of delays in permitting and "the difficult investment environment." Groups such as Wahkiakum Friends of the River and Columbia Riverkeeper opposed the plant every step of the way, saying the environmental and community safety concerns outweighed any economic benefit of the plant. While...
To The Eagle: In re: Hearing on spreading septage on farmland: I just got off the phone with the head of Solid Waste at the Department of Ecology. My questions were: Why we were not getting the information meeting we had requested? Why a hearing first at which they will have testimony first and a meeting, if there is time ,afterward? The man did not understand my question of why they were holding the hearing first and the meeting after. I tried to explain that it is like taking a test without knowing the material that will be asked in the...
To The Eagle: There's quite a few letters written to The Eagle about the Port District which brings to my attention regarding property tax. I thought property tax was to pay for schools, police, fire departments and roads; so why are we paying tax to the Port District? They seem to be self sustaining enough to take care of its own, especially the marina. Toni Below Cathlamet...
To The Eagle: Re: Ron Ackermann’s letter published 15 April 2010. It is obvious that Mr. Ackermann is unfamiliar with our local Representative, lame duck Democrat Brian Baird. I suggest he Google “brownshirt Pelosi Reid Baird” before drafting another letter to the Eagle. Regarding Tea Party members calling themselves ‘teabaggers’, I further suggest that Tea Party members do not ridicule and denigrate themselves with such vile sexual slang. If they would, they would probably consider themselves ‘teabaggees’ being ‘teabagged’ by Democrat polit...
To The Eagle: Heritage area??? Be very cautious in anything called special planning area, heritage area, etc. What it does is eventually form another layer of bureaucracy in the use of your property. Example: Apply for building permit with county. County determines it could be in heritage area, then it goes to that board who then takes years for that board to decide if it is in the heritage area or will have impact on same. In other areas with like heritage or whatever they may be called districts, it is not unusual to take five to eight years...
To The Eagle: Re: Chuck Wolfe's letter published April 8, 2010. It is obvious that Mr. Wolfe is unhappy with the current situation in Washington DC, as well as here in Washington state. This doesn't come as a surprise, there are many people upset with the recent legislation passed by our elected representatives. True, you may not have voted for them, but they are still your elected representatives, just as G. W. Bush was my president for a time. What I do find surprising is that he would openly label himself as a "brownshirt." The Meriam-Webste...
To The Eagle: Was it necessary to edit out the fact that Grays River Habitat Enhancement District candidate Delvin Fredrickson worked at the Livermore Radiation Lab? That job gave him important knowledge and experience with technology that he is now using in his position on the GRHED. How about an update? 1. Background/resumé --Education: Graduated from Newport Harbor High School in 1959; two years military service in the Army as a paratrooper; and continued with four years of college. --Business/professional: Worked as a journeyman plasterer...
To The Eagle: The census system doesn't make sense, or is at the least flawed! After we did not receive a census form in the mail, upon inquiry to our County Auditor Diane Tischer, I was kindly informed that a census form could be obtained from the office of the Wahkiakum Chamber of Commerce located at the Scarborough Building on Main Street. Later Bob Hendrickson volunteered that he and Margie had also been ignored by the census and he had seen an out-of-town news article that said people with post office boxes instead of home mail delivery...
Eagle readers don't miss much, and I like that. It will be easy to notice that we have an article by reporter Stevan Morgain. His stories and photos have been missing since January. It seems that last fall, his doctors told him he had a tumor on a kidney, and he needed surgery to remove the tumor. The good news was that the tumor wasn't malignant; the bad news was it would be a long, rough road to recovery. We're pleased that he's getting there. For the past two weeks, we've been publicizing a photo contest, "A Day in the Life of Wahkiakum and...
I remember coming upon a beautiful lake in California during my travels in the early 70's and found a boat launch and a camping and picnic area. I donned my swimsuit and ran to the beach area when I was confronted by a sign that said, "No bodily contact with water." One could boat, water ski (with wet suit), canoe but not immerse oneself in the waters of that pristine lake. The powers that be considered our little bodies to be a contaminate and a major one at that. The lake was not impure--we were. When I returned to Portland, we were to go wat...
To The Eagle: Adding to the editorial last week on the health care bill, what hasn’t died down is the utter disdain that the majority of American voters has for the bill, along with the way it was written/drafted and passed into law. That disdain will show up over the next five to eight months, and then in another two years. The only bipartisan part of the bill was in opposition to it, where a few Democrats, worried about this year’s elections, voted against it. All other Democrats drank the Obama Kool Aid! The first year of the Obama adm...
To The Eagle: I am writing this letter to express my heartache for the loss Vista Park has suffered. The park would not be what it is today if it wasn’t for Steve McClain. His dedication and integrity goes far beyond just a job. The park is an extended family to him; not to mention his devotion to the community. Steve helped to start and maintain the West Side Water, was a founding member of the Friends of Skamokawa, and is a man who wears many hats. One vivid image I have of Steve is in his rubber boots and rain gear on a Saturday morning u...
To The Eagle: I understand the "true" self interest of the opinion writer in The Eagle, April 1, 2010. He would like our country to become the socialist, caring, and "peaceful" utopia he learned about back in college 30 years ago. Oh, if we could only make it that more perfect way, the nation would truly prosper. I just want to suggest growing up. Realizing that chucking the Constitution and throwing away our military capabilities will only bring suffering and death to our way of life and for the other free peoples of this world. Go back to...
To The Eagle: The editorial in last week's Eagle restored my faith in a boyhood dream -- the then popular science fiction concept of parallel universes. It is refreshing to see that the concept is alive and well here in the 21st century, but it is still as much of a mind boggler as it was back in my callow youth in the dead center of last century. For instance in Eagle universe, President Jimmy Carter made us world leader in clean energy, but I missed out on that, because in my universe I was sitting in long gas lines watching stagflation...
To The Eagle: The next move for the Elochoman Grange? Our last informational meeting brought out six interested folks, interested in possibly reorganizing the Elochoman Grange. We are having another meeting tonight (Thursday) at 6 p.m. to see if that interest is still there and also to see if more folks have picked up on this idea. We will meet at the hall to talk over the progress and to map out any further actions if needed. The coffee pot will be on and the cookie supply may be endless. As before, any questions needing answers before the...
To The Eagle: We have been taxpayers in Wahkiakum County for 28 years and have faithfully followed this community through al of its highs and lows. We totally agree with the letter from Mr. Adam Fletcher that a great injustice was committed in your county with the release of Mr. Steve McClain. Might we suggest perhaps the way to rid your county of these abrupt and senseless actions would be to suggest the citizens to support in electing Mr. McClain to replace a presiding port commissioner? His history of selfless dedication and service to your...
To The Eagle: The recent firing of Port District 2 Manager Steve McClain has resulted in many letters and a lack of understanding why this happened. It is my opinion that the Port 2 has been a time bomb for years and Steve was in a bad place. In years past I attended the meetings of both port districts. I experienced very different environments. Port District 1 meetings were respectful. Port 2 meetings were confrontational. I remember one frustrated Port 2 commissioner saying, "If you think you can do a better job than I am doing, then you can...
To The Eagle: Attention Grays River landowners! Soon we will be asked to elect three commissioners for the Grays River Habitat Enhancement District. Being a commissioner is not usually a coveted position because their tasks are both exhausting and thankless. When a seat is vacated, finding a quality replacement can be difficult. But this year, our active commissioners are each facing a challenger for their position. Our current commissioners are Delvin Fredrickson, Poul Toftemark, and Bill Karwoski. I believe we owe them both our support and...
