Established as The Skamokawa Eagle in 1891
Established as The Skamokawa Eagle in 1891
Sorted by date Results 2532 - 2556 of 2589
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...
It appears the turmoil surrounding the adoption of President Obama's health insurance reform bill is starting to die down. Supporters are hailing the bill as landmark legislation which will provide health care coverage to those who need it and rein in escalating health care costs that are becoming a bigger and bigger drain on our nation's economy. Critics lambast the bill as government intrusion into the lives of citizens and claim it won't do what it says it will do. They've begun targeting congressmen who voted for it, hoping to be able to...
To The Eagle: Last week, I had my purse stolen from the Cathlamet Market parking lot. I have since discovered that I am not the only one dealing with this type of theft. I ask for everyone to be on the lookout for items that might have been discarded from a handbag. Most of these things are important only to the person who lost them. They can be left at the Sheriff's Office which is open 24/7. These are desperate times for some folks and we need to watch out for each other especially to keep our wonderful little part of the world safe. Becky...
To The Eagle: The 14 year old boy looked up from his mowing at the rumble of four large campers making their way toward the park office. As he killed the engine on the mower to dump the clippings, he heard boisterous greetings, those usually reserved for good friends and family not seen in awhile, echoing in the distance. The park manager asked one camper if the knee he hurt last spring is feeling any better, to which the camper replied, “It's fine after three cocktails.” Laughter fills the air between inquiries into how the daughter’s softb...
To The Eagle: Sometime in February while Bill May was away from his residence at 1085 W. SR 4, several of his possessions were stolen. A Kubota Tractor with bucket and tiller was included in the stolen items. Bill was required to be away from his property for an extended period while undergoing dialysis and other medical treatment. The sheriff's office has a bill of sale showing that in 2003 Bill May paid $6,000 for the Kubota and attachments. So if you, or someone you know, has recently been sold a Kubota, VIN # B6001-27392, it was stolen...
To The Eagle: Thank you for all your support over the last two years. Fulfilling the role of fair manager is not an easy task but I am thankful to have had the opportunity and feel lucky to be part of this community. As many of you know my husband Paul has been my number one supporter, volunteering his time and energy to restoring the fairgrounds. His dedication and generosity has been invaluable and I wish to thank him and all of the fair volunteers who helped during my time as the fair manager. Many local businesses and non-profit groups...
To The Eagle: Perhaps most people have spent very little time pondering the question "Who creates our money?" Someone does, you know. Nor have many people bothered to ask "How is our money created?" Since it is a man-made thing there have to be methods or techniques that are used. Very few people have found the answers to these questions. Why aren't the answers to these questions common knowledge? Shouldn't everyone know how our money is created and who creates it? If you or I ask these people who create it they will have an answer for us, but...
To The Eagle: On behalf of the Wahkiakum Chamber of Commerce, I would like to express our gratitude to all who helped make the recent Crab and Oyster Feed another big success. The profits will be used to help continue funding our annual fireworks show, the Bald Eagle Fest, the Christmas Lights, the Neewollah celebration, the beautification of downtown and a local scholarship program. A hearty thank you goes to everyone who worked on this project. To name everyone by name is not possible but our hats are off to all of the businesses who...
To The Eagle: Thank you, Leon and Linda Gollersrud for encouraging the local people to speak up on Steve McClain's behalf. I guess we're all waiting for an explanation from the commissioners for their reasoning in firing him. I guess that is not going to happen. As previous business owners, we were very much aware of the extra revenue Steve helped to bring to our community. We also remember when he was first employed at the park, there was nothing there. Steve has helped to make Vista Park a fun and thriving place where people love to come. He...
To The Eagle: Like many other users of Vista Park, my family and I were very disappointed to hear of Steve McClain's termination. I grew up in Skamokawa, my dad Burtell Anderson and Jim Oatfield were on the school board when the first dredgings of sand were piled on the beach. At that time, a group of volunteers cut brush and used a Cat donated by Grays River Logging to expand the usable property of the Skamokawa Grade School. Later after the school had closed, we, like many others, started camping at the new park. Steve's mom was in charge at...
To The Eagle: This letter is in regards to the Port 2 Commissioners' firing of Steve McClain. We thought The Eagle would have been flooded with letters, from Steve's local friends, and supporters. As it was, there were only several letters from out-of-town people that gave Steve the kudos he deserves, for the excellent above and beyond job, he has done for 28 and a half years, as port manager. It's beyond us why the Port Commissioners didn't have the decency or respect, to give Steve, his family, and the public a reason for his firing. We've...
To The Eagle: We would like to make our neighbors on Morgan Drive and Greenwood Road aware that on Friday night, the 12th, Buzz started to take our miniature Dachshund for a walk. He did not get the door closed behind him when our dog was attacked by a black and white dog that appeared to be at least part pit bull. Thank God our daughter and son-in-law were there. It took all four of us to get her away from the other dog but she was hurt badly and required a trip to the vet. We do not feel safe taking the dog for a walk now. The next time, it...
To The Eagle: What a shock to read the headlines recently in The Eagle that Steve McClain had been fired! Apparently, according to the port sources I called, the port manager serves at the pleasure of the port commission and if "they" need to terminate their relationship with the manager, they may without warning! This gives enormous power to the publicly elected, three-man commission in control of this position. I hope the commission fully understands what this position entails--it can be far too easy to "manage" but not "know" the...
To The Eagle: A $200 million Export Grain Terminal (EGT) in a “public private partnership” is being built at the Port of Longview by TE Ibberson. This should have brought relief to an already economically depressed SW Washington, but the latest Daily News article cites unemployment in Cowlitz is up .03 percent. Perhaps if our new “partner” had hired locally instead of bringing a private workforce from all over North America (except Canada) our unemployment numbers would have leveled off during this period. The Port of Longview and the Cowlitz...
To The Eagle: Most people have difficulty visualizing the size of the national debt. As of today, it stands at 12.56 trillion dollars. Lately I have been trying to think of some way to illustrate that number in a way that local folks might be able to relate to. I thought perhaps most of us can visualize how big Puget Island is. There are places on the mainland that offer a vantage point for a pretty good view. Suppose we placed eight $10,000 Federal Reserve Notes on every square foot of Puget Island, including Little Island. That would be...
To The Eagle: On March 3, at 6 p.m., at the Knappa High School gym, we had an opportunity to applaud Oregon's Department of Environmental Quality for doing the right thing regarding, we hope, the imminent demise of Northern Star's preposterous LNG project. Oregon's Department of Environmental Quality continues to refuse to bow to Northern Star's demands. ('Bradwood dealt triple permit blow' The Daily Astorian, February 23). For this courageous act, we are extremely grateful. Would that other public agencies, assigned to protect our...
To The Eagle: I too was deeply saddened by the arbitrary dismissal of Port District 2 manager Steve McClain. My family has enjoyed his friendship for more than 10 years. I don't care who you are, if you were engaged in conversation with Steve, the discussion invariably made its way to his vision for the Vista Park. So infectious was his love and enthusiasm for his life's work, I found myself asking how I could get involved. We started by relocating the horseshoe pits and last year added a second set to aid in tournament play. About five years a...
To The Eagle: In last week's paper, Richard Erickson was reported as stating that people who buy waterfront property across from the Wauna paper mill do not mind the mill's noise, lights and smell. This is false. Q.U.I.E.T. (Quell Unlawful Illegal Emissions Today) sent an anti-noise petition with 18 property owner's signatures to the mill in 2008. Prior to that, other property owners complained about the bright lights. Most of the sentiment is apathetic; you know, its worthless to fight it. What I hear, when I have conversations with most...
To The Eagle: I've attended a couple of town and county LNG-related meetings wherein the Sheriff's Office indicated it may double its force to provide security for LNG tankers in the Columbia River. Now that I found out a little bit about it, I don't get it. Why would we (the county) go into a new line of business even if it didn't cost us anything? The Coast Guard was on record in their water suitability study that they could accommodate LNG tanker traffic. Even though they might not want to, they are qualified to do all of the security work a...
