Meeting on use of biosolids Sept. 7

Well, I hope the farmers have their hay in, as it looks like some wet weather is ahead. The rain is quite welcome for gardens being watered by hand.

News from Naselle:

Today is the first day of the 2010-11 school year. Let’s support them in their efforts, praise them for doing a good job and let them know we still care even if they need a little coaching in certain subjects.

Remember that there is no school on Monday, the 6th, in celebration of Labor Day.

I had a very nice note from Lois Bighill regarding her brother, Dan Anderson, of Grays River. Dan has had some pretty serious problems but Lois says, “He is one tough cookie and has made it through two surgeries. The first one early last week to repair two aneurysms and last Friday he also went through open heart surgery to repair an aorta. He is off the critical list and is being sent to Veteran’s Hospital to rest and recuperate.” She also wanted to say thank you to the entire community for their thoughts and prayers.

According to quite a few folks who know Dan, if anyone can come back from this kind of problem, it will be Dan. Meantime, continue your prayers for him and his family.

Other news from the Westend:

A very important meeting will take place on September 7 at 7 p.m. in the Commissioners meeting room of the Courthouse in Cathlamet. The issue at hand is an ordinance regarding the use of biosolids in Wahkiakum County. Comments will be taken at the meeting. It is important to the community for all of us to attend this meeting.

The Grays River Habitat Enhancement District will hold their regular monthly meeting on Wednesday, the 8th in the Grays River Grange Hall at 6 p.m. These are public meetings and everyone is welcome.

If you have driven on Covered Bridge Road lately, you will notice that the weir has once again been installed across the Grays River. WDFW will be culling the hatchery salmon from the wild ones. I still don’t understand why you kill viable fish to save them.

Speaking of fish, Bob and Lois Burkhalter showed up the other day with a beautiful fillet of steelhead that Bob had caught that morning. What a treat, and Lois’ recipe was the best. Thank you for sharing.

You may have noticed a couple of guys on 4-wheelers or just walking along the dikes and river banks in the Grays River area (the full length of the river), wearing neon chartreuse shirts. They were not hunters. Matt and Steve are with Woolpert (an engineering firm) and are in the process of conducting a Federal mandated inspection of all the levees and river banks in the area for the US Army Corps of Engineers. This project is part of a complete look at all the levees and riverbanks in the United States after the Hurricane Katrina problems. If you see these guys, tell them thank you for checking on our levees and river banks, as this may lead to some mandated upgrades for levee repairs.

Thanks to Mike Swanson for a new copy of the Naselle Booster Club birthday and anniversary calendar.

Birthdays coming up this week include Ryan Erickson and Alex Bennett on the 2nd; Amy Revis on the 3rd; Lynn Laney, Hans Varila, Vieno Denny and Kristin Gross on the 4th; Bud Strange, Josiah Liberatore, Skylar York, Tom Zimmerman and Greg Friddle on the 5th; Whitney Cooper, Joseph Leamy and Paul Lindstrom on the 6th; Doug Sandell, Norilyn Pakenen, Abbie Smith and Eddie Mennen on the 7th; Katrina Ervest, my neighbor Marie Fauver, Jennifer Blanchard and my good friend, Penny Gregory on the 8th. Happy Day to all of you.

Happy Anniversary wishes go out to Art and Vivian Busse, Travis and Michelle Pakenen and Steve and Rebecca Mattson on the 6th; Steve and Roxy Forbes and Scott and Colleen Smith on the 8th.

Have a safe and fun Labor Day weekend.