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PRESORTED STANDARD U.S.POSTAGE
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RAYMOND, WA 98577 PERMIT NO. 36
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Willapa Harbor Herald $1.00 Vol. 40, Issue 48
USPS 455960
November 28, 2018
Your Independent Community News Since 1890
The Pacific Northwest can expect warmer winter says NOAA By Jeff Clemens The National Oceanic and Atmospheric Agency released their 2018 winter outlook in October. Most of the western United States is expected to see warmer than normal temperatures and a high likelihood of an El Nino phenomenon. The news of a warmer winter and chance of an El Nino is a huge bummer to snow lovers such as skiers and snowboarders who travel to the passes each year and, of course, students. But, NOAA and many meteorologists have pointed out that cold weather and snow are still very possible. When El Nino is predicted weather models suggest the phenomenon is likely and when several models agree the likelihood rises. Which is the case for this year with five different models. El Nino typically means the Pacific Northwest will see a drier winter than normal but can expect bouts with decent storms and some snow. Snow for the lowlands is a bit more far fetched however. During the last El Nino from 2015-2016 Pacific County, particularly north county, only saw a few Photo by Patrick Myers stints of snow and nothing that stuck around. January of 2015, flash flooding puts Riverdale Park underwater as water gushes out of the drainage That winter also ended up being one of the ditch. warmest on record.
NOAA admits that long-term forecast are extremely hard to predict and aren’t always completely accurate. The prediction of El Nino is approximately 70-75% to happen this winter and only means the possibility tilts toward it actually being the case. Stevens Pass had an early season encounter with snow in October and according to meteorologists it's not uncommon. Crystal Mountain opened for the season over the Thanksgiving holiday weekend but was aided by snow making machines. Snow can be seen as early as September at higher elevations such as the passes. The snow at Stevens Pass melted by the next afternoon, but did remind Washington residents anything is possible, even with an El Nino likely. Regardless of the predictions, residents are encouraged to still be prepared for a brutal winter as anything is possible and the Pacific Northwest, especially the coastline, is prone to relentless storms. The storm of 2007 is always a thought in locals minds when a windstorm is predicted and is a reminder just how bad the coast can be pummeled out of nowhere.
By Jeff Clemens Several controversial initiatives passed by large margins during the November 6 general election. Two are expected to be challenged in lawsuits with lengthy court battles expected to ensue. Initiatives 940 and 1639 passed while 1631 was lone to fall short. Initiative 940 now requires law enforcement agencies statewide to take specialized training in de-escalation to avoid deadly force encounters. Officers will be required to use “good faith” before they’re able to justify using deadly force. The law will also require them to render aid to an injured suspect immediately. Many law enforcement agencies in Washington state including the Washington State Patrol Troopers Association had opposed the initiative claiming it put officers in a dangerous situation. Several agencies stated the initiative will cause officers to second guess themselves and ultimately put them and the public in harm's way. Others agencies are worried it will push good officers to look for employment out of state. However, proponents are praising voters for passing the initiative and believe it will decrease deadly encounters with law enforcement. As part of I-940 an oversight board will be created to look at deadly force encounters to determine if they were justified and suggest whether or not an officer should be charged with homicide. The initiative passed with 1,828,899 (59.6%) yes votes and 1,239,611 (40.4%) no votes. Initiative 1631 would have imposed a $15 per metric ton of carbon pollution tax on polluters, but fell short at the polls. Pacific County PUD customers would have seen a rate increase to offset the additional cost of $233,000 to PUD. The initiative failed to pass taking in 1,740,532 (56.57%) no votes and 1,336,455 (43.43%) yes votes.
Initiative 1639 became the most widespread controversial initiative on the ballot and still passed with a large margin. The initiative changes current gun laws and regulations in Washington State. An age limit 21 years old be imposed for purchasing a semi-automatic assault rifle, up from 18 years old . New purchasing requirements must be met including a “semi-automatic assault rifle” specific safety course, extensive background check, lifetime waiver of health records, and mandatory ten day wait period are required. The local police chief or sheriff of the jurisdiction a resident lives also has to sign off on the purchase. Firearm owners are also required to safely store all firearms or risk being charged with “community endangerment.” The initiative passed with 1,834,357 (59.37%) yes votes and 1,255,228 (40.63%) no votes. Several groups including the NRA are expected to wage a fierce court battle accusing the initiative of being unconstitutional and in violation of rights regarding health records. Proponents of the measure are celebrating the win and believe Washington will now see a decrease in firearm related violence and decline in illegal firearm possession. The state now has the strictest gun laws in the entire country.
Two controversial initiatives pass; one falls short Vikings host Seagulls tonight in season opener
Team Expectations are at a high premium for Willapa Valley boys basketball. The Vikings return experience, good shooting, pretty good speed and even some height. The opener is tonight at Tenoski Gym in Menlo versus rival Raymond. The Vikings then take to the road to Lacey Friday for another Pacific League encounter against Northwest Christian. Valley was 17-6 last season after losing a couple of heartbreaking games at district. “Our number one expectation this season is to compete every second that we step onto the floor,” Fifth-year WVHS Head Boys Basketball Coach Jay Pearson told the Herald. “We want to play really hard, learn from our mistakes and get better each week of the season. If we are able to achieve these goals, we believe that we could be one of those teams in the mix of things at the end of the year. “We feel that we are entering a promising season as a more mature and experience varsity basketball team,” Coach Pearson said. “We return four out of five starters from last year’s team in Matt Pearson, Lo-
gan Walker, Chad Flemetis and Peter Hamilton with proven reserve players in Frank Roonsburg, Carter Pearson, Beau Buchanan, Joey Simpson and Allen Deniston. In addition of promising newcomers in Tyler Adkins, Cole Buchanan, Sam Western and Joseph Pulsifer, who seem to have that basketball savvy instilled in them. We played pretty solid this summer and hopefully, we can carry that over into season play. “I would have to say our overall team speed and lack of varsity experience of some players who will play key roles for us this year are our team weakness,” Pearson said. “However, a lot of our kids worked hard during the off season to improve on their speed and I do believe these new players stepping into key roles will gain that valuable varsity experience early on in the season. “Every game is crucial for us, as if you are not ready to play on a given night, any team in our league could beat you,” Coach Pearson said. “However, particular games that are on our radar for this year are all local rivalry games, Ilwaco and Life
Christian Academy.” Coach Pearson said that Life Christian Academy and Ilwaco are the league favorites. Team Captains for the Vikes this season are Matt Pearson, Logan Walker and Chad Flemetis. Returning Viking letter winners include Carter Pearson, Walker, Peter Hamilton, Flemetis, Matt Pearson, Frank Roosnburg, Joey Simpson, Beau Buchanan and Allen Deniston. Coach Pearson said that promising newcomers are Tyler Adkins, Sam Western, Cole Buchanan and Joseph Pulsifer. Willapa Valley's roster includes Carter Pearson, jr, G/PG; Walker, so, G/F; Adkins, fr, PG; Cole Buchanan, jr, G; Hamilton, jr, F; Flemetis, jr, F; Matt Pearson, sr, PG; Western, jr, F; Frank Roonsburg, sr, G; Simpson, sr, F; Beau Buchanan, so, C; and Deniston, jr, F. Coach Pearson's staff includes his brother, Jon Pearson, also entering his fifth season as assistant varsity coach and junior varsity coach, and assistant varsity coach Jim Noren, who has been coaching with Jay Pearson for approximately 20 years.
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The South Bend Post Office welcomed a new Postmaster back in September By Jeff Clemens Jodi Hartle has taken over as the Postmaster of the South Bend Post Office and has been working for the Postal Service for the past four years. She also doubles as the fire chief for the Copalis Crossing Fire Department in Grays Harbor County. The Herald had the chance to sit down with her to talk about her career and more. Are you originally from Washington? If not, what brought you here? Can you speak a little about of your background? I am originally from Clarion, Pennsylvania. The Navy brought me out in the early 90’s and I was stationed up at Whidbey Island. I then went home for four years and went to work for Merrill Lynch doing appraisals, titles, and closings. I then came back out to the Pacific Northwest to be a real estate appraiser. I worked for a company for about a year and realized it
just wasn’t my cup of tea. I then went to work for the Pacific Science Center for three years and was the first female maintenance technician for them since their beginning in 1962. I just did maintenance, maintenance, and maintenance for years. I ended up getting an opportunity to come out here with a company I was with and just didn’t like doing maintenance anymore so I got out of it and came to the Postal Service. How long have you been with the Postal Service now? I have been with the Postal Service for just over four years now. I’ve worked in Hoquiam, I started my career in Ocean Shores. I started there in the morning and then would go out to Copalis Crossing or anywhere else they needed me to go. I was the Saturday person up in Taholah and about four to six weeks after I got there the Postmaster left and went to central
Washington and said well it's yours. So out of my four years in the Postal Service, I’ve been a Postmaster for about three and a half. So what brought you to the small town of South Bend? Do you plan to move locally? I came down here on a detail the first time for about 9 months filling in for Kim as she floated around. The position came open again, I applied for it, and here we are. It’s about an hour and 13 minute drive time each way from my home in Copalis Crossing. I have 23 acres out where I live, right on the Humptulips River. I love it out there and don't really see a need for me to move out this way. We understand you’re a fire chief at the Copalis Crossing Fire Department in Grays Harbor? I’ve been a firefighter for the past 8 years and became the fire chief back in 2013. I was originally the
Angela Black (left) Jodi Hartle (middle) Sam Anderson (right)
medical captain and safety officer for the department. My brother back home is the president of his fire department and my mom used to be an EMT on a medic helicopter. So firefighting
is just kind of in my blood. I kind of denied it for a very long time and then I came out here and finally accepted it. There are some good parts about firefighting
and there are some not so good parts about it. The bad part about it these days is volunteering is a thing of the past. You just can’t get volunteers anymore. It’s See Postmaster Page 4