Harbor Regional town hall in Ocean Shores causes confusion, anger
Miscommunication regarding services to be offered at new health clinic bewilders attendees
Jerry Knaak
The Daily World
ThecityofOceanShoreshosted a town hall with Harbor Regional Health (HRH) officials Wednesday evening at the Ocean Shores Convention Center that turned contentious in a hurry.
NEW WORLD DISORDER:
Residents were under the impression the City was teaming up with HRH to open a walk-in health clinic, however HRH officials indicated the new facility would be an appointment only Family Medicine Clinic, which blindsided those in attendance.
Thetownhallstartedpositively
enough, with HRH Chief Executive Officer Tom Jensen, Chief Medical Officer Anne Marie Wong, M.D., Executive Director Harbor Medical Group Elizabeth Tschimperle, Director of Marketing and Public Relations Chris Majors, and Grays Harbor County Public Hospital District #2 District 3 Commissioner Lynn Csernotta delivering a comprehensive presentation detailing HRH’s services, successes, challenges and concerns.
CityAdministratorScottAndersen, Finance Director Sara Logan and Fire Chief Brian Ritter represented the city of Ocean Shores. Mayor Frank Elduen was unable to attend.
After a 45-minute presentation andafewgeneralclarifyingquestions and answers about HRH’s services, the discussion turned to the health clinic planned for Ocean Sunset Plaza located at 171 E Chance a La Mer NE Unit 1,formerlyBeachBumFitness,in Ocean Shores.
See CLINIC, Page A7
Dirty toilets, closed facilities and fewer firefighters
Federal layoffs have created chaos for Northwest public lands, and a cascade of damaging environmental consequences appears imminent
Nick Engelfried
Columbia Insight
Every summer for decades,
Deaths
Thomas Wells, Hoquiam, 62
Robert Miller, Aberdeen, 88
Patricia Beach, Ocean Shores, 67
Anita Basich, Aberdeen, 95
Stefanie Weber, Hoquiam, 36
Pacific Northwest’s most rugged terrain to survey for threatened spotted owls.
UndertheEndangeredSpecies Act, timber projects on public lands must not jeopardize
essential spotted owl habitat. Understandingwherethebirds live and nest is therefore vital for maintainingthedelicatebalance between endangered species protection and logging in the region.
This year, though, the Trump administration’s federal hiring freeze may mean the surveys can’t go ahead.
The lack of spotted owl monitoring may seem unlikely to concern most voters who helped put Trump in office. Some may
See FORESTS, Page A8
“We were unable to hire field crews for the season,” says Dr. Taal Levi, a researcher at Oregon State University who works with the Forest Service to analyze audio spotted owl data. “That means we can’t do surveys, or it’ll be a skeleton crew of people trying to get it done.”
Craig McCaw named one of the richest Washingtonians at $2 billion
Grays Harbor roots: Wireless pioneer took over his dad’s cable-TV business in 1966 with his brothers
The Daily World
Forbes has released their annual list of billionaires for 2025, and 12 of them live here in Washington, including one with roots in Grays Harbor — Craig McCaw.
Aberdeen author Tom Quigg, who created The Harbor — A
Culture of Success (onlineatwww. cultureofsucces.com),includeda piece on the McCaw family. The following are excerpts from A Culture of Success:
The Grays Harbor connection to the birth of Cable TV
The significant role Grays Harbor County played in the developmentoflarge-scalecable television in the United States beganinthelate1920’sandearly 1930’s.
In an oral history interview for
a McCaw family documentary, Bob Uebanks, Ross Wynans and DonMcCawtellastoryofJ.Elroy McCaw, a Weatherwax High Schoolstudent,whostrikesadeal with Fred Goddard, manager of Aberdeen’s only radio station KXRO,forremotetransmissionof programs and music to the radio station. Elroy had created his own privatetelephonesystem.Heand friends had strung wire from the McCawhome,tothehighschool, and into downtown Aberdeen. Eventually Elroy piped music to the downtown businesses.
Wires were run down alleys, hanging from buildings and through sewer pipes. He would attach string to ping pong balls and flush them down toilets. When they floated through a man-hole, the string would be grabbed and used to pull a wire through the pipe. The wires were connected, the network system was in place. The interview went on to say, at the time the cost of telephone service was so high radio stations rarely provided remote
See MCCAW, Page A9
RHETT WILKINS / OREGON WILD
The Northern spotted owl has been at the center of environmental debate for half a century.
85 YEARS AGO
March 30, 1940
■ More than 100 Olympic elk, all apparently in “fine shape” were sighted by Chester Young and Allan Grant on a trip this week to the Oscar Smith ranch on the upper Queets River, they say.
■ Seventeen members of the Five O’Clock club braved the rain and wind yesterday at the Grays Harbor Country Club to open the 1940 golf season, but “Czar” Bert Hulbert called off the playing at the completion of four holes and the group adjourned to the club house for a banquet and business session.
April 3, 1940
Struck by a flying snag while working in the rigging at the Clemons Logging company works near Melbourne, Raymond Hobson, 25, was in serious condition with a fractured skull and other injuries at the Aberdeen General Hospital today.
The snag struck the top of his head and between his shoulder blades, bruising his back and fracturing his skull.
April 4, 1940
An advertisement for the Aberdeen Safeway store opening at the corner of W. Wishkah and I reads, “You’re invited to the spectacular Grand Opening of Aberdeen’s beautiful new Safeway Store … A spacious free parking lot eliminates your parking problems when you shop at this new store.” Advertised specials include pot roast for 15-cents a pound; sirloin or rib steaks for 19-cents a pound; a choice of pork chops or bacon for 18-cents a pound.
April 5, 1940
Plans for replacing the burned Aberdeen Plywood plant with another plywood plant, to be locally owned, were under way today immediately following the decision of the Aberdeen Plywood company stockholders, meeting at Olympia last night, not themselves to rebuild.
The replacement plans call for raising the required capital locally, and some offers of readiness to subscribe have been made already. Details have not been completed. While no site has been chosen, that of the old Slade mill, on Heron street just east of the Wishkah bridge, is prominent in the preliminary discussions. The site, which has both water and
rail connections and is regarded as admirably suited for the purpose, was acquired recently by the city at the county tax sale.
The plans as now discussed call for a plant of equal capacity with the burned plant. It would employ about 450 workers.
60 YEARS AGO
March 30, 1965
■ Terrorists set off an estimated 250 pounds of explosives in a parked car alongside the U.S. Embassy in Saigon, South Viet Nam today, killing at least 17 persons and wounding at least 151.
■ The South Side Fire Station was gutted and burned yesterday in preparation for construction of the new two-story $69,000 fire house. The old building housed Engine 6 and a reserve pumper and two men were on duty around the clock for years, according to Fire Chief Louie Larson.
March 31, 1965
Gene Thompson, fastballing Hoquiam righthander, hurled the Harbor area’s first no-hit no-run game of the young baseball season yesterday as the Grizzlies drubbed Montesano, 8-0 in a six inning contest.
Thompson struck out 11 Bulldogs while walking only two. Line drives by Greg Moore, Larry Packard and Tom Conley were the only well-tagged balls hit off Thompson, and all were swallowed in Grizzly gloves.
April 3, 1965
In a marathon that started out as a late afternoon contest and ended up under lights after 7 p.m., Aberdeen High School’s baseball team nipped Hoquiam 1 to 0 in 11 innings at Pioneer Park yesterday in the SWW Conference Northern Division opener.
Righthander Mike Hatley shut out the Grizzlies on five hits while fanning 15 and walking only two. Terry Church, Hoquiam’s strong-armed fireballer, lost a tough one, striking out 15 and giving up just seven hits.
April 5, 1965
Joseph J. Kaufman, 81, died unexpectedly Sunday in a Tacoma hospital. He was born in Benson County, Minn. He came to Aberdeen in the early days and started what is now the KaufmanScroggs Furniture Co. in 1903. He had been president of the National Retail Furniture Association.
30 YEARS AGO
March 30, 1990
■ Fans hoping to hear tunes from the Fab Four weren’t disappointed by the Fab One as Paul McCartney kicked off the final leg of his international tour last night at the Seattle Kingdome.
At the “Flowers in the Dirt” concert, McCartney bridged the generation gap with tunes such as “Let It Be” and “Hey, Jude.” But he also sang some new songs which also pleased the crowd of about 55,000.
Genie Benson, 39, got hooked on McCartney when she first saw him on the “Ed Sullivan” show when she was 14. She talked a ticket scalper down from $1,000 to $550 for a pair of second row tickets.
“I’ve gone broke on this person,” Benson said, adding that she spent $1,000 in November flying to Los Angeles when the U.S. tour began, for three McCartney concerts, seven T-shirts and two programs.
■ Michelle Grover’s leadoff home run triggered an eight-run first inning that led unbeaten North Beach to a 10-0 victory over Hoquiam junior varsity in a nonleague softball game Thursday in Moclips.
Dawneen DeLaCruz homered in the second inning for the Lady Hyaks. Grover wound up with three hits and DeLaCruz and Juli Sutter two apiece for the winner.
March 31, 1990
■ Approaching the final startup phase of his fledgling motorbike assembly plant in Hoquiam, businessman Jack Phelps is still riding a bumpy road and hardly finds time to relax. But the founder of Pacific Northwest Bikes says he wouldn’t have it any other way.
“I know it’s going to happen but I won’t rest easy until that first one rolls off,” he said.
The first large shipment of parts for the foldable, street legal Di Blasi motorbikes is expected to reach Seattle in late April or early May.
Phelps concedes he’s a bit behind schedule but says pre-production orders from companies nationwide have already topped the $25 million mark. And negotiations are intensifying with a Chicago-area developer interested in establishing a Midwest manufacturing plant for the motorbike parts.
■ Unable to find a place to dock so late in the game, the Grays Harbor
An advertisement for The Moclips Beach Hotel showed high hope for the property. Six months later, from Feb. 11-13, 1911, a series of storms came crashing through. Despite efforts to stop a break in a 10-foot seawall, the hotel collapsed, eventually reducing the fabled structure to a shell.
Historical Seaport in Aberdeen has canceled plans to attend the Rose Festival at Portland this summer.
Meantime, the tall ship
Lady Washington is set to consort with television magnate Ted Turner’s Bounty during the Goodwill Games at Seattle July 15 to Aug. 10.
The 18th-century ships will be moored side by side on Lake Union provided the Seaport board gives final approval for the trip, said Janet Richardson, volunteer executive director of the Seaport.
April 3, 1990
Westport lost some of its best lure when salmon seasons were cut in the early ’80s but merchants are realizing that there are bigger fish in the sea. A lot bigger.
More and more visitors are flocking to Westport each spring to catch a glimpse of the magnificent gray whales that pass by Grays Harbor on their annual trip from California to the rich feeding grounds in the Bering Sea.
Actually, whales aren’t fish. They’re mammals, but that just makes them all the more fascinating for hundreds of curious people from Seattle and points east.
Last Saturday, the Westport dock area was bustling with cameratoting whale watchers. More than 150 people paid $22 to $25 each to board several whalewatching charter boats.
John Smith of Aberdeen, a former administrator at Grays Harbor College, started organizing weekend whalewatching tours about six
years ago. As operator of Northwest Educational Tours, Smith charters fishing boats in Westport and organizes tours with the Seattle Aquarium and Pacific Science Center.
April 4, 1990
Two Grayland boys will walk 18 miles this Saturday to raise funds for Mike Beck, a South Beach resident who is struggling with medical bills from a kidney transplant.
Boyd Vinson, 11, and Tommy Roman, 10, plan to walk from the Tokeland Marina to the Westport Viewing Tower. They have been collecting pledges for more than a month and their goal is to raise $1,000.
April 5, 1990
Like most any other day, the green chain at the Mayr Bros. sawmill was humming this morning with workers in hard hats hovering over conveyor belts and diverting streams of freshly cut lumber into tall stacks.
But from loggers to sales people, there was only one question in the minds of the 190 employees who work for the family owned Hoquiam company: “What now?”
Tom Mayr, president of the resilient company founded by his father
and uncle, scanned the newspapers. The banner headline on Page One screamed, “Scientists side with the owl.” Another said, “NW braces for curbs in logging.”
Asked if he had a few minutes to give his reaction to the recommendation by a government panel of scientists who urged further cutbacks in logging on national forest lands, Mayr put the newspaper down. “Yeah, it looks like I’m going to have lots of time now.”
“As I understand it, they are virtually saying, ‘Shut the Olympic Forest down,’” Mayr said.
“The most disturbing thing to me is the fact that they gave no consideration to management practices that would enhance owl habitat,” he said.
He said he isn’t ready to throw in the towel but acknowledged that new technology to handle smaller timber “would take more money to modify the mill than the mill is currently worth.”
Compiled from the archives of The Daily World by Karen Barkstrom, editorial assistant at The Daily World. You can contact her at karen. barkstrom@thedailyworld.com or call her at 360-537-3925.
ABERDEEN HERALD
Campaign launched to keep Bezos Academy Pacific Beach open
Change.org petition aims to keep no-cost, allday preschool open at Pacific Beach Elementary
Jerry Knaak
The Daily World
Recently, TheDailyWorld learned that Bezos Academy Pacific Beach, which is located inside Pacific Beach Elementary School, was slated for closure on June 27. Parents were notified by regular mail last week.
Founded by Amazon founder Jeff Bezos, there are 10 other Bezos Academy preschools in Washington state, with a new one planned for Centralia. All 10 are actively accepting applications for the 2025-26 school year. The new location, which has not started accepting applications just yet, will be housed in the United Learning Center of Lewis County in downtown Centralia.
Bezos Academy tuitionfree (for eligible families) all-day preschools are also located in Arizona, Florida, Hawaii, Kentucky and Texas.
A Facebook page titled “SAVE the Pacific Beach Bezos Academy” was started the same day The Daily World published a story announcing the preschool’s closure. A Change.org petition was also launched by Leigh Rowley.
The associated Facebook post reads, in part: “If you are a parent or community member within 25 miles of Pacific Beach, join us in asking Bezos Academy NOT TO CLOSE OUR PRESCHOOL. Read the story and sign our petition if you can support its mission in the Grays Harbor community on Change.org.
“We kindly urge you to consider this petition and the collective efforts of parents who believe in the value of this preschool. Together, we can secure the future of Pacific Beach Bezos Academy for the next generation of children and continue to provide our
OBITUARIES
Tim Taylor passed away Saturday, March 1, 2025, leaving behind his beloved partner of 22 years, Suzanne Frazier, and his sweet little Cockapoo, Luigi, along with his son and daughter-in-law of Chicago, Anthony and Veronica. His quick wit, sense of humor and sweetness will always be missed.
Itiswithgreatsadnessthat
we announce the passing of Judith Ann Hranac Burnette Hirschman, aged 78, born Feb. 3, 1947, died March 20, 2025.She was born in Lewiston, Idaho and was a longtime Aberdeen resident. She graduated from Aberdeen’s Weatherwax High School Class of 1965. Judi’s passions in life were her family and traveling. Judi worked at the local Hallmark store, where she eventually became the manager. She was employed there until the store’s final closing.
Eventually, she became a travel agent working with her friend to be able to subsidize her travel bug. She travelled to Italy with oneofheryoungersistersfor the first time. This is where the travel bug developed. She and Terri took a trip to a small village near Lucca, stayed in a villa and that was all it took, and travel became a lifelong passion of Judi’s.
children with the foundation they deserve.”
That post can be found here: https:// www.facebook.com/ share/p/16LA5fF3s8/
A Bezos Academy spokesperson cited low enrollment as the reason for the closure.
“Pacific Beach was among the earliest schools we made plans to open at Bezos Academy. Since then, we’ve learned a lot about the space we need to effectively run a preschool,” said Allison Leader, Bezos Academy director of communications, via email regarding the reasoning behind the closure. “Operating in this community has been a wonderful experience, but unfortunately, we haven’t been able to attract the number of families we had hoped. Despite efforts from us and many members of the community, we just can’t fill our seats at the level we need to continue. We are working closely with both families and staff to support them during this transition.”
DEATH NOTICES
Thomas H. Wells
Thomas Henry Wells, Jr., a longtime resident of Hoquiam, died Wednesday, March 26, 2025, at home in Hoquiam. He was 62. Heownedandoperatedhisownlogtruck and also was an owner of Chenois Creek Horse Rentals with his parents, Thomas Sr. and Sandra Wells.
A graveside service will be held at 1 p.m. Saturday,April12,attheHumptulipsCemetery. A potluck reception will follow at the Humptulips Grange.
ArrangementsarebyColemanMortuary.
Robert ‘Bob’ H. Miller
Robert “Bob” Hiram Miller, a lifetime Aberdeen resident and former owner and agentofaninsurancecompany,diedSaturday,March29,2025,athisAberdeenhome. He was 88. As per his request there will be no formal services.
Arrangements are by Fern Hill Funeral Home in Aberdeen.
Patricia L. Beach
Ocean Shores resident Patricia Lee
Richard Allan Salo, 78, of Hoquiam, Washington, passed away on March 27, 2025.
Beach died Friday, March 28, 2025 in Seattle. She was 67. Services are being planned and will be announced once details become available.
Arrangements are by Harrison Family Mortuary of Aberdeen.
Anita Basich
Lifelong Aberdeen resident Anita L Basich died Sunday, March 30, 2025, in Vancouver, Washington. She was 95. Services are being planned. Funeral arrangements are by Harrison Family Mortuary.
Stefanie R. Weber
Stefanie Rose Weber of Hoquiam died at her home on April 1, 2025. She was 36. She was an enrolled member of the Quinault Indian Nation. Visitation will be from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. Saturday, April 5, at the Coleman Mortuary. An urn committal service will be at 1 p.m. Wednesday, April 9, at the Taholah Cemetery. A dinner will follow at the Community Center.
She has traveled to many European countries, Greece, China, and Thailand, plus several cruises that took her to tropical locations. Some of her favorites were her daughter’s wedding in Jamaica, a river cruise to Budapest, Hungary, but her all time favorite of the many trips she went on was a 30-day road trip through Italy. She always reminisced about that trip. Her other most important passion was her family. She was fiercely passionate about her parents, siblings, children and grandchildren. Judi married her high school sweetheart Archie Burnette Jr. and they had a son Anthony. Archie was Killed in Action in Vietnam on Jan. 31, 1968. Judi later married Donald Hirschman, an Aberdeen firefighter, and they travelled the world together, and they both enjoyed this travel immensely.
and their mother Dorena Lybbert, her great-grandchildrenTanner,Paisley,and Truett, and her two sisters Terri Reinmiller (Jim) and Debbie McManus, along with many nieces, nephews and grands and greats. She loved all of them!
She is predeceased by her parents William Joseph Hranac, Fern Garnet West, her brother Thomas William Hranac, and her daughter Deanne Renee Malone, and her first husband, Archie Burnette Jr.
Judi is survived by her loving husband of 56 years, Donald Dean Hirschman, her son Anthony Burnette Hirschman (Shelly), her daughter Trisha Ann Gallagher (Craig), granddaughter BillieAnn Darlett Shaw (Josh), granddaughter Brooke Diane Hirschman,
A Celebration of Life will be held on Saturday, May 10, 2025, from 1 to 4 p.m. at the Montesano Moose Lodge, 3 Monte Elma Rd., Montesano, WA 98563
In lieu of flowers, the family kindly request that donations be made to the ryr1.org in memory of Judi and for her great nephew Lucas Reinmiller.
Rich was born on Feb. 14, 1947, to Allan and Edith (Trineer) Salo in Aberdeen, Washington. He attended and graduated from Montesano High School in 1965. In 1973, he married Debra Wakefield and began their family in Hoquiam.
Rich worked as a forklift driver at Grays Harbor Veneerformostofhiscareer.
Rich retired after finishing out his career as a forklift driver at Weyerhaeuser.
Rich enjoyed going on road trips with his wife, sometimes driving to Oregon to get pizza at Abbie’s Pizza. He enjoyed sitting on the back deck during the summer and manning the grill for family BBQ’s. He was an avid bowler and enjoyed attending tournaments.
Rich also enjoyed watching the Seahawks and Mariners play and would attend Mariner’s games with his son. He was an avid Montesano Bulldogs football fan and would often attend home games to support his alma mater.
Richard is preceded in death by his wife, Debbie Salo and his son James Salo. He is survived by daughters Alicia Fleetwood of Hoquiam and Shannon (Jeff) Ramsey of Montesano; his grandchildren Madison (Skyler) Bennett, Cameron Webster, Buddy Bennett, Michael Salo, Lyndsey (Aaron) Sanders, Kyndahl (Kyler) Johnson, and Morgan Snow; daughter-in-law, Bronwyn Salo; sister Paulette Straughn; nephews Bruce and Jeff Straughn; sister-in-law, Vicki Rowe and the two most perfect great-grandsons, Carter and Buckley Bennett. No formal services have been scheduled. Please take a moment to share your memories and notes of condolence for the family at www.fernhillfuneral. com. Arrangements are entrusted to Twibell’s Fern Hill Funeral Home in Aberdeen, Washington.
PUD operations, linemen driven by years of training
Jon Martin District Three Commissioner Grays Harbor PUD
As your Grays Harbor PUD Commissioner,
I’ve seen up close what our linemen and Operations Department go through every day. From the garage to the warehouse, to the field, these folks aren’t just workers — they’re the heart and soul of what keeps our lights on in Grays Harbor. When those nasty coastal storms hit us,
CJon Martin
when trees come crashing down on power lines, or when equipment quits at 2 a.m. during a freezing night — it’s our crews who jump in their trucks while the rest of us stay warm indoors. They’re out there in the worst weather making sure we all have power. Their work goes way beyond just keeping our Netflix running. Our crews maintain systems that
keep medical equipment working for vulnerable neighbors, keep food from spoiling, and ensure we can call for help during emergencies. Without them, our county would grind to a halt.
So, what does it take to be one of these professionals? Lineman apprenticeship here at Grays Harbor PUD is a three-year program that includes on-the-job training as well as a concurrent three years of classroom training during the school year on Saturdays and a
few week-long trainings at a regional apprentice training yard.
To obtain a lineman apprenticeship with the PUD, employees are hired at entry level positions like flagger/ops trainee, garage help and warehouse workers, and eventually obtain a groundsman position on the crews which may take two or more years depending on how many others there are with more seniority.
These folks develop incredible skills — climbing poles with heavy
equipment, working at heights that would make most dizzy, and handling deadly electricity with precision.
All the training in the world doesn’t capture what makes our Grays Harbor Operations teams special. They all have something extra: commitment to safety, problemsolving abilities, and dedication to keeping your power on, no matter what.
I’m amazed by how tight knit our crews are. Their work depends on
teammates doing everything right. This teamwork makes them effective when things get rough. As your Commissioner, I’m committed to supporting our Operations teams and their training. These folks represent public service at its finest, and I couldn’t be prouder of them.
When you spot PUD trucks in your neighborhood, give a wave. Those dedicated professionals are the real deal — powering our community through thick and thin.
Republicans can have their tax cuts and benefits, too
ongressional Republicans face some tough math. They want to extend tax cuts, set to expire this year, that would add perhaps $4.5 trillion in new deficit spending. To offset such extravagance, they plan to come up with $2 trillion in spending cuts. Can it be done, as the White House suggests, without touching benefits? Possibly — but not the way lawmakers appear to be going about it.
House Republicans passed a budget blueprint that constitutes the first step toward a so-called reconciliation bill, which will allow them to extend the expiring provisions of the 2017 Tax Cuts and Jobs Act with a simple majority. Although the plan directs the committee that oversees government health-insurance programs to find $880 billion in savings, it offers no specific proposals. Plenty of ideas are now circulating, most of which focus on cuts to Medicaid, the federal entitlement for the poor. That Medicaid has become a potential target for spending cuts isn’t unreasonable. The program accounts for almost a fifth of total health-care spending and 8% of the federal budget — or some $600 billion annually. Yet Medicaid is also hugely important, providing health coverage for 1 in 5 Americans and 39% of children. It has likewise become a major source of financing to states, which administer their own programs but split costs with the federal government. Any reductions should be undertaken carefully to avoid disruptions to care.
TUnfortunately, most proposals fall short of that goal. Chief among them is a plan to set a perenrollee cap on federal spending — that is, an absolute sum rather than a percentage of state outlays. Although the plan would cut federal expenditures by up to $1 trillion over a decade, it would shift risks to states, which are likely to cut programs and slash payments to providers. As a result, more than 15 million enrollees
could lose coverage — 5 million of them children — and many will go uninsured, leading to worsening health, costly emergencyroom visits and loss of income to providers for uncompensated care. For these and other reasons, previous attempts to implement such caps have failed. Other proposals — such as lowering the 50% “floor” for the federal contribution or eliminating the
increased rate for certain populations under the Affordable Care Act — invite similar problems. That isn’t to say Medicaid expenditures couldn’t use sharper oversight. Some states inflate their Medicaid spending — and thus, the federal share — by imposing extra taxes on providers. States then “repay” providers at higher rates, sometimes rivaling commercial levels. Eliminating such taxes outright would
compromise what’s become a significant, if easily gamed, source of funding. But lowering the rate gradually would save more than $200 billion through 2034. Better yet would be revoking the carveouts that allow overpayments to continue.
Regrettably missing from the cornucopia of proposals are reforms to Medicare, which constitutes 14% of the federal budget and has seen spending per enrollee rise 65% faster than Medicaid since 2008. Its main trust fund is slated for insolvency by 2036. A serious effort to address Medicare’s flaws — in particular its profligate payment model — will evidently have to wait.
The good news is that — unlike the proposed cuts to Medicaid — more modest Medicare reforms could still yield significant savings without reducing coverage. As one example, a bipartisan proposal to charge Medicare the same price for a service, no matter where it’s provided — so-called site-neutral payments — could save up to $150 billion over a decade. Or take Medicare Advantage “upcoding.” Insurers who administer the privatized program diagnose seniors with an encyclopedia of ailments that result in chronic overpayments. Narrowing these disparities could save taxpayers tens of billions annually.
With some thoughtful reform — and a bit of good faith — this effort could become the start of a much more ambitious fiscal overhaul. Or it could amount to another round of budget-busting tax cuts. Republicans will need to choose. Bloomberg Opinion
Let’s be truthful about Trump’s ‘reciprocal’ tariffs
he Trump administration is working feverishly on implementing “reciprocal tariffs” on many traded goods. Members have given the example of Canada charging the U.S. 250% tariffs on some dairy products. Yes, that’s true. Under the U.S.-MexicoCanada Agreement, Canada kept protections for its politically sensitive dairy sector. That’s something I know about, as I advised the office of the U.S. Trade Representative about Canadian dairy policy during the negotiation of USMCA. At the time, the U.S. dairy industry wanted to export more to Canada, but the big rub was Canadian
exports of subsidized dry milk proteins. Canada was planning to expand its protected dairy industry and dump surplus milk proteins onto the world market, effectively competing with U.S. exports. The Canadian dairy industry was holding up an entire trillion-dollar trade deal among three countries. In the end, Canada agreed to a U.S. compromise, which paved the way for USMCA. Reciprocal tariffs between two countries sound entirely reasonable. You charge us 300% tariffs on butter imports, and we’ll raise our tariffs to 300%. But trade deals are based on comparative advantage and some politics, not reciprocity. Canada wants to protect its dairy industry but is willing to export softwood lumber, crude oil
Michael Wagar Editor
Doug Ames General Sales Manager
and electricity to the U.S. at affordable prices. If you want to build a house in the U.S., or turn on the lights in Michigan, it’s nice to have these things from our neighbor.
The U.S., on the other hand, exports motor vehicles, machinery, metals and minerals, and food to Canada. Those are things we are good at. Trade takes place because each side has a comparative advantage in the production of these very different products. No one is “ripped off.” The fact we have a trade imbalance with Canada has to do with our insatiable demand for energy products, and the fact that the U.S. population is almost 10 times larger than Canada’s.
The theory of comparative advantage in trade
goes back 208 years to British economist David Ricardo. The USMCA is a perfect example of Ricardo’s economic theory of trade and how all three countries benefit. And, it explains why trade deals are negotiated as a package rather than product by product. Before USMCA, all three countries discussed priorities, protected sectors and emerging markets. It took months of intensive negotiations and lots of due diligence on all sides. The U.S. side was negotiated by Robert Lighthizer, an experienced trade negotiator appointed by President Donald Trump. The current approach of unilaterally erecting U.S. tariffs on trade clearly violates existing trade deals. Yes, it’s frustrating that a few U.S. allies today
continue to erect some protectionist barriers to U.S. trade. For example, in 2024, the U.S. imported $3 billion in dairy products from the European Union, 61% of which was cheese and butter. That same year the U.S. exported just $167 million worth of these products to the EU, even though we win global awards for our dairy products (e.g. Oregon’s Rogue Creamery). This lopsided trade is basically unfair. But is Trump’s approach the way to deal with this problem?
Trump’s reciprocal tariffs will likely invite retaliation, not negotiations, and will ignite a new global trade war. That will raise U.S. consumer prices and inflation, slow economic growth and harm relations with our allies. There isn’t any upside. However, the effects of tariffs will be felt immediately. U.S. consumers will be able to link higher prices to Trump’s tariffs. My advice to businesses in the Pacific Northwest is to hold tight. Bad economic news, a declining stock market and high inflation will force the administration to abandon this reckless approach to tariffs within six to nine months. Unfortunately, some damage to businesses and allies will likely linger.
Kenneth Bailey is a consultant to the U.S. dairy industry and a former professor of dairy markets and policy. The author of “Dairy Economics: Pricing, Policy, and Risk Management,” he lives in Sammamish.
Kenneth Bailey Special to The Seattle Times
Clinic
The Ocean Shores City Council held a special meeting on Dec. 30, 2024, to award a contract to Tumwater-based general contractor Christensen Inc., to transform the former fitness facility into a health clinic.
Elduen told The Daily World at the time, “We’re starting off with a walk-in clinic type care, if people use it, and I believe they will, (HRH) will expand their types of care, and they’ve said that, they just need people showing up and using the facility. I think people north of us, up the north coast, will be stopping here instead of driving into Aberdeen.”
American Rescue Plan Act (ARPA) funds awarded to the city of Ocean Shores by the United States federal government are being used to finance the construction of the clinic, which is budgeted for roughly $470,000.
The agenda summary for the city council’s special meeting reads: “ARPA funds will be used for this project.
The city of Ocean Shores plans to build a Health Clinic at 171 East Chance a La Mer NE, in Ocean Shores. Council has agreed that the remaining ARPA funds can be used toward the Clinic construction. The City will partner with Harbor Regional Health (HRH) to run the Clinic. HRH will be responsible for staffing the clinic, the supplies and all equipment for the Clinic. HRH will sublease the space from the City, who is leasing the space from Ocean Sunset, LLC.”
The construction documents conveyed between the city of Ocean Shores and Christensen, Inc., all read “City of Ocean Shores Walk-in Clinic,” while the lease agreement between the City and Ocean Sunset LLC, under Use of Premises, reads, “Tenant or Tenant’s sublessee shall use the Premises for walkin or urgent care medical services and other ancillary use (such as related office space) (the “Permitted Use”) and shall not use them for any other purpose without the prior written consent of Lessor,
which will not be unreasonably withheld, provided, however, in no event shall the Premises be used as a behavioral health service, methadone or other drug recovery or substance abuse weaning type of clinic.”
Under Sublease; Assignment, the lease reads, “The Tenant shall have the right to sublease, assign, or license the Leased Premises to any sublessee, assignee, or licensee who agrees to operate the facility as a walk-in medical clinic, subject to the Landlord’s prior written consent, which will not be unreasonably withheld; PROVIDED, however, a sublease to Grays Harbor Regional Health is permitted outright.”
However, the Harbor Regional Health sublease agreement’s Use of Premises section reads, “Tenant shall use the premises for medical services and other related purposes and shall not use them for any other purpose without the advance written consent of City. Tenant shall continuously use the entire premises for the conduct of business during clinic hours for the term of this Lease with the exception of temporary closures caused by reason of wars, interruption in labor, riots, civil commotion, acts of the public enemy, acts of God, or temporary shutdown because of economic necessity.”
After a description of the HRH Family Medicine location in Westport, which offers appointment only services two days per week, the “Coming Soon” Ocean Shores clinic was mentioned in the initial presentation and the slide called it “HRH Family Medicine.” The presentation indicated a similar facility was in the offing for Pacific Beach.
“And then this is the location of the Family Medicine Clinic we are working with the city to open here in Ocean Shores,” said HRH’s Tschimperle. “We are working with architects in the city to get all of those things squared away so we can provide services here to Ocean Shores. We are also working to put a clinic of similar size at Pacific Beach.”
After a question was
asked about emergency room challenges, Ocean Shores Fire Chief Brian Ritter indicated that he believes the clinic will help alleviate some of the pressure placed on local authorities for medical services.
“(Emergency rooms) are facing recruitment/retention issues, high turnover, just like everywhere else, but one of the biggest issues I see in the ED (emergency department), and I think in the majority of community hospitals, is people using the ED for their primary care,” Chief Ritter said. “Primary care has now fallen in the lap of a local community hospital,the fire department and the emergency room, and I think the benefit of having this walk-in clinic … having this opportunity for Harbor Regional Health, the city of Ocean Shores and the Fire Department work together to reduce some of that lower acuity of patient care will be extremely beneficial for not only the city but the hospital as well.”
The citizens of Ocean Shores in attendance at Wednesday evening’s town hall were aghast to hear “Primary Care” and “Family Medicine” instead of “walk-in clinic” from HRH officials.
A resident asked, “Earlier Elizabeth referred to the facility that’s coming here to Ocean Shores as a family medicine clinic, is that accurate?”
“Yes, that’s accurate,” said Tschimperle. “It will be providing primary care services initially. If there is an opportunity for us to recruit enough clinicians, we do have space to provide additional services like a walk-in service, but ultimately as a rural health clinic the initial services we need to provide are primary care. Urgent care is not the same. It’s a different classification of services.”
Jensen echoed Chief Ritter’s sentiments when it comes to alleviating pressure on emergency rooms if and when the HRH Family Medicine Clinic in Ocean Shores becomes a fully walk-in facility. He also tried to clarify the nomenclature.
“That’s the best part about a walk-in clinic, if they can’t help you they will tell you you need to go to the emergency room,” said
Jensen. “Once we get to a point where it will just take walk-ins, you can see by the stats, my ED visits have almost stabilized because of that walk-in clinic. If the volume is here you’ll see it as a walk-in. I hate to use the word ‘Urgent Care’ because it’s billed differently, there’s different expectations, there’s different federal expectations, so we use the word Prompt Care and we talk about primary care. You might not see very many differences between that and say a more acute care service.”
Jensen added that the number and types of services the clinic will offer over time will depend on patient volume.
Another resident asked about the status of the physical clinic construction project and if there were any foreseeable delays or issues.
“We have been working with architects in the city of Ocean Shores to make sure that the drawings and the construction are what are required by the Department of Health to be able to provide healthcare services in this community at that location,” said Tschimperle. “We are in the stages of that. The Department of Health requires what’s called a ‘construction review’ process so they have to take all of the drawings and everything we tell them that we are going to provide in these services and put them together and say ‘yes, you can do this here with those plans.’ Then being able to do all of the construction and hire staff and get all the equipment here and train them and open the doors.”
The next question regarding the Ocean Shores health clinic involved the treatment of accidental injuries.
“I think a number of us are still confused exactly what’s coming here, a lot of us thought it would be if I was on the beach and I stepped on a beer bottle and I cut my foot I could go into your clinic and get my foot sutured, now that’s not what I’m thinking I’m hearing anymore, is that incorrect or correct?” said Rick Beveridge.
“We will be providing primary care services, there may be some level of walkin, but at first it will be by appointment only,” said Tschimperle. “Those kinds
of services you’re talking about would be more along the lines of an urgent care service and we do not have at this time the means to provide that level of service at this location.”
Dr. Wong tried to further clarify the services the HRH Family Medicine Clinic in Ocean Shores plans to offer.
“However, as we’re seeing in Westport, as any new clinic starts, the schedule is not completely full, sometimes there are patients that will show up in Westport without an appointment, and if the clinician who is there has the ability they will say ‘go ahead and put them in,’” said Dr. Wong. “Is that a walk-in service, it is kind of a walk-in service. It is primary care, primary care encompasses anything that is considered family medicine, internal medicine is primary care, pediatrics is primary care, obstetrics and gynecology is primary care. The primary care focus we’re going to have here will be family medicine, we consider birth-to-death type of services for routine things. Many times your old-fashioned family medicine doctor would see you for you stepped on a bottle and your foot is bleeding and can they do something for you there.”
Many more residents took to the microphone to express their confusion and dismay using phrases like “bait and switch” and “this is not what we were expecting.” The HRH representatives were asked what it would take for this new facility to grow into the walk-in clinic the residents of Ocean Shores envision.
“Urgent care services are different services, they are attuned to an emergency room, we don’t have all of the things we need in order to provide those services, we don’t have all of the equipment and we don’t all of the personnel and we don’t have that classification,” said Tschimperle. “Walk-in services are something, yes, we can get to, but that also depends upon the level of walk-in services we can provide and staffing. I have heard from others that the want is that we are open seven days a week for much more than a regular workday. I can tell you right now I do not have the personnel to provide that
level of services either at the moment. So we have to take small steps to get to that point and we have to see that we have the community demand to be open that period of time and to be able to staff to that level of service.”
Ocean Shores City Administrator Scott Andersen suggested a compromise.
“Is there any possibility of sort of a hybrid system, where obviously we could have appointment based scheduling but people could walk in off the street?” Andersen asked. “What would you be able to afford to people who walk in off the street?”
“There can be some level of simple suturing, things like that, there can be all respiratory related illnesses, ear infections, things like that,” said Tschimperle. “That’s what we do now at our Prompt Care location and we provide those services also within primary care. It’s not out of the realm of possibility. I think there is some maybe miscommunication about what urgent care is and what walk-in services are and what primary care services are. Because we are providing primary care services doesn’t mean we won’t provide walk-in services, in the sense that we have available appointments so if somebody comes in and we can see them then we would see them. We have to build our practice, we have to be open for services and have people come. It’s not like we would say we’re only scheduling appointments and you can’t get in any other way. I don’t want to commit fully to something not knowing what the utilization will be in the community.”
Dr. Wong added, “Because we call it primary care it doesn’t preclude people from walking in, it can still happen, I think that we want to start small. Part of it is recruiting clinicians is very difficult.” Andersen was asked how the disconnect happened regarding expectations and communication about the services HRH plans to offer at the new clinic.
“I just found out about the appointment system just now, I just learned
See CLINIC, Page A8
From Page A1
JERRY KNAAK PHOTOS / THE DAILY WORLD Harbor Regional Health Chief Executive Officer Tom Jensen Harbor Regional Health Chief Medical Officer Anne Marie Wong, M.D.
Executive Director Harbor Medical Group Elizabeth Tschimperle
Ocean Shores City Administrator Scott Andersen
that myself,” Andersen said. “We just have to really look at that, that’s what the community needs, we’re going to have to talk about how that works. You can see what our community wants.”
No hours or days of operation have been established for the HRH Family Medicine Clinic in Ocean Shores as of yet.
A broader question regarding the disconnect in communication and expectations was put to the HRH representatives.
“We have been talking to people with the city and we’ve been very clear what we are planning to do, and
Forests
From Page A1
even celebrate the demise of threatened species research on public lands.
However, the Forest Service’s inability to say where the imperiled birds are could have farreaching, unintended consequences.
If scientists don’t know where spotted owls are present, logging projects in the Pacific Northwest may be unable to move forward, affecting timber industry jobs. In a worst-case scenario for the industry, a judge could halt logging across the region, something that hasn’t happened since the 1990s.
That’s just one of many unexpected ways the Trump administration’s recent federal hiring freeze, spending cuts and mass layoffs could affect what happens on public lands in the Pacific Northwest.
“Owl surveys are really just the tip of the iceberg,” says Noah Greenwald, endangered species director at the Center for Biological Diversity. “Any survey work done by seasonal employees on federal lands will be affected this year, whether it’s related to salmon, Oregon spotted frogs or any other endangered species.”
A reduced federal presence on public lands will certainly hinder efforts to conserve and restore imperiled wildlife, and it may impact the timber industry.
It will also affect the experiences of millions of people who flock to the Pacific Northwest’s national forests, national parks and other public lands each summer.
“Many of the folks who’ve lost jobs in these last few months are the on-the-ground staff on these lands,” says Kindra Ramos, chief programs officer for Washington Trails Association. “They staff trail crews, clean bathrooms or greet you in ranger stations when you walk in. Their loss will
what we’re talking about tonight is what we were planning and have been planning, so where the disconnect came from is really hard to say. We don’t know,” Majors said. “This is the conversation we’ve been having with everybody from the city from the beginning.”
Andersen said, “We knew that it would not be an urgent care. … I did not, honestly, until tonight did not know that people could not walk into this. We’re going to have to talk about this somehow, this may not be the place but we’re going to have to talk about it.”
By the end of the town hall Tschimperle and Andersen resolved to discuss compromises and negotiate solutions to the issues raised during the
impact visitors in real, visible ways.”
Organizations like WTA, which work closely on public lands issues, are only just beginning to understand the full ramifications of the administration’s actions.
Some impacts may not be known for months.
However, they may not always be what architects of the cuts intended.
National parks lose stature
When the Trump administration announced, on its first day in office, a freeze on hiring of most federal civilian employees, it created a crisis for agencies that manage public lands.
Since then, a separate freeze on government spending, plus mass layoffs across the federal government, have further complicated the picture for land managers.
While court challenges have forced the administration to backtrack on some funding and personnel cuts, at least temporarily, entities like the Park Service, Forest Service and Bureau of Land Management remain in a state of uncertainty about what resources will be available going into summer.
These agencies rely heavily on seasonal employees to fulfill vital functions, from endangered species monitoring to trail clearing to wildland firefighting.
Meanwhile, many existing employees have already been fired or pressured to take early retirement.
“We’ve heard of about five, six people fired at Olympic National Park, a similar number at Mount Rainier and likely a few at North Cascades National Park,” says Rob Smith, Northwest regional director for the National Parks Conservation Association. “It’s hard to find a park site that hasn’t had someone forced into retirement or fired. And we expect more to come.”
According to Smith, Park Service employees forced out of their positions have included the
meeting.
On Thursday, Ocean Shores Mayor Frank Elduen and City Administrator Scott Andersen issued the following statement:
“After the presentation by Harbor Regional Health there was an open microphone question and answer session. During that session questions arose about the hours, schedule, and services that would be made available to walkin patients at the Ocean Shores clinic. Both the audience and the City were taken aback by comments that the clinic would not be offering walk-in services.
“During conversations between the City of Ocean Shores and Harbor Regional Health the City was informed that the clinic would be classified
scientist in charge of grizzly bear reintroduction at North Cascades National Park, an Olympic National Park employee developing educational materials about climate change and the ranger stationed at the high-elevation Camp Muir on Mount Rainier, whose job included assisting with rescuing climbers trapped in glacial crevasses.
“These are people with unique skill sets who aren’t easy to replace,” says Smith.
In addition to four National Parks—Olympic, North Cascades and Rainier in Washington, plus Crater Lake in Oregon—the Pacific Northwest is home to over a dozen national historic sites, monuments, and recreation areas, many of which are also affected by recent federal actions.
Klondike Gold Rush National Historical Park, in downtown Seattle, is among 34 Park Service sites nationwide whose building leases the federal government wants to terminate in what it says is a cost-cutting measure.
The park occupies one of the oldest brick buildings in Seattle and commemorates a time when prospectors used the city as a gateway to Alaska.
“For people who can’t make the journey to Olympic or Mount Rainier Parks, this is their hometown, downtown park that serves as an entry place to finding information about the wider National Park system,” says Smith.
National forests have, if anything, been even more affected.
About 260 federal employees have so far been laid off within National Forest Region 6, which spans Washington and Oregon.
Mount BakerSnoqualmie Forest lost over 30% of its workforce. Okanagan-Wenatchee National Forest has shed 46 employees, while Gifford Pinchot National Forest has lost 15.
That’s according to a March 7 letter sent by Democratic members of Washington’s Congressional delegation to the
as “Rural Health Clinic” as defined by the United States Department of Health and Human Services https:// www.ruralhealthinfo.org/ topics/rural-health-clinics. The Ocean Shores clinic would therefore afford scheduled primary care services, but it was clearly understood by both parties that the clinic would also offer walk-in clinic services to the public. In correspondence from both the Mayor and the Project Manager the clinic is referred to as a “walk-in clinic”.
“In correspondence drafted by City Administrator Andersen and sent by Mayor Elduen to CEO Tom Jensen on Dec. 18, 2024, the opening includes the following: ‘Hello Tom, I truly appreciate everything you are doing at Harbor
heads of the Forest Service and Department of Agriculture. The letter asks the agencies to reinstate fired Forest Service employees, citing the importance of national forests to Washington’s economy.
Of course, tallies of laidoff workers don’t account for seasonal positions that are simply going unfilled.
These include Park Service and Forest Service employees who are normally hired to maintain facilities and interact with visitors in the busy summer season.
It also includes the seasonal workers who gather spotted owl data for the lab Taal Levi runs at OSU.
Legal problems
At some point between now and summer, the federal hiring freeze may be lifted, at least partially.
Even if that happens, though, land agencies will struggle to catch up on hiring for seasonal positions, spotted owl surveyors among them.
“The Forest Service would normally be hiring around forty-five surveyors to do this work across Washington, Oregon and northern California, beginning in spring,” says Levi.
Northern spotted owls, a subspecies found only in mature forests of the Northwest, were listed as threatened under the Endangered Species Act in 1990 due to logging of their habitat. This prompted a court injunction the following year, which put a moratorium on most public lands logging across the region.
The Northwest Forest Plan, adopted in 1994, allowed some logging to restart while protecting essential habitat for spotted owls and other imperiled wildlife, like marbled murrelets and salmon.
The plan requires that the Forest Service conduct yearly monitoring to find out what habitat the owls are using.
In the early years, spotted owl surveyors hiked through forestlands
Regional Health to facilitate the introduction of a walkin clinic in Ocean Shores. Our community has longed for this development for many years, and I anticipate this service will prove to be exceedingly popular.’
“After the meeting, City Administrator Andersen andFinanceDirectorLogan debriefed Mayor Elduen on what had been said and what transpired during the meeting. The Mayor immediately put in a call to Harbor Regional Health CEO Tom Jensen. CEO JensenreturnedtheMayor’s call this morning. On that call Mr. Jensen promised Mayor Elduen that walk-in services would be available at the Ocean Shores clinic.
Mr. Jensen noted that the level of services would be determined by the volume
manually identifying trees where the birds nested.
This method became impractical as the owls kept declining and became ever harder to find.
Today, researchers rely on data collected by around 4,500 audio recorders distributed by surveyors throughout the subspecies’ range.
The continued drop in spotted owl numbers is partly due to the spread of a related species from eastern North America, the barred owl, which competes with and even preys on its smaller relative.
The barred owl’s advance into spotted owl habitat has hindered the threatened subspecies’ ability to recover, even after the end of most old-growth logging.
Levi’s lab analyzes vast amounts of data collected by audio recorders, searching for spotted owl vocalizations. The same data is used by researchers tracking the movements of marbled murrelets, songbirds and other species.
“Monitoring isn’t, in itself, a conservation action,” says Levi. “But it’s essential for assessing the effectiveness of conservation work, like proposed efforts to remove barred owls from spotted owl habitat.”
The audio data is also used to show logging projects on public lands comply with the Endangered Species Act.
“If the Forest Service can’t hire surveyors this year—which I don’t see how they could, at this point—then affected logging projects can’t move forward without being in violation of federal law,” says the Center for Biological Diversity’s Greenwald.
With no way to effectively monitor spotted owls, courts could order a full or partial reinstatement of the 1991 logging injunction.
of visitors and that hours and times walk-in services would be afforded to the public would ultimately need be decided based on usage, a position the City finds acceptable, but when asked directly if he could openly be quoted as stating for the record that the Ocean Shores clinic would categorically make walk-in services available he said ‘yes, you can quote me on that, we will get this done,’ and that he ‘regrets any confusion that was caused last night.’
“TheCityofOceanShores respectfully looks forward to next steps with Harbor Regional Health on staffing, hours, and the types of walk-in services that will be made available to our community and guests.”
the President’s directive to improve government, eliminate inefficiencies and strengthen USDA’s many services to the American people.”
However, drastic staffing cuts could hobble some administration priorities, as well as critical functions like wildland firefighting that have strong bipartisan support.
The administration has been careful to emphasize its job cuts do not include positions currently focused on firefighting.
The USDA’s statement said it “has made the difficult decision to release about 2,000 probationary, non-firefighting employees from the Forest Service. To be clear, none of these individuals were operational firefighters.”
However, eliminating large numbers of staff could still interfere with fire response.
“What the people making these cuts don’t seem to appreciate is that the same employees who are the interpretive rangers or trail maintenance crews of today could be the wildland firefighters of tomorrow, this summer,” says the National Parks Conservation Association’s Smith. As fire seasons have grown increasingly severe, due to climate change and other factors, it’s become common for employees in a variety of positions to switch to firefightingrelated duties when conditions demand.
This summer there will be a reduced pool of staff to draw on.
‘Shooting themselves in the foot’
Trails used by thousands of people to access wild areas will also suffer.
It’s unclear how the Trump administration, which has openly defied other court rulings in a manner unprecedented in modern U.S. history, would respond. However, the possibility of a clash in the courts complicates administration goals like a March 1 executive order calling for increased logging in national forests.
“Executive orders don’t override legislation passed by Congress,” says Greenwald. “If they try to move forward on logging projects without doing what’s required under the Endangered Species Act, they’re going to face legal challenges.”
How cuts might hamper wildland firefighting
The elimination of public lands jobs is part of what the Trump administration says is a wider push for a slimmer federal government, spearheaded by the new Department of Government Efficiency, or DOGE.
A spokesperson for the U.S. Department of Agriculture, which oversees the Forest Service, told Columbia Insight that department leadership “fully supports
Concern about the state of trails has helped spark increased interest in volunteering among members of the public. However, much trail work is already done by volunteers.
Ramos, of Washington Trails Association, says her organization logged over 70,000 volunteer hours last year.
“Volunteers can’t do everything, though,” says Ramos. “We partner with the Forest Service on trail projects, and what we’re seeing as recreation staff are cut is there’s no one for us to coordinate with or help facilitate logistics.”
Even the Trump administration’s goal of ramping up timber production could be hampered in ways that go beyond an inability to gather endangered species data. The letter from Washington lawmakers to the USDA and Forest Service cites administrative positions focused on timber as being among those affected by recent layoffs.
“The people they’re firing include those at the Forest Service and BLM who plan timber sales,” says Greenwald. “This administration is shooting themselves in the foot with their own objectives, and any project they want to do in Western Washington is likely to be affected.”
McCaw
broadcasts of sporting events, or other activities. Elroy made an agreement with Goddard to transmit radio programs over his lines at a much lower cost than the telephone company.
However, the system soon came to a sudden end, when the telephone company became annoyed, and had the McCaw system shut down. Thus, began a lifelong animosity McCaw had of the telephone monopoly. However, the relationship between young Elroy McCaw and the businessman Goddard did not end there.
Jump ahead a few years to Astoria, Oregon, in the year 1948. Ed Parson discoveredthatifheputan antennaontopoftheAstor Hotel, he could pick up the broadcast signal from the television transmitters of KING in Seattle. He then ran an antenna wire down to a building across thestreet.Whenneighbors heard of it, they wanted to tie into his system, and the first cable TV system in the U. S. was born. Soon other communities were installing cable systems, and in 1950 two cable TV systems were competing in Aberdeen/Hoquiam. According to Bill McCaw, son of Don McCaw, one was started by a group including Homer Bergren, Fred Goddard, Bob McCaw, J. Elroy McCaw, Don McCaw and other local businessmen. Bill recalls the original headquarters in the garageoftheirhomeat603 North “L” St., Aberdeen. It was a large garage loaded with spools of wire, and everyone worked late into the night to stay ahead of the competition. The competition was a group headed by John Walker. Eventually the two groups merged, formed Grays Harbor Television, and moved the operation to 218 East Wishkah in downtown Aberdeen. At the time, Fred Goddard
managed radio station KXRO, and J. Elroy McCaw hadestablishedafewradio stations, and other business ventures. Bob McCaw had a business in Seattle, and Don McCaw was a music director for the Aberdeen School District.
With the Aberdeen system the group developed a business plan, of which some of the founders decided they could replicate in similar communities. They began targeting communities withpoortelevisionreception,orexistingsmallcable systems that were struggling. Soon they were partnersinsystemsthroughout the Northwest, establishing 50/50 partnerships with local owners, including Astoria. Systems were developed in Washington, Oregon and Northern California.
Oral histories given in 1998, by Charles Clements and Lewis Davenport for the National Cable Television Center and Museum, give credit for the development of cable television in the Northwest to Homer BergrenandFredGoddard.
DavenportsaidGoddard would “come into a communityandencourage local investors. He looked for owners in the newspaper and radio station businesses, which he felt could get the most out of it (cable). He also looked for a leading attorney, and someone who might be closely tied to the local Chamber of Commerce.”
The locals took 50% of the ownership and the Bergren/Goddard group took the rest. According to Goddard’s son John, for antenna locations they would pinpoint a hilltop siteandpaythelandowner 2% of the gross system revenue, which eventually became a windfall for the property owner. With this strategyinplace,theysoon became the largest operator in the Northwest.
Clements recalls that around 1965 the Bergren group put together a company called TeleVue Systems. Most of their community systems became part of TeleVue Systems, a network
serving the West Coast. In 1968, TeleVue was sold to CBS; however, in 1970 the Federal Communication Commission forced CBS and NBC to get out of the cable television business. At that point, CBS spun off their cable television division and their program syndication division into a company called VIACOM.
Of those who stayed with VIACOM, one was JohnGoddard,sonofFred.
John’s upbringing in Aberdeen, learning the cable business from summer jobs in construction and installation, served him well. While attending graduate business school at the University of California Berkeley, he and Scot Bergren were granted franchises in Pinole and Crocket, California. John’s father lent him money for his share, and the two friends worked on construction, installation and sales during evenings, weekends and vacation time.
After graduating in 1966, John and Scot managed the franchises, with John responsible for record keeping and Scot took care of marketing.
In 1969 they merged into TeleVue, which soon mergedintotheCableDivisionofCBS.Johnstayedon inmanagementatTeleVue, the Cable Division of CBS, and Viacom Cable. He ultimately became CEO of Viacom Cable from 1980 to 1996, and has served on the boards of directors of several companies and associations involved in the cable television industry.
An article in Multichannel News describes how John Goddard “shaped the (cable) industry in significant ways.” The writer says how “in January 1953, 11-year old John Goddard walked into the lobby of a downtown Aberdeen hotel (perhaps the Morck) and couldn’t believe what he was seeing: the inauguration of President Eisenhower live on television, right there in his small fishing-and-logging hometown.”
That inspiration is credited as giving him the
vision to play a key role in what large scale cable television has become today.
In John’s words, “he was fortunate to have been at the right place at the right time, and grew up being grounded in the basics of the cable industry. And the industry continues to evolve; from basic cable service, to satellite delivered programming, two-way communication, to broadband internet service, and streamingservices.”Johnis concerned that “it’s evolvingtowardbeingviewedas a regulated utility, losing sight that it was built and grew with entrepreneurial spirit and private capital.”
By the way, I nearly forgot to mention what became of J. Elroy McCaw. Hedevelopedradiostation KELA, and his own cable system in Centralia. But he didn’tstopthere;heowned two television stations, plus seven radio stations including KPOA in Honolulu, KYA in San Francisco, and WINS in New York City.
McCaw turned WINS into the first rock ‘n’ roll format radio station in the US. According to Clements, “Elroy had considerable interest in improving TVreceptioninManhattan Island.”
He formed TeleGuide, Manhattan’s first cable TV system. In addition to cabletelevision,TeleGuide provided closed-circuit service to approximately 64,000 Manhattan hotel rooms. After his death, J. ElroyMcCaw’ssonspicked up where he left off. You may have heard of them.
Craig, Keith, Bruce and John,andtheircompanies, McCaw Communications (cable), McCaw Cellular, Nextel, Clearwire — but, that’s another story.
Back to John Goddard.
He volunteered that after looking at The Harbor –A Culture of Success, he came to a similar conclusion as others on the list.
“Growing up on the Harbor taught me that everyone has different loves, hates and desires. And most importantly, taughtmetogetalongwith others, without regard to
social status. The youth in most areas of the county lose the opportunity to get along with, and cooperate with others, to accomplish mutual goals.”
So, the vision of largescale cable networks may have begun when J. Elroy McCaw, a young Weatherwax High School student, created a “homemade” music and sports network system throughout the business district of Aberdeen, which Fred Goddard used for his radio programming.
That relationship brought television to the small community of Aberdeen/Hoquiam. And their visionary thinking, inherent in many Harborites, allowed them to take that business plan and apply it throughout the West, and beyond.
The influence of the McCawandGoddardfamilies in the development of large scale cable TV systems,andothernational media, is no small matter.
The list
Leaders from big companies in the state like Amazon, Microsoft, Starbucks and video game giantsmadeupmostofthe Forbes list.
Many are from Eastside, where cities like Medina rank the most expensive places to live in the United StatesoutsideofCalifornia.
HerearealltheWashington billionaires as listed in Forbes this year:
Steve Ballmer, $118 billion
■ Former CEO of Microsoft.
■ Led the company from 2000 to 2014, and is now owner of the Los Angeles Clippers NBA team; founder of USAFacts; and co-founder of Ballmer Group
Bill Gates, $108 billion
Microsoft co-founder. Chair of the Gates Foundation and founder of Breakthrough Energy.
Melinda French Gates, $30.4 billion
■ Pivotal Ventures founder.
■ Left her position as co-chair of the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation after a nearly 24-year run.
MacKenzie Scott, $28.2, billion
■ Previously married to AmazonfounderJeffBezos for 25 years. Jeff Bezos left Washington for Miami in 2023.
■ Known now for her roles in philanthropy and publishing.
GabeNewell,$9.5billion
■ Valve Corp. President.
■ Video game developer who co-founded the company in 1998 with formerMicrosoftcolleague Mike Harrington.
Charles Simonyi, $7.2 billion
■ Early Microsoft employee.
■ Behind some of the company’smostsuccessful software, including Word and Excel.
Howard Schultz, $3.5 billion
■ Former Starbucks CEO.
■ Known for turning what was a regional coffee company into one of the world’s top brands.
JohnStanton,$2.4billion
■ Chairman of the Seattle Mariners baseball team.
■ Nowservesasmanaging partner of a group of investors that has owned the franchise since 2016.
Craig McCaw, $2 billion
■ Wireless pioneer.
■ Took over his dad’s cable-TV business in 1966 with his brothers.
Rich Barton, $1.2 billion
■ • Co-founder and CEO of Seattle real estate company Zillow Group.
■ •Alsoco-foundedtravel giant Expedia.
Orion Hindawi, $1.1 billion
■ Tanium co-founder.
■ Started the cybersecurity firm with his father in 2007 before they moved fromSanFranciscotoSeattle in 2020.
OlympiansHikingClub members will leave the DSHS parking lot at 8 a.m. Saturday, April 12 for a hike on Olympic National Forest and Park trails.
Aberdeen Bridge Club hosts a sanctioned ACBL bridge game every Wednesday at 1:15 p.m. at the Aberdeen First United Methodist Church. New players are invited and partners are guaranteed for those attending on their own. For more information, contact Randy Ross at 360-591-5928 or Randy55.Ross@gmail. com Salmonberry Band members practice every
Friday at 1 p.m. at the Aberdeen Art Center. All singers and those who play ukuleles and other portable instruments are invited. For more information, call 360-533-4897.
Aberdeen Clothing Bank, 301 North G St., is open 9:30-11:45 a.m. Mondays, 9:30-11:45 a.m. and 1-3 p.m. Tuesdays, and 1-3 p.m. Wednesdays. Thursday they are open from 9:30-11:30 a.m. for donations only. Masks are required.
TOPSChapterWa1200 has weigh-in from 8:309:30 a.m. every Monday at the Aberdeen Methodist Church. Meeting begins at 9:45. For more information, call 800-932-8677.
HOQUIAM
Panama Canal slide show, presented by the Olympians Hiking Club, is set for 7 p.m. Friday, April 11, at the Hoquiam Timberland Library. $1. Everyone is invited.
Family Caregiver Support Group will meet at 1 p.m. Tuesday, April 8, at the Hoquiam Timberland Library. All caregivers are invited. For more information, call Amber Garrotte at theOlympicAreaAgencyon Aging at 360-538-2458.
Grays Harbor GenealogicalSociety will meet at 10a.m.Saturday,April12,in the Hoquiam Timberland Library’sdownstairsmeeting room.Formoreinformation, visit graysharborgenealogy. com or email info@GraysHarborGenealogy.com
MONTESANO
OlympiansHikingClub members will leave the corner of Fleet and Broadway at 7 p.m. Tuesday, April 8 for a hike around town.
MontesanoCommunity Center offers $7 lunches from11:30a.m.to12:30p.m. weekdays. Weekly activities (from 12:30-1:30 p.m.) includekaraokeonMonday, chair exercise on Tuesday, pinochle on Wednesday, Mexican train on Thursday and bingo on Friday.
ELMA
Elma Al-Anon family group meetings are scheduled for 7 p.m. every Thursday at Faith Lutheran Church.
OAKVILLE
Sharon Grange’s annual all-you-can-eat oyster feed will be held from noon to 5 p.m. Saturday, April 12 in the hall near Porter. $30 for adults, $25 for seniors, $15 for children 6-12 — cash or check only.
OCEAN SHORES
GraysHarborChapterof SurfriderFoundation will meet at 5:30 p.m. Monday, (the first Monday) in the Ocean Shores Library. The chapter is part of a national network of people who help protect the beaches through cleanupsandeducation.For moreinformation,callBruce at303-503-9997orvisitgraysharbor.surfrider.org TOPS Chapter Wa 1425 has weigh-in at 10
a.m. every Thursday at the Ocean Shores Library. Meeting begins at 10:15. For more information, call 360-591-8450. Sea Pal Quilters will meet from 10 a.m. to 3 p.m. the second Monday and the fourth Wednesday of the month at the VFW Post, 953 Trent Court.
Ocean Shores Bridge Club offers duplicate bridge at 12:30 p.m. every Monday at Ocean Shores Inn and Suites. Partners are not necessary. $2 fee. For more information, call 360-3102048 or 360-289-3261.
Coastal Interpretive Center, 1033 Catala Ave. SE, is open from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. Saturday and Sunday with exhibits on the coast, shipwrecks,forestry,logging and the history of Ocean Shores. Admission is $5 per person/$10 per family.
GriefShare, a grief recovery support group, will meet 1 to 3 p.m. every Monday at Faith Community Church. For more information, call 360-289-2474 and leave a msg for Sandy McClulloch.
NORTH BEACH
Museum of the North Beach has temporarily moved to its historic Dorothy Anderson Cabin on Meriweather Street (at the north end of Crescent Park) in Seabrook. Open Saturday and Sunday from 11 a.m. to 4p.m.Formoreinformation, call 360-591-8572. For more information about the What’s Happening column contact karen.barkstrom@thedailyworld.comor call 360-537-3925.
Bobcats win 4-3 in nine innings for first 2A EvCo victory
Aberdeen beats Shelton in extra innings on Jones’ bases-loaded walk
Ryan Sparks
The Daily World
IttookafullnineinningsforAberdeento
beat Shelton 4-3 on Wednesday at Shelton High School.
The Bobcats (4-1, 1-1 2A Evergreen) picked up their first 2A Evergreen League victory of the season when shortstop Bubba Jones drew a bases-loaded walk with one out in the top of the ninth, pushing Gabe Matthews across the plate for the go-ahead run.
Jones then worked around a two-out single by Carl Turnbow in the bottom half of the frame, striking out Boston Madison on three pitches to complete the victory, exacting a bit of revenge on the
Highclimbers (2-6, 1-2), which throttled Aberdeen 11-1 the day prior.
Aberdeen took a 1-0 lead when Jones drew a bases-loaded walk in the third inning and went up 3-1 with two runs in the fourth, capped by an RBI single from second baseman Trevon Maynard to drive in third baseman Chad Fretts.
Shelton scored a run on a Drew Hesler single in the fourth to make it a 3-2 game.
Turnbow tripled to lead off the seventh and after a groundout to Fretts at third, came in to score on a sacrifice fly to center from Jax Ward.
Aberdeen scored the eventual gamewinning run in the ninth without a base hitastwoSheltonerrorsandapairofwalks led to the Bobcats’ run.
Jones picked up the win, allowing just one hit and no walks with four strikeouts in two innings of relief.
Aberdeen starting pitcher Mason Hill went seven innings, allowing three runs –two earned – on seven hits and a walk with four strikeouts.
Jones and Maynard had two hits apiece to lead the Bobcats, which had just five hits in the game.
Aberdeen 001 200 001 – 4 5 2
Shelton 001 100 100 – 3 8 4
WP: Jones (2 IP, 0R, H, 4K). LP: Madison (IP, R, 0ER, 0H, 2BB).
Leading hitters: Aberdeen – Jones (2-4, 2RBI); Maynard (2-4, RBI); Baker (1-4). Shelton – Turnbow (3-4, 3B, 2R); Harding (2-4, 2B, R); Ward (1-4, RBI); Hesler (1-3, RBI); Madison (1-5).
Bobcats well-rounded in mercy-rule win over Shelton
Camp strikes out 12, Bobcats offense smacks seven extrabase hits in 10-0 victory
Ryan Sparks
The
Aberdeen played well in all facets to earn a convincing 10-0 victory over Shelton in a 2A Evergreen Conference game on Wednesday in Aberdeen.
Grays
Leading the way for the Bobcats (6-0 overall, 2-0 2A Evergreen) was senior pitcher Lilly Camp, who held the Highclimbers (2-7, 0-4) scoreless, and retired nine straight to start the game and allowed just two hits while striking out 12 in another stellar outing.
Camp got plenty of run support as the Bobcats offense had 12 hits in the game, seven for extra bases.
Catcher Alyssa Yakovich drove in the Cats’ first run of the game
with a single in the bottom of the first and was followed by Camp, who hit a high fly ball over the left-field fence for a two-run home run.
Aberdeen shortstop Zoe Vessey tripled and scored on an errant relay throw followed a few batters later with Camp singling in a run for a 5-0 lead after two frames.
Cats third baseman Britten Neal followed a double by first baseman Maysinn Jones for a run in
the bottom of the third followed by another three runs in the fourth highlighted by an RBI double from Yakovich and a two-run double by Jones.
Aberdeen eventually earned the walk-off, mercy-rule victory when Ally Adams, on board with a leadoff double in the bottom of the fifth, came in to score on a passed ball to close out the 10-0 victory.
See SOFTBALL, Page B2
Harbor Gulls FC men’s Coach Grannemann
The Daily World
Grannemann, who has been with the club since its inception in 2018, played a pivotal role in establishing the team as a consistent presence in the Cascadia Premier League.
Under Grannemann’s leadership, the Gulls provided local soccer talent with opportunities to continue playing competitively beyond high school. His commitment to the team’s growth and
success has been instrumental in fostering a strong soccer community in Grays Harbor County. Grannemann was brought to the organization in 2017 by club founders Ben and Alex Barene and
M’s bullpen getting healthy as Brash, Taylor near returns
In myriad ways, the Mariners’ bullpen is getting healthier by the day.
Right-hander Matt Brash has been with the club the past few days, and he’s scheduled to travel with the team Thursday for its first road series starting Friday in San Francisco.
Brash, who missed all of 2024 after having Tommy John surgery last May, made his return to the mound in the Mariners’ final spring-training game on March 24. He touched 98.5 mph and pronounced himself ready to begin a minorleague rehab assignment. That assignment will come soon with the Triple-A Tacoma Rainiers. But instead of traveling with the Rainiers to Reno — where there’s snow in the forecast this week — Brash will throw a bullpen session in front of Mariners coaches this weekend in San Francisco.
“The stuff is ready now,” Mariners pitching coach Pete Woodworth said. Brash remains on schedule for a late-April return to the Mariners.
Right-hander Troy Taylor could be back before then. Taylor, who opened the season on the injured list with a right lat strain, made his first rehab appearance for the Rainiers in Reno on Tuesday, throwing 19 pitches (with 13 strikes) and touching 99 mph. He allowed four hits and two runs in two-thirds of an inning. Last August, Taylor made his MLB debut and emerged as one of the most valuable arms in the Mariners’ bullpen over the final stretch of the season. The Mariners project the 23-year-old as a potential closer in the future.
Gregory Santos, meanwhile, has been a pleasant surprise in the first week of the season.
See BULLPEN, Page B2
steps down
helped get the team off the ground.
At the time, Grannemann was also the girls soccer head coach at Hoquiam High School. His
Grays Harbor Gulls FC men’s Coach Drew Grannemann is stepping down after seven years at the helm.
Daily World
Adam Jude Seattle Times staff reporter
DAILY WORLD FILE PHOTO
Aberdeen shortstop Bubba Jones, pictured here in a file photo, walked to push across the go-ahead run in the ninth inning of a 4-3 win over Shelton on Wednesday at Shelton High School.
See GULLS, Page B2
RYAN SPARKS / THE DAILY WORLD
Aberdeen senior Lilly Camp (12) steps on home plate after hitting a home run during the Bobcats’ 10-0 win over Shelton on Wednesday at the Bishop Athletic Complex in Aberdeen.
Camp allowed just two singles in the game and threw 53 strikes out of 77 total pitches to pick up her fifth win of the season. The right-handed ace has pitched 28 innings this season without giving up a run and is holding opponents to a .117 batting average.
“Lilly’s spins were working great,” said Yakovich, Aberdeen’s starting catcher. “She throws great pitches and works around all her locations and it makes it easy work for me back there.”
Yakovich continued her hot-hitting five games into the season, going a perfect 3 for 3 with a double and two RBI to push her total to a team-best 10 RBI and a batting average to .563 this season.
Camp and Jones had two
hits apiece for a Bobcats teams that is hitting .333 through five games.
“Honestly, great day,” Yakovich said of her team’s overall performance. “We felt clean, looked clean, Lilly did great on the mound. Hittingwise, I felt like we did what we needed to do. We were seeing pitches, locating them and seeing where they needed to be hit on the field. I think we did a great job at the plate today.”
Going into the game against a young Highclimbers team, the coaching staff’s message to the players was not to underestimate their opponent.
“Our coaches said, ‘Let’s come in and crush them,” Yakovich said. “Let’s not coast through anything. No autopilot. Let’s go in and show them what we can do.’”
“We’ve been preaching to them that we do not underestimate anybody in this league,” Bobcats head coach
Jimmy McDaniel said. “We have a lot of talks and practice about the mindset and their mentality going into games. We don’t want them to settle and get comfortable (and quiet) on the field. They know Lilly isn’t going to give up a lot of hits, but they can’t lose their focus, they need to expect the ball every time. … Expect the ball and have a plan.”
Aberdeen hosted Hoquiam in a Myrtle Street Rivalry game on Friday.
when he comes back this time. They’ll plan to deploy him in “clean” situations to start an inning.
The mercurial righthander has thrown three scoreless innings in his first three appearances of the season, a promising start for the 25-year-old Dominican after his injury-marred debut with the Mariners last season.
Santos touched 100 mph in his most recent outing Tuesday night — he’s averaging 98.4 mph on his sinker so far — and Woodworth said Santos’ slider is comparable to that of closer Andrés Muñoz.
“Santos has been really good,” Woodworth said. Throwing strikes is most important for Santos, and if he can be effective in the zone — or at least effectively wild — then he could be a viable candidate for the pivot role.
It was in that role that Brash excelled during his breakthrough 2023 season, when he was often called on to relieve a starter and escape a runners-on jam.
The Mariners will be more cautious with Brash
“Like any guy coming back from injury, he’s not going to immediately slide back in to pivoting every day. That’s going to be the tough part,” Woodworth said. “It’s a challenge for us, finding out how to use him, at least to start.”
Notes
— George Kirby is scheduled to throw a side session in the next couple days in Arizona as he continues to build up arm strength. Kirby was shut down in early March with shoulder fatigue. If he continues to make steady progress, he could be back with the Mariners by late April.
Kirby’s replacement in the rotation, Emerson Hancock, was demoted to Triple-A on Tuesday after he was roughed up in his season debut Monday. The Mariners, who have an off day Thursday, have not decided which starter will take the No. 5 spot in the rotation when it comes up Sunday in San Francisco.
It’s possible the Mariners could push up the other four starters one day.
“The more days (of rest) we can give our starters, the better, this early in the season,” Woodworth said. “Luckily, we have three offdays in the next (12) days, so it gives those guys either extra days or gives us the ability to push a guy, fix a guy, if anybody’s a little soggier than the other.”
— Two of the Mariners’ top pitching prospects will have a delayed start to their seasons. Right-handed starter Michael Morales, ticketed for Class AA Arkansas, is progressing through a delayed build-up after he was shut down in the offseason because of arm soreness. The Mariners’ third-round pick in 2021 is not expected to make his season debut until late April at the earliest.
— Right-handed reliever Hunter Cranton, the Mariners’ third-round pick in 2024, has been delayed getting up to speed on the mound after suffering a concussion when he was hit by a line drive in his first outing of the spring on March 7.
accomplishments as the Gulls head coach include a semi-final finish in the WashingtonStateSuperCupandatop-fourfinishin the Cascadia Premier league in 2019. In a message to the fans, Grannemann thanked the players and their families for their passion, effort, and sacrifices over the years. He also thanked the Grays Harbor community for their support of the team
as running a semi-professional team of any kind is an uphill battle. A statement from theGullsboardsaid,“Drewhasbeenarock for the club. His effort and intensity have made this club what it is today. Without his commitment, this club could never have succeeded. His presence will be missed.” The search is on for a successor to Coach Drew. In the interim, Luis Soto will take over as acting head coach. Soto has seen success both as a goalie and midfielder for the Gulls since graduating from Aberdeen High School, and has been coaching at AHS for the last four years.
GRAYS HARBOR GULLS
Grays Harbor Gulls FC men’s coach Drew Grannemann talks to the men’s team in March of 2023.
DEAN RUTZ / THE SEATTLE TIMES
Seattle Mariners pitcher Matt Brash throws a bullpen session, Feb. 19, in Peoria, Ariz.
RYAN SPARKS / THE DAILY WORLD
Aberdeen’s Zoe Vessey belted a triple during a 10-0 win over Shelton on Wednesday at the Bishop Athletic Complex in Aberdeen.
RYAN SPARKS / THE DAILY WORLD
Aberdeen pitcher Lilly Camp allowed just two hits and struck out 12 in a 10-0 victory over Shelton on Wednesday at the Bishop Athletic Complex in Aberdeen.
RYAN SPARKS / THE DAILY WORLD
Aberdeen first baseman Maysinn Jones had two doubles in a 10-0 win over Shelton on Wednesday in Aberdeen.
RYAN SPARKS | THE DAILY WORLD
Aberdeen catcher Alyssa Yakovich scurries back to second base during the Bobcats’ 10-0 win over Shelton on Wednesday in Aberdeen. Yakovich went a perfect 3 for 3 in the game.
Outdoors
Life outdoors: Spring into adventure
Whether you’re calling in struttingtomturkeys,watching waterfowl and shorebirds wing their way north, hiking, climbing, or horseback riding on Washington Department of Fish and Wildlife-managed wildlife areas; planting wildlife habitat in your yard or balcony, casting for lingcod from a coastal jetty, or trolling the lower Columbia River for Chinook salmon, there are boundless options for adventure outside.
In this spring edition of WDFW’s Life Outdoors Report you’ll find an overview of what to expect in April and May.
Popular outdoor opportunities in spring
Spring turkey hunting Spring turkey hunting is just around the corner. This is an exciting opportunity for hunters to get back in the field after a long winter, and an accessible pursuit for new hunters, too. Washington’s youth spring turkey season opened April 1, and the general spring turkey season opens April 15.
Check out the Turkey Takeover on MyWDFW for articles on turkey behavior, hunting strategies, turkey hunting gear, and plenty of tips from WDFW staff who areavidturkeyhunterseager to help you find success.
Fishing for spring
Chinook salmon
Fishing in the mainstem Columbia River ramped up in late March and early April as spring Chinook return. The popular fishery below Bonneville Dam will be open to salmon fishing daily through April 6, with the upstream fishery open through April 26. Bank anglers are likely to find success in the Cowlitz, Kalama, and Lewis rivers in April and May. Regulations may be modified in-season.
Coastal bottomfish and jetty fishing
Ilwaco (Marine Area 1), Westport-Ocean Shores (Marine Area 2), La Push (Marine Area 3) and Neah Bay (Marine Area 4 west of Bonilla-Tatoosh) are open through Oct. 18 for
bottomfish including lingcod and rockfish. Those without a boat can find good jetty fishing opportunities near Westport, Ocean Shores, and Ilwaco.
Halibut fishing in North Puget Sound, Straits, and Pacific Ocean
Similar to last year, the halibut fishery in the Straits and North Puget Sound marine areas (areas 5 through 10) opened in early April followed by the coastal fisheries (marine areas 1 through 4) opening in early May. The halibut annual limit will be six again this year and the daily limit is one per angler.
Clam, oyster, and mussel gathering on public beaches
State clam, mussel, and oyster harvesting seasons vary by beach. Daylight low
tides are underway — with many big low tides occurring earlier than in recent years. Oysters are typically in prime condition during the spring, and clamming should be optimal through September.
Trout fishing in Eastern Washington lakes
Nearly two dozen lakes in Eastern Washington’s Columbia Basin opened March 1 for trout fishing. Many of these lakes offer excellent late-winter fishing opportunities for rainbow trout, as well as yellow perch, burbot, cutthroat trout, brown trout, crappie, bass, walleye, and bluegill.
Depending on the severity of late-winter weather, lakes east of the Cascade Crest may still be iced over. WDFW does not monitor ice conditions, so it’s wise to stay off the ice if you don’t know it is safe.
Trout fishing in lowland lakes statewide and Trout Derby
The statewide lowland lakes fishing season kicks off April 26, offering anglers great fishing at hundreds of lakes. WDFW has stocked lakes with millions of trout over the past year. Depending on the lake, anglers may find rainbow trout, cutthroat trout, kokanee, and more. Visit WDFW’s catchable trout planting report webpage for information on recently planted lakes near you.
April 26 is also the kickoff for WDFW’s 10th annual statewide Trout Derby, which runs through Oct. 31 at more than 100 stocked lakes. This anniversary edition of the derby is our biggest yet, featuring more than 100 participating businesses offering over 1,000 prizes valued at more than $52,000. The derby is open
to anyone with a valid 2025 fishing license, though temporary licenses are not valid for game fish species from April 26 through May 3. No entry fee or registration required. You just catch a tagged trout anytime between April 26 and Oct. 31 and you win. Plus, children under 15 fish for free.
Gardening for wildlife habitat
It’s the perfect time to garden for wildlife. You can build wildlife habitat wherever you live, work, and play. Even container gardens provide habitat. Wildlife gardens support pollinators, small mammals, songbirds, bats, and amphibians. To survive, wildlife need food, water, shelter, and space. Conveniently, all of these habitat components can be provided by planting native plants.Washington’swildlife have co-evolved with native plants, which offer the best
food source. Make sure to plant native plants now to allow them ample time to get settled.
Shed antler hunting
It’s thrilling to search for and find shed antlers in the spring. Please remember to avoid disturbing wildlife while shed hunting, and to collect antlers responsibly. There are no seasons or permits required to collect shed antlers in Washington, but shed hunters must follow state regulations for land use. This includes securing permission from landowners before searching for sheds on private land and always abiding by posted closures. To limit impacts to wildlife, it is important for shed hunters to stay on designated trails and roads while using motorized vehicles and give any animals you encounter plenty of space.
Razor clamming
The next tentative coastal razor clam digs during evening (noon to midnight only) low tides are at Long Beach, Twin Harbors and Mocrocks.
Tentative dates during morning (midnight to noon only) low tides April 12-18: ■ April 12, Saturday, 6:57 a.m.; 0.4 feet; Long Beach, Twin Harbors, Mocrocks
■ April 13, Sunday, 7:29 a.m.; 0.0 feet; Long Beach, Twin Harbors, Copalis
■ April 14, Monday, 8:00 a.m.; -0.2 feet; Long Beach, Twin Harbors, Copalis
■ April 15, Tuesday, 8:33 a.m.; -0.3 feet; Long Beach, Twin Harbors, Mocrocks
■ April16,Wednesday,9:08 a.m.; -0.2 feet; Long Beach, Twin Harbors, Mocrocks
■ April 17, Thursday, 9:48 a.m.; 0.0 feet; Long Beach, Twin Harbors, Copalis
■ April 18, Friday, 10:33 a.m.; 0.3 feet; Long Beach, Twin Harbors, Copalis
Tentative dates during morning (midnight to noon only) low tides April 26-May 3:
April 26, Saturday, 5:53
-0.6 feet; Long Beach, Twin Harbors, Copalis
April 27, Sunday, 6:40
-1.5 feet; Long Beach, Twin
April 28, Monday, 7:25
Harbors, Mocrocks
JEFFREY BURNHAM / WDFW
The change in the season is right around the corner. As spring blooms, so does a bounty of fish, wildlife, and outdoor opportunities across Washington.
STEVE GRAVES / WDFW
Outdoor
Twin Harbors, Mocrocks
■ April 29, Tuesday, 8:12 a.m.; -2.2 feet; Long Beach, Twin Harbors, Copalis
■ April30,Wednesday,9:00 a.m.; -2.0 feet; Long Beach, Twin Harbors, Copalis
■ May 1, Thursday, 9:52 a.m.; -1.6 feet; Long Beach, Twin Harbors, Copalis
■ May2,Friday,10:47a.m.; -0.9 feet; Long Beach, Twin Harbors, Mocrocks (digging extended until 2 p.m.)
■ May 3, Saturday, 11:48 a.m.; -0.2 feet; Long Beach, Twin Harbors, Mocrocks (digging extended until 2 p.m.)
Tentative dates during morning (midnight to noon only) low tides May 10-15:
■ May 10, Saturday, 5:58 a.m.; 0.1 feet; Long Beach, Twin Harbors, Copalis
■ May 11, Sunday, 6:32 a.m.; -0.4 feet; Long Beach, Twin Harbors, Mocrocks
■ May 12, Monday, 7:05 a.m.; -0.7 feet; Long Beach, Twin Harbors, Mocrocks
■ May 13, Tuesday, 7:38 a.m.; -0.9 feet; Long Beach, Twin Harbors, Copalis
■ May14,Wednesday,8:13 a.m.; -0.9 feet; Long Beach, Twin Harbors, Copalis
■ May 15, Thursday, 8:49
a.m.; -0.8 feet; Long Beach, Twin Harbors, Mocrocks
Salmon fishing in Puget Sound, Strait of Juan de Fuca
The Chinook fishery in Marine Area 10 (Seattle-Bremerton Area) and Marine Area 11 (TacomaVashon Island) opens four days a week — Wednesdays through Saturdays only — through April 30. Marine Area 5 (Sekiu and Pillar Point) opens daily starting April 14 and is scheduled to remain open through April 30. Fishing seasons could close sooner if guidelines are achieved.
Spring steelhead fishing
Steelhead fishing in the Skagit and Sauk rivers is open daily through April 15. Several coastal steelhead rivers, including Grays Harbor tributaries and those along the midand northern coasts, closed March 1. Willapa Bay tributaries closed March 31. In Southwest Washington, late-arriving winter-runs in the Cowlitz and Kalama riversshouldprovidequality opportunities for hatchery
fish in April.
North of Falcon underway
The 2025–26 North of Falcon salmon season setting process is underway. WDFW’s priority during this process is to be thoughtful and thorough in our work to make the best decisions using the best available science in close cooperation with tribal co-managers,federalfishery managers,stakeholders,and the public. Proposed fishing seasons are expected to be announced at the Pacific FisheryManagementCouncil meeting from April 9-15. Keep wild animals wild by not feeding them
People often want to feed deer and other wildlife to “help” the animals. Unfortunately, feeding wildlife can often cause more harm than good. Concentrating wildlife in one area by feeding them can create problems by making the animals more vulnerable to disease, predation, and poaching. It is illegal to feed deer, elk, or moose in northeast
From Page B3
WDFW
Spring turkey hunting is just around the corner.
Anglers head out on the Westport Jetty at Westhaven State Park on the morning of the March
2021 bottomfish opener.
DAVID BERGERON / WDFW Halibut fishing seasons have been set for coastal and Puget Sound area.
WDFW
Tentative razor clam dig dates during morning low tides are set for April 12-18.
WDFW
Oysters are typically in prime condition during the spring, and clamming should be optimal through September.
WDFW
Nearly two dozen lakes in Eastern Washington’s Columbia Basin opened March 1 for trout fishing.
Outdoor
Washington in areas within our Game Management Units 124, 127, or 130 due to the risk of spreading chronic wasting disease.
What to do if you encounter young wildlife
Just because young wildlife are alone does not mean they are abandoned or need help. Every year, particularly inspring,hundredsofyoung wild animals such as fawns, baby seals, and baby birds are needlessly “rescued” and referred to wildlife rehabilitators. This can be harmful or fatal to the young animal, and disruptive to wildlife rehabilitators who need to concentrate limited resources on truly orphaned or injured wildlife.
Clean, drain, dry your watercraft to prevent the spread of invasive species
Planning to hit the water this spring and summer?
Help protect Washington’s waters from aquatic invasive species (AIS) by remembering to clean, drain, and dry all your gear, equipment,
and watercraft — motorized and non-motorized. If it’s been in the water, AIS can hitch a ride and spread to new waterbodies, putting our environment, economy, and human health at risk.
New license year products for sale
Ifyou’reahunterorangler already daydreaming about your next big season, you can take that next step now that 2025 license year products are available. Those products include hunting and fishing licenses, as well as special hunt and multiseason applications. Items for the 2025 license year are valid from April 1, 2025, through March 31, 2026, so you’ll need a 2025 fishing license to hit the water now.
Sign up for hunter education
Per Washington state law, anyone born after Jan. 1, 1972, must complete a hunter education course before buying a hunting license. To complete the hunter education requirement, students can choose to take either a traditional classroom or hybrid course. Visit WDFW’s website to sign up for a hunter education course near you.
Watchable wildlife
SpringtimeinWashington offers amazing wildlife viewing. Don’t miss the Othello Sandhill Crane Festival, Grays Harbor Shorebird Festival, and Puget Sound Bird Fest in Edmonds, celebrating migratory birds with tours, lectures, and family activities. In the Skagit Wildlife Area, you can still spot thousands of snow geese and swans, as well as river otters, bald eagles, shorteared owls, and various shorebirds.
Volunteer opportunities
As WDFW continues to engage with Washingtonians statewide, they are expanding their volunteer outreach program in 2025. VolunteerswillassistWDFW staff at events ranging from wildlife festivals to family fishing events to regional workshops, and more. The program is open to people 18 years and older who are based in, or willing to travel to, Clark, Clallam, Cowlitz, Grays Harbor, Jefferson, King, Lewis, Mason, Pacific, Pierce, Snohomish or Thurston counties.
Learn more about the commitment, benefits, and how to apply on the Volunteer Education and Outreach Team webpage.
From Page B4
GRAYS HARBOR SHOREBIRD AND NATURE FESTIVAL
The Grays Harbor Shorebird and Nature Festival is April 25-27.
WDFW
Black bears foraging in spring.
CLASSIFIEDS TWIN HARBOR
April 22nd, 2025 at the hour of 10:00 AM, or as soon thereafter as the matter can be heard, in person, in the Large Commissioners Meeting Room, Administration Building, Montesano, Washington and by ZOOM (zoom link is on the GHC website) to consider a request to vacate a right of way pursuant to RCW 36.87.010 and described as follows:
In the matter of Vacating all of Spring Alley right-of-way adjacent to Lots 1-3 in Block 3 in the Chabot’s Oceanview Addition to the Town of Moclips in Section 8, Township 20 North, Range 12 West of the Willamette Meridian, Grays Harbor County.
If you need to arrange special accommodations to participate prior to the meeting, please call Robert Bouffard, ADA Coordinator, at (360) 964-1513 at least by 10 a.m., three working day sbefore the meeting. Written material is available in alternate formats upon request.
Any questions concerning this vacation can be addressed to Marcus Lundy, PLS, County Surveyor at (360) 964-1655.
TWIN HARBOR CLASSIFIEDS POLICIES
Legals
A.
based racial/ethnic/cultural/gender identity/sexual orientation/veteran status and linguistic minority group, are primary participants in the health assessment survey process. In addition, board members and health center staff, as well as educators, health-related professionals, local government, human service and communitybased organizations, institutes of higher learning, and the private sector will be engaged at some level of the survey process. The survey process shall include stakeholder interviews and focus groups, as well as written survey responses.
D. Development of accurate comparisons to the state and national baseline of health measures utilizing the most current validated data.
E. Utilization of data obtained from the assessment to address the identified health needs of our service area.
This RFP is intended for providers with the necessary capacity and experience to successfully deliver CHA/CHNA and CHIP/AP. The RFP will open March 24, 2025, and all proposals are due by 4:30 p.m. Pacific time on April 18, 2025. Priority will be given to proposals that demonstrate capacity, and procedures are in place to prioritize the completion of this project.
Grays Harbor County reserves the right to reject any and all submittals and to waive irregularities and infor-
malities in the submittal and evaluation process. This RFP does not obligate the County to pay any costs incurred by respondents in the preparation and submission of their proposal. Furthermore, the RFP does not obligate the County to accept or contract for any expressed or implied services. Successful applicants will work with Grays Harbor County staff to negotiate formal contracts with specific deliverables, timelines, and outcomes. Contracts may be structured to offer an opportunity to evaluate and revise as necessary after the initial twelve-month period of the agreement.
Calendar/Timeline:
Application Process Date Issue RFP
3,
Final CHA/CHIP Completion date December 5, 2025
Applications may be submitted via e-mail, mail, or in person to:
Grays Harbor County Public Health Attn: Mike McNickle 2109 Sumner Avenue Aberdeen, WA 98520 mmcnickle@co.grays-harbor.wa.us
Applications and related materials must be received no later than April 18, 2025, at 4:30 p.m. Pacific time to be considered. The applicant assumes full responsibility for the delivery method chosen. Applications must be clearly marked with CHA/CHNA & CHIP/AP PROPOSAL.
Any questions related to this application may be directed to:
Mike McNickle, Director E-mail: mmcnickle@graysharbor.us Phone: 360-500-4063
RFP Response Requirements
Please prepare a written document responding to the following:
A. Describe your firm and its capabilities, highlighting any prior involvement with GHC and/or other agencies of comparable size, specifically other community health centers, and mission/vision. Identify similar projects that your firm has overseen, providing reference names and contact information of clients for which your firm undertook similar projects. Expound upon your subject matter expertise as it would apply to the development of a Community Health Assessment/Community Health Needs Assessment (CHA/CHNA) and a Community Health Improvement Plan/Action Plan (CHIP/AP). Describe the proposed staff assigned to this project, their background and their availability.
B. Develop a Statement of Objectives which will identify the potential goals and expectations of the project.
C. Describe, in detail, the methodology, tools and/or techniques that would be utilized to conduct a comprehensive CHA/ CHNA and CHIP/AP. The scope of this identification will be determined in accordance with the Statement of Objectives described above. This description should minimally include, but not be limited to:
• A description of relevant sampling techniques that you would propose utilizing to complete this assessment.
• Clarify types of techniques, proposed quantities, proposed timelines, target a udiences, recruitment strategies to engage target audience, and staffing resources to accomplish tasks.
• Your proposed methodology for clarifying the research objectives, data collection requirements, sampling strategy and timetables.
• The level of granularity of the data.
• A description of how data will be compiled.
• A description of identified trends.
• A description of final report that will be produced. You must Include sample reports that your firm has produced for similar projects.
D. Provide a schematic of the timeframe needed to complete this assessment. Timeline must be based upon the deadlines included in Project Goals (above).
E. Provide a reference list of your firm’s relevant clients, especially any for which you have conducted a community health needs assessment. If applicable, summarize the most recent Request for Proposals: Community Health Assessment/Community Health Needs Assessments and Community Health Improvement Plan/Action Plans.
Pricing and Payment Terms
The maximum obligation for this contract shall be $45,000. Provide detailed fee-related information. This should include a total project and staff hourly cost.
Application process and instructions
Agencies who are interested in applying must complete and submit the following information:
Part 1 – Threshold Criteria
• Proof of current business license and 501c3 status
• Ability to comply with the insurance requirements of the contract
• Ability to successfully manage funding over the course of the contract term • Certification regarding debarment
Part 2 – Scoring Criteria
(1) Proposal Background (0-20 points)
All projects will receive points on how well they describe past work in developing Community Health Assessments/Community Health Needs Assessments and Community Health Improvement Plans/Action Plans for local health jurisdictions. Also, describe whether the documents were well received after completion by decision makers, stakeholders and the public.
(2) Readiness (0-20 points) Applicants will receive points based upon the extent of the proposer’s readiness to proceed. The score will be based on the following:
• Narrative describing the methodology, tools and/or techniques that would be utilized to conduct a comprehensive Community Health Assessment/Community Health Needs Assessment and Community Health Improvement Plan/Action Plan.
• Projected timeline of major steps, indicating the number of months between eac h step beginning from the execution of a county contract to completion of reports.
(3) Coordination with Local Providers and Mainstream Services (0-20 points)
Applicants will receive points based on the extent to which the agency has experience and/or capacity to coordinate with mainstream and/or GHC local resources for additional and complimentary data and information.
(4) Outreach and Communication (0-20 points)
Applicants may receive points based on the ability to demonstrate experience, capacity, and/or clear plans to conduct outreach and communication to all populations in GHC to elicit data points for the Community Health Assessment/Community Health Needs Assessment and Community Health Improvement Plan/Action Plan.
(5) Capacity (0-20 points) Applicants will receive points based on the extent to which the applicant’s experience is relevant to the successful creation and delivery of a Community Health Assessment/Community Health Needs Assessment and Community Health Improvement Plan/Action Plan. Experience of the organization in undertaking similar activitiesincluding experience with populations to be surveyed and the type of surveys to be conducted.
Part 3: Proposal Components
The following are the required documents for proposals to be submitted to Director Mike McNickle by the deadline: • A completed proposal addressing and encompassing all required elements noted i n this RFP by 4:30 pm Pacific time on April 18, 2025.
Published 03/29/2025, 04/05/2025 x2 The Daily World Ad # 1011181 Grays Harbor County Public Health The Grays Harbor County Board of Health quarterly meeting will be held from 8:30 -10:30 am on Thursday, April 17, 2025 over Zoom and in the Large Meeting Room of the Pearsall Building, located at 2109 Sumner Avenue, Aberdeen WA 98520. Zoom Link: https://us02web.zoom.us/j/81012355959?pwd=aMSyaIHgQKMJ8Du4te3Cax9NvpYyo0.1
Port of Grays Harbor SEASONAL SUMMER EMPLOYMENT
The Port of Grays Harbor is seeking reliable, energetic team players with positive attitudes for summer positions.
WESTPORT MARINA MAINTENANCE CREW
(4 FT Positions & 1 PT Position). Duties include dock repair, general maintenance and clean-up. Must be hard-working, respectful, and work well with customers in an active marina and be able to lift heavy loads.
$20.00/hr. 40 hrs/wk. Some positions required to work Saturdays, Sundays and holidays.
WESTPORT MARINA OFFICE ASSISTANT
(1 Position PT or FT). Primary customer service representative at Marina Office during busy summer months. Duties include customer service, cashiering and bookkeeping. Must be able to communicate respectfully well with customers, accurately process transactions, and follow and apply Port policies. Computer experience a plus. $20.00/hr. Up to 40 hrs/wk. Work schedule may include Saturdays, Sundays or holidays.
SATSOP BUSINESS PARK MAINTENANCE CREW
(1 Position)Duties include mowing, trimming, trail clearing and general maintenance including clean-up. Must work well with customers and coworkers in an active business park and a busy RV park and be able to lift heavy loads. $20.00/hr. 40 hrs/wk.
ENGINEERING INTERN
(1 Position)This role will support the Port of Grays Harbor’s Planning Department, focusing on civil infrastructure and/or structural engineering for the Port’s upcoming capital projects. Intern will work closely with assigned mentors in a team environment on both office and field work. Collecting observations and assessing the condition of Port assets and infrastructure. Synchronizing field observations and data with spreadsheets and CAD drawings and summarizing findings in various formats. Assisting staff in: quantity takeoffs, pay applications, field observations, stormwater sampling and construction management. Other responsibilities may include: product research, data entry, quantity take-offs, drafting in AutoCAD, and review of construction shop drawings and submittals. $20.00/hr. 40 hrs/wk.
SUBMIT PORT APPLICATION by April 15, 2025. Visit: portofgraysharbor.com/staff-job-openings for full details and to download Port application form. Send to: Dir. of Fin. & Admin., PO Box 660, Aberdeen, WA 98520. College/vocational school students encouraged to apply. Equal Opportunity Employer
4/1 -4/15, 2025 x9 The Daily World #1011329
Port of Grays Harbor
Maintenance – Millwright The Port is growing and desires a Millwright to join Port maintenance crew. Duties include: installation and repair of industrial machinery and equipment, inspect and diagnose any malfunctions and create plans for necessary repairs. Responds to shut-downs and daily concerns, in conjunction with other maintenance members, to insure all machinery is performing at optimal levels. Need self-starter with strong teamwork and customer service skills, and 5+ years related work experience. Must understand and support industrial work safety rules. Completion of a millwright apprenticeship program or trade certification is required.. Must be willing to work 12-hour rotating shifts. Day shift rate of $54.24 per hour with 30% shift premium for night shift and overtime pay after 8 hours. Member of bargaining unit. Port job application to: Director of Finance & Admin., Port of Grays Harbor, PO Box 660, Aberdeen, WA 98520. For application, contact (360) 533-9528 or www.portofgraysharbor.com. First review April 15, 2025. Open until filled.
Maintenance – Industrial Electrician
Seeking experienced industrial electrician to join Port maintenance crew. Duties include: analyzing, troubleshooting and correcting plant instrumentation, VFD, soft starts, PLC’s and motors, mobile and fixed equipment, and lighting andwiring in varied Port facilities; day-to-day electrical maintenance; ensuring proper operating parameters, techniques and safety objectives are maintained. Need self-starter with strong teamwork and customer service skills, and 5+ years related work experience. Must understand and support industrial work safety rules. A Washington 01 Electrical License or reciprocal is required. Must be willing to work 12-hour rotating shifts. Day shift rate of $54.24 per hour with 30% shift premium for night shift and overtime pay after 8 hours. Member of bargaining unit. Port job application to: Director of Finance & Admin., Port of Grays Harbor, PO Box 660, Aberdeen, WA 98520. For application, contact (360) 533-9528 or www.portofgraysharbor.com. First review April 15, 2025. Open until filled.
4.0
8th grade: Ella Bossard, Hadley Leuschen and Anthony Yanez-Ortuno 7th grade: JacobDuran, Alyssa Gates, Violet Madanifard, Kaylee Stacy and Josiah Williams 6th grade: HarlenBogar, Haylee Cole, Summer Mielke, Connor Raynes, Kamryn Rowland, Makinlee Shapansky, Sydney Sundberg and Ewan Watkins
3.3-3.9
8th grade: Ian Ahlquist, Isaac Badgley, Kaleb Beniasch, Carter Biggs, Ashley Bolano Lopez, Mason Braaten, Trinity Brogan, Jaylee Cayenne, Lauren Davis-Lowder, Aaron Diaz Francisco, Lillian Espanto, Maddison Genn Shea, Gabriel Heller,AliciaHerrera-Soto, Annabelle Kent, Charles Klenzing, Moyra Lenss, Felicia MacLean, Connor Mansuetti, Fredy Martinez, Sean Miller-Neville, Jax Moore, Aidyn Murphy, Nicolas Landen Nauta, QuinnlanNesmith,Connor Olson, Addelynn Osgood, MorganPalmerson,Austin Pena, Lucas Peterson, Harley Quimby, Annaliese Richey, Logan Rothmeyer, Treycen Sample, Brody Schlesser, Civil Smith, Autumn Stein, Kari Tonseth, Zacary Werdahl and GideonWunsch
7th grade: Alizabeth Anderson,ParkerAnensen, MiraelleBroadfoot,Daniel Bundy, Maycinn Crawford, Chloe David, Johnny Davis, Pieter DeBoer, Alex De Jesus Ramirez, Landen Emery, Preslee Fournier, CrystalGuzman-Martinez, Brynn Irion, Kensi Johanson, Sadie Jolly, Kaiden Kay, Thomas Kershner, Braelyn Mainio, Calen Moore, Charles O’Hagan, Julija Oblak, Dulce Perez, Jordyn Perkins, Thailee Pham, Yiselle RamirezRamirez, Connor Reynolds, Grahm Rupe, Jesse Salvatierra,AdrianSiordia, Kimberlyn Torres Serrano, Nathan Totten, Alayna Vargo,JoleneWalker,Owen Wilson 6th grade: PresleyAllen, Isaiah Alvey, London Anson,MasonArnold,Ana Arreola-Contreras, Olivia Belgin,SierraBellon,Uriah Brown,CooperBuchanan, MadilynnButterton,Jaycee Christensen, Trenton Cox, MiloDavis,MaaikeDeBoer, Michael Delcampo Jr., Lynda Diaz-Perez, Roy Enriquez-Hermenegildo, Alexander Espanto, Ryan Goodwin, Gavin Griensewic, Maximus Hanson, AaliyahHeller,AbbieJohnson, Jack Klenzing, Canan Landstrom, Jazzlyn Lewis, Jack McMeekin, McKenzie McMillan, Raphael Meier, Tenley Niels, Blake Peterson, Brooklyn Pierucki, Tanner Quimby, Harper Rogers, Andrue Ruth, Evangelina Salvatierra, AbigailSmith,HunterStanley, Owen Vinton, Reagan WindleandBrayleeYeager
FAIRBANKS, Alaska — Two Harbor residents have been named to honor lists for the fall semester at the University of Alaska at Fairbanks.
3.9-4.0
Kimberlee Howerton of Tokeland
3.5-3.8
Former Seahawks QB
Geno Smith gets new $85.5M deal with Raiders, reports say
Geno Smith, who was traded by the Seahawks to the Raiders on March 7 after contract negotiations between the two sides broke down, finally has his long-awaited new deal.
As first reported by the NFL Network, ESPN and other national outlets, Smith and the Raiders agreed on a two-year extension that adds to the 2025 season, keeping him under contract through 2027.
The two new years are saidtobeworthupto$85.5 million, with $66 million guaranteed,withtheentire three years of the contract worthupto$116.5million, according to The Athletic. Smith is due to make $31 million in 2025 in the final season of a three-year contracthesignedwiththe Seahawks in 2023.
The base value of the two new years was said to be $75 million with incentives making it worth up to $85.5 million.
As reported by The Athletic, the per-year average of Smith’s deal is $38.83 million. The peryear average of the base of the two new years is $37.5 million.
the latest seahawks offseason news
Both numbers, on the surface, are in line with what a source said the SeahawksofferedSmith— a two-year extension that could have been worth up to $90 million. How much of that was incentives was not clear. Given the nature of the first contract the Seahawks signed Smith to in 2023, there could have been significant incentives. An NFL Network report stated the Seahawks’ offer was more in the $35 million range.
Smith was thought to want more than $40 millioninthebasevalueof his contract. If he were to hit all incentives, the average of the two new years withtheRaiderswouldtop thatmark,at$42.5million. Details on the incentives were not immediately available.
According to Seahawks general manager John Schneider, the team never got a counteroffer from Smith after giving him the first offer following the NFL combine, which ended March 3.
When the Seahawks felt that the lack of a counteroffer might indicate it would be difficult to get an extension done quickly, they decided to “pivot” — as Schneider put it — and deal Smith to the Raiders
and go after Sam Darnold. The Seahawks signed Darnold to a three-year deal worth up to $100.5 million with $37.5 million fully guaranteed. At first glance, the Seahawks appear to have savedmoneyingoingfrom Smith to Darnold while gaining a third-round pick in the 2025 draft, and getting younger — Smith turns 35 in October while Darold turns 28 in June. Because the Raiders and Smith did not have an agreement, the team has yet to hold a news conference introducing Smith, and he has yet to publicly comment on his trade. A news conference will presumably happen soon.
Raiders coach Pete Carroll said at the NFL annual meeting earlier this week that the team was working on a deal withSmithandthathewas optimisticitwouldhappen soon.
“We’re working on it,” Carroll said. “Yeah, we’re working on it. [Smith’s] excited to get going, get started.He’llbeherewhen we get rolling. But we are working on it.” That work is done as is a journey for Smith that began last offseason to get a new deal.
Smith acknowledged he approached the team last offseason about an extension on a three-year deal he signed in 2023 that was worth up to $105 million if he hit all incentives, but that was worth $75 million in base value, or $25 million a year. That dealincluded$27.3million in guaranteed money. TheSeahawkstoldSmith they would not redo his deal last offseason, holding to a precedent of not extending contracts that have more than a year remaining.
Smith’s request came after he saw the likes of Jacksonville’s Trevor Lawrence and Miami’s Tua Tagovailoa sign big new deals paying them an average of $55 million and $53.1million,respectively.
Smith acknowledged in August he was aware of those contracts.
“It’s hard not to see it,” Smith said. “We all see it. I’m really happy for those guys. Whatever they get, they deserve. You pay attention to it, but you try to stay focused on what you have to stay focused on, which is my job here with Seahawks.”
That sentiment set the stage for the negotiations with the Seahawks that went nowhere, and the contract Smith has with the Raiders.
B.C.
Pearls Before Swine
Pickles
Garfield
Wizard of Id
Frazz
Red & Rover
Bob Condotta Seattle Times staff reporter
JENNIFER BUCHANAN / THE SEATTLE TIMES Seahawks quarterback Geno Smith leaves Jets defensive tackle Quinnen Williams in his dust during the first quarter during a December game.
Relationship shares distinct similarity with
Dear Abby: I’ve been divorced for 13 years and have been dating “Paul” for the last five years. Paul is kind, helps with things around the house and loves my friends and family. We share many common interests and enjoy being together. We are now considering moving to the next step: marriage. We already live together.
The problem is that Paul is not financially responsible. He helps pay the bills, and we alternate picking up the tab when we go out. I earn more than he does, which is no big deal, but I do not have retirement set up or great insurance. If we were married, it would help my insurance problems. The house and assets are in my name. Part of the reason for my divorce was my ex’s inability to manage money, which got us into a world of debt. I don’t want to go through that again. I’d love to marry Paul but do not
want to take on his financial debt. What’s the right decision to make?
—Stuck on This is Wisconsin
Dear Stuck: The right thing for you to do would be to discuss this with an attorney who can help you figure out if you really want to be legally married to Paul. Marrying someone to get on his insurance is not the right way to go. Talking with an insurance agent about a program for which you might be eligible would be not only enlightening, but also advantageous.
Dear Abby: My friend
“Buddy’s” daughter is at an age between my two daughters’ ages. She is 11; mine are 10 and 13. I’ve known Buddy since junior high, and our wives get along well. We live close to each other, and that’s great, but their daughter “Edie” is a nightmare to have stay with us. She’s mean, arrogant, disobedient and incredibly rude.
My wife and I love spending time with Buddy and his wife. Their younger daughter is 3 and adorable but also very spoiled. We don’t want to jeopardize our friendship, but it’s starting to wear on us to have Edie here without going off on them about her behavior. How can we bring this to their attention without it seeming like we’re critiquing their parenting and upsetting them?
—Fed Up in Illinois
Dear Fed Up: Is Edie mean, arrogant, disobedient and rude in the
presence of her parents, or has she been invited to spend time with your girls separately? If it is the latter and you don’t want Edie to negatively influence your girls by modeling bad behavior, explain to her that you have “certain rules” at your house and what they are. Make sure she knows that if she can’t follow the rules she won’t be invited again.
If Edie behaves this badly in her parents’ presence, tell Buddy and his wife privately that although you value their friendship, you no longer want their daughter over there because you don’t want her behavior to influence your own kids.
Dear Abby is written by Abigail Van Buren, also known as Jeanne Phillips, and was founded by her mother, Pauline Phillips.
Contact Dear Abby at www. DearAbby.com or P.O. Box 69440, Los Angeles, CA 90069.
Ocean Shores Fire Department meets up with cadets
Last month the Ocean Shores Fire Department launched a fire cadet program for 14-18-year-old students. Cadets are learning about fire and EMS services and earn volunteer hours toward graduation. They met on Wednesday night. “A great time with our cadets and the on-duty crew last night at OSFD. Our hope is to spark their interest in serving others through fire and EMS service. Service to others is our number one priority,” said Ocean Shores Fire Chief Brian Ritter.
LAST WORD IN ASTROLOGY
By Eugenia Last
Happy Birthday: Go about your business, and let progress be your calling card. What you accomplish will draw positive attention and encourage you to up your game and throw in exceptional little extras. A professional change or position that helps you raise your income or offers more clout is apparent. The transition is up to you. Go after whatever makes you happy, and fulfillment will be yours. Your numbers are 7 13 24 27 33 35 41
ARIES (March 21- April 19): Put more credence into what you do and how you present yourself and your attributes. Take the high road, and don’t look back. Letting go of the past is half the battle, but once you learn to recognize and run toward positive transformation, you’ll ease stress and enjoy what life offers. 2 stars
TAURUS (April 20-May 20): Tidy up; take a stab at minimalizing your life and decluttering your space. The freedom you can get by lowering your overhead or having less to deal with will lead to better health and happiness. Put your energy into altering your lifestyle to encourage peace of mind and more time for purposeful pastimes. 4 stars
GEMINI (May 21-June 20): Bide your time. Refuse to let anyone talk you into something you don’t want or need. You may have plenty to offer, but protect yourself from those exploiting you for their benefit. Reach out to obscure connections, get the lowdown and make choices based on what is easiest for you. 3 stars
CANCER (June 21-July 22): Get your facts straight before you share information. Put more time and thought into how you use your energy and skills to get things done and raise your profile. Changing how you use and handle your finances and protecting your physical well-being will pay off. Romance is in the stars. 3 stars
LEO (July 23-Aug. 22): Keep your mind motivated and moving in an innovative direction. Learn all you can and adapt your findings to service your skills. It’s up to you to find ways to stand out in a competitive world. Positive change happens when you address issues that are standing in your way. 3 stars
VIRGO (Aug. 23-Sept. 22): Introduce yourself to people and pastimes that excite you. Participate in community events and be receptive to adopting changes that can benefit you personally. Who you associate with will impact your feelings about yourself and the changes you incorporate into your routine. Make romance and love a priority. 4 stars
LIBRA (Sept. 23-Oct. 22): Take in the atmosphere and indulge in events that draw your undivided attention. The inspiration you receive from interacting with people who are unique, creative or knowledgeable about subjects that spark your curiosity will empower you to dig deeper and utilize the information and connections you encounter. 2 stars
SCORPIO (Oct. 23-Nov. 21): Don’t hide when you should be out and about. Interacting with other people and discovering and learning something new and exciting will lead to friendships with people who share commonalities. Social events will change your perspective regarding someone of interest. Participation is your segue to better options, new beginnings and positive lifestyle changes. 5 stars
SAGITTARIUS (Nov. 22-Dec. 21): Think big, but don’t go over budget. Someone will interfere or try to persuade you to take on responsibilities you don’t need or want. Focus on what’s possible and make self and home improvements that boost your confidence and enhance your lifestyle. Protect your money, possessions and reputation. 3 stars
CAPRICORN (Dec. 22-Jan. 19): You are sitting in a better position than someone would have you believe. Listen to criticism, but decide for yourself what’s best for you. You know what you can do, so implement the changes necessary to help you reach your destination. Be passionate about the process, journey and overall outcome. 3 stars
AQUARIUS (Jan. 20-Feb. 18): A financial opportunity is apparent. Buying, selling or investing more time or money in yourself or your future is encouraged and will send you down a rewarding path. Trust your instincts and make every moment, choice and move you make strategic. It’s OK to do things differently. Uniqueness is your strength. 3 stars
PISCES (Feb. 19-March 20): Live life your way. Follow your
