Klog

The Cowlitz County Commissioners plan to take up discussion on a resolution dealing with support of how the Mount St. Helens National Volcanic Monument is managed. Late last month, the Lewis and Skamania County Commissions both passed the resolution, supporting continued management by the U. S. Forest Service, in favor of keeping the area as a national monument. Last week, several supporters of the drive to get the volcano designated as a national park asked the Cowlitz County Commissioners to at least hold off on the resolution, until after Third District Congresswoman Jaime Herrera Beutler decides if she’ll back a request for a feasibility study on the proposal to convert the area into a national park. Cowlitz County Commission chair George Raiter says that they were holding off on taking action until after Commissioner Mike Karnofski returned from vacation, and they could conduct a workshop. Today’s action is planned right at the beginning of today’s regular County Commission meeting, which starts at 9 am in the Commissioners’ Hearing Room at the County Administration Building in Kelso.

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You can get some of the basics for starting a small business in a noontime workshop that’s planned for today at the Cowlitz County Administration Building. Jerry Patrick from the WSU Small Business Development Center will present “What to Know about Starting a Small Business,” starting at noon in room 300 at the County Administration Building. He’ll have information on the do’s and don’ts’s of starting a new business; Patrick says that starting a new business take motivation, desire and talent, with success depending on making decisive and correct moves at the beginning. Patrick says that some initial mistakes are inevitable, but he says that they don’t have to be fatal. The Small Business Development Center is a free service that’s offered by WSU Extension, offering help and expertise in answering your questions. If you can’t make today’s free noontime workshop, give them a call at 577-3014, extension number 3.

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Starting next Monday and running through June 3rd, you may notice more cops than usual on local roadways. The Washington Traffic Safety Commission says all local law enforcement agencies will be joining with the State Patrol for the “Click It or Ticket” patrols, looking for unbuckled drivers and passengers. Darren Grondel with the Traffic Safety Commission says that the goal is not to write tickets, but to encourage drivers to buckle up. They estimate that for every traffic death that’s avoided through the use of seat belts, four serious injuries are also avoided. It’s also estimated that more than a thousand lives have been saved through the use of seat belts, following the passage of Washington’s primary seat belt law went into effect in 2002. State officials also report that the number of traffic deaths each year is continuing to decline; 658 people were killed in crashes in 2002, while that number was down to 455 last year.

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The weather should stay pretty nice for Cowlitz County’s 4th annual Bike to Work Week, which started yesterday, and continues through Friday evening. Things kicked off yesterday morning, with free coffee and goodie bags handed out at the Triangle Shopping Center Starbucks store. Organizers say that the goal is to promote biking as a healthy, fun and inexpensive mode of transportation, also working to raise awareness of cycling in the local community. You’ve still got time to get involved, continuing until Friday, which is listed at “Bike to Work Day” in Cowlitz County. They’ll once again be handing out free coffee to bike riders at the Triangle Center Starbucks between 7 and 9 am Friday morning, then the finale will be held Friday afternoon and evening at Fusion Bubble Tea at 14th and Broadway in Longview. To be eligible for the prizes that they’re giving away at that party, go to cowlitzonthemove.org, and fill out a registration form.

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No injuries were reported when a boater called in a mayday yesterday afternoon on the Columbia River near Kalama. The operator of the pleasure craft contacted Cowlitz County 911 at about 2:30 yesterday afternoon, saying that their boat was taking on water, and the two adults aboard were putting on life jackets. As the Cowlitz County Sheriff’s Office worked to get some resources mobilized to assist the boaters, they reported that they were able to safely make their way to a private dock in the area of Tidewater Drive, upstream from Kalama. An examination of the boat showed that the pump for their engine cooling system was actually pumping water into the bilge, causing the hull to fill with water. The boat’s owner was able to make arrangements for a tow back to their home base.

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A Longview woman is recovering from head trauma that she received in a three-car crash that happened Saturday afternoon on I-5 southbound near the Longview Wye. State Troopers say that Margarita Hernandez, 43, of Longview was merging onto the southbound freeway at milepost 36, at about 4:45 pm on Saturday. As she entered the freeway, Hernandez moved from the merge lane to the center lane, where she collided with a car driven by Richard Lovejoy, 69, of Panama City, Florida. Lovejoy’s car then went into the left lane, where he collided with Mon Sarki, 25, of Beaverton. After the impact, Hernandez’ car swerved off the right shoulder of the freeway, crashing head-on into the guard rail. Sarki’s car came to rest on top of the median barrier, while Lovejoy was able to make his way to the right shoulder. Hernandez was the only person injured in the collision; she was taken to St. John Medical Center, then was transferred to Portland. After spending the night in the hospital, she was released yesterday. Troopers blame the crash on the unsafe lane change made by Hernandez, and they say that a citation with that charge is pending.

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The folks at the Dyno Nobel chemical plant near St. Helens put a call into Cowlitz County yesterday afternoon, reporting that they’d had a release of ammonia into the air. The call came in around 3:20 pm, with the plant’s operators saying that they’d discovered a leak in a flange, which then allowed the release into the air. It’s not known how much material was released into the atmosphere, but there were no reports of adverse impact or odor anywhere around in the area. Repairs were made to the leaking flange, and the company is looking into the reason for that failure.

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Starting at 9 am today, would-be candidates will be able to make their intentions official, as the 2012 Candidate Filing period opens. In this area, voters will be helping to choose a senator and both representatives in the 19th Legislative District, and after the recent redistricting, voters in a large swath of the county will be voting in the 20th District for the first time. At least one new County Commissioner will be chosen, as George Raiter is announcing that he doesn’t plan to run for a fourth term. He represents the Commission District 2, covering the Longview metro area, while Mike Karnofski does plan to run for a full term in Commissioner District 1, which covers Kelso and the southern part of the county. All four Superior Court Judge positions are on the ballot, as is District Court Judge Ron Marshall. He’s running to fill the unexpired term on District Court position 3. There’s also one Cowlitz PUD Commission seat on this year’s ballot, the District 2 seat that’s currently held by Mark McCrady. Candidates can file on-line or in person at the Cowlitz County Auditor’s Office. Filing closes at the end of business on Friday.

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Students at Lower Columbia College and other public institutions of higher education in Washington are going to have to try and track down some additional financial aid in the coming school year, as state officials announce across-the-board tuition increases. Late last week, the State Board of Community and Technical Colleges approved a 13-percent tuition increase for full-time students, starting in the 2012-2013 school year. At the current time, a full load of 15 credits costs $3,813; that will rise to $4,271 in September. LCC officials say that this will probably increase summer session enrollment, as students will still be able to take advantage of the 2011-2012 tuition rates. The tuition is also going up at Washington’s public four-year institutions, including rate hikes of eleven percent at Eastern Washington University, 14 percent at Central, 16 percent at Western Washington, and 14 percent at the Evergreen State College. The University of Washington is expected to increase tuition by 16 percent next month. The increases come as the Washington Legislature continues to cut state support for Washington’s public colleges and universities.

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Starting at 8 o’clock this morning, West Side Highway will close about two miles south of Castle Rock, as work begins to clear out brush that overhangs power lines and the highway in that area. The Department of Transportation is teaming up with the Cowlitz PUD on this project, which is expected to run through Friday. The highway will be closed from 8 am to 4 pm each day. A detour will be posted, using Hazel Dell Road and Delameter Road. WashDOT says that this will add about two miles to the trip, so you should budget some extra time if you’re planning on using this route. I-5 is advised as the preferred alternate route.

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