Klog

A cold air mass that moved into the area yesterday wreaked some havoc weather-wise, causing hail storms, gusty winds and even some reports of snow in the higher hills. The gusty winds were responsible for some power outages and property damage yesterday afternoon. The Cowlitz PUD reports that almost 1,100 customers lost power in two main outages reported yesterday. 843 customers along the lower portion of the Spirit Lake Memorial Highway and Tower Road lost power at 11:23 am, when a tree fell into an overhead line; repairs were completed just before noon. 230 customers along the Kalama River Road were knocked off for about 45 minutes yesterday afternoon, caused when tree limbs fell into overhead lines. PUD crews were also called to remove the roof of a trailer house that blew off at 11th and Tennant Way at about 1:30 pm. The roof landed in some overhead lines, but didn’t cause an outage. Longview Police say that the mobile home was seriously damaged by the wind, but no injuries were reported. The eastbound lane of Delaware Street was also blocked at 20th for about an hour, when a large tree fell over at about 1:25 pm. There was also a report of a dusting of snow in the Alston Corner area, along with an overnight power outage. This cool air mass is expected to persist through today, dropping snow levels down as low as 800 feet this morning, rising to 1,200 feet later today. Overnight temperatures have also dropped down around freezing this morning, so there could be some icy patches on area roadways.

An autopsy shows that Gene Hansen, 76, of Rainier had a heart attack just prior to losing control of his minivan in Longview on Saturday morning. Deputy Coroner Brett Dundas says that the heart attack caused Hansen to become incapacitated as he was driving near 15th and Douglas; his minivan bounced off the north end of the YMCA before traveling to 14th and Douglas, where it crashed into a light pole. Dundas says that the autopsy shows that Hansen suffered no serious injuries in the crash. Two people on the scene started CPR, and Hansen was taken to St. John Medical Center, but he died a short time later.

The Longview School Board took formal action last night to submit a School Improvement Grant for Monticello Middle School, applying for $1.5 million in Federal money, intended to help improve academic achievement at the school. School Board President Jennifer Leach says that the grant requires the district to take some drastic action, but she also says this is a great chance for the school. The district has to submit the competitive grant application by tomorrow, pledging to take the “transformation” track for school improvement. That requires replacement of the principal, improving instructional strategies and professional development, identifying and rewarding staff that’s doing well, and supporting those who are not. Some of the instruction improvements include development of an “action planning process,” increasing the length of the school day, mandatory summer school, Saturday School, after-school learning opportunities, and increased community outreach. In that regard, Superintendent Suzanne Cusick is meeting with several Monticello parents at a Community Meeting set for 7 pm tonight, being held at a private home on 22nd Avenue, and a series of Community Forums are planned for next month. District officials say that they should know about the grant award by the end of this month.

Longview’s Citizen Commission on Salaries for Elected Officials met yesterday, and unanimously decided that no changes should be made in the compensation for the city’s elected officials in the coming year. The Commission will meet again on the second Monday of March next year, for another review of City Council compensation.

Longview Fibre Paper and Packaging will start a series of evacuation drills today, with exercises also set for the 11th, 15th, 19th and the 22nd. The mill evacuation alarm will be sounded just after 7 pm and should last for about three to five minutes. The alarm may be audible to homes and businesses in the area. Tonight’s drill is set to start at 7:10 pm, as are the drills on the 11th, 15th and the 22nd. The drill on the 19th is set to begin at 7:10 am.

The Columbia River Compact met yesterday, and took a vote to completely close the Columbia River system to smelt fishing, starting on Thursday. Washington Fish and Wildlife officials say that this year’s fishery in the main stem of the Columbia was intended to act as a test fishery, looking to gauge the abundance of this year’s return. They say that the 2010 smelt run appears to be complete, and that no additional fishing time is required. The closure goes into effect at 12:01 am on Thursday, and on April first, new permanent rules will go into effect. It’s also expected that a ruling on the Endangered Species Act review of Columbia River smelt will be issued in the next few weeks.

There’s a special program planned for tonight at the Cowlitz County Historical Museum, featuring University of Louisiana Associate Professor of History Robert Carriker. He’ll talk about his new book, titled “Urban Farming in the West: A New Deal Experiment in Subsistence Homesteads.” Carriker’s new book focuses on four projects in Washington, Arizona and California, including one that was implemented in West Longview in 1935. Sixty homes were built in connection with this project, which was considered to be one of the most successful in the nation. Tonight’s program starts at 7 pm and is open to anyone interested.

The artistic talents of local school kids are on display tonight at the ESD 112 offices in Vancouver, as they open up their 37th annual Southwest Washington Regional High School Art Show. A number of local students are being featured; Brynn Williams, Jesse Poole and Candace Wilson of Mark Morris are Regional Award winners, along with Constance Ierokomos of Kelso High, Cassie Woods and Charlie Hartzog of the On-Track Academy in Longview, and Dawn-Marie Nelson of R. A. Long. Rose Edwards of the On-Track Academy is the winner of the Merry Camack Award. Charise Wernicke and Marta Parada of Kelso High won ESD 112 Awards, along with Amber Juntenen, Kyle Janke and Kylie Farmer of Mark Morris, and Aubrey Hillam of R. A. Long. A number of local students also received Honorable Mention awards. The artists will be honored in a reception that’s set for this evening at the ESD offices on Northeast 65th Avenue in Vancouver, starting at 5:30 pm. The Awards program starts at 7.

The Sheriff’s Office is investigating a car crash reported yesterday morning in the 600 block of Hazel Dell Road, where a person was injured, but didn’t remain on the scene of the wreck. At about 9:45 yesterday morning, a call came in about a Ford Ranger pickup being off of Hazel Dell, crashed into the creek. The 911 caller also reported that there was blood in the pickup, but no one was around. Initial arrangements were made to call out the Dive Team, but after an inspection of the crash site, they determined that wouldn’t be necessary. There was evidence that someone in the car had been injured. A check with St. John Medical Center shows that the registered owner of the truck showed up at the hospital at about 2:30 am, and that man was treated and released. No charges have been reported as of yet.