Klog

The Kalama Library is closed for the next few days, as they work to dry out the building after a water leak on Tuesday. City of Kalama officials report that they’re having work done on the City Hall/Library building, including the replacement of the roof and sheetmetal siding on the upper part of the building. During Tuesday’s rain storm, the wind blew off a temporary cover, allowing water to get into the Library. A water restoration company has been brought in to dry things out, but that will take several days to complete. Because of the equipment needed and the noise involved, it’s felt that it will be in the best interest of library users and employees to close the facility until the work is finished. They’re expected to re-open next Tuesday. Call the City of Kalama at 673-4561 for more information.

A Longview City Council workshop that had been scheduled for tonight has now been cancelled. The Council had been scheduled for National Incident Command Management training at 6 pm, but that has since been cancelled, and will be re-scheduled for a future date.

There’s a special program on Indian baskets planned for this evening at the Cowlitz County Historical Museum. The program is titled “Indian Baskets: Identification, Care and Their Historic Uses,” and will be presented by Barbara Minard, the Collections Manager for the Columbia Pacific Heritage Museum in Ilwaco. Baskets from the Cowlitz County Museum’s collection will be on display, and will also be featured in tonight’s program. The program will take place in the Museum meeting room at 7 pm; it’s free and open to all.

The Longview Fire Department is handing out several honors and awards, recognizing several people who were involved in recent life-saving events. On the 16th of this month, Fire Chief Daryl McDaniel presented a Life Save Plaque to Master Firefighter Eric Bergquist and a Citizens’ Real Hero award to Miranda Brown, for their efforts on July 21st, when a man collapsed at Roy Morse Park. Bergquist was off-duty at the time; he and Brown started CPR on the man, who was unconscious and not breathing. They continued the CPR until paramedics arrived with portable defibrillator, and they were able to re-start the man’s heart. It’s speculated that the efforts of Bergquist and Brown helped to save the man’s life; Engine Company 82 was also presented with a Unit Commendation for their help in this case. . McDaniel also presented a Unit Commendation Award to Engine Company 81, for that team’s efforts in helping to save a woman who’d collapsed at the Industrial Way Food Mart on June 14th. The woman was unconscious and not breathing when the firefighters arrived on the scene; they used a portable defibrillator three times, but still had to continue CPR until the ambulance arrived. The firefighters helped the ambulance crew continue the CPR until the patient arrived at the hospital, getting the woman’s heart restarted just before they arrived. McDaniel says that the quick action by the firefighters helped to save this woman’s life.

Kalama could be closer to landing a McMenamin’s as the County Commissioners take action to enable the Port of Kalama to assist with financing of the project. At yesterday morning’s meeting, the Commissioners took action to declare all of Cowlitz County as a “Recovery Zone” under the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act, and also designated the Port of Kalama as an “issuer of Recovery Zone Facility Bonds.” Port of Kalama Development Director Mark Wilson says that could help kick-start the project. The resolution sets Cowlitz County up to be able to raise up to $3.7 million through the issuance of Economic Development bonds; they also delegated authority for up to $5.5 million in Recovery Zone Facility bond capacity to the Port of Kalama. The Port now has the ability to issue up to $5.5 million in bonds, and there’s also a requirement that at least ten percent of the price be supported by private enterprise. This action makes the Port eligible to issue the tax-exempt bonds, making the project more affordable. McMenamin’s hasn’t yet been available to comment on the move, and they’d still be required to obtain a “letter of credit” to access the funding. The bonds also have to be issued by the end of this year. Over the past couple of years, there have been exploratory discussions regarding construction of a McMenamin’s in the old Pyramid Brewing Company facility, next to the Kalama Marina.

Classes open today for a large number of local students. The school doors swing open in Kelso, Longview, Woodland, Cathlamet and Toutle. Classes also start tomorrow in Kalama. You’ll need to be aware of kids going to and from school, and with the rain-slickened streets, braking distances will be increased. Local police agencies will be out and about, keeping an eye on school zones, enforcing the 20 mile-an-hour speed limit.

State School Superintendent Randy Dorn calls the latest report on school performance “mixed,” and it’s also being reported that two local high schools failed to meet progress standards under No Child Left Behind. Dorn says that they expected the “mixed results” from the annual report, citing the impacts of continuing budget cuts to K-12 education, along with the implementation of new measurement standards. This is the first year of the grade 3-8 Measurement of Student Progress, and the High School Proficiency Exam. As the report comes out, it shows that Kelso High School and R. A. Long High School failed to hit Annual Yearly Progress benchmarks under NCLB. Kelso and R. A. Long each received a “5,” which is the lowest score possible under the NCLB measures. Both schools made improvements in reading and writing, but low scores in science and math brought the overall scores down. Administrators in both school districts say that they’re deeply concerned with the report, and are taking steps to improve test scores.

Cowlitz County Deputies are back from a trip to Redwood, California, extraditing a man wanted in connection with a 2007 child pornography case. Yesterday morning, Deputies returned to the Cowlitz County Jail with Kenneth Leroy Jeffers, 78. He’s now being held on a charge of possession depictions of minors engaged in sexual activity, with bail set at $35,000. Details on the charges and the arrest of Jeffers haven’t been disclosed as of yet.

As planned, the Buoy 10 fishery at the mouth of the Columbia River is closing for retention of chinook salmon. The Washington Department of Fish and Wildlife says that they had been looking at the possibility of extending the chinook season through Labor Day, but it’s noted that the catch of lower-river stocks has already exceeded preseason estimates. They’d hoped to extend the season, but that will reduce the number of fish available for up-river anglers. Buoy 10 remains open for retention of coho and steelhead.

It’s being reported that another negotiation meeting is planned for tomorrow between Longview Fibre Paper and Packaging and local 153 of the AWPPW. The Daily News now reports that Monday’s meeting was a “question-and-answer session.” The union has served the company with a strike notice, but so far, they’re continuing to work under the old contract, which expired on May 31st. The union rank-and-file overwhelmingly rejected the company’s last offer, 634-1; it’s claimed that the union presented a counter-offer in the last meeting, the same time that the company also presented another offer. It’s still being reported that health care benefits and pension benefits remain as the biggest sticking points.