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Harbor offers plenty of Independence Day fun
Taholah
Chief Taholah Days commemorate the 1855 treaty establishing the Quinault Indian Nation. Friday and Saturday, July 3 and 4, activities will include a salmon bake, canoe races, softball tournaments and fireworks.

Oakville
The town is celebrating with the Oakville Independence Day Parade on July 4 including a parade, re-enactment of the last horseback bank robbery in Washington and rodeo. For more information, call (360) 273-2702.

Ocean Shores
Fire O’er The Water, a fireworks display, will take place over the ocean Saturday, July 4.

Aberdeen
Five Star Dealerships’ SPLASH Festival featuring games, fireworks and more Saturday, July 4. For more information, call (800) 321-1924.

Westport
Dock of The Days Blues Festival beginning at noon on Saturday, July 4. Vendors, food and prizes will be offered.
• Maritime Museum’s Ole Fashioned 4th on Saturday, July 4 featuring crafts and games at the museum. For more information, call (800) 345-6223.

Monte teacher poll shows perceived ‘culture of secrecy, intimidation and reprisals’
MONTESANO — When the blue light outside the junior-senior high school principal’s office flashed, former office manager Tracie Sweeney said she had to drop what she was doing and come running. She found it demeaning to explain to parents, students and teachers why she had to abruptly leave … often just to make a copy or refill a cup of coffee.

In 2006 and 2007, her performance reviews were glowing. She was named employee of the year. That changed after she complained about the blue light in the spring of 2008. Sweeney soon was receiving negative performance reviews accompanied by length y letters outlining her shortcomings. She described instances of subtle retaliation and harassment.

See the entire survey results:
Download and read 47-page document.

Feds kibosh 13 Corners
MONTESANO — The Federal Highway Administration pulled the federal stimulus funding rug out from under the county’s 13 Corners realignment project. The project to widen, straighten and pave the road from the Wynooche to Wishkah valleys won’t be completed this year as hoped, county officials said.

The state Department of Transportation still plans to provide money for the project, which will be available through 2011, county engineer Russ Esses said. However, the county lacks the money to cover the project costs without federal aid, he said. This project reconstructs the only gravel section of the county route between Aberdeen and Montesano, a vital detour when the main highway is closed. The federal funding would have provided $1 million, bolstered by $1.44 million in state grants and $600,000 in county money.

Meeting to discuss Lake Sylvia plans
MONTESANO — More than 10,000 people signed petitions urging the state to keep Lake Sylvia State Park open. Legislators listened, but now the state needs those people to help keep the park open.

“Now it’s a case of put up or shut up, in my opinion,” said Helen Hepp of Montesano, one of the people who helped organized the Lake Sylvia campaign.

House Majority Leader Lynn Kessler, D-Hoquiam, has organized a community meeting from 6-7:30 p.m. Wednesday, July 8, at Montesano City Hall, 112 N. Main St.

The meeting is a response to the civic support for Lake Sylvia and nearby Schafer state parks and will discuss possible ways for area residents to help keep the parks open.

The worst mismanagement at Montesano schools in 25 years
Guest opinion by Dan Wood...John Molohon, a state official responsible for oversight of schools, recently wrote the Montesano School District superintendent “has not mismanaged the district.”
Not mismanaged? Yeah, right. The world is flat and the moon is made of cheese...

More Sports

Montesano’s Pollard
to compete at Nevada Rodeo event
Recent Montesano High School graduate Riley Pollard of Montesano will be competing in the Silver State International Rodeo July 4-9 in Fallon, Nev. The rodeo is open to contestants who finish fifth through tenth in their state or provincial finals for the year.
Pollard finished eighth in Washington during the 22-rodeo season. He will be competing as a calf roper and in team roping with partner Garth McCaleb of Port Angeles against high school students from 48 states, Australia and Canada.

Dragin Magic win tourney on home turf
The 10U Dragin Magic fastpitch squad of Montesano won the 2nd Annual “Let the Games Begin” Fastpitch Tournament held at Montesano’s Crait Field last weekend. The Magic opened the tourney with a 6-5 win over the Elma Eagles on Friday and Saturday morning; they topped the Renton Mosquitos 5-3 and then a Kittitas squad 15-0 to enter single elimination play Sunday as the No. 1 seed.

Monte’s Pocklington named Softball Player of the Year
Aubree Pocklington, a recent graduate of Montesano High School, was honored with the Class 1A Softball Player of the Year designation when the spring All-State sports awards were announced last week by the Tri-City Herald, which compiles votes from around the state. Pocklington, played catcher on Montesano’s back-to-back state title-winning teams and will be attending Pacific Lutheran University in the fall, where she will play softball and volleyball.