Other Headlines

Beavers killed to fix drainage
MONTESANO — To make the new, nearly $300,000 Medcalf stormwater drainage project work right, city workers this spring ripped out beaver dams by hand and hired a licensed trapper to kill 11 beavers in Schoefield Creek.

The action outraged a creek neighbor, who filed a complaint with the state Department of Ecology.

Ecology’s primary concern is with water quality, and it doesn’t sound like the city’s actions added too much sediment to the water, said Derek Rockett, a water quality expert with the agency.

The complaint was also sent to the state Fish and Wildlife officer in Montesano, who visited the site and spoke with city workers.
Turns out, the city didn’t have a Fish and Wildlife permit prior to pulling out portions of the beaver dams that were blocking a culvert under Talbot Street.

“Any time, if you were to go and remove beaver dams to drain backed up water, you need a permit,” area habitat biologist Amy Iverson said. “If (the city) would have done a (full) removal of the dam, that would have been a major problem.”

Any time work is done that affects state waters, the agency has an interest in making sure that work doesn’t degrade fish habitat, Iverson said.

The department wouldn’t necessarily deny a permit, but would seek to make sure the work was done in a controlled manner so the water level doesn’t drop more than one foot per 24 hours so fish aren’t stranded upstream or downstream. Areas get scoured by water flushing away quickly, she said.

“Beaver dam problems are abundant in this area,” she said.
However, the fate of the beaver isn’t covered under the jurisdiction of either agency.

“I don’t have any jurisdiction over the fate of beavers,” Iverson said.

Candidate cries foul
MONTESANO — Chiropractor Jack Dwyer said he plans to continue running despite behind-the-scenes political pressure to bow out of the race to fill Speaker of the House Lynn Kessler’s seat.
Dwyer, of Montesano, is the only Democrat to date who has declared his intent to run. However, there is significant speculation that longtime Clallam County Commissioner Steve Tharinger, D-Sequim, plans to run.

That’s who Dwyer said “state-level Democratic leaders from King and Thurston counties” have been pressuring him to step aside to endorse. He did not say who in the party had contacted him.
Tharinger said Tuesday he expects to make an official announcement declaring his candidacy Friday. He’s waiting to get a clean bill of health from his oncologist before officially stepping into the fray, he said. Tharinger was diagnosed in 2004 with advanced lymphatic cancer that developed tumors in his abdomen. The cancer is in remission, but he wants another check-up before campaigning.
For his part, Tharinger said he believes everyone interested should have a shot at running.

“I’ve always felt the more the merrier,” he said.

Kessler, D-Hoquiam, has represented the 24th Legislative District, which includes Clallam and Jefferson counties and part of Grays Harbor County, for 18 years. She announced last month that she would not seek re-election.

Republicans Larry Carter of Port Ludlow and James Frederick McEntire Jr. of Sequim also have declared their candidacy.

McCleary utilities clerk is dismissed
McCLEARY — The City of McCleary’s former utilities accountant, Ardyce Taylor, has been “terminated,” Mayor Gary Dent said. Asked if that meant she had been fired, Dent said it did.

After determining that Taylor was not going to be allowed to return, the next decision to be made was whether to allow her to resign, Dent had said previously.

The mayor said Monday that Paul Nott, the International Brotherhood of Electrical Workers Local 77 shop steward, had asked if Dent would let Taylor resign.

“My compassion told me ‘yes,’ ” said Mayor Dent, who said he’s known Taylor since she was a child. But “my lawyers told me ‘no.’ ”
Asked why Taylor had been fired, “part of it’s still an ongoing investigation, and at some point I’d be willing to go further, to tell you more,” Dent said. “But (there were) an awful lot of strange things, and it ties in with computers and accounts, and that’s about all I can say.” But Dent did say that some solid issues that had been discovered were the basis for the utility accountant’s firing.

More Sports

Bulldog baseball overpowers Grizzlies, 8-5
MONTESANO — Taking full advantage with runners on base, Montesano flexed its muscles in an 8-5 non-league baseball victory over Hoquiam on Friday, May 7, at Vessey Field.

The Bulldogs wasted no time in getting to Grizzly starter Max Dickinson.

Gunner Godfrey was hit by a pitch to lead things off for Monte. Chris Logan then reached base on a fielder’s choice that put out Godfrey. Sean McNealley’s grounder to short was mishandled leaving both Logan and McNealley aboard for Craig McAlpin who uncorked a high fly ball to right field that sailed over the fence and into the parking lot giving Montesano a quick 3-0 lead. Kale Trimble tried to keep the ball rolling with a double following the homer but was stranded at second base.

Simpson, Miller nab back-to-back wins at Raceway
ELMA — Two weeks into the racing season, both Zack Simpson of Hoquiam and Shelton’s Scott Miller can still call themselves unbeaten as the pair earned their second-straight victory in their respective classes, Saturday, May 8, at Grays Harbor Raceway in Elma.

Simpson led the entire way in the Hobby Stock feature, while Miller had to hold of reigning Modified champion Josh Muller of Montesano to collect his main event win. Joining Simpson and Miller in victory lane were Snohomish’s Seth Hespe in the Ford Focus Midget class and Henry VanDam in the 360 Sprints.

Monte tennis tabbed as academic state champs
The Montesano girls tennis squad was recently named the Class 1A State Academic Champions by the Washington Interscholastic Athletic Association.

The Bulldogs with their 3.891 grade point average are the class of their 1A ranks.

Team members included in the team average are Haley Lawrence, Johanna Brulotte, Cameron Cordray, Chase Cordray, Lorraine Flake, Sierra Rasmussen, Courtney Rice, Tori Schuh and Kayla Whitney.