Other Headlines

Plea deal in Monte child porn case
A State Patrol investigation has concluded that an assistant football coach at Montesano High School was sharing sexually explicit cell phone pictures of his under-age girlfriend with members of the football team and students as young as 14. All they had to do was ask for them. The Grays Harbor Prosecutor’s Office released the report Wednesday this week in response to a public records request. Prosecutor Stew Menefee said that his office is recommending as part of a plea bargain that Tyler Trimble, 21, be charged with telephone harassment, which is a gross misdemeanor punishable by up to a year in jail and a $5,000 fine. He expected the case to go before a judge that day.

Land use issues dominate local agendas
Land use decisions, both controversial and routine, dominated the agendas of county and city governments in east county this week. On Monday, the Grays Harbor County commissioners extended the moratorium over the Wildcat Creek Aquifer to protect McCleary’s drinking water; scheduled a public hearing for 6 p.m. Monday, March 3, to consider a subdivision that would extend Deer Park Drive in Central Park, and fielded two land-use appeals. On Tuesday, the Montesano City Council agreed to reconsider a decision requiring Gene Mero of Montesano to bear the bulk of the cost of moving the city’s waterline so that he can develop his property off McBryde Avenue. Council members also scheduled a public hearing to for March 25 to consider annexing two parcels in the 1800 block of Beacon Avenue. They’re owned by Councilman Albert Collins (who abstained from voting) and his son, Adam Collins.

Full steam ahead
The weather’s been rainy and blustery, but if you live near Fuller Hill in Satsop and have been hearing a low rumble, it’s probably not thunder. And if you see unusual “clouds” in that area, it might actually be steam. The Grays Harbor Energy Center on the west campus of the Satsop Development Park, is “completing startup and preparing for operation,” Tom Donovan, the project director, said Monday. The steam and noise the past few weeks have been from “steam blows,” a process that cleans the plant’s newly installed piping. Donovan was excited to report that “power finally (came) off the hill,” referring to the fact that the “initial synchronization and delivery of power” from the plant took place “at 4:28 p.m. Friday, Feb. 1.”

Elma grandparents still waiting
After Judge Gordon Godfrey continued the case for three more weeks on Tuesday, a shaken Richard Zeh, who had hoped for good news at a court proceeding in his and his wife’s attempt to again become their grandchildren’s caregivers, said they have no choice but to “obey the court.” And to wait. Richard and Julie Zeh of Elma had been caring for 2-year-old “Micah” and 5-year-old “Alyssa” from early last September until Dec. 20, when the Department of Social and Health Services obtained a court order authorizing the state to take the children into “protective custody” and place them in a foster home. Though it was the grandparents who had been caring for the children, the department emphasized that they had been taken into custody from the parents, not from the grandparents.

More Sports

East County advances 11 wrestlers to state tourney
LONGVIEW – Elma freshman Brad Watson continued his perfect run through post-season wrestling as the 103-pounder brought home a title from the 2A Regional Wrestling Tournament at Mark Morris High School on Saturday, Feb. 9. Watson and Mark Morris’ Kyler Roden battled through a scoreless first period. Watson then scored a quick reversal in the second round and added a takedown for a 4-0 victory over in the 103-pound title bout. Along with Watson, two other Eagles will compete in the Mat Classic in Tacoma next weekend – 152-pounder Daniel Lillie and 215-pounder Justin Whitney. Hoquiam’s William Law scored a reversal in the last minute of the 215-pound third-fourth place match to edge Whitney, 4-2. Lillie wound up in fourth place after dropping his consolation match. The top four at each weight earned state berths. Chehalis won the regional team title with 162 points, while Elma finished eighth.

TUMWATER – Elma sophomore Michaela Ecklund returned home from the Regional Girls Wrestling Tournament on Saturday, Feb. 9 at Tumwater with an individual and a state tourney berth. Ecklund came out on top of the 160-pound weight class, after winning an 8-4 decision over Drrue Partridge of Graham-Kapowsin in the title round. Another Eagle that qualified for state was state veteran, Mackenzie Glerup, who finished fourth in heavyweight division.
Both Ecklund and Glerup will compete in the Mat Classic XX at the Tacoma Dome this weekend. Hoquiam won the team honors at the tourney. The Grizzlies amassed 145.5 points to runner-up La Center’s 83 points.

CASTLE ROCK – In what was called a “super regional” with six different leagues involved, six from Montesano earned berths to the state tourney in Tacoma this weekend after the two-day 1A Regional Wrestling Tournament last weekend at Castle Rock. Two Bulldogs reached the title round – 189-pounder Ira Alefteras and heavyweight Matt Combs. Alefteras wound up in a rematch of the Subregional finals with Forks’ Luke Dixon, and like the Subregional match Dixon prevailed by pin-fall. Combs ended up getting pinned by Kalama’s Sean McDonald in the third round of their title bout. In addition to Alefteras and Combs, Montesano will send Dillon Ford, Jason Franks, Ryan Campbell and Brent Phillips to the Tacoma Dome.
Ford at 130-pounds, Campbell at 152-pounds and Phillips at 171-pounds each earned third place spots at regionals, while Franks was fourth at 140-pounds.

Spartans pull away from Bulldog girls
Behind 17 points from Madison Justus, Forks topped Montesano, 55-36, in the Bulldogs final 1A Evergreen League girls basketball contest of the season on Thursday, Feb. 7, at Bo Griffith Memorial Gymnasium on Senior Night. At times Monte was able to keep pace with Forks – in the second and fourth quarters – but the Bulldogs struggled from the floor in the first and third frames, allowing the Spartans to slowly pull away from a, 5-5, tie with 1:24 left in the first period.

Bulldog boys end on high note
FORKS – Behind a trio of seniors scoring in double figures, Montesano wound-down its 2007-08 campaign with a, 58-48, 1A Evergreen League boys basketball victory on Friday, Feb. 8, at Forks. Cody Martin led Bulldog scorers with 16 points, while Bryson Ford hit for 14 and Shane Prince amassed 12 points, 11 rebounds and blocked four shots.

Elma fends off Aberdeen girls
ELMA – With both Elma and Aberdeen shooting similar percentages from the floor, the Eagles ability to hit free throws at the right time helped them hold-off the Bobcats, 46-42, in a 2A Evergreen Conference girls basketball match-up on Thursday, Feb. 7, at Elma’s High School Gymnasium. The contest had a defensive flavor throughout, with no team being able to pull away – neither Elma nor Aberdeen ever owned a lead larger than six points.