Other Headlines
Ambulance pact signed
ELMA — By a split vote, Grays Harbor Fire District 5 commissioners accepted the “final and best” contract proposal April 11 from the three other entities the district provides with emergency medical services. The current agreement, a four-month extension of the district’s previous contract with the cities of McCleary and Elma and Grays Harbor Fire District 12 in rural McCleary, ends April 30. Now “we’ve got a contract through 2011,” District 5 Commissioner Jerry Bailey said Monday, April 13.

Elma schools face $1 million budget shortfall
ELMA — To address budget concerns in light of state shortfalls, along with a continuing decline in enrollment, the Elma School District has scheduled meetings to discuss the situation with staff members and parents.

“We’re looking at cuts hovering around $1 million, possibly even up to $1.2 million,” Superintendent Howard King said Monday. The school district is also likely to lay off about 14 teachers, he said.
The administration planned to have talks with the staff “all this week,” King said. Parent meetings are scheduled for next week. Complicating the situation is the fact that the teachers’ union must be notified by May 1 and the teachers by May 15 “if they won’t be working here,” King said. But “we don’t know all the final numbers from the legislature yet — and we may not know that until after our May 15 deadline.”

That means the district might have to cut more teachers than “we actually need to,” the superintendent said. “But we have to be cautious that we don’t overextend ourselves, given that we don’t know what the final legislative budget’s going to be.”


More Sports
Bulldogs brave rain
ELMA — A bit of confusion over which scoring system to use gave way to a frantic tallying of points at the end. However, even with the scoring discrepancy the team that shot the best still won out.

Paced by Missy Gregorius’ round of 45, which equaled out to 27 Stableford points, Montesano won a non-league, three-school Stableford shootout Tuesday, April 14, at Oaksridge Golf Course.

The match was planned to be a double dual golf match before a pair of Centralia Tigers and an Ilwaco Lady Fisherman crossed out holes playing mistakenly under Stableford rules, which reward success, but do not penalize failures. Following the misunderstanding, all three coaches decided to use the alternate scoring system.

Elma girls nab title at All-County Track
MONTESANO — With Brandi Thomas winning four events, the Elma girls won the team title at the Grays Harbor All-County Track Championships Saturday, April 11, at Rottle Field.

Elma amassed 137 points, which was seven better than runner-up Hoquiam at 130. The Eagle girls prevented the Grizzlies from sweeping the meet, as Hoquiam won the boys meet with 170. Bolstering the first place points earned by Thomas was Elma’s Rebecca Peek and Kate Edem, who also notched victories for the Eagles.