August 16, 2007

	Unearthed tires bring subdivision under scrutiny
	Despite how it may look, the 77-acre site off Clemons Road is in compliance with terms of its permit, county officials say. By Dee Anne Shaw Vidette Editor When Linda Fritts saw what she thought was an illegal attempt to literally cover up some old tires on Monday in a new subdivision off of Clemons Road she thought, "that's enough - no more runaround" and presented herself before the Grays Harbor County Commissioners to air her concerns publicly. Not enough is being done to make sure the development in the former Krueger estates is following environmental rules, she said. An investigation was conducted later that same day by county staff who concluded that Mrs. Fritts did indeed see tires being moved around on the site, but there's no evidence the the contractor has acted illegally.		In photos provided by Linda Fritts of Courtney Lane it's clear there are tires being unearthed and moved around on the Clemons Farm LLC subdivision west of Montesano. County officials say that the developer is currently in compliance with the terms of the permit and will be required later to show proof the tires were properly disposed of in an approved landfill.
	Retired teacher begins new occupation
	By Tommi Halvorsen Gatlin Vidette Reporter On June 13, K Bramstedt taught her last class at school, retiring after 38 years, all of them at the Cosmopolis School, where she was also vice principal for 35 of those years. But instead of checking out rocking chairs or snowbird havens in Arizona, Bramstedt, at 61, has begun a new occupation. A scant two weeks after her last day of school, she was appointed by the bishop of the Pacific Northwest Conference of the United Methodist Church as pastor of the Elma United Methodist Church. After returning from a two-week course at the Claremont School of Theology in Claremont, Calif., Bramstedt, who earned a bachelor of arts degree from Western Washington College in 1968, began her new position Aug. 6.		K Bramstedt sits in her office at the Elma United Methodist Church on her first day on the job. (Photo by Dee Anne Shaw)
	Rodeo events pack Pavilion during Fair
	Grays Harbor County Fair's Bull Blast By Jerrad Kellogg Vidette Reporter The Bull Blast event at the Fairgrounds Indoor Pavilion, which took place in conjunction with the 2007 Grays Harbor County Fair on Saturday, Aug. 11, gave a large group of rodeo fans a chance to check out some of the best bull riders from around the area, and an opportunity for some local equestrians to get out and do some barrel racing in. Bull Blast was, "by far the biggest single entertainment act of the fair," said Dave Persell, a member of the Grays Harbor Fair Board who helped organize and prepare the indoor arena for the bull riding and barrel racing events.		Former NASCAR driver Geoff Bodine shares stories, while autographing various items inside the Whitney's Chevrolet showroom on Thursday. (Photo by Jerrad Kellogg) It was a packed house - standing room only - for both events, with an estimated attendance pushing the pavilion's seating capacity of 1,800, Persell said.