Other Headlines

Missing woman's husband seeks $2.5 million
A claim has been filed with Grays Harbor County seeking $2.5 million in the death of Beverly Johnson, the Beaverton, Ore., woman who was found dead off the Donkey Creek Road on Feb. 7 - 11 days after she walked out of her hometown library. Her husband, Del Johnson, asserts that the E-911 Center and other agencies on Grays Harbor, along with the State Patrol and the Beaverton Police, acted negligently in connection with her death both before and after Tyler Trimble called authorities to report her vehicle driving erratically on Highway 12 just south of Elma.

Weyco plans draw concern from neighbor
Teri Franklin, a land-use activist who lives on Powers Creek Road near Elma, told the Grays Harbor County commissioners Monday that she is very concerned about two developments by the Weyerhaeuser Real Estate Development Co. in that area. She said she'd already brought her worries about the first development, Powers Creek, to the commissioners privately last January and February but that she'd heard nothing back from them and was now bringing the issues to "the public forum." Franklin's main concern centers on the size of the lots in the development at the west end of Powers Creek Road. She lives at the other end of the road, she said, two or three miles away.

New principal hired for Elma Middle School
A Spartan has become an Eagle. Elma Middle School has a new principal, Dave Demiglio, former teacher and athletic director for the Forks High School Spartans. Demiglio, 49, was introduced at the school board meeting Wednesday, July 11, minutes after the board approved his hire. He was joined by Greg Scroggins, the school's former principal, and its head secretary, Cathy Ferrier. In September, Scroggins will be assistant principal at the elementary school, a change he chose to enable him to spend more time with his family. Except for 12 years in Texas, Demiglio said, he and his wife have lived "in and around the Puget Sound area."

Annual Jamboree and barbecue at Friend's Landing set for Saturday
It's summertime, and that means great barbecues and other kinds of gatherings, including the 16th annual Friend's Landing Jamboree and Barbecue, set for noon Saturday, July 21. Everyone is invited to the event, with folks from nursing homes, senior centers or with any kind of disability or special need as the day's special guests. Happily, the Jamboree is taking place during Montesano's Festival of People and the Historic Montesano Car Show, so there will be lots to do around town.

Elma Council mulls lodging tax committee
After some fine-tuning on Elma's new lodging Tax Advisory Committee, Mayor Dave Osgood appointed the first members of that group at the Elma City Council meeting last Monday. In addition to the mayor, who will serve ex officio with no voting rights, the committee will have six members, including two who have ownership or management roles in the businesses subject to the tax, a member from the Chamber of Commerce, a citizen at large, an Elma City Council member and a person appointed by the Grays Harbor County Fair Board.

More Sports

Hoquiam's Simpson notches fifth win of the season
ELMA ­ Hoquiam's Zack Simpson rallied from six rows back at the drop of the green flag to capture his fifth Hobby Stocks feature event of the season on Saturday, July 14, at Grays Harbor Raceway. Miller, Borden Jr. and Jorgensen also take checkered flags.

EGH 14-year-olds storm through district tourney
HOQUIAM ­ It took only one win once elimination play began for the top-seeded East Grays Harbor 14-year-old Babe Ruth All-Stars to earn a spot in the championship game of the District III Babe Ruth tournament at Hoquiam's Olympic Stadium. The East County club downed Aberdeen, 12-2, in five innings in their first game on Monday, July 9, and then awaited the winner of an Aberdeen-Hoquiam match-up in the finals on Tuesday. On Tuesday, EGH again topped the Aberdeen squad, this time by a score of 12-5, earning the East County combine a berth in the state tournament that began on Wednesday, July 18, in Pasco. Results from the 14-year-old state tourney will appear in next week's edition of The Vidette.

EGH 13s rally to nab district title
After securing the top seed into the District III 13-year-old Babe Ruth baseball tournament with a pair of wins in the round robin portion of the tourney, the East Grays Harbor All-Stars dropped their opening game of the tourney to Hoquiam, 9-4, on Sunday, July 9, but rebounded with a pair of victories over Aberdeen and Hoquiam on the following Monday, setting up a third meeting with Hoquiam on Tuesday for the district title.

Satsop's Whipple takes a division of McCleary's 'Run From the Bears'
McCLEARY ­ With a time of 15-minutes even, Satsop's Tristina Whipple won the women's two mile "Run From the Bears," race on Saturday, July 14, which runs in conjunction with the McCleary Bear Festival. Oakville's Todd Jackson took the men's honors in the two-mile jaunt with a time of 12:32, while Olympia's Jason McConnell won the men's 10K race in 36:29, and Grapeview's Leigh Sinclair was the winner of the women's 10K event with her time of 51:58.

EGH 15s ousted in three games
ABERDEEN ­ After falling to Aberdeen in the opening game of the District III 15-year-old Babe Ruth Baseball All-Star Tournament, Sunday July 8, at Pioneer Park, East Grays Harbor bounced back with a, 14-11, win over the Willapa Harbor/South Beach combine in the consolation bracket on Monday, before meeting up with Aberdeen again on Tuesday and being eliminated from the tournament with a 12-6 loss.