Chambers of commerce host Venable
The Winthrop and Twisp chambers of commerce will host a joint meeting on Jan. 14 at the Winthrop Barn to hear from Methow Valley School District Superintendent Tom Venable. The meeting is open to the public and begins at 8:30 a.m. Venable will discuss the district’s four-year replacement maintenance and operations levy and capital projects/technology levy that are scheduled to expire at the end of 2016. They will be placed on the ballot at the Feb. 9 special election.
History course continues
Local naturalist Dana Visalli’s history course based on historian Howard Zinn’s well-known book, A People’s History of the United States, continues on Wednesdays from 6 – 9 p.m. through January at the Education Station at TwispWorks. Cost is on a sliding scale, $0 – $60. For more information call 997‑9011 or email dana@methownet.com.
All about winter plants
“Trees and Shrubs in Winter,” a presentation and workshop on how to identify the Methow’s plants in the winter, will be offered from 6:30 – 9 p.m. on Jan. 19 at the Education Station at TwispWorks. The free event is sponsored by the Okanogan Chapter of the Washington Native Plant Society. For more information call 997‑9011 or email dana@methownet.com.
The Italy-Methow connection
The Methow Conservancy hosts a presentation by the Aspholm family of Winthrop on Tuesday (Jan. 12) at the Twisp River Pub: “Civita di Bagnoregio: A Special Italian Village, and Lessons for the Methow.”
During the summer of 2015, David and Margo Aspholm and their children Peter and Liv spent a two-month fellowship studying in Civita di Bagnoregio. The ancient, geologically vulnerable hill town is currently experiencing a renaissance of sorts, complete with crowds of tourists, gourmet restaurants, and skyrocketing property values. The Aspholms will discuss what they learned about Civita’s past, present and future, and then lead the audience in a discussion of the parallels they saw from this ancient Italian town to the Methow Valley.
The free event begins at 7 p.m. For more information, call 996‑2870 or email mary@methowconservancy.org.
LBHS juniors selling fruit, raffle tickets for DC trip
Junior class students at Liberty Bell High School are selling fresh-picked oranges, grapefruit and mandarins along with raffle tickets to raise money for a trip to Washington, D.C.
Students will travel to the nation’s capital the first week in March to participate in Close Up, a weeklong educational program focusing on U.S. government. While in Washington, students observe Congress in action, meet with their representatives, and visit national monuments and museums.
“For many students, this opportunity is a life-changing experience,” said Liberty Bell history teacher Rocky Kulsrud, who travels with the students.
To help pay their way on the trip, which costs $2,057 per student, the juniors are selling California-grown fruit until Jan. 20. The fruit is picked and shipped on the same day and will be delivered in March.
Students are also selling raffle tickets until Feb. 2 with the drawing to be held on Feb. 3 at 3:30 at Liberty Bell. Tickets are $10 each, and there are over 50 prizes donated by local business.
For more information or to help support the students, please call Debbie Bair at (509) 429‑2064
The trip is sponsored in part by the Public School Funding Alliance.
Burn ban extended to Thursday
A stage 1 burn ban imposed on Dec. 29 in Okanogan, Kittitas, Chelan, Douglas, Ferry, Stevens, Pend Oreille, Asotin and Walla Walla counties has been extended to 10 a.m. Thursday (Jan. 7), the state Department of Ecology (DOE) announced.
DOE said it imposed the ban because stagnant air conditions are forecast, putting counties at risk to reach unhealthy levels.
Under a stage 1 ban, all outdoor burning is prohibited including residential, agricultural and forest burning. Use of uncertified wood stoves, fireplaces, inserts, and other uncertified wood-burning devices is prohibited unless they are a home’s only adequate source of heat. Certified wood stoves, pellet stoves and other certified wood-burning devices are allowed.
Call (866) 211‑6284 if you think someone is illegally burning or you are affected by smoke. Up-to-date burn ban information is available at www.waburnbans.net.
