Name changes to NCW Libraries next year The local library system will be known as North Central Washington Libraries (NCW Libraries) starting next year, to make it easier to remember by simplifying the name but still keep the geographic identity. The North Central Regional Library (NCRL) board approved the name change last month after evaluating […]
State’s wolf population growth continues
Methow Valley’s two packs are now thriving The two gray wolf packs in the Methow Valley are thriving — the Lookout pack and Loup Loup pack — both grew to at least five members last year, and both had a successful breeding pair. That’s a shift from 2017, when there were just three wolves in the Lookout pack and […]
Snowpack conditions, forecasts lead to drought declaration
Alert intended to help farmers, fish managers prepare for summer A few days of rain — while welcome — aren’t enough to reverse the drought emergency declared last week for the Methow, Okanogan and Upper Yakima watersheds by Gov. Jay Inslee. A combination of the low snowpack and a forecast for less rain and hotter weather in coming months […]
News, Gazette-Tribune are awarded county legal ads contract
People wanting to comment on issues before the county, know about public hearings, bid on government contracts, and consider buying tax-foreclosure properties will once again find the listings in the Methow Valley News and Okanogan Valley Gazette-Tribune. The Okanogan County commissioners awarded the contract last week to the two publications to be the official newspapers […]
Strong signals
Communication District carries more than broadcast TV Most winters, Sandy Sanderson makes about four snowcat trips to repair equipment on mountain summits to keep TV, radio, internet and emergency communications up and running. This past winter, when he made only one trip early in the season, was “remarkable,” said Sanderson, a technician for the Methow […]
Merc cancels fall production of comedic ‘Lend Me a Tenor’
Blackface controversy makes its way to community theater The Merc Playhouse’s fall production of “Lend Me a Tenor” appears to have gotten ensnared by a painful national controversy sparked by photos of elected officials in blackface. The award-winning Broadway comedy, set in the 1930s, involves a madcap story of confused identity. A beloved superstar tenor […]
Planned outage will affect OCEC customers
Necessary to do transmission line work over Loup Electric utilities are launching the final step next week to create a connection that will provide back-up power during an outage to customers of the Okanogan County Electric Co-operative (OCEC). OCEC customers in Winthrop and Mazama will have an 11-hour overnight outage from 7 p.m. Thursday, April […]
PUD’s next priority for Enloe Dam: detailed safety inspections
The Okanogan County Public Utility District (PUD) has been meeting with federal and state agencies about property ownership, water and fish, but the first priority in determining the future of Enloe Dam is a thorough dam-safety inspection. When the PUD commissioners followed a staff recommendation in November and elected not to electrify Enloe Dam, they […]
Men still dominate leadership roles in education
Women make some inroads at elementary school level around state For the first time in 15 years, when two new principals start this summer all three of the school district’s major administrative positions will be held by men. The Methow Valley School District recently hired Crosby Carpenter to head up Liberty Bell High School, and […]
Local, state programs attack opioids crisis in Okanogan County
Agencies focus resources on treatment, prevention The statistics connected with opioids can be grim, but an intense local and state effort has helped reverse that tide in Okanogan County, providing many new resources to confront the crisis. There were nine confirmed opioid deaths in Okanogan County in 2018, and four others are awaiting toxicology reports, […]
