$2 million to improve workers’ conditions Gebbers Farms has agreed to spend more than $2 million to improve housing, safety, access to health care, and quality of life for their workers and their families. The agreement came in a settlement with the Washington Department of Labor & Industries (L&I), which imposed more than $2 million […]
COVID-19 cases increase in county as Delta variant spreads
This story was updated on Aug. 13 to reflect revised information from Okanogan County Public Health. Three COVID cases that Public Health had assigned to Twisp should have been reported for Tonasket. The number of new infections in Twisp in the six days ending Aug. 8 was six, not nine. ––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––– Predictions by public health […]
Lightning storm sets off fires in valley and beyond
Local blazes contained, but heat returns Wildfires in the Methow Valley sparked by a powerful lightning storm on Tuesday, Aug. 3, have been contained, but in eastern Okanogan County, fires continue to burn, and some have prompted evacuations. There were 293 lightning strikes in Okanogan County and 177 in Chelan County, according to forecaster Rocco […]
Smoke, fire have unhealthy effects on physical and mental well-being
Stress takes a valleywide toll Smoke, fires and the unending pandemic are taking a toll on people’s physical and mental health. “It’s mostly mental health — everyone’s just so fried. They can’t focus and are constantly checking their phones for fire updates and air-quality information,” Clean Air Methow Director Liz Walker said. Walker left the valley this […]
Mask advisories issued for all people as COVID surges again
Public health officials from Okanogan and other counties in the region have advised all people — vaccinated or not — to wear a mask in indoor public places and to practice physical distancing because of the increasing spread of COVID and the highly infectious Delta variant. Okanogan, Chelan/Douglas, Grant and Kittitas county health agencies issued the advisory on Thursday […]
County hearing examiner considers setback case
Okanogan County Hearing Examiner Dan Beardslee recently heard two hours of testimony regarding a house in the Lost River Airport development that violates county code because it was built too close to the property lines in 2011. The homeowner is appealing the county planning director’s denial of his request for a variance for the house. […]
Historic buildings wrapped for fire protection
Special ‘aluminum foil on steroids’ reflects heat A historic fire lookout and a recreational backcountry hut have been swathed in reflective foil to protect them from the Cub Creek 2 Fire. Although it looks like tin foil, the wrap is more like the emergency fire shelters that firefighters carry, Cub Creek 2 Public Information Officer […]
Golden Doe Fire ignited by weed-spraying truck
1-acre fire ruled accidental by DNR A fire that burned 1 acre on the Golden Doe Wildlife Area in June was ignited when a worker spraying weeds parked his truck on dry vegetation, an investigator with the Washington Department of Natural Resources (DNR) concluded. “The fuels would have easily come in contact with the vehicle’s […]
County, Ecology argue water rights case
Dispute centers over splitting parcels The seemingly complex question of who can use a well for water for a new house is really just a matter of basic grammar or math, according to lawyers for Okanogan County and the state Department of Ecology. To Okanogan County attorney Jenna Mandell-Rice, the key distinction is between “subdivision” […]
Methow Valley’s tourism season goes up in smoke
Fires put damper on travelers’ plans What had started out to be one of the busiest tourist seasons in recent history shrank almost overnight to nearly empty restaurants and motels as two raging wildfires, toxic smoke, and the closure of the North Cascades Highway forced travelers to abandon their plans. Large hotels like the Freestone […]
