OB services will be provided by Mid-Valley Hospital In less than nine months, Three Rivers Hospital in Brewster will no longer deliver babies. Starting April 1, 2020, all hospital births in Okanogan County will be centralized at Mid-Valley Hospital in Omak. The Three Rivers board of commissioners made the decision Oct. 30 after learning that […]
NEWS
Cheyenne Fonda is MV News intern
Cheyenne Fonda, a student in the Running Start program at Wenatchee Valley College in Omak, is working as an intern at the Methow Valley News this fall. Fonda is helping with research and reporting, interviews, writing, and editing. She’s also gaining an overall understanding of the many components that come together each week to publish […]
MVCC receives $150,000 in clean-air grants
Some funds will replace old wood stoves Who qualifies for a new stove? Homeowners in or near Twisp Valid photo ID Proof of current address Low income Uses an uncertified or pre-1998 wood stove as main heat source Those interested in participating in the free wood-stove exchange should contact Liz Walker at liz@mvcitizens.org. The Methow […]
Incumbents maintain leads in latest returns
Incumbents for local offices maintained or increased their leads over challengers in last week’s general election, according to updated voting totals released Friday (Nov. 8) by the Okanogan County Auditor’s Office. Twisp Mayor Soo Ing-Moody, and Twisp Town Council members Alan Caswell and Mark Easton, all were substantially ahead of their challengers. In the race […]
State exchange health insurance options available in Okanogan County
Okanogan County residents who buy their own health insurance through the state exchange have five choices for coverage next year, all from LifeWise Health Plan of Washington. Individuals under age 30 can have one more choice — a plan that covers catastrophic needs. LifeWise is offering two bronze plans (one with a health-savings account), two silver (low- […]
DNR seeks to transfer land to raise money for school trust
A total of 490 acres of state land near Twisp — in seven separate parcels — could ultimately be sold at auction because the property doesn’t produce revenue for the school trusts managed by the Washington Department of Natural Resources (DNR). DNR plans to transfer these parcels into the state land bank. The land bank holds properties DNR has […]
Brandenburg holds onto fire district seat
Incumbent says win shows people want new central fire station Despite a vigorous challenge by Ken Doran, incumbent Darold Brandenburg won a third six-year term as commissioner for Okanogan County Fire District 6 in the Nov. 5 elections. As of Friday (Nov. 8), Brandenburg had received 1,490 votes to Doran’s 728 (67% to 33%). During […]
Incumbents sweep elections in Twisp
Ing-Moody re-elected; Caswell, Easton remain on Town Council Voters in Twisp sent a clear message in last week’s election: Let’s stay the course. Incumbent mayor Soo Ing-Moody and Town Council members Alan Caswell and Mark Easton won by wide margins, according the ballot count released on Friday (Nov. 8) by the Okanogan County Auditor’s Office. […]
Firefighter for life
Don Waller gave his all for Fire District 6 For more than 45 years, Don Waller devoted his life to firefighting in the Methow Valley, starting as a volunteer in high school and working over the years to create a fire district of four stations that he led as chief for many years. Waller died […]
Tate takes on marketing challenge for state tourism alliance
In 2011, the state Legislature closed the Washington State Tourism Office, making Washington the only state in the nation without a state-funded tourism office. For seven years the Washington Tourism Alliance (WTA), a membership-funded nonprofit organization, worked to reestablish a statewide tourism effort, and their advocacy eventually paid off, in 2018, when Gov. Jay Inslee […]
