High-speed fiber optics will serve upper valley With a $12 million federal grant awarded this month, the Okanogan County Electric Cooperative (OCEC) will launch a project to deliver high-speed internet, with no installation costs, to about 2,600 potential users in the upper Methow Valley. OCEC partnered with Methownet, the valley’s local internet service provider, on […]
NEWS
Methow Conservancy campaign hits fundraising goal for Sunny M Ranch
Expects to close 1,200-acre purchase on June 15 with bridge loan The Methow Conservancy’s “Campaign for Sunny M Ranch” has reached its fundraising goal of $8.3 million to support the purchase of 1,200 acres of prime valley lands from the Haub family. The fundraising effort began about four and half months ago, with a June […]
Introducing children to the world of words
MV Elementary adopts phonics-based method to teach kids reading Most of us probably don’t remember much about how we learned to read — mastering the association of shapes with sounds and ultimately linking them into words and sentences that unlocked compelling stories and ideas. Learning to read and write English — which is replete with […]
Filing week ends with mixture of scenarios
Twisp Mayor Soo Ing-Moody, others not seeking re-election Some noteworthy changes are coming in the valley’s political leadership, based on candidate filings for local offices that will be on the Nov. 7 general election ballot. Filing closed on Friday (May 19) with a mixture of contested and uncontested races, and one significant absence from the […]
WDFW proposes ‘downlisting’ state’s gray wolf protections
Public comments sought by Aug. 16 Gray wolves in Washington, now listed as an endangered species under state law, would be reclassified as a sensitive species based on a recommendation by the Washington Department of Fish and Wildlife (WDFW). The public is invited to comment on the recommendation, which is a result of a “periodic […]
Valley man killed in collision
A 42-year-old man listed as a resident of Methow was killed in car-truck collision on Friday (May 19) on Highway 2 near Orondo, the Washington State Patrol said in a press release. As of early this week, the State Patrol had not provided an identification for the person who died in the crash, pending notification […]
Housing Trust breaks ground on Twisp project
The Methow Housing Trust has broken ground and begun construction in their next Twisp neighborhood, which will eventually add 10 single-family homes ranging in size from one to four bedrooms to the trust’s inventory of permanently affordable, quality homes for full-time residents who make between 60-150% of area median income. The Evergreen Loop, which was […]
Twisp Planning Commission OKs Orchard Hills preliminary approval
The Twisp Planning Commission has sent its final recommendation of conditions for preliminary approval of the proposed Orchard Hills planned development to the Town Council — with a firm statement about the key issue of access to the site. In its final deliberations last week, the Planning Commission eliminated some wording from the staff report […]
County proposes adjusting office hours to comply with state law
Okanogan County is proposing an update of county office hours to comply with state law. County offices would be open from Monday through Friday from 9 a.m. to 4 p.m., at a minimum, unless otherwise stated. Individual offices would be able to set different times at the discretion of the elected official or department head, […]
Methow Valley Rodeo marks 51st year of action this weekend
If it’s Memorial Weekend in the Methow Valley it’s also Rodeo Weekend at the Twin Lakes Rodeo Grounds. Saturday and Sunday, beginning at 1 p.m. and running until about 4 p.m. each day, the Methow Valley Memorial Weekend Rodeo is in its 51st year. A full menu of events are on tap this year including […]
