Will focus on 2017 court-ordered changes Facing a looming deadline to revise the county’s zoning code, the Okanogan County commissioners have decided to focus on changes required by a 2017 court stipulation so they can devote more time to a thorough review of zones and land uses throughout the county. The county commissioners and Planning […]
NEWS
Twisp Valley Grange wins big state grant for upgrades
Will include insulation, state-of-the-art AC As spring temperatures in the Methow Valley soared to summertime highs last week, the Twisp Valley Grange was making plans to become a refuge for valley residents from the heat. The Twisp Grange was recently awarded a $241,909 grant to upgrade the old grange hall on Second Avenue with insulation […]
WSDOT clears massive logjam at Gold Creek
Deftly maneuvering a crane armed with teeth reminiscent of a Tyrannosaurus rex, operators with the Washington State Department of Transportation (WSDOT) cleared a massive logjam on the Methow River under the south Gold Creek Bridge last week. It took 14 hours on Tuesday and Wednesday (May 16 and 17) to remove the blockage. Trees, branches […]
Winthrop OKs fee waivers for nonprofit housing projects
The Winthrop Town Council has approved a proposal to waive some permitting fees for housing developed by qualifying nonprofit organizations, part of an overall strategy to ease the way for more affordable housing in the town. The council’s action allows the waiver of certain fees for housing developments by nonprofit organizations, with the condition that […]
TwispWorks invites public feedback on master plan update for campus
TwispWorks has updated the master plan for its campus and is seeking community feedback at two public sessions. The sessions will be on June 6 from 4-5:30 p.m., and on June 20 from 5-6:30 p.m. Both will be in the Your Space building on the campus. The plan summarizes TwispWorks’ growth and development over the […]
Community Briefs: Wildfire preparedness, Home electrification presentation
Wildfire preparedness Methow At Home hosts a free online program on “Wildfire Preparedness at Home,” on Thursday (May 25) from 9-10 a.m. Eli Loftis of the Okanogan Conservation District will discuss the district’s risk assessment service and how to gauge your own property to know if you are a good candidate for an assessment and […]
Winthrop library celebrates one-year anniversary with June events
Friends of the Winthrop Public Library (FOWL) will present a month-long program of activities in June to celebrate the one-year anniversary of the library’s opening, as well as the opening of the new outdoor library. FOWL, the library staff and Methow Press will sponsor community events featuring “Books & Blankets,” an all-town read featuring local […]
Shafer Museum helps tell the story of all-Black WWII paratrooper unit
‘Triple Nickel’ company trained as smokejumpers In 1945, members of the 555th Parachute Infantry Company, a little-known battalion of all-Black World War II paratroopers, were shipped west from Fort Benning, Georgia, to Pendleton, Oregon, to become the front lines of Operation Firefly: “the discovery and/or demolition of Japanese balloon bombs and the suppression of wildland […]
Drivers, riders line up for ‘the highway’ opening
The North Cascades National Scenic Highway opened last Wednesday (May 10), just in time for Winthrop’s ’49ers Days festivities. Washington State Department of Transportation (WSDOT) staff Jason Newman and Jesse Gurney swung the open gates at the Silver Star Sno-park at precisely 10 a.m., and the 20 vehicles waiting in line began the first ascents […]
USFS plans 53,000-acre Midnight Restoration Project
Thinning, prescribed burns in Twisp River drainage The Methow Valley Ranger District has announced a public comment period for a new forest project called the Midnight Restoration Project. The 53,009-acre project is in the Twisp River, Wolf Creek and Rader Creek watersheds. The Midnight Project calls for: • thinning understory vegetation on 16,548 acres. • […]
