The public is invited to comment on a U.S. Forest Service proposal to plant whitebark pine this fall on Quartz Mountain in the Pasayten Wilderness, north of Winthrop. The Forest Service plans to plant 1,000 whitebark pine seedlings on about four acres in an area where the species existed before the trees were killed in […]
NEWS
State offers webcast on wolf management
Big game managers from Washington, Idaho and Montana will discuss their experiences managing game animals in areas populated by wolves during a live webcast Thursday (July 18). The webcast will take place from 6:30-9:30 p.m. via the Washington Department of Fish and Wildlife’s (WDFW) website, http://wdfw.wa.gov/. Viewers will have an opportunity to provide questions via […]
Twisp council supports county bus service proposal
By ANN McCREARY A proposal to create a tax-supported public bus service in Okanogan County got approval from the Twisp Town Council last week. The final say in whether the proposed new Okanogan County Transit Authority will be created rests with county voters, who must approve a new sales tax that would provide the funding […]
Judge dismisses defendants’ request in cabin suit
By DON NELSON Okanogan County Superior Court Judge Chris Culp has denied a request by defendants to dismiss two plaintiffs from the legal proceedings in a lawsuit over a small cabin built on Flagg Mountain. In a ruling dated July 12, Culp said there was no persuasive argument offered by the defendants to support disqualifying […]
Winthrop road project delayed
This summer’s planned Bluff Street waterline and road improvements in Winthrop have been delayed until spring 2014 due to a switch from state to federal funding. The Bluff Street improvement plan includes widening the roadway, installing storm drainage, curbs, and sidewalks, and resurfacing the street – similar to the improvements made on Castle Avenue earlier […]
Boardwalk seating: obstruction or asset?
By LAURELLE WALSH Winthrop officials are seeking guidance from the business community to establish ground rules for the placement of public seating along the town’s wooden boardwalk. Mayor Dave Acheson and Planner Rocklynn Culp appealed to the Winthrop Chamber of Commerce at its meeting last Thursday (July 11) for help in creating a “workable […]
County comp plan gets more review
The Okanogan County planning commission continues deliberations on the county’s comprehensive plan on Monday (July 22). The commissioners received hundreds of pages of input about the latest – and 12th – draft of the plan, including its failure to protect water quality or to identify specific goals for the county’s growth. The commissioners said they […]
Winthrop considers marijuana zoning
By LAURELLE WALSH Winthrop’s Planning Commission is seeking guidance this week from the Town Council on the issue of zoning for marijuana-related businesses. Town planner Rocklynn Culp will bring the zoning question to tonight’s (July 17) council meeting to have “at minimum some discussion and awareness of the issue, and hopefully to have council adopt […]
Biodiesel enthusiast makes first batch at TwispWorks
BY ANN McCREARY Operating in a small shed on the TwispWorks campus, Nick Allgood’s small biodiesel manufacturing facility is producing its first fuel. Allgood began his venture a couple of years ago when a book about making biodiesel caught his eye. He bought the book and not long after, he saw a local advertisement […]
McCord awarded NASA Public Service Medal
Thomas McCord, director of the Bear Fight Institute outside of Winthrop, will be in rare company Thursday (July 18) when he receives NASA’s Distinguished Public Service Medal in a ceremony at the space agency’s Washington, D.C., headquarters. “The medal is NASA’s highest form of recognition awarded to any non-government individual whose distinguished service, ability, or […]
