By Blue Bradley It’s the end of an era for Okanogan county families that have delivered babies at Three Rivers Hospital in Brewster. Change is hard. As you may have heard, on April 1, 2020, Three Rivers will no longer be doing births. Many are grieving daily about this news. I wanted to write a […]
My Turn
Do-nothing approach to forest management is dangerous
By Gina McCoy I have been an environmentalist for over 40 years. As a natural resource professional, a primary goal has been to reconcile human uses of these resources with ecosystem protection. But, to be blunt, I have sometimes found the agendas of many self-identified environmentalists and environmental groups to be simplistic and often counter-productive. […]
Twisp’s new gateway art reflects a community’s inspiration
By Perri and Craig Howard In your travels around the valley, soon you will encounter new outdoor artwork. We are the artists who were chosen to create the gateway art for Twisp, and we’re thrilled that it’s time to share it with everyone. The Methow Valley News has covered this process since the beginning, and […]
Learning by listening — insights from a visit to the Methow Valley
By Senator Brad Hawkins Earlier this September, I concluded my third annual district-wide listening tour with key stops in the Methow Valley, including Pateros, Twisp and Mazama. We expanded this year’s tour by one additional day which was helpful and much needed. Traveling throughout north central Washington with my staff has become an annual tradition […]
Thanks to a community for doing what neighbors do
By Sam Lucy For a long, long time fire has been something folks have gathered around. The past few years in most parts of the West it’s no secret this notion has taken a different slant. We all have good reason to be on edge come late summer ’round here and I first want to apologize to […]
Fish hatcheries: part of the solution to a complex problem
By Peter Aspholm Fish hatcheries have been under fire recently, with the airing of Patagonia-sponsored “Artifishal” as well as certain groups that disapprove of hatchery management or practices. To be honest, I never gave hatcheries a second thought before this year. I would look at fish or participate in fishing events there as a young […]
The facts about the new Fire District 6 station
By Paul Sisson The Okanogan County Fire District 6 commissioners are currently working with an architect to develop a design for a new district fire station in Winthrop that will meet the needs of the firefighters and district for the least cost. In Ross Darling’s June 19 My Turn piece, he discusses the most recent […]
Questions remain about proposed new District 6 fire station
By Ross Darling While the citizens of Twisp do not have an individual vote, they are paying for the same fire protection as Okanogan County Fire District 6 citizens. They will also pay their proportion of the proposed fire station in Winthrop when the levy is finally passed. Taxes will then go up at the […]
Methow Valley quiet shattered again by Navy jets
By Bill Hottell Once again last week the quiet and peacefulness of the Methow Valley was shattered by the shrieking noise of U.S. Navy fighter jets from Whidbey Island Naval Air Station. On June 12, the “Growler” aircraft were more disturbing than usual. At midday I looked straight up to see two of the fighter […]
Tackling the ecological impact of plastic bags
By Sam Neitlich We all use disposable plastic in our daily lives. It’s cheap, strong, light and easy to mold and produce. It’s basically the perfect material, right? We often get so caught up in the low cost and high accessibility that plastic provides that we forget about the harms that it can pose to […]
