Written by: Herb Sargo

Published: 21 September 2022

Written by: Janice Stewart

Published: 19 September 2022

The Manson FFA had 13 members attend the Chelan County Fair in Cashmere this past weekend receiving many awards and ribbons.  Kevin Amsden shared the following:

The students showing market hogs were:

Van Keough Peterson (2 hogs), Lydia Peterson, Bryce Mogan, Alyssa Mogan, Finn Smith, Tanner Schoenwald, Colby Schoenwald, Carter Lyman, Hanna Lyman, Jesus Torres, Maggie Gosvenor, and Joe Mogan.  

Isabelle Harris showed her market lamb.

In the Market Class receiving blue ribbons, winning their class and vying for Grand Champion were Van and Alyssa.  Also receiving blue ribbons were Bryce, Hanna, Jesus, Finn, Tanner, Colby, Carter, Maggie and Joe. Jesus and Lydia received red ribbons.  

Isabelle received a red ribbon (just missing the cut for a blue ribbon in the Fitting and Showing Sheep Division.  

In the Fitting and Showing Hog Division Jesus, Bryce, Lydia, van, Alyssa, Finn, Tanner, Colby, Carter, Hanna, Maggie, and Joe received blue ribbons. Van received a red ribbon.  

The Manson FFA Horse Judging Team placed 1st, followed by 2nd in Livestock which secured them a 3rd place sweepstakes banner for overall judging contest among all the schools.

The Manson FFA would like to give a big thank you to all the parents and friends that helped support us at fair, from those that did barn decorations, to cooking meals, to help transport animals and students to fair. It would not happen without your help. Thank you

Written by: Tina Werner, WSDOT Communications

Published: 16 September 2022

Statewide effort encourages people to use a litter bag and talk to their family and friends about littering

OLYMPIA – More than 75% of Washington residents choose to not litter and about 26% of litterers would be motivated to stop if a friend, family member, or passenger asked them to refrain, according to 2021 research commissioned by the Washington State Department of Ecology (Ecology). These numbers sound promising, but the truth is that more than 18 million pounds of litter accumulate annually on Washington’s roads, parks and recreation areas.

Preliminary results from a 2022 statewide litter study show 24,001 litter items per mile on Washington’s urban interstate highways. Plastic food wrappers, snack bags and cigarette butts are some of the most commonly found items. In Ecology’s 2021 research, people also identified not having a car trash bag as the top reason that they litter.

The Washington State Department of Transportation (WSDOT) and Ecology together spend more than $9 million annually on cleanup efforts – pickup crews and volunteers collected 357 tons of garbage in July alone. Unfortunately, this is only a small fraction of what is tossed on the road, and millions of pounds of waste gets left behind.

“Litter adds up when we don’t make simple choices to properly dispose of garbage. It damages our environment, hurts wildlife, and threatens public health, safety and our economy,” said Washington Gov. Jay Inslee. “Ultimately, our success is determined by people choosing to not litter.”

Ecology’s "Simple As That" campaign is designed to help prevent litter by changing the behaviors that cause it. The campaign gives people simple tips to avoid littering and motivates them to talk to their friends and family about living litter free. It encourages Washingtonians to:

• Always have a dedicated container for collecting trash. Use a litter bag while traveling to keep your vehicle tidy and reduce the chances of littering accidentally when you open a door or window. When visiting parks and other recreation areas, bring a bag with you so it’s easy to pack out what you packed in.
• Hold on to trash from your travels until you reach a waste receptacle at a gas station, rest area or your destination. It may not seem like a big deal to toss the occasional bag or bottle on the ground, but those decisions add up to millions of pounds of litter (and millions of dollars of clean up) every year in Washington.
• Live litter free and help others do the same. Make sure your friends and family know how to live litter free and help them make better choices. When we all look out for each other, it makes a big difference for our state.

As a part of the campaign, Ecology is running statewide advertising in English and Spanish and partnering with Fred Meyer stores to give away free car litter bags to shoppers across the state. In addition, it is distributing a Litter Prevention Toolkit to allied government agencies, jurisdictions and nonprofit organizations to help reach Washington residents.

“Litter is a big problem with simple solutions. Small actions like keeping a litter bag in your car to collect garbage can make a huge difference,” said Amber Smith, statewide litter prevention coordinator at Ecology. “It’s critical for us to stop litter at its source. When you take care of your trash the right way, you help create a litter free Washington and set a good example for others. We need everyone to do their part.”

This effort is a part of Ecology’s ongoing We Keep Washington Litter Free campaign in partnership with WSDOT, the Washington State Patrol and the Washington Traffic Safety Commission. The campaign focuses on different littering behaviors through several sub-campaigns, including the significant safety and environmental impacts of unsecured vehicle loads. 

From January through July 2022, 816 tons of litter and debris were removed from Washington roadsides. This work was done by WSDOT’s maintenance crews, Ecology’s Youth and Adult Corps, Department of Corrections crews and WSDOT’s Adopt-a-Highway volunteers. Of the 357 tons of litter collected in July, 36 tons were cleaned by Adopt-a-Highway volunteers. 

To learn more about this campaign, visit LitterFreeWA.org/simple or PorUnWAImpecable.org/simple.

More information

• To lend a hand cleaning up roadside litter, please visit WSDOT’s Adopt-a-Highway volunteer program webpage.
• To learn more about Ecology’s litter pick up and prevention programs, please visit the Litter in Washington webpage.

Written by: Monica Ghosh, Public Transportation Division, WSDOT

Published: 16 September 2022

Addresses transportation and mobility access for people with special needs

OLYMPIA – Four years in the making, the updated Human Services Transportation Plan is now available. The report is the handiwork of subject matter experts, transportation providers, social services organizations, tribes, the public and other stakeholders.

Every day, people across the state rely on human-services transportation as their sole source of access to jobs, school, medical appointments, the grocery store and much more. The plan identifies gaps and barriers that create mobility challenges for people with special transportation needs. It also provides strategies for addressing those barriers while also highlighting innovations and emerging trends.

“It’s critical that everyone in our state has convenient access to reliable transportation, no matter their age, income, physical ability or where they live,” said Public Transportation Division Director Brian Lagerberg. “This plan provides our partners with a blueprint for serving the people who need efficient and specialized transportation options the most.”

The plan informs local and regional plans while guiding future investments in special needs transportation for communities across the state. WSDOT collaborated with the Disability Mobility Initiative to better understand the experiences of those who cannot drive and face barriers to transportation access that many may take for granted. These experiences bring the plan to life and show a larger picture of the consequences of transportation challenges faced by many Washingtonians.

The plan is available online in English, Spanish and Russian.

Written by: Robin Pittman

Published: 03 September 2022

Regular Board Meeting
September 8, 2022, 5:15pm
Bumgarner Meeting Room, 142 Pedoi Street, Manson WA 98831
Or
Zoom: https://us06web.zoom.us/j/2779046552 Meeting ID 277 904 6552

I. Call to Order
II. Flag Salute
III. Agenda Additions and Deletions
IV. Public Comment
V. Approval of Minutes
a. August 11, 2022 Regular Meeting Minutes
VI. Financial Review
a. Review Monthly Financial Report
b. Review and Approve Monthly Voucher
VII. New Business
a. Old Mill fee collection
b. 2023 preliminary budget
c. Wildfire Smoke Response Plan
VIII. Old Business
a. Updates:
i. Old Swim Hole development project
1. Pacific Engineering update- Kara Raftery
ii. Manson Bay Marina planning project
iii. Leffler Field soil remediation planning project
b. Manson Bay Marina reservation fairness concerns
c. Director’s Report
IX. Adjournment

Next Regular Meeting: October 13, 2022 at 5:15pm, 142 Pedoi Street, Manson, WA 98831, unless otherwise posted.

Written by: Herb Sargo

Published: 02 September 2022

Written by: Tina Werner, WSDOT Communications

Published: 30 August 2022

OLYMPIA – Labor Day often heralds the final moments of summer before fall activities begin. For people who plan to travel on the popular three-day weekend, now is the time to make travel plans and expect congestion on most routes.

The Washington State Department of Transportation encourages travelers to consult the holiday traffic volume charts to determine best times to travel, including times to avoid if possible. The Interstate 5 Canadian border forecast is not included due to unreliable pandemic travel data the last several years. Travel charts are based on 2019 pre-pandemic volumes.

Travelers should also check ahead for any COVID-19 safety requirements at their destinations or stops along the way.

By following these steps, travelers can “know before they go” and plan ahead, whether they’re just traveling across town or across the state:

• Get informed about WSDOT's online tools, including the WSDOT mobile app, traffic cameras and email alerts.
• Visit online traveler information for traffic, weather, ferry schedules and a real-time travel map.
• Follow WSDOT on social media, which includes several Twitter accounts and a Facebook page.
• Pre-program your vehicle radio to 530 AM and 1610 AM for highway advisory radio alerts.
• Call 5-1-1 for updated road conditions.
• Have a backup outdoor destination as parks and other outdoor recreation sites tend to fill up quickly on holiday weekends. If a site’s parking is full, never park along road shoulders, as this is unsafe for everyone on the roadway.
• Allow extra time for travel to avoid rushing or distraction.

Highway construction paused

Most state highway construction work is suspended through the holiday weekend – including Monday, Sept. 5 – to ease congestion. However, please stay alert for new lane shifts or work zone staging areas that may remain in place. And please give any emergency repair crews plenty of space to work safely.

Snoqualmie Pass

No construction is planned on I-90 from Friday, Sept. 2, until to Tuesday, Sept. 6. However, the usual holiday increase in traffic volumes means travelers should expect delays, especially eastbound on Friday and westbound on Monday (see charts for more detail). Text message alerts about significant delays are available by texting the words “WSDOT Snoqualmie” to 468311.

Tolling

In the Puget Sound, weekend toll rates will be in effect on Monday, Sept. 5, on the State Route 520 bridge and SR 99 tunnel. The I-405 express toll lanes will be free and open to all drivers on the Monday holiday. Out-of-town travelers, including those using rental cars, can learn about toll roads and temporary account payment options on the Good To Go! visitors page visitors page.  

Ferry travel People boarding a state ferry by vehicle should prepare for long waits. Peak travel times on most routes are expected to be westbound Thursday through Saturday, Sept. 1-3, and eastbound, Sunday through Tuesday, Sept. 4-6. Customers also can bypass vehicle lines by traveling as a walk-on passenger.

• All riders should double check the sailing schedules as some routes are operating on timetables that are different than prior to the pandemic.
• Visit the Washington State Ferries website for more details on vehicle reservations, ferry email alerts, checking terminal conditions and COVID-19 travel updates.

Trains, airports and transit

Travelers making a trip by train, personal aircraft or bus also should plan ahead to avoid holiday delays:

• Amtrak Cascades passengers are encouraged to purchase tickets early and should plan to arrive at the station one hour before departure. All Amtrak Cascades trains require reservations. The federal CDC still recommends wearing face masks on indoor transit, but they are no longer required. Visit www.amtrakcascades.com or call 800–USA–RAIL for details.

For information about flying via Washington state airports, visit  www.wsdot.wa.gov/travel/aviation/airports-list. For questions regarding WSDOT-sponsored airports, email Paul Wolf, State Airport Manager, at This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it..

Written by: Herb Sargo

Published: 19 August 2022

Written by: Chris Foreman, Commander, CRDTF

Published: 13 August 2022

On Saturday, August 6, 2022 the Chelan County Sheriff’s Office received a report of a burglary that took place at a storage unit on McKittrick street in Wenatchee, WA. It was reported that over $10,000 of property was taken from the storage unit, to include the ashes of the victim’s mother.

On August 11, 2022 the Chelan County Sheriff’s Office Detectives and the Columbia River Drug Task Force conducted an operation to recover the stolen items, after a Facebook Marketplace post was discovered of someone attempting to sell the stolen items. Detectives arranged to meet the suspect at a public location in Wenatchee, WA and purchase some of the stolen items. The Columbia River Drug Task Force Detectives conducted surveillance on the suspect’s residence and observed him loading the stolen items into his vehicle. During this surveillance, Detective’s observed the suspect meet at a separate location and conduct a drug deal with another subject. It is suspected that this transaction involved the drug Fentanyl. After the suspect conducted the drug deal, he proceeded to the arranged location in Wenatchee, WA and was subsequently arrested for Trafficking stolen property- 1st degree, Possession of stolen property-2nd degree, and Unlawful delivery of a controlled substance.

The Chelan County Sheriff’s Office Detectives and the Columbia River Drug Task Force served a search warrant on the suspect’s residence in East Wenatchee, WA and recovered a majority of the stolen items from the burglary. The victim’s mother’s ashes were also recovered. This investigation is ongoing and additional charges for the suspect are pending.

This operation would not have been successful without the great collaboration between the Chelan County Sheriff’s Office Detectives and the Columbia River Drug Task Force.