Stories from surrounding communities, closest first.
Chinook Observer · Ilwaco, WA
Nearby: Ilwaco, WAThe conclusion of the season for a van full of Ilwaco student-athletes nearly ended in disaster. Head Coach Sarah Taylor and the Fishermen cross country squad had an uneventful 322-mile journey to Eastern Washington and were looking forward to competing in the WIAA 2B state championship race at the Sun Willows Golf Course in Pasco. Once in the Tri-Cities, their itinerary the day before the race included detouring to an off-site location to collect their official registration paperwork and bib numbers. That’s when the engine noise of the Ocean Beach School District van signaled a problem. Eventually the 9-seater van coughed to an inauspicious halt at the side of the road. Various calls for help linked the supervisors with the Kennewick School District. The Ilwaco staff praised the host district for going beyond anything they could have expected. A driver showed up in a new van, rescued the students, loaded their kitbags, then took them to their hotel, making sure all was well.
Chinook Observer · Ilwaco, WA
Nearby: Ilwaco, WANov. 2 — Disturbance: Nesadi Drive, Ilwaco. Police responded to a report of possible gunshots. A reporting party said the sounds resembled centerfire gunshots but could have come from a nail gun. An officer checked a nearby residence without making contact and searched the area without finding a source. Another person reported hearing similar sounds over the previous three days while working on a house on Sahalee Drive. Nov. 2 — Harassment: Washington Street South, Long Beach. A reporting party said a woman claiming to be his landlord delivered eviction papers, cursed at him and waved her hands in a manner he considered threatening. An officer advised him to contact the court about the eviction notice. The woman had left before police arrived. Nov. 3 — Assault: Long Beach Tavern, Long Beach. Police responded to a report of two men fighting. Both had left before officers arrived. The bartender said he had not witnessed much of the incident but had asked both men to leave.
Chinook Observer · Long Beach, WA
Nearby: Long Beach, WAPacific County Sheriff’s Office Nov. 1 Ocean Park: A 911 caller, possibly a child, said there was a “monster outside.” The dispatcher could not clearly understand what the caller was saying. A reporting party said a friend had been assaulted by her boyfriend several days earlier and was receiving threatening messages from him. A reporting party said her husband and occupants of two other vehicles had been threatened by someone brandishing a firearm. The suspect allegedly threatened to run them over with a vehicle. A reporting party said a woman was experiencing withdrawal symptoms after changes in her medication, was combative and had possible dementia. A reporting party who purchased a vehicle in Louisiana without receiving its title requested assistance from an officer in obtaining the necessary inspection.
Jefferson County Leader · Longview, WA
Nearby: Longview, WAThe Port Townsend Paper Co. weathers the first storm of the season. Leader photo by Jon Decker In the wake of the Port Townsend Paper Corporation’s $734,000 Department of Ecology fine, ongoing investigations into recent whistleblower claims of sludge being discharged directly into the ocean and the May 2026 fatal chemical disaster at the Nippon Dynawave paper mill in Longview, Washington, concerns are rising about the community’s ability to properly respond to a disaster at the local mill. In a written statement from local watchdog group Citizens for Safe Water and Air – Port Townsend, spokesperson Eve Epstein expressed concern about what would happen in the immediate aftermath of a similar disaster at the Port Townsend paper mill. “Our primary resource for hazmat response is through the Department of Ecology,” Epstein wrote. “And their nearest spill response team is based in Olympia, which means their response time for a disaster at the Port Townsend Paper Co.
