Chinook Observer

Plan ahead for a full closure of US 101 for south county utility work May 20

People traveling in both directions of US 101 in Pacific County should plan ahead and use a different route. On Wednesday, May 20, Washington State Department of […] ...
Chinook Observer

Retired Pacific County fire chief Kevin Miller debuts memoir “I Saved a Cat Once”

For decades, retired fire chief Kevin Miller spent his life responding to emergencies across rural Pacific County. Now, years after stepping away from the fire service, he has turned those experiences ...
Chinook Observer

Yellow-legged hornet seen as bigger threat than ‘murder hornet’

The yellow-legged hornet poses a bigger threat to Northwest agriculture than the more infamous northern giant hornet, according to apiary experts. Both species prey on honeybees, but only the ...
Chinook Observer

Many whales spotted as 18th comes ashore dead

Dead whales continue to wash up along the Washington and Oregon coastlines, including one that came ashore at Surfside on ...
Chinook Observer

Filing week 2026: four running for Pacific County sheriff

This fall’s ballot will be chock-full of contested local races, several of which must first have the pool of candidates ...
Chinook Observer

Humble, hardworking: Spread the word about WA’s bumblebees

In 2018, the United Nations became so concerned about threats to the well-being of bees it designated a World Bee Day every ...
Chinook Observer

Let’s Go Washington prepares to gather signatures for income tax repeal effort

The conservative political committee Let’s Go Washington plans to soon begin gathering signatures as part of its push to overturn the state’s new income tax on high earners. But the group said it ...
Chinook Observer

‘Entangled’ sea lion prompts public concern, response from NOAA

A social media post included a photo of a sea lion, seemingly in distress, at the Bowline Hotel in Astoria with a rope around its neck. The post elicited over 100 comments and emoji reactions. Many ...
Chinook Observer

WA Supreme Court rejects state’s attempt to unblock sheriff eligibility law

A Washington Supreme Court commissioner on Tuesday, May 5, declined to pause a judge’s ruling that blocked a new law setting stricter qualifications for sheriffs. Deputy Commissioner Walter Burton ...
Chinook Observer

OBH Foundation’s Ladies’ Night Out brings women together for heart health

KLIPSAN — Women from across South Pacific County gathered on April 28 for the Ocean Beach Health Foundation’s 3rd Annual Ladies’ Night Out — an evening of laughing, learning about women’s heart health ...
Chinook Observer

Ask a Master Gardener: Plant clinic, information center, tool sharpening, May 9

ILWACO — The WSU Master Gardeners Foundation of Grays Harbor and Pacific Counties are sponsoring their first plant clinic and information center for 2026 on Saturday, May 9, from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. at ...
Chinook Observer

Library announces revised location hours

Seventeen branches of Timberland Regional Library will soon have revised hours. In Pacific County, Ocean Park hours won’t change. The Ilwaco library will be closed Saturdays starting May 16, with that ...