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Following his retirement last June, as the superintendent of the Winlock school district, Rick Serns had many plans of how to use his time in retirement.

Eric Lee has owned the Winlock Shell for many years, becoming part of the Winlock community to many of us. Eric has recently sold the business and he will be moving. Before Eric leaves, please stop by and wish him well.

Covid-19 is a word that not one of us had heard of 4 months ago. It is now a word that all of us are familiar with. Covid-19 has changed all of our lives, one way or another. In Lewis County, we have 20 people who have tested positive. More people are using masks, taking necessary precautions during the outbreak.

SOUTH BEND - As so many businesses have throughout the country, the U.S. Postal Service has changed its protocol in regard to safety because of the coronavirus outbreak throughout the world. Corporate Communications Specialist Ernest "Ernie" Swanson, talked with the Herald by phone from his Seattle District office in Federal Way in regard to how postal employees are maintaining safety with COVID-19 for themselves and the public. The Seattle District (12,500 employees) includes the entire state except a section around Vancouver, and it also has a region in northern Idaho.

Swanson has worked for the postal service for 40 years. Swanson has a degree in journalism from the University of Washington and worked for the Seattle Post-Intelligencer in the late seventies and the Everett Herald before transitioning to the post office.

Through Sunday, at least three postal employees have died as a result of getting the virus, including one from Seattle, one in New York City and one in Detroit.

All through the televised news reports, we see mention of the national stockpile of personal protective equipment (masks, gowns, gloves, etc.) and that these supplies are being sent out to help during the COVID-19 crisis. Unfortunately, Pacific County has only received just the minimum amount of PPEs from this stockpile. This is because most of Pacific County is stuck in tier 3 classification with only a few entities placed in tier 2.

The Pacific County Department of Health and Human Services in conjunction with the Pacific County Emergency Operations Center has received notification that two individuals from Pacific County have tested positive for COVID-19. At this time, the individuals are currently isolated at home.

Pacific County Public Health nurses are conducting a thorough investigation to identify potential exposures and notify close contacts. Contact investigations are critical to track and prevent the spread of disease.