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Cheese Days royalty Shy-Anne Hill (foreground) and Carrie Anguiano (background) ride on the Cheese Days Float famously depicting the sternwheeler for which the city received its name.

The Castle Rock Fair starts Thursday at 6 p.m. at 120 Fair Lane in Castle Rock and continues through Saturday.

I would like to take this opportunity to thank all the people who donated to my Eagle Scout project. My project is to remove the old weather worn Toledo High School sign and replace it with a cedar and vinyl sign. Your support was outstanding. It again tells me that we live in a great community with "Toledo Pride." I would especially like to thank Sandy's Pizza for his generous gift card donation to my project. Other thanks go to the Toledo Cheese Days Committee and the Toledo Lions Club. Again thank you very much for your support.

Don’t forget about the new pinochle classes, which have started up on Tuesdays at the Olequa Senior Center at 9 a.m. Their weekly coffee klatch is scheduled at that time as well.

Oh, and Zumba is still going on at the center on Mondays and Wednesday nights at 6 p.m. There’s a discount for seniors! For more information, please contact the center at (360) 785-4325.

Leo E. Justice, of Toledo, died July 10, 2013. Born June 6, 1917, he was 96 years old.

A celebration of life has been scheduled for 3 p.m. Friday at Toledo Church of Christ.

Winlock esidents are being asked to narrow down three candidates as Primary Election ballots are getting mailed out this week.

Denise Green has been serving as a member of the Winlock City Council since being appointed in May of 2011.

She has often described herself as a strong advocate for fiscal responsibility and holding other leaders and entities accountable, and has provided staunch opposition to policies she feels do not meet the best interests of Winlock.

Winlock esidents are being asked to narrow down three candidates as Primary Election ballots are getting mailed out this week.

Don Bradshaw has served for two terms as Mayor from 1992 to 1996 and again from 1998 to 2002, while serving in between on the City Council during 1997.

He said he has cultivated many years of leadership experience throughout his life, including the operation and ownership of his own business as well as a 30-year Marine Corps career from which he retired as a Command Sergeant Major.

Winlock esidents are being asked to narrow down three candidates as Primary Election ballots are getting mailed out this week.

Lonnie J. Dowell is a political novice hoping to bring a level head and desire for cooperation to Winlock’s leadership.

A 20-year veteran of the Navy, he has cited his experience leading teams of personnel, as well as coordinating communications between submarines in the Mediterranean Sea, as examples of his ability to take charge.

Members of the Winlock City Council considered insurance alternatives with the goal of saving money during a workshop held before their July 8 meeting.

The city currently uses the Risk Management Services Agency through the Association of Washington Cities, and has since 1992. But they are also considering the Washington Cities Insurance Authority and the Cities Insurance Association of Washington.

A local family has had a close brush with a black bear near Vader and are being told to remain cautious as the area is a bear habitat.

Tom Hicker, who lives on the 100 block of Brim Creek Rd., just west of Vader, said his son's dog had been wondering through the woods on their properly July 4 and returned with a large bite mark on its neck and wounds on its paw consistent with a bear mauling. This happened just one day after Hicker's son and grandson reportedly encountered a black bear on the property without incident.

The 41-year-old female driver of a 1999 Chevrolet Suburban was traveling northbound on I-5 near Milepost 64, east of Winlock, when she swerved from into left lane to avoid striking another vehicle. The Suburban then hit the rumble strip in the median and lost control on the gravel. It then spun back into the right lane and onto the grass shoulder where it rolled onto its top, injuring the driver and three passengers.

Lewis/Cowlitz Fire District 20 has agreed to rescind its letter of intent to withdraw from Lewis County Medic One, but on the condition their concerns regarding Medic One’s financial management be resolved by EMS officials first.

District 20’s Board of Directors met Thursday with Medic One Operations Chief Grant Wiltbank to clarify why District 20, serving Vader and Ryderwood, as well as Lewis County Fire Districts 2, in Toledo, and 15, in Winlock, were being asked to make financial contributions to help sustain the program. All three member districts manage Medic One through an interlocal agreement and each is being asked to contribute around $5,000 immediately, and a possible second payment at the end of the year, to counter expected budget shortfalls.

Lewis/Cowlitz Fire District 20 still has yet to hear back about a plan to reinstate its ambulance transportation license after it was downgraded at the beginning of June.

District 20 had contacted the Department of Health (DOH) last year after officially merging the fire districts in Vader and Ryderwood to change the name on their ambulance license, but were told they would have to apply for a new one. In doing so, officials said they would have to apply for an aid car license (capable of providing on-scene assistance only) rather than a transportation license (capable of delivering patients from site to site) because District 20 could not meet state requirements to have two medics during transportation as they only have one.

Russell L. Vaughn Jr., 31, of Ethel, is wanted by Lewis County District Court on two $2,600 warrants after failing to appear for charges of failure to comply with a no-contact protection order.

In the blink of an eye, a leisurely boating excursion can turn dangerous, even deadly, due to one of many common boating accidents. Whether from a collision with another watercraft, a propeller-involved injury or being tossed around by rough waters or an unsafe driver, recreationalists should be prepared to respond safely and quickly to any accidents taking place while on the water.

Watch out for others. The best way to handle a boating accident is to prevent one in the first place. If you are on a crowded waterway, be mindful of other watercraft and swimmers, especially near the shore where people are often moving to and fro. Even if you are on a seemingly-deserted waterway, do not speed to fast or take corners sharply as unseen persons and dangers can be easily obscured by nearby vegetation and even the water itself.

Sometimes we look for special places and come up a little short. After hearing about Granite Lake and several others just south of the beauty and crowds at Mt. Rainier National Park, it looked intriguing enough to investigate as a potential backpack later in the summer.

Granite Lake not only met expectations, it exceeded them.

The summer season brings gardeners, beach-combers, hikers, and picnickers outside to play. With that, however, comes summer toxins that are poisonous to your pets. As you prepare for summer to roll in, make sure you have your house, yard, pool, and garden pet-proofed to avoid any potential poisonings.

Gardening products such as bone or blood meal, fertilizers and insecticides can be very harmful to curious pets sniffing around the yard. Be sure to keep containers of such products stored away safely in pet-proof containers such as dedicated garbage cans or in a locked outbuilding. Also, keep pets inside or leashed up if you have just used these products in your yard as they can be just as harmful when first applied.

Ocean Spray or, Holodiscus discolor, is a fast-growing deciduous shrub growing up to 15 feet tall in our local area. They have been particularly noticeable over the last two weeks as the plants appear to be entirely covered with white, showy blooms that seem to nearly collapse the plant under their weight. The flowers have a faint sweet, sugary scent. It bears a small, hairy fruit containing one seed, which is light enough to be dispersed by wind.