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No future razor clam dates will be announced until domoic acid levels in razor clams drop below the action level. That's the word from the Washington Department of Fish and Wildlife (WDFW).

"We have no projections of when that might be," WDFW Coastal Shellfish Manager Dan Ayres said last Wednesday afternoon. "We will continue to test every two weeks.

"As we reported earlier this month, razor clams are following the historical pattern of slowly depurating (losing) domoic acid," Ayres said. "We also are observing the levels 'bounce around' some, as they have in past events. This is a result of the individual 12 clams we harvest when we are collecting samples. The toxin 'load' can vary greatly between individual clams.

"The laboratory protocol requires the clams to be cleaned and then the meat from all 12 (per area) are blended together," Ayres continued. "Then a sample of that mixture is analyzed and one result is reported for that area."

Gov. Jay Inslee sent a letter to the president of the Washington Education Association (WEA) detailing his support for educators and students to return to in-person learning. Inslee noted the progress being made right now in some Washington districts.

The letter to WEA reads, in part:

"The experience of Washington state educators in this regard should be given the highest consideration in this discussion. Educators have demonstrated rather conclusively that onsite instruction can be done with reasonable safety. Your members have already been working on site with over 200,000 students during the last several months at a variety of public schools across the state that are diverse geographically and demographically. Students are learning on-site at elementary schools, middle schools and high schools, and they have been successful because of the professionalism, dedication, and commitment of educators and school staff to their students."

Growing up in South Lewis County, I always knew it was the area where people just want to be left alone. We don't care what anyone does as long as it does not affect us, or so I thought. I was on Facebook on Thursday, where I saw a racial slur written on a cup against someone I personally know. It was the first time since I have been back in this area that I have actually seen something racial and it made my blood boil!

Winlock School District has hired a new athletic director. Nick Bamer took the role in the fall but he is not new to Winlock. With his new role, he has a lot on his plate and Winlock is excited to have him. With sports starting on February 1, he is very busy getting ready for a year of sports in just a few months.

There are many stories about Valentine's Day and how it started, unfortunately, it did not start as the romantic holiday it is today. It was the Catholic Church that honored two men that it became known as St. Valentine's Day.

Last week, 21 additional Pacific County residents tested positive for COVID-19 bringing the total number of coronavirus cases to 718.

There is a joy when a small business is discovered and a surprise when the knowledge that it has been in operation for over a decade. Debbie A's is a business like that. Tucked away in the Old Willapa area and being talked about by word-of-mouth.

Debbie Aust has been working in the Raymond and South Bend area for years at a variety of businesses including florists that have come and gone. During that time, she has honed her skills in decorating and organizing in the wedding business.

After working for others, Debbie took the step of opening up her own business by building a shed on her property. "We put up a big gigantic shop with a big loft all full of all wedding," she said. "I've been doing that until 2 years ago. I sold a lot of my decor." She discovered that she had to slow down because of some knee issues. "I can't roll the wine barrels into my toy hauler that I just bought and haul it and take it out into the backyard. I can't be on the ladder doing the lights and hanging everything. I had to stop."

Near the end of December of 2020, the City of Raymond placed a legal in the Herald asking for people, who were interested, to apply to lease the public market next to the Northwest Carriage Museum. Only two applied, the current leaseholder Willapa Bay Farmers Market, and Alder & Co. which is owned by Jeff Karnatz and Paul Stazel of Lavender Farm.

During the Raymond City Council meeting on February 1, 2021, it was voted unanimously to accept the application of Alder & Co. The new lease is scheduled to last for the next 2 years.