Cranberries are persnickety little berries.  They refuse to grow in most places.  Why, if you lived in Montana your chances of seeing a cranberry bog would be zip.  The fresh cranberries in Montana and almost every other state are trucked in from 5 states that cranberries have deemed to be livable.  Darned if I know why, but they actually are grown in New Jersey- who’d have thought? 


Washington, in particular Grays Harbor County, is one of The Chosen Places.   Beginning this weekend, the cranberry revelry begins, and Grayland is ready for the celebration!  If you have never attended the Cranberry Harvest Festival, I urge you to trot out to Grayland and peruse every aspect of this amazing little fruit.  The festival headquarters are at the Historic Grayland Community Hall.  There will be signs on the highway directing you where to turn.  Vendors will be tempting you with tantalizing food and crafts both inside and outside, the website will tell you of all the events;  http://www.cranberrycoastcoc.com/festival/events.html

Olympia, WA - Have an opinion on Washington’s highways? To make sure its maintenance goals are on track, the Washington State Department of Transportation (WSDOT) is asking the public to fill out an online survey.

The survey takes just a few minutes and asks people to rate highway pavement conditions, emergency response to collisions and bad weather, and how WSDOT should prioritize future highway maintenance spending. To make sure responses represent a cross-section of Washington residents, WSDOT requests some demographic information.

WSDOT sets its highway maintenance goals through a process called MAP – Maintenance Accountability Process, rating the level of service provided for each maintenance activity.

Aberdeen, WA - A five year old boy that was found wandering alone near AM PM in Aberdeen Tuesday is now in child protective services custody along with his 15 month old brother.

Aberdeen Police responded to the 200 block of S Monroe street just after 4pm to find the 5 year old developmentally disabled child unable to convey much more than his age. The Officer drove the child around until he was able to locate the boy's residence, an apartment in the 900 block of West Heron Street. When no one answered the door, the officer went inside of the home to find a 15 month old infant. Police Sergent Art Laeur tells KBKW that the infant  and the apartment were both very dirty, and that the infant had access to household chemicals, knives, and was observed eating old food from the floor.
Aberdeen Police were unable to locate parents, but the father did arrive home while police were investigating. the mother was later interviewed by police.
The children remain in CPS custody, The Prosecutor's Office is investigating child abandonment charges, no charges have yet been filed.

Westport, WA - The U.S. Army Corps of Engineers will oversee repairs to the rock revetment at Westport, Wash., beginning in October using contractor Sealevel Bulkhead Builders for the work.

The contractor will repair the revetment by placing approximately 1,735 cubic yards (2,435 tons) of new armor rock along approximately 200 linear feet of revetment. Gravel (approximately 30 tons) may also be placed temporarily to protect the asphalt pit run and sidewalk adjacent to the revetment from damage during construction and would be removed at project completion.

Construction is scheduled to begin Oct. 15 and is expected to last up to 30 days, depending on weather and tidal conditions. During the rock placement work, the Corps will have an inspector from its Aberdeen based survey crew on-site. The Corps’ coastal engineering and environmental staff will conduct periodic inspections of the revetment repairs.

Westport residents and visitors should note that access in the vicinity of the Westport viewing tower will be temporarily restricted during the construction. 

The Corps of Engineers maintains the rock structures at Westport as part of its ongoing mission to maintain and protect the federal navigation project at the Westhaven Cove Marina, including the entrance channel and the marina basin.  The Corps has maintained and improved navigation in Grays Harbor for more than 100 years.

Hoquiam, WA - The "Backdoor Bandit(s)" have been caught, The Hoquiam Police Department reports a 19 year old Hoquiam man, and a juvenile Aberdeen man were taken into custody yesterday afternoon. both remain in custody this morning on misdemeanor theft charges.

Tuesday evening a Pizza Hut employee was delivering a pizza to a home in the 500 block of third street. The teenager who answered the door said his mother was in the shower and would be out to pay the man soon. He then closed the door and the delivery man patiently waited about 30 minutes before contacting authorities. Hoquiam Police arrived and discovered that the home was vacant, and that the theives appeared to have escaped out the back with the pizza.