HOQUIAM, Wash. - The Hoquiam Business Association is getting ready to toast it’s own hometown success stories with a gala dinner event on January 30th.  The evening commences at 5pm with a social hour, followed by dinner at 6:00.   The keynote speaker will be Chester Trabucco, noted for his successful renovation of the Hotel Elliot in Astoria and his new project in Aberdeen, the Morck Hotel.

Awards will be presented to 4 Hoquiam businesses in the following categories;

•                  Revitalization Project of the Year


•                 Green Business of the Year


•                 Next Generation Award


•                 Legacy Award

SHELTON, Wash. - Mason County Deputies and Troopers from the WA State Patrol responded this morning to the report of a school bus full of children that went into a ditch.  None of the 36 children or the school bus driver was injured.

Investigators say that the school bus driver was in the process of picking up children for school when the driver pulled over to the side of the road to allow traffic to pass.  As the school bus sat on the shoulder of the road in the 3000 block of E. Pickering Road, just north of Shelton, the shoulder gave way and the bus slid sideways into the ditch.

Due to the angle of the bus, Firefighters from Fire District #5 responded and assisted Mason County Sheriff Deputies evacuate the 36 children through the rear emergency exit window and onto another school bus.   As soon as all of the students were safely onboard the second bus, Traffic Deputy Brad Trout, along with two Fire District #5 Paramedics went through the school bus evaluating each child for any possible injuries.  All students and the driver stated that they were uninjured and none required any medical attention.

SMOHOMISH, Wash. - The North Cascades region is getting a pre-summer boost to its tourism business this weekend, as the star of a new show on Public Television. North Cascades: People, Places and Stories is a video production spotlighting the sheer size and geographic diversity of the region, as well as some of the characters - both humans and animals - who live there.



Producer Doug Tolmie says his focus was to showcase the importance of the area to Washington's environment and economy, and also to prompt more people to help protect it.



"The mood of it is inspirational, and a little bit of, 'My God, aren't we lucky to have this incredibly diverse, amazing ecosystem here?' It's something that a lot of us take for granted."



Even many Washington natives don't realize that the North Cascades ecosystem stretches from Puget Sound to the Okanagan area, and from the Canadian border, south to I-90, says Tolmie. Jennifer Stephens, communications director for The Wilderness Society, says the area contains two national forests, one national park, and is the source of much of the water supply in the Puget Sound area.

The Grays Harbor County Public Health and Social Services Department has announced another free vaccination clinic where people can receive their H1N1 (swine) flu vaccination free of charge.

“We want to make sure that all people who want the vaccine can get it – especially those who don’t have a health care provider or may find paying the administration fee to be a hardship,” says Joan Brewster, director of the Grays Harbor County Public Health and Social Services Department.

“The vaccine supply is now plentiful and we are able to offer it to anyone who wants it, regardless of age or medical history.”

The clinic will be in the Southshore Mall Community Room (in the Café Court) on Saturday, January 23 from 11 am to 2 pm.

Many local health care providers now have the H1N1 vaccine for their patients. In addition, pharmacies and others continue to provide vaccinations in locations throughout Grays Harbor County. For more information, call (360) 532-8631 ext. 417.