News

The Chronicle - Centralia

WDFW approves six days of coastal razor clam digs with additional tentative digs planned for April

Razor clam diggers can look forward to more digging opportunities on coastal beaches beginning Tuesday, March 26, Washington Department of Fish and Wildlife (WDFW) coastal shellfish managers confirmed last week.

“We’ll be sending off March with six days of razor clam digging,” said Bryce Blumenthal, a WDFW coastal shellfish biologist. “Morning tides usually bring new participants and larger crowds, so we want to remind beach goers to respect the 25 MPH speed limit and only drive on the hard-packed sand near the high tide line to keep diggers safe and avoid crushing clam beds."

Not all coastal beaches are open for every dig, so diggers are encouraged to make sure their intended destination is open before heading out. Optimal digging occurs between one and two hours before the listed time of low tide.

The following March 26-31 digs will proceed as scheduled after marine toxin results from the Washington State Department of Health (DOH) showed razor clams are safe to eat.

 

Confirmed dates during morning (midnight to noon) low tides March 26-31:

  • March 26, Tuesday, 7:54 a.m.; 0.7 feet; Copalis
  • March 27, Wednesday, 8:26 a.m.; 0.4 feet; Long Beach, Mocrocks
  • March 28, Thursday, 9:01 a.m.; 0.3 feet; Long Beach, Twin Harbors, Mocrocks
  • March 29, Friday, 9:39 a.m.; 0.3 feet; Long Beach, Twin Harbors, Copalis
  • March 30, Saturday, 10:23 a.m.; 0.4 feet; Long Beach, Twin Harbors, Copalis (digging extended until 1 p.m.)
  • March 31, Sunday, 11:16 a.m.; 0.6 feet; Long Beach, Twin Harbors, Mocrocks (digging extended until 1 p.m.)

 

Tentative dates during morning (midnight to noon) low tides in April 8-13:

  • April 8, Monday, 6:44 a.m.; -0.5 feet; Mocrocks
  • April 9, Tuesday, 7:29 am.; -1.2 feet; Long Beach, Mocrocks
  • April 10, Wednesday, 8:14 a.m.; -1.5 feet; Long Beach, Twin Harbors, Copalis
  • April 11, Thursday, 9:00 a.m., -1.4 feet; Long Beach, Twin Harbors, Copalis
  • April 12, Friday, 9:48 a.m., -1.1 feet; Long Beach, Twin Harbors, Mocrocks
  • April 13, Saturday, 10:40 a.m., -0.5 feet; Long Beach, Twin Harbors, Mocrocks (digging extended until 1 p.m.)
  • April 14, Sunday, 11:38 a.m., 0.1 feet; Long Beach, Copalis (digging extended until 1 p.m.)

 

Tentative dates during morning (midnight to noon) low tides in April 23-29:

  • April 23, Tuesday, 6:58 a.m.; 0.0 feet; Copalis
  • April 24, Wednesday, 7:30 am.; -0.4 feet; Long Beach, Mocrocks
  • April 25, Thursday, 8:03 a.m.; -0.6 feet; Long Beach, Twin Harbors, Mocrocks
  • April 26, Friday, 8:39 a.m., -0.7 feet; Long Beach, Twin Harbors, Copalis
  • April 27, Saturday, 9:19 a.m., -0.7 feet; Long Beach, Twin Harbors, Copalis
  • April 28, Sunday, 10:05 a.m., -0.5 feet; Long Beach, Twin Harbors, Mocrocks
  • April 29, Monday, 10:58 a.m., 0.3 feet; Long Beach, Mocrocks

The DOH requires test samples for marine toxins, and domoic acid levels must fall under the guideline level before a beach can open for digging. Domoic acid, a natural toxin produced by certain types of marine algae, can be harmful or fatal if consumed in sufficient quantities. Final approval, including the upcoming April digs, usually occurs about a week or less – sometimes two to three days — before the start of each digging series. More information about domoic acid, as well as current levels at ocean beaches, can be found on the WDFW’s domoic acid webpage

On all open beaches, the daily limit is 15 clams per person. Each digger’s clams must be kept in a separate container, and all diggers must keep the first 15 clams they dig, regardless of size or condition, to prevent waste.

All diggers 15 or older must have an applicable fishing license to harvest razor clams on any beach. Licenses can be purchased from WDFW’s licensing website, and from hundreds of license vendors around the state. WDFW recommends buying your license before visiting coastal beach communities. Additional razor clam information is available on the WDFW razor clam webpage.



No good news about student learning on four-year anniversary of COVID-19 school closures

Four years ago this month, schools nationwide shut down as COVID-19 numbers skyrocketed and students were sent home for what was initially planned to be two weeks.

Some schools reopened by fall 2020, but Washington was one of the last states in the nation to reopen schools for in-person learning.

Gov. Jay Inslee urged districts to reopen in March, 2021 but there was a great deal of resistance from the Washington Education Association raising concerns about new variants of the virus at the time. 

“Look at what’s happened with our children made to pay the price for the fears of adults,” said Liv Finne, Education Center Director at Washington Policy Center, who tells The Center Square the damage to education is generational.

“Especially children coming from families of poverty, they may never recover, and they will earn less throughout their lifetimes, with fewer opportunities in college and trades because of the decision to close schools for 18 months,” she said.

Finne points to recent economist predictions that children in Washington state “will lose 7% of their earning potential due to COVID school closures.”

“If you don’t get a solid grounding in the basics of math or reading, with the current system that advances you regardless of whether you achieve the knowledge you need to succeed in the next grade, we end up socially promoting children to the next grade,” she said.

Finne hears from teachers that are extremely upset, “Because they are seeing it happen in front of them and they’re told not to individually assess the knowledge of students.”

“It’s just astonishing that our society could do this to our children and set them forth on their lives knowing that they carry a burden we have imposed on them. It’s morally wrong; reprehensible,” she said.

The Spring of 2023 Smarter Balanced Assessment of Washington students showed only 39% of students passed the state test in math.

“Only 50.1% passed the state test in reading which means 49% are failing in reading," said Finne. 

Chronic absenteeism is another huge issue in the wake of the pandemic.

“If parents are told we’re not going to open schools and you have to figure out what to do and they turn their backs on parents, then parents are thinking why should I go to the effort as they’ve lost trust in schools,” Finne said.

Washington OSPI and Superintendent Chris Reykdal responded to The Center Square about learning loss after the pandemic.

"The Superintendent has been very public about our students’ learning and well-being recovery in the years since we saw the highest impacts of the pandemic — from mental health, to graduation rates, to attendance, to state test scores, to completion of advanced coursework."

OSPI this week released the Washington School Improvement Framework, highlighting ways the state is helping schools where students are struggling the most, post pandemic.

Columbian Newspaper

Biden signs $1.2 trillion funding package after Senate’s early-morning passage ended shutdown threat
Author: Associated Press

WILMINGTON, Del. — President Joe Biden on Saturday signed a $1.2 trillion package of spending bills after Congress had passed the long overdue legislation just hours earlier, ending the threat of a partial government shutdown.

Read more...

Analysis: Lawmakers fret over tone of Trump-Biden rematch
Author: John T. Bennett, CQ-Roll Call

WASHINGTON — Lawmakers are concerned about the tone of the presidential general election, with one Republican senator warning it reflects a troubling mood from sea to shining sea.

Read more...

Some of nearly 300 abducted schoolchildren in Nigeria’s north are freed after weeks in captivity
Author: Associated Press

KADUNA, Nigeria — At least 137 of nearly 300 Nigerian children abducted more than two weeks ago from their school in the northwestern state of Kaduna were released on Sunday, the West African nation’s military said.

Read more...

Man dangling from communication wires falls onto fire engine, prompts street closure in downtown Vancouver
Author: Jessica Prokop

First responders Saturday evening shut down a portion of West Sixth Street in downtown Vancouver for a man who climbed out onto communication wires and dangled from them for nearly an hour.

Read more...

Woman shot, killed in apparent burglary at Hockinson house; Clark County deputies searching for stolen pickup
Author: Jessica Prokop

A woman was found fatally shot inside a Hockinson house Saturday in an apparent burglary in which a pickup was stolen, according to the Clark County Sheriff’s Office.

Read more...

NYT Politics

Former Justice Breyer Says He Is Open to Supporting a Supreme Court Age Limit
Author: Minho Kim
The retired justice suggested that an 18- or 20-year term could dissuade members of the court from “thinking about the next job” just as effectively as a lifetime appointment does now.
In Fund-Raising Blitz, Trump Warns Democrats: Hands Off Trump Tower
Author: Michael Gold
With a deadline on Monday to secure a $454 million bond in his civil fraud case, Donald Trump’s campaign emails have claimed Democrats are trying to seize his marquee property.

Washington State News

A's acquire RHP Austin Adams from Mets
(Photo credit: Jim Rassol-USA TODAY Sports) The Oakland Athletics acquired right-hander Austin Adams from the New York Mets on Sunday for cash considerations. The Athletics selected Adams to their 40-man roster and placed right-hander Trevor Gott on the 60-day injured list. Gott is expected to undergo Tommy John surgery and miss the entire season and part of 2025, MLB.com reported Friday. Adams, 32, went 0-1 with a 5.71

Pages