from today’s print edition:

By North Coast News staff

It was a great day.

High near 50, not a cloud in the sky, calm winds. A glorious Saturday.

A wondrous Jan. 17, right around noon . . . 

Chris Keefer was entertaining family visitors, at Seabrook, where he works in construction. Kim Shelley was working in the Seabrook rentals department.

Retired Boeing worker Cathie Bisiack and her husband, home inspector John Collum, were at their Moclips home, getting ready to drive to Tacoma for a surprise birthday party.

Merch DeGrasse, a retired architect, was making lunch at his Pacific Beach home.

Cathi McMurrin, a volunteer paramedic, was at the Fire District 8 station, decorating for a baby shower.

Steve Rockey was at his home in Ocean Shores, enjoying a day off from construction work.

And two sets of siblings, Michael, Cody and Cheyenne Martin and Keisha and Cassidy Bartlett, loaded their backpacks with peanut butter and banana sandwiches, and descended a trail down the dramatic cliff from the Pacific Beach residential area to the beach below. Near the bottom of the trail, they crossed over some old train tracks, then climbed over boulders and smaller rocks set up to hold the tracks in place. A few yards west of the rocks, just past a stretch of grassy dunes, they set up their picnic area on the inviting sand.

Ryan and Marnie Martin, the parents, foreground. Behind Marnie, Cassidy Bartlett, who started the rescue with a phone call, and Michael. Behind Michael, Cathi McMurrin, who comforted him for hours.

Grays Harbor Sheriff’s Log

January 15, 2009

Copalis Beach

Credit used from stolen purse and made unauthorized purchases in Pacific Beach area.

Abandoned vehicle parked with gas cans in back.

Pacific Beach

Traffic accident with car fluid and oil on roadway.

Ocean City

Sexual abuse allegation.

Possible drug deal happening in school parking lot.

with many items that did not make today’s print edition:

Ocean Shores Police Log

 January 15, 2009

 Mount Olympus Ave SE

Speeding ticket issued at school/play ground crossing.

 Frigate St NW

Suspicious person entered garage.

 Ocean Shores Blvd SW

Ticket issued for speeding.

 Canal Dr SE

Ticket issued for speeding.

 Chance Ala Mer St NW

Two juveniles stole smoking items and are hanging out in the area.

When postings will include: North Beach Rescue (from the print edition); Police log, unabridged; Local Kids Comment on Obama, unabridged; Ocean Shores road kill numbers; and Ken Lanfear disposing of the corpse of a local journalist in the 19 Acres.

Ha ha, just kidding about that last one! Right, Ken? . . . Ken, put the chainsaw down, let’s talk this out . . .

At its Jan. 12 meeting, City Council debated what to do with the 19 acres of land between the Public Works shop and Ocean Shores Elementary School. It was purchased 10 years ago by the City, for $350,000, and is probably worth at least three times that much, now. Mysteriously, the entire 19 acres was re-zoned as B-2 Commercial, a change from its original R-1 Residential tag. Council ultimately voted 4-2 to have Public Works Director Ken Lanfear send the issue to the Planning Commission.

They didn’t say when.

The Planning Commission met on Jan. 13, and the 19 Acres was not on the agenda. They met again this afternoon, and still no 19 Acres. City Planner Alicia Bridges told the commission Lanfear was still doing research on the area. 

Now, the Planning Commission won’t look at the 19 Acres until, at the earliest, March 10. That’s the next planning meeting. There were two meetings scheduled for February, but the commission voted to cancel them, due to people being out of town.

Two words: Beach Time.

This is almost as ugly/disturbing as the dead deer pics: City Planner Alicia Bridges just passed around Building Permit totals at the Planning Commission meeting. In 2008, Ocean Shores issued 118 permits to build single family homes; that’s down 28 percent from 2007’s total of 167. (It was also the lowest single-family home total since at least 2004, when 126 received permits. The City gave out 199 single-family home permits in 2005, and 162 in 2006).Just about every other category (multi-family, residential remodel/repair, garages, etc.) was down, as the City granted 408 permits in 2008, compared to 779 in 2007, a fall-off of nearly half. Miscellaneous permits (clearing, driveway, sewer, etc.) did go up, from 891 in 2007 to 1,002 in 2008.

The City took in just over $438,000 on building permit fees, in 2008. (No dollar figures for just building permits available, for previous years.)

The good news: That’s 118 homes built here (or in process) that weren’t here in 2007. Many cities would be thrilled with that type of growth . . .

from Jess Owen, of Ocean Crest Resort:

Course 1:

Cheddar Apple Kisses

Ingredients

1 1/2 cup flour

2 cups grated Cheddar cheese

1/2 cup (1stick) butter, softened

1 medium apple, cored and cut into 1/2 inch chunks

1/4 tsp cinnamon

1/4 tsp ground ginger

zest from 1 orange

1/2 cup maple syrup

– who wouldn’t get the newspaper until next week, thereby missing this brilliant piece of . . . analysis, which exposes the footballers’ disingenuous methods for winning that ultimate NFL prize, the Lombardi Trophy (soon to be renamed “The Primanti Brothers Trophy,” carved out of a hunk of kolbasi):

So the Pittsburgh Steelers are once again playing in the Steel Bowl — or do they still call it the Super Bowl?

The Steelers are being a bit piggish about this, even in a sport that uses pigskin, as they have won five Super Bowls. That’s five more than the franchises of Seattle, Detroit, New Orleans and Mexico City COMBINED. (Granted, Mexico City doesn’t have an NFL team. But what’s the excuse of the other teams?)

Pittsburgh’s proven strategy: establish the running game; keep the score reasonably tight; stay on excellent terms with the referees (“Man, are you losin’ weight? Lookin’ good!”); soak looney-when-sober fans in Iron City , then have them confuse opponents with bizarre heckling (“Hey, No. 32, your shoes are too small! Your shoes are too small, you’re gonna trip!”); and, above all else, remain on the positive side of all questionable calls.