Quinault News

Sorry I've been away, but I had connectivity issues in my hotel yesterday. . But back to Victoria: What's amazing is that I managed to get Fourth of July fireworks in Canada.

Yesterday Mary and I spent a delightful day in the Quinault Rain Forest which is in the Southwest corner of the Olympic National Park which is in the Northwest corner of the State of Washington.

Gas, round-trip, 706 miles @ $2.50/gallon $70.60 Lunch en route $3.99 Lodging, The Gray Gull, Ocean Shores $111.30 Groceries $30.58 Admission, Aberdeen Museum of History $2 Wine-tasting fee, Westport Winery $5 Admission, Westport Maritime Museum $4 Dinner, Galway Bay Restaurant and Pub, Ocean Shores $20.32 Lunch, 7th Street Deli, Hoquiam TOTAL ...

While I'm out on the road, I've asked SUVs guide Jason Fogelson to do a bit of test-driving for me.

Stan Marshburn, who was the budget leader at the state Department of Social and Health Services, now is second in command of the state budget office.

Pierce County sheriff's detectives have talked with a friend of the Graham-area mother whose five children were fatally shot this month, and he confirmed what investigators believe led up to the killings.

For Earth Week, Lake Quinault Lodge and Kalaloch Lodge on the Olympic Peninsula are inviting guests to help preserve a bit of history and clear up public beaches during the second annual Earth Day "Volunteer Vacation." On April 18, volunteers can work with the Washington Clean Coast Alliance to pick up waste and tidy up the beaches at Kalaloch.

A measure that would allow Lewis, Thurston and Grays Harbor counties to form a taxing district to fund flooding solutions has gone from clear sailing in the state Senate to murky waters in the House.

An Aberdeen man accused of beating and setting another man on fire has been charged with murder.

A weekend excursion does not have to be far and expensive. The Pacific Northwest is one of the most beautiful places to visit.

He owns the old Milwaukee Railroad. He bought a defunct university in South Dakota and is in the process of selling it off in pieces.

It's been more than two years since the epic flood of 2006 wreaked havoc on Washington's national forests.

A Tacoma real estate firm Monday told the state it will buy four sidelined ferries for $650,000, apparently to turn them into some kind of development.

Strawberries are synonymous with summer, but the plants can be added to the garden now while they're dormant.

The scrapping of four mothballed Steel Electric ferries has been put on hold after the buyer, Environmental Recycling Systems, asked for a delay because of the plummeting price of metal prices.

A deal to sell four old Washington state ferries for $500,000 for scrap is on hold.

The most fun I had this summer was on our little road trip around Washington state.

Westport crab fishermen are biting at the bit to get going. Their season starts Jan.

Travelers to the "upper-left coast" should pack their rain gear for a true Northwest experience that takes them beyond Seattle to Washington's Olympic Peninsula.

Struggling with loss and confusion, an Aberdeen family will spend its first Christmas without Marlon Lee and without many answers.