SOUTH BEND - Last week's heavy rainfall, snow-melt runoff and fierce winds thwacked the South Bend School District buildings with fierce force. It closed the schools for two days (Thurs. and Fri.), which will be made up at the end of the school year. Fortunately, a quick response helped prevent significant damage.

"We had water over almost the entire campus," South Bend Superintendent of Schools Dr. Jon Tienhaaran told the Herald Saturday. "Crews worked all night on Thursday, running pumps and mopping up water as it entered through the front doors of Koplitz Field House. After 6:00 a.m., the water began to recede. Koplitz Field House was dry with no water reaching the wood floor.

SOUTH BEND - Too much rainfall, nasty winds, and high tides, created havoc as flooding moved into South Bend in several areas with some residents needing to be evacuated last Thursday. The South Bend Police Department and city crews worked diligently to sustain normalcy with the impacted flooded areas.

"The flooding was bad in several places throughout the city," South Bend Police Chief Lucas Stigall told the Herald.

A vehicle slammed into a gas pump at Galey's Grocery last Tuesday (Dec. 28) at mid-afternoon causing the pump to burst into flames and be totally destroyed. The driver was driving eastbound on Route 6 when he turned left into Galey's and rammed into an ice machine and then struck the gasoline pump near the doorway to the store. The impact of the collision caused the pump to land some 20 feet from its original place, while aflame.

Last week, COVID-19 cases started breaking numbers as the Omicron variant surged. New York state reported breaking their single daily high on Wednesday, December 29 with 67,000 new infections, and Michigan broke their record on Tuesday, December 28 with 12,929. Christmas Eve saw Washington's record broken with 6,140 daily cases.

Even though restrictions have eased, we are still in the middle of a pandemic. Deputy Health Officer for Pacific County Dr. Steven Krager posted a video on Youtube on December 23 discussing the newest variant that is well on its way to becoming the most dominant strain.

Santa made a stop at the Raymond Elks #1292 on Monday, December 20! Thanks to everyone who came by for the fun... Happy Holidays!

The City of Raymond has been awarded a Transportation Improvement Board (TIB) grant for $1,172,612 to reconstruct Willapa Place Way, which is the loop from SR101 to SR101 going past McDonalds.

This is the road that runs between SR101 and the Thriftway parking lot. During the rainy season, the entrances to Willapa Place Way is often covered with flood water. It is also full of bumps and potholes.

TOKELAND - On December 16, Shoalwater Bay Casino General Manager Johnny Winokur delivered 200 toys to the South Beach Regional Fire Authority's Grayland Station for their Annual Saturday with Santa toy giveaway. The delivery was the culmination of a two-week toy drive hosted by the casino which provided free play to guests who donated toys.

Just in time for Christmas, local anglers will be happy to hear that four Pacific County lakes have been stocked with Washington Department of Fish and Wildlife (WDFW) hatchery adult steelhead, averaging 7 pounds each. The four lakes that fishermen can reel in steelhead are Case's Pond, Black Lake, Western Lake and Snag Lake. And, the Humptulips staff planted 100 adult steelhead into Duck Lake in Grays Harbor. Also, 544 jumbo trout were planted into Cases Pond in late November.

"With the December high flows and conservation-minded fishing restrictions, this approach gives anglers a second chance to harvest these hatchery adults," WDFW Communications Manager Eryn Crouch told the Herald.

"WDFW hatchery crews implanted a blue tag in the back of these fish to help fishery managers measure success and angler effort, informing future fisheries," Crouch added. "If you catch one of these tagged adults, please call the number listed on the tag."

Each year the local school districts honor Veterans Day and this year the local veterans gave back to the schools.

Raymond, South Bend, and Willapa Valley hold assemblies and usually a lunch near Veterans Day to honor the men and women who served our country.

The Pacific County Emergency Management Agency is asking for public comments and reviews on the new Pacific County Hazard Mitigation Plan. The comment period lasts until December 22, 2021.

Two Rivers Emergency Management Planner Tony Gertz has joined with PCEMA to write the newest plan. He has been writing these types of plans for the past 10 years. This newest plan is intended to last for the next 5 years.