Winlock City Council will have a hearing on Monday, August 22 at 5:30 p.m. to hear from the citizens on the annexation of the Winlock Urban Growth Area into the Winlock city limits. The meeting will be held at Winlock City Hall, 323 NE 1st St.

For many years now there has been a lady who has been selling tamales in Winlock, not just a few either. Lorena Lamas, also known as the Tamale Lady, is known for selling Tamales at the Winlock Farmers Market. Lorena has a loyal customer base who are looking for authentic tamales, which is what she offers. The best part, she is just as kind as her tamales are great!

The 37th Annual Mt. St. Helens Bluegrass Festival is this weekend at Kemp Olson Park in Toledo. The Bluegrass Festival has been a part of Toledo for many years, bringing people from all over the country.

General Cothren, who has been organizing this event stated, "We have a great variety of bands who will entertain you throughout the weekend. It is a great time for all who attend." If you are a senior citizen and would like to purchase discounted tickets before the event, please contact General at 360-520-4524. Discounted tickets must be purchased before the event.

Toledo Fire Department, aka Lewis County Fire District #2, has hired three new firefighters/EMTs to help the city. With each community growing, it is important to have the services available to the residents who live there. Being a part of a community is a unique feeling, but being a part of a community with pride is a gift. Toledo is just that community, one with pride and a sense that we all need to work together. The citizens of Toledo voted for the new firefighters/EMTs. Now service is available around the clock; another show of Toledo coming together.

The 22th Annual Winlock Pickersfest is this weekend and we are so glad to see its return. The event takes place from Friday to Sunday with many different varieties of acoustic music. If you are new or have not been to Pickerfest, you will find a lot of very good pickin' going on.

WAMA, which is the group for acoustic musicians, has been strong in Washington State for many years.

Winlock School District has changed its district calendar beginning this school year. Many in the area have concerns that it will impact their children, but the biggest impact should be on test scores and improvement. The Winlock School District has made the choice to change the calendar so there is less time off in the summer. This will help students who struggle when they return to school as not as much time has lapsed since their last class.

Toledo Police Department Reserve Officer Randy Pennington retired a few weeks ago.

On Friday, July 29, 2022 at 6:00 p.m., Heidi St. John, 3rd Congressional District Republican Candidate will be at the Kemp Olsen Park in Toledo for Politics in the Park.

Winlock has seen a lot of growth, but the biggest concern for many residents is the annexation of the Urban Growth Area (UGA) into the Winlock city limits. This week, signs stating "NO Annexation'' have been placed in the Winlock UGA and it's the work of one lady, Mrs. Kathy Chastain. She lives in the UGA and has already seen the impact to her property due to the timber being removed. Kathy's property has "standing water," for the first time in 36 years. She is just one of many who will see changes if the UGA is annexed.

Kathy has been busy fighting the annexation since she heard that the City of Winlock has applied to annex the UGA. The interesting part is the company that has been pushing the annexation is now on hold due to not enough water hookups, but the annexation is still moving forward. The City of Winlock has determined, through the developers mainly, that they have the required votes to annex in the UGA. The vote is based on value and not the number of residents or even if they live here. It's not about the citizens, it's about the power of corporate America to take over small communities.