Aging facilities, safety improvements, truck parking among funding needs identified
OLYMPIA – After months of public outreach and research, the Washington State Department of Transportation has finalized the 2023 Safety Rest Area Strategic Plan – the first of its kind in about a decade and a half. This plan addresses the evolving needs and challenges for sustaining 47 state-owned safety rest areas that currently support 24 million annual users.
The plan illustrates the ways rising operating costs due to increasing usage and declining infrastructure conditions present challenges in keeping safety rest areas open and operational for the traveling public. Since most safety rest areas were built between 1967 and 1974, they were not designed to meet current demand for usage, commercial truck parking and traveler safety concerns.
In addition to working with partners, WSDOT conducted preliminary public outreach June 27-Sept. 5, 2022, to develop the plan and its focus. More than 5,300 travelers from across the state participated and their feedback was considered in the plan that helped WSDOT identify key focus areas and strategies for addressing these challenges. Once WSDOT updated the plan, the new draft was shared for additional review and public comment July 31-Aug. 28 of this year.
“WSDOT will use this plan as a guide for future decisions and legislative requests with a focus on safety, financially sustainable operations, traveler experience, truck parking and resilience,” said WSDOT Maintenance and Operations Director Pasco Bakotich.
The full plan is available online. Although the public comment period has passed, people with questions or comments can submit their requests
Sheriff Mike Morrison reports on 11/26/23, at about 6:38 PM, Sheriff’s Deputies responded to the 1400 block of Wenatchee Heights Rd, Wenatchee, WA, for a multiple vehicle collision.
Deputies responded and located a 3 vehicle collision. Vehicles 1 and 3 had been driving down Wenatchee Heights Rd and Vehicle 2 was traveling up. Deputies were advised Vehicle 1 was driving over the speed limit and lost control and struck Vehicle 2. Vehicle 3 attempted to avoid the collision but was struck by a towing receiver on Vehicle 2 which caused damage and then drove off of the roadway and into a ditch.
The driver of Vehicle 2 was transported to Central Washington Hospital for non-life threatening injuries. The driver of Vehicle 3 had no injuries. The driver of Vehicle 1 was identified as 19 year old Diego A. Hernandez Ordonez of Wenatchee, WA. He was also transported to Central Washington Hospital for injuries. Diego Hernandez Ordonez was suspected to be DUI and is being charged with vehicular assault as well as not having a valid operators license and for no insurance.
A Message from our Founders
The idea of North Shore Christian School budded in the fall of 2021. We were simply two moms, who were quickly approaching having school-aged children and were praying for a Christian education opportunity within the valley. After a lot of thought and prayer, we decided that for this dream to become a reality, we were going to need to take matters into our own hands.
The school blossomed in the summer of 2022. We were grateful and humbled to have found the perfect location for our school within Sower’s Community Center. We had hired our first teacher; Kiley Dixon, we were registered as a non-profit in the state of Washington and had begun to form our board of directors. We started our first school year with 12 students enrolled and were excited to hit the ground running.
We learned a lot during our first school year. We stayed steadfast and true to the path that God had laid, even though it was not always easy. We adapted and molded our program as our vision for the future expanded.
We are now in our second school year and we feel as though our program is now blooming. We have added Brooke Marshlain to our teacher’s roster and have expanded to encompass three different grade levels. We have seen growth within our enrollment numbers and expect a greater increase for the following year. Our board now consists of experts within their fields and we are more efficient than ever before.
If you haven't heard yet, North Shore Christian School was voted "Organization of the Year" by our community! We accepted our award at the Manson Chamber of Commerce Event on 11/8. It was a wonderful evening to share more about what we are doing!
So much of our success is because of your financial contributions to our school. We have been able to add music, art, puppeteering, and more to our weekly schedule. We are also working diligently to update and improve our security measures. Most importantly to our mission, we have been able to expand our scholarship program to ensure North Shore Christian School is accessible to all. We cannot thank you enough for putting your faith in us and allowing us to grow this school within the Lake Chelan Valley.
Thank you,
Hillary Belton and Kelsey Chavez
Co-Founders
Updates from the Teachers
We have worked on so many things in our first couple of months of school. We start each morning with circle time, where we say a prayer, recite the pledge of allegiance, keep track of the weather, practice numbers, sing songs, and learn about the calendar. This is a really special time as it creates a time for each student to speak and feel heard.
In phonics, we have learned all of our vowels and many of the consonants. Students are getting really good at blending a consonant and a vowel. This is one of the beginning steps in learning to read.
Math is one of the kids' favorite times of the day. We use lots of manipulatives (beans, toy cars, bingo chips, small plastic toys, and blocks) to aid in counting, adding one more, creating groups of 10, and finding the sum of story problems.
We are also currently learning the characteristics of different 2D shapes.
Science has been really engaging. So far we have studied apples, salmon, pumpkins, and bats. We have been learning a lot about life cycles and how to label different parts.
Each day we get to go to a different "specialist". Specialists include puppets, P.E., music, library, and cooking class. The kids really look forward to traveling to a different space or classroom to learn each day. :)
This year is going great! I am so happy to see the growth in our school and continue to learn and tweak things in order to get better and better. - Mrs. Dixon, Kindergarten
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First and second grade students have been learning to apply North Shore Christian School’s 4 Personal Standards. As their teacher, it has been so rewarding to watch each student memorize, apply, and hold each other accountable of each standard every day.
Honor Christ
Show respect
Make good decisions
Solver problems
NSCS students recently learned about salmon. We learned about the anatomy and life cycle of the salmon. Students then capped their learning by experiencing salmon within the field at our salmon festival field trip. Being able to apply their knowledge to real life makes their learning all the more powerful. Our students love to learn about science!
First and second grade students are focusing on Washington State grade level standards in math, reading, and writing. With our small class sizes, we are able to utilize small groups and individualize instruction for each student. Teachers are able to focus on each student and the level they are at in math and reading. It is our goal to have all students reach grade level standards by the end of the school year.
As students exit NSCS, we desire our students to enter into their next level of education with the upmost work ethic, integrity, and knowledge in academics and a love for Jesus Christ.
Thank you so much for your support and donation to help make NSCS a success!
- Mrs. Marshlain
1st/2nd Grade Teacher
Please join us for our Annual Christmas Program!
https://www.facebook.com/northshorechristianschoolmanson
https://www.northshorechristianschool.com/
Our mailing address is:
PO Box 839 Manson, WA 98831
Sheriff Mike Morrison reports on 11/22/23, at about 10:05 PM, Sheriff’s Deputies responded to the 4900 block of Nahahum Canyon Rd, Cashmere, WA, for the call of a domestic assault. The reporting party advised that her brother was assaulting their mother.
Deputies responded and found that the mother/victim had been severely assaulted. The suspect, 30 year old Santiago Pina-Corona, had assaulted his mother and was refusing to come out of his bedroom. Deputies stayed on scene attempting to get Santiago to come out, while another went to apply for a search warrant. Prior to the warrant being completed Santiago came out and was taken into custody.
Due to the victim’s injuries, she was flown to Harborview for medical treatment.
Santiago Pina-Corona was arrested for assault 1/ Domestic Violence, Malicious Mischief 3rd and Possession of Dangerous Weapons.
Investigation into the case is ongoing.
Join us as we celebrate the kickoff of our annual Village of Lights celebration on Saturday, November 25th. The day begins at Mountain View Lodge at 10:00 am. The kids will be writing letters to Santa to deliver when he and Mrs. Claus arrive via helicopter at Leffler Field at 12:00 pm.
The festivities will continue as we parade down the main street of Manson following Santa and Mrs. Claus in their sleigh to Radiance Winery and Coffee for photo opportunities and visits with Santa. The night will end with fireworks at 6:30 pm at Manson Bay Park.
Many of our businesses will be participating with fun-filled family events and warm holiday cheer from SATURDAY NOVEMBER 25TH - SUNDAY, JANUARY 21ST!
NOVEMBER 25TH SCHEDULE OF EVENTS
- 9:00am - 3:00pm Manson Grange Holiday Extravaganza - Shop for unique hand crafted items!
- 10:00am - 11:45am Write letters to Santa with hot cocoa & candy canes at Mountain View Lodge.
- 12:00pm Santa & Mrs. Claus arrive by helicopter at Leffler Field. Hand deliver your letters to Santa and his Elves!
- 12:30pm Parade down the main street of Manson following Santa & Mrs. Claus in their sleigh.
- 12:45pm Photos with Santa & Mrs. Claus at Radiance Winery & Coffee will begin.
- 6:30pm Look to the sky for a celebratory firework display at Manson Bay Park!
On 11/22/23, at approximately 2:45 AM, East Wenatchee Police received a 911 text from a female advising her husband was physically assaulting her. Officers responded to the location of the 1800 block of Sunset Hwy in East Wenatchee and RiverCom stayed in contact through text. The female was eventually able to exit the residence and officers were able to establish probable cause to arrest the male, 65 year old Pacomio Anguiano-Santana, for domestic assault. The female further advised that Anguiano-Santana had a firearm in the residence with access to it. Anguiano-Santana is a convicted felon and unable to possess firearms because of prior weapons violations.
While Officers were in contact with the female, Anguiano-Santana exited the residence, saw the officers and immediately went back inside. Officers attempted to hail Anguiano-Santana to exit but he did not.
With these circumstances the Eastern Cascade SWAT Team and Crisis Negotiation Team was activated to assist. Once deployed, the team hailed Anguiano-Santana and he finally exited and was taken into custody.
The investigation on this incident is ongoing.
Sheriff Morrison reports on 11/16/2023, Chelan County Sheriff’s Office deputies tracked down and arrested 39 year old Abraham Escalera of Chelan. The arrest was a result of an investigation into a report of a sexual assault conducted by Chelan County Detectives. Through the investigation, detectives established probable cause for the arrest of Escalera on charges of Rape of a Child 2nd Degree, two counts of sexual exploitation of a minor, two counts of Commercial Sexual Abuse of a Minor, Rape of a Child 3rd degree, and Possession of Depictions of a Minor Engaged in Sexually Explicit Conduct, and obstructing a public servant.
This case involved two female victims, one 13 years of age and one 15 years of age. Evidence was obtained that showed over a period of time Escalera provided them drugs in exchange for sexual acts in addition to creating child sexual abuse material by photographing his victims.
Anyone that has information regarding this case or Abraham Escalera, please contact the Chelan County Sheriff’s Office.
A Discover Pass is not required to park on state-managed lands for 12 days next year
OLYMPIA — Nov. 20, 2023 — The Washington State Discover Pass Program has designated the Discover Pass free days for 2024. On these days, visitors will not need a Discover Pass to park a vehicle at a Washington state park or on lands managed by the Washington State Department of Natural Resources (DNR) and the Washington Department of Fish and Wildlife (WDFW).
The 2024 Discover Pass free days are:
More on the free days
New Year’s Day, the first free day of 2024, provides people the opportunity to participate in Washington State Parks’ annual First Day Hikes event. First Day Hikes is a national initiative led by America’s State Parks, encouraging people to ring in the new year surrounded by nature. Last year, more than 1,500 participants hiked, biked and snowshoed 2,652.67 trail miles at Washington state parks. Distance and rigor vary from park to park, but all hikes aim to create a fun experience for the whole family.
Billy Frank Jr. (1931-2014) was an environmental activist and former chair of the Northwest Indian Fisheries Commission. His lifelong dedication to protecting endangered salmon and restoring justice for the Nisqually Tribe helped shape Washington's environmental laws and expand treaty rights for Native Americans nationwide.
Juneteenth has been celebrated in Black communities since June 19, 1865, when enslaved people in Texas learned they were free. The news reached them two and a half years after the signing of the Emancipation Proclamation. Juneteenth became an official federal holiday in 2021.
National Public Lands Day was established in 1994 and is held annually on the fourth Saturday in September. It celebrates the connection between people and green spaces in their communities – inspiring environmental stewardship and encouraging the use of open space for education, recreation and health benefits.
World Mental Health Day was designated as a free day to acknowledge the power of nature to restore mental health. Studies show time spent in nature boosts serotonin, dopamine and vitamin D and lowers blood pressure and cortisol levels, helping our bodies combat stress.
About the Discover Pass
State land free days align with 2011 legislation that created the Discover Pass, which costs $30 to $35 annually, or $10 to $11.50 for a one-day visit, depending on the point of purchase. The pass is required to park on state lands managed by Parks, DNR and WDFW. Purchasing a Discover Pass helps all three agencies preserve and conserve public lands for future generations. The Discover Pass legislation directed Parks to designate up to 12 free days when the pass would not be required to visit state-managed lands.
The free days do not apply to Sno-Parks. During the winter season, November through April, visitors to Sno-Parks will need a Sno-Park permit. These permits are available for purchase online or from vendors throughout the state. For more information about winter recreation permit requirements, visit our website.
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