Sheriff Mike Morrison reports on July 4th, 2026 at approximately 2:30 pm, RiverCom Dispatch received a call of a possible drowning on Lake Chelan. The location plotted about 2 miles east, or down lake from Lake Chelan State Park.
The reporting party said their friend, a 43-year-old Snohomish County male had jumped in the water from their boat to swim about five minutes prior and they were unable to locate him.
Chelan County Sheriff’s Office Marine Patrol as well as Lake Chelan Fire & Rescue responded on boats to the area. Lake Chelan Fire & Rescue deployed rescue swimmers to assist with the search.
There were also several citizens in the area who assisted with looking for the subject.
They searched the area until approximately 5:00 pm and were unable to locate the victim.
On Monday, July 7th, CCSO Marine Patrol is being assisted by a Douglas County PUD remotely operated underwater vehicle and operator to search the last known area. The last known point is approximate and the depth is 200 feet. This is too deep for a dive team to search.
CCSO Air Support Unit has also flown the area, searching the shallow points nearby.
Four-day closure starts July 13; a detour route will be available
LEAVENWORTH – Work begins tomorrow, July 7, to complete permanent repairs on US 2 near Leavenworth, following historic flooding in December. The repairs and closures will be from milepost 85 to 99 and will include slowdowns, single-lane closures, pilot cars and flaggers throughout most of the month. A detour will be in place for a four-day full closure from Monday, July 13, through Thursday, July 16.
This work is for permanent repairs to the damage caused by the December 2025 storms. After the historic storm and flood damage, crews operated around the clock to make temporary fixes to an eroded stretch of US 2 outside of Leavenworth.
That work was completed more than a month ahead of schedule, allowing the road to reopen to normal traffic on Feb. 10, The temporary repairs allowed the road to reopen to traffic as quickly as possible. Now, the warmer weather allows crews to make more permanent repairs.
Work is expected to begin on Tuesday, July 7, with crews working from 7 a.m. to 7 p.m. Tuesday to Friday that first week. The following week, on Monday, July 13, the highway will fully close 24 hours a day through Thursday, July 16. The road is expected to reopen the evening of July 16.
Starting Friday July 17 there again will be single lane closures, flagging and pilot cars from 7 a.m. to 7 p.m. that day and then Mondays to Thursdays the next week and until the end of the month.
This work requires dry weather, and some dates could be adjusted due to rain.
Detour route for July 13-16 full closure
During the full highway closure, traffic will be detoured at mileposts 85 and 100 onto Chumstick Highway for westbound traffic and onto State Route 207 and Chumstick Highway for eastbound travelers.
Chumstick Highway allows no traffic heavier than 26,000 GVW, meaning freight and some other large vehicles will need to find alternate routes, such as Interstate 90.
For updates on this project, visit the WSDOT East social media account and WSDOT’s real-time travel map online.
Regular Board Meeting: July 09, 2026 at 4:00pm
Bumgarner Meeting Room, 142 Pedoi Street, Manson WA 98831
1. Call to Order
2. Flag salute
3. Agenda additions and deletions
4. Public comment
5. Review and approval of minutes (Action Item)
a. June 11, 2026 Regular Meeting
b. June 24, 2026 Special Meeting
6. Financial review
a. Monthly financial report
b. Review and approval of monthly voucher (Action Item)
7. New business
a. Emergency responders dock at Manson Bay
8. Old business
a. New hire approval (Action Item)
b. Driftwood issue
i. Refund requests (Action Item)
ii. Funding/support for removal
c. Chelanathon contract (Action Item)
d. Aquatic Program- Doug Pinski
e. Project updates:
i. Old Swim Hole redevelopment
1. Psomas bid support services
ii. Leffler Finance Committee
a. Manson Bay ADA accessibility study
9. Director’s Report
10. Adjournment
Travelers should prepare for delays and stay alert on roadways from Seattle to Portland
OLYMPIA – Drivers should plan for extra travel time Saturday, July 11, and Sunday, July 12, and weekend bike riders will find they have some company on two wheels. Roughly 6,000 bicyclists will ride western Washington’s state highways and local roads on both days for the 2026 Seattle to Portland Bicycle Classic event.
The Washington State Department of Transportation asks motorists to observe the rules of the road for safe driving around people on bikes and to prepare for travel delays during the popular recreational ride. As state driving laws periodically change, drivers may want to review the online state driver guide.
Bicyclists should also be aware of their responsibility to follow Washington’s bicycle rules of the road and traffic laws. The STP organizer, the Cascade Bicycle Club, distributes a free pocket guide about state bike laws. To request a copy of the guide, email
The Washington portion of the STP route follows state highways and local roads in these areas:
For more STP event information, visit the Cascade Bicycle Club STP page, which includes a route map and overall event details or email
Based on previous STP rides, congestion and delays are expected:
STP organizers, WSDOT and law enforcement will work together to direct bicyclists, drivers and pedestrian traffic at the following locations:
Saturday, July 11
Sunday, July 12
Drivers on SR 432 in Longview can expect delays of up to 20 minutes from 8:30 a.m. to 2:30 p.m. Sunday, July 12. WSP and flaggers will stop southbound drivers on SR 433 so STP riders can cross the Lewis and Clark Bridge, escorted by members of the Gold Wing Motorcycle Club. Riders crossing the bridge on Saturday will not have a bridge escort and are expected to ride with traffic.
At approximately 12:06 a.m. on July 4, 2026, Douglas County Deputies responded to a reported brush fire near mile marker 233 on U.S. Highway 97. Working in coordination with local fire districts, deputies assisted in delivering numerous evacuation notices to residents impacted by the fire. Deputies have continued to support fire personnel as the incident has grown in size and complexity. State Mobilization was requested and approved for the fire at approximately 4:30 a.m. Firefighting efforts for what is now known as the Chelan Hills Fire are being managed by the
SE Washington Type 3 Inter-Agency Team.
On July 5, 2026, deputies conducted follow-up on a report of a missing resident who lives in the affected fire area. Deputies located a vehicle that had slid off the roadway and was subsequently
consumed by the fire. Human remains were discovered inside the vehicle, and the scene was investigated by Douglas County Detectives. The remains have been turned over to the Douglas County Coroner’s Office, which will work to obtain a positive identification of the deceased.
The Douglas County Sheriff’s Office will continue to work with fire personnel to check the affected area for any additional residents who were unable to safely evacuate. Further updates regarding
the fire’s activity will be coordinated between our office and the fire management team.
Manson Park & Recreation District is excited to offer FREE swim lessons for ages 4 and up this summer!
Register online today: https://mansonparks.com/aquatics/
As we continue rebuilding our aquatics program for a strong future, there will not be a public lifeguard program this season. Lifeguards on-site are assigned to supervise registered participants actively partaking in scheduled swim lessons only.
Community support makes programs like this possible! If you'd like to help sustain and grow swim lessons in the future, donations are welcome- contact us at
Manson Parks would like to extend a heartfelt thank you to Viki Downey and the Lake Chelan Swim Foundation for their many years of support. Viki established and administered the original Free Swim Lessons program until her retirement at the end of the 2024 season. The Lake Chelan Swim Foundation provided funding throughout the life of the program and contributed their final donation this season. We are grateful for their legacy and hope to continue building on it to offer free swim lessons for years to come.
We look forward to seeing you at the park this summer!
On June 22, 2026 at approximately 12:10pm, Rivercom dispatch received a report of a 76-year-old male who fell off the Lakeshore Trail near Lucerne. The male was reported to be about 100ft below the trail, bleeding from the head and was not communicating with others in his party.
Chelan County Deputies deployed from Manson aboard Marine 1 (Sheriff’s Office large boat). They transported personnel from Lake Chelan EMS, and Manson Fire up lake to the reported area of the incident. When they arrived in the area, they made contact with a National Parks boat who had transported EMS personal from Stehekin. Stehekin EMS personnel had located the male and were already treating him.
To safely extract the hiker, the Chelan County Sheriff’s Office High Angle Rope Rescue Team lowered him further down the slope, and then carried him to the waiting Marine 1. The victim was then transported across the lake to Lucerene were he was transferred to an Airlift Northwest helicopter who took him to Harborview Medical Center to be treated for multiple injuries he sustained as a result of the fall. At the time of the incident, it did not appear his injuries were life threatening.
The three females who were with the victim were given a courtesy transport back to their vehicle in Chelan.
The success of this rescue was a direct result of the rapid response from Stehekin EMS and the seamless coordination among all responding entities. We want to thank Manson Fire, Lake Chelan EMS, the National Park Service, and Airlift Northwest for their vital assistance in this challenging operation.
Pursuit and Stalking, arrests made:
On June 21, 2026, Chelan County Sheriff’s deputies responded to a domestic disturbance in the 100 block of East Pleasant Avenue in Cashmere, WA. A female victim reported she was being followed and threatened by 41-year-old Michael L. Long Jr.
Deputies knew Long from prior law enforcement contacts.
While responding to the scene, deputies spotted Long fleeing the area in a vehicle. When law enforcement attempted a traffic stop to investigate the domestic disturbance, Long accelerated and fled. He led deputies on a high-speed pursuit eastbound on US Highway 2 towards Wenatchee and ended up in the residential area on School St. During the chase, Long repeatedly drove into oncoming traffic lanes.
Because deputies knew Long's identity and determined his erratic driving posed an immediate danger to the public, the Chelan County Sheriff's Office terminated its pursuit.
A short time later, Douglas County Sheriff’s deputies located Long's vehicle and initiated a secondary pursuit. The second pursuit ended successfully after law enforcement deployed spike strips to disable Long's vehicle. Long was safely taken into custody.
Long was charged with Eluding and Stalking DV by the Chelan County Sheriff’s Office.
Long faces additional pending charges from assisting agencies involved in the secondary pursuit and arrest.
The Chelan County Sheriff’s Office extends its sincere thanks to our partner agencies for their swift assistance in apprehending this suspect. It is through these strong professional ties and collaborative efforts that we are able to keep our communities safe.
OLYMPIA – An important safety tool for Washington drivers and road crews will soon enter a new phase with a steeper penalty for its first infraction. After more than a year of trying to change driver behavior, the Work Zone Speed Camera Program's first infraction will result in a fine.
Last year, the Legislature voted to change the fine for a first-time infraction from $0 to $125, beginning July 1. Penalties for second and all subsequent infractions remain $248.
The increase comes after the cameras have been used more than 900 times at about 50 job sites since enforcement began on April 16, 2025. So far, 85,000 work zone speed camera infractions have been issued statewide. 77,000 of those were first-time infractions.
Program goals
Cameras are rotated through different work zones to encourage people to slow down, not to make money. The program recently expanded into eastern Washington and continues adding more cameras, with 15 planned for use by 2027.
Enforcement began on Interstate 5 near Joint Base Lewis-McChord. Early research shows that ongoing use of the work zone speed cameras reduces speeds.
A Washington State Patrol trooper reviews images and data for every potential infraction and determines whether a violation occurred. A notice of infraction is mailed to the vehicle's registered owner within 30 days. Those who receive an infraction can acknowledge it, review it, contest it or pay the fine on the program’s website.
The cameras only record speeding vehicles when work crews are present at a job site. Work zones can be active during the day or at night, so drivers should always treat them as active.
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