Written by Janice Stewart

Published: 02 March 2019

On Monday, February 25th, Manson’s Knowledge Bowl team battled against a very tough pool of 2B competition at the North Central Washington Regional Knowledge Bowl Tournament held at Wenatchee High School.

The Manson team competed against four other 2B schools: Liberty Bell, Tonasket, Soap Lake, and Brewster. All of the schools were fighting for one of the three spots that would guarantee a berth to the 37th Annual Washington State Knowledge Bowl Tournament on Saturday, March 23rd at West Valley High School in Yakima, Washington.  Last year, Manson missed going to State by one point to Soap Lake.  This year was a different story.  During the oral rounds, they fought hard and easily defeated Brewster, Tonasket, and Soap Lake.  The toughest competition for Manson was the perennial juggernaut and State Contender Liberty Bell. By the end of the night, Manson (65 points) sent a clear message to Soap Lake (54 points) that they were not going away without the win and hardware.  With their drive and determination, Manson clearly took 2nd place. Liberty Bell achieved top honors, finishing the night with a whopping 116 points. 3rd place went to Soap Lake, Tonasket took 4th with 35 points, and Brewster finished the night with a 5th place finish and earned 26 points.

The six members representing Manson High School Knowledge Bowl team at State are: Tyler Charlton (Captain), Jose Pascasio (Co-Captain), Connor Torgesen, Louis Sanchez, Rowan Evig, and Cody Fitzpatrick.

Written by Faye Barker, CFR

Published: 28 February 2019

When you set your clocks forward for Daylight Saving Time, which is March 11 this year, it is a good time to review the safety checklist.

Smoke Alarms

Smoke AlarmsSmoke alarms save lives – if they are powered by a fresh battery. You should test them every month to make sure they work & replace the battery at least once a year according to the NFPA. If the alarm makes a “chirping” sound, replace it immediately.

Smoke alarms should be located in every bedroom & in the common areas on each floor of a home. Mount them at least 10 feet from the stove to reduce false alarms, less than 12 inches from the ceiling & away from windows, doors & ducts.

Did you know smoke alarms can be interconnected wirelessly? That means, when one sounds, they all sound. A Consumer Product Safety Commission survey found this is the best way to notify everyone in a home if there is a fire.

Carbon Monoxide Detectors

Carbon Monoxide DetectorsCarbon monoxide (CO) is an invisible, odorless gas and it can kill you. Anything in the home that burns fuel can potentially become a source of carbon monoxide. CO alarms should be installed in a central location outside each bedroom and on every level of the home. The safety tips for CO detectors mirror those of smoke alarms: change the batteries, test them and interconnect them, if possible. Also, make sure vents for your gas appliances (fireplace, dryer, stove and furnace) are free and clear of snow or debris.

Family Emergency Plan

Family Emergency PlanThe National Safety Council recommends every family have an emergency plan in place in the event of a natural disaster or other catastrophic event. Spring is a great time to review that plan with family members to make sure they know what to do.

Have a home and car emergency kit. The Federal Emergency Management Agency says an emergency kit should include one gallon per day of water for each person, at least a three-day supply of food, flashlight and batteries, first aid kit, filter mask, plastic sheeting and duct tape, and medicines.

The emergency plan also should include:

• A communications plan to outline how your family members will contact one another if they are not in the same place and where you should meet if it’s safe to go outside.
• A shelter-in-place plan if outside air is contaminated; FEMA recommends sealing windows, doors and air vents with plastic sheeting
• A getaway plan including various routes and destinations in different directions.

Written by Chief Jason Reinfeld, CCSO

Published: 28 February 2019

Sheriff Brian Burnett reports on February 22nd, 2019 the Chelan County Sheriff’s Office School Resource Officer for the Cashmere School District, Deputy Mutch was advised by school staff of an online post threatening the safety of Cashmere High School. The post was made as a comment on someone else’s YouTube channel. It is believed person who posted the comment was 18 year old Gerardo Tovar-Medina of Wenatchee. The comment said “I was planning on shooting up the school”. Mr. Tovar has not attended Cashmere Schools for several years and never attended Cashmere High School.

The online comments alarmed several students and staff. All schools in the Cashmere School District were placed on a “lockout”. After hearing the incident was reported to law enforcement, Mr. Tovar called the school. He was transferred to Deputy Mutch who kept him on the phone while directing Deputies to his residence in Wenatchee. Mr. Tovar was detained and interviewed. He admitted to posting the comment on YouTube but said his intent was only to scare them.

Chelan County Sheriff’s Office Detectives served a search warrant on Mr. Tovar’s residence. Several drawings and notes were located indicating Mr. Tovar had done research on past mass shootings. There was also indications Mr. Tovar was planning or had a desire to commit a mass shooting at Cashmere High School.

Mr. Tovar was booked into CCRJC for Threats to Bomb or Injure Property.

The Chelan County Sheriff’s Office takes threats to the safety seriously. The School Resource Officers throughout the county provide a necessary link to the Sheriff’s Office and provide a quick and reliable contact to address threats rapidly as was done in this incident.

Written by Janice Stewart

Published: 28 February 2019

Keitlyn Watson, Principal of Manson Elementary has informed the Manson School Board of her intent to resign at the end of the 2018-19 School Year.

Ms. Watson has recently gotten married (congratulations!) and will be moving to the Bellingham area to live with her new husband. She has served in Manson for three years and made a substantial impact on students and staff.  Ms. Watson shared “she absolutely loves this community and the environment, and will miss everyone greatly.” We are happy for Keitlyn as a friend, mentor and colleague though we are saddened she will be leaving our community. We all wish her the very best of luck in her future endeavors.

Manson School District will be advertising the Manson Elementary Principal position and seeking applicants. In order to hire the very best candidate available we will be interviewing prospective candidates in the last week of March and hope to announce the new principal by mid-April. Our selection process will include opportunities for parents and staff members to be involved in the hiring process. We will send out the specific times and dates for parent participation opportunities in the near future.

Written by Janice Stewart

Published: 23 February 2019

L-R – Ben Cullison, Carter Lyman

Manson's District Spelling Bee was held Thursday, February 21, 2019 at the Manson Elementary School.

This year 12 students from 4th through 8th grade competed for the District Spelling Bee Champion title. 

The spelling bee lasted 7 rounds.  The final 2 spellers were Carter Lyman and Ben Cullison, both 7th grade students.

The Manson School District Spelling Champion is 7th grader Carter Lyman with the winning word "sachet".   

These finalists will advance on to the NCW Cooperative Spelling Bee in East Wenatchee on March 19, 2019.  

Written by Chief Jason Reinfeld, CCSO

Published: 22 February 2019

Sheriff Brian Burnett reports on February 20th 2019 at approximately 6:55 pm Deputies were dispatched to a disturbance in the 3600 block of Selfs Motel Road in Cashmere.

The caller reported hearing several gunshots, then someone yelling for help. Deputies arrived soon after and were contacted by the original caller. While making this contact the suspected shooter, a 37 year old male who lived in the complex exited his residence. Deputies detained him without incident.

After interviewing witnesses , it was determined the suspect fired several shots into the air from a revolver near the front porch of his residence. A few minutes after the shots were fired, a 25 year old neighbor confronted the suspect. This quickly turned into a physical fight where the 25 year old struck the suspect with a stone bowl injuring him. During the fight, another neighbor tried to break it up and was pushed into a window causing it to break.

The 25 year old male was later booked into CCRJC for Assault second degree.

Deputies with the assistance of a Detective served a search warrant on the suspect’s residence and recovered a stolen firearm.
The 37 year old male was booked into CCRJC for Possessing a Stolen Firearm, Aiming or Discharging a Firearm, and assault 4th degree.

Written by Kevin Morris, Sheriff, Douglas County Sheriff’s Office

Published: 22 February 2019

On 2-21-19 at approximately 11:15 am Douglas County emergency responders, DCSO, DCFD 2, and Ballard Ambulance, were dispatched to the 400 block of Parkway Drive, in Rock Island, for a 6 year old female child submerged in Putter’s Lake.

Emergency responders were able to retrieve the child from the pond using a rescue suite.

The child was initially transported to CWH by Ballard ambulance then flown to Children’s Hospital, in Seattle. The child’s current condition is critical.

Investigators believe the child walked onto the pond surface and fell into the open water. Investigators do not believe there is any foul play.

Written by Robin Pittman

Published: 22 February 2019

Manson Parks will begin registration for AAU T-Ball, Softball, and Baseball on March 4^th.

Registration ends on March 15^th at 6pm.

Registration forms will be distributed through the Manson School District, or they can be found on our website at www.mansonparks.com.

Cost to play is $25 for t-ball and $30 for softball and baseball.

Please call our office with any questions at 509-687-9635.

Written by Kevin Morris, Sheriff, Douglas County Sheriff’s Office

Published: 21 February 2019

On 2-19-19 at approximately 5:15 am Douglas County Deputies responded to a report of two adult males stuck at the intersection of Road 5 SW and Road A SW, which is a primitive unplowed road. It was reported the two subjects had been stuck for two days.

With the assistance of Fire District 5 and Fire District 1, the two males were rescued by snowmobile.

One subject was transported to CWH for evaluation.

After rescuing the two males from the vehicle, responders learned a third adult male was on foot attempting to walk out. Responders located and rescued the third person approximately 1.5 miles from the truck.

It is believed none of the involved sustained severe or life threatening injuries.