Recent rains were welcome, but “too little too late" to do more than delay fire season by a few days, ODF's Astoria District Forester Dan Goody said in noting the official start to fire season in NW Oregon, beginning June 22.

Ralph Brown was last seen on May 16, 2021 near his Cornelius home, where he reportedly left around 6:30 p.m. It’s been 30 days, and his whereabouts remain unknown.

In this column, we take a look back 100 years ago in western Washington County, pulling clips and stories from the annals of local newspapers and historic documents. This week, the clips come from the June 9, 1921 edition of the Washington County News-Times.

In a 59 - 1 vote, Rep. Mike Nearman (R-Independence) became the first House member expelled in state history for his role in the Dec. 21, 2020 breach of the Oregon Capitol on Thursday.

In this column, we take a look back 100 years ago in western Washington County, pulling clips and stories from the annals of local newspapers and historic documents. This week, the clips come from the June 2, 1921 edition of the Washington County News-Times.

On June 15 and 16, crews from Washington County Land Use and Transportation will be installing monument boxes — devices used by surveyors to mark key areas along roads — on Stringtown Road between Ihrig and Gales Creek roads. Expect lane closures between 8 a.m. and 5 p.m.

Oregon House Speaker Tina Kotek (D-Portland), officially removed Rep. Brad Witt (D-Clatskanie) from his role as chair of the Agriculture and Natural Resources Committee on Monday, in the latest development after Rep. Vikki Breese-Iverson (R-Prineville) filed a formal harassment complaint about text messages Witt sent in April.

Highway 6 was closed twice Tuesday morning to allow a helicopter to land to transport a tractor driver who was trapped overnight by his tractor, which rolled over sometime Monday evening.

Children and adults can enter an artwork contest for Keep Oregon Green's 80th birthday, the Tillamook Forest Heritage Trust has launched a recovery fund for the Santiam State Forest, and the ODF Forest Grove District forester says fire season could arrive in NW Oregon soon.

As of June 7, 66.8% of the state’s population ages 18 and up have received at least one dose of a COVID-19 vaccine, according to the OHA. The state will lift the majority of COVID-19 restriction issued to slow the spread of COVID-19 when that number hits 70%.

Large-scale vaccine clinics are beginning to wind down their operations bit by bit, but getting a coronavirus vaccine remains in reach at pharmacies, smaller clinics throughout the county, and elsewhere. The 97117 zip code, which covers much of Gales Creek, has the third-lowest vaccination rate of any zip code in Washington County.

Crews from Forest Grove Fire & Rescue and neighboring fire agencies fought a shop fire early Tuesday morning that largely destroyed a structure on Hillside Road. No one was injured in the fire.

Free Fishing Weekend will return to Oregon on Friday & Saturday, June 5 and 6, the second of three such "Free Fishing Weekends" to be held in 2021.

The six members of the Oregon Board of Forestry unanimously voted to appoint Nancy Hirsch as interim state forester in a short special meeting held Thursday morning. Her first day on the job will be June 1. It will be the second time Hirsch has served in the role on an interim basis.

According to Fields, firefighters with ODF have fought 267 fires this year, which combined have burned more than 1,900 acres. That’s more than twice the 10-year average for the number of fires usually experienced by this time of the year.

"When you visit the Gales Creek Cemetery this Memorial Day to honor your family member or a friend, please take time to enjoy the beautiful peaceful setting. So many improvements have been done since last year," writes Joyce (Shorb) Sauber, the Gales Creek Cemetery Association Vice President.

The Oregon Department of Forestry has announced that all campgrounds in the Tillamook and Clatsop State Forests will have reopened by Memorial Day weekend, with the last few stragglers opening Thursday, May 27. New openings include the Gales Creek Campground on Thursday.

In this column, we take a look back 100 years ago in western Washington County, pulling clips and stories from the annals of local newspapers and historic documents. This week, the clips come from the May 12, 1921 edition of the Washington County News-Times, featuring "Fir Creek" news by none other than Esther Lilly Hundley.

The search for an interim state forester continues, with a vote on a candidate coming on Thursday, May 27 at a special meeting called for that purpose. Meanwhile, SB 868, which would give appointment power for the state forester position to the governor, has a public hearing May 25.

The state of Oregon is betting that a new lottery game — with cash prizes of up to $1 million for adults — for those who’ve been vaccinated will pay off for the state’s slowing vaccination rates. Youth ages 12 - 17 will be eligible for $100,00 scholarships.

Ralph Brown was last seen leaving his Cornelius home on Sunday, May 16 in a 2014 Blue Nissan Sentra. Brown has held many roles in western Washington County over the years, working as an educator, serving as a Forest Grove School Board director, on the Cornelius City Council, and as mayor of that town.

The day before the Oregon Board of Forestry began the early stages of recruiting a replacement for resigning State Forester Peter Daugherty, a bipartisan bill was introduced in the Oregon Senate that would strip the board of their power to appoint Oregon’s state forester, giving that authority to the governor instead.

Several winners of Tuesday night's election chimed in on what's next for them in the positions they won Tuesday night to local fire and school boards.

The Oregon Board of Forestry will meet Thursday, May 20 to discuss the appointment of an interim State Forester and a recruitment process to select a permanent replacement for State Forester Peter Daugherty, who announced his resignation May 7.

Forest Grove Rural Fire Board incumbent Terry Lewis leads over challenger Richard Gale, and Forest Grove School Board's Mark Everett has a comfortable margin as well over Mary Whitmore in early election results.

Washington County will move from the “High Risk” to the “Lower Risk” status on Friday, May 21 after meeting a 65% first-dose vaccination target for those ages 16 and up, Governor Kate Brown announced after 4 p.m. on Tuesday.

Haven’t cast a ballot in today’s special district election? It’s not too late. The election closes at 8 p.m. tonight, giving prospective voters an opportunity to drop a ballot off at one of the numerous ballot drop box sites throughout the county or at the county election office in Hillsboro. It is too late to mail a ballot.

In this column, we take a look back 100 years ago in western Washington County, pulling clips and stories from the annals of local newspapers and historic documents. This week, the clips come from the May 5, 1921 edition of the Washington County News-Times and the April 28, May 5, and May 12, 1921 editions of the Hillsboro Argus.

For a moment on Monday it looked as if Washington County was within a stone’s throw of hitting the mark on vaccination percentages to qualify for Lower Risk status. According to data released Monday morning by the Oregon Health Authority, the county needed just 707 more people to be vaccinated. But the numbers were an error by the state. Washington County needs 4,424 residents to receive a first shot to ease restrictions on businesses, churches, gatherings and more.

Richard Gale, 34, is running for a term on the Forest Grove Rural Fire Protection Board for position 3 against incumbent Terry Lewis. Gale is a Gales Creek resident and owns Gales Creek towing.

Cleo Howell, 70, is running for a fourth term on the Forest Grove Rural Fire Protection Board in position 1, and is running unopposed for the seat. Read more about why he is seeking another term on the board.

The Centers for Disease control and Prevention today issued updated federal guidelines for those fully vaccinated and said that masks and social distancing are no longer necessary in most situations for the fully vaccinated. Oregon will follow suit, Governor Kate Brown announced Thursday afternoon.

The Oregon House of Representatives passed a bill with a 54-3 vote creating the Willamette Falls Locks Authority, a public corporation establishing ownership, management, and oversight so the waterfall’s locks could someday reopen for the first time since 2011. But don't throw your kayak into Gales Creek for a trip to Portland just yet.

Starting Thursday, May 13 everyone in Oregon ages 12 and up is eligible to receive the Pfizer vaccine, following a positive recommendation from the Western States Scientific Safety Review Workgroup Wednesday night.

Some states immediately moved to begin vaccinating teens and preteens in the new approved age ranges, but Oregon won't yet allow it until a further review by the Western States Scientific Safety Review Workgroup, which meets tonight.

Several campsites and recreation areas in the Tillamook State Forest are reopening after an extended closure due to the coronavirus pandemic, according to the Oregon Department of Forestry.

The end of Oregon’s county risk level framework is in sight, if 70% of Oregonians age 16 and up receive their first dose of a COVID-19 vaccine.

The Food and Drug Administration approved the Pfizer-BioNTech COVID-19 vaccine for emergency use in those ages 12-15 Monday. Previously, the vaccine had only been approved for those ages 16 and above. Approval to begin administering the shots could come as early as May 12.

In this new column, we take a look back 100 years ago in western Washington County, pulling clips and stories from the annals of local newspapers and historic documents. This week, the clips come from the April 28, 1921 edition of the Washington County News-Times.

Oregon House Democrats issued a news release announcing the passage of House Bill 3310A, which requires publicly-traded corporations to have a minimum number of directors who are women and members of underrepresented communities. The bill now heads to the Oregon Senate.