On Saturday, May 14, 2022, from 3:45 p.m. to 6:00 p.m., a rally was held for #BansOffOurBodies, one of thousands of events in cities worldwide in response to leaked supreme court opinion overturning Roe v. Wade and the constitutional protections for abortion.

This day of action was in support of abortion access and reproductive freedom.

The American Legion Post 150 Auxiliary have put together a basket raffle to help raise funds for the Ukrainian Refugee Relief. Originally the drawing date was to be held on May 21 Armed Forces Day, but is now moved to Flag Day June 14. The reason for the move of the drawing is that the baskets and tickets were at the Legion building and they have been open at sportic hours lately.

SOUTH BEND - Director at Pacific County Public Health & Human Services Katie Lindstrom addressed more topics related to the COVID-19 pandemic to continue to maintain public awareness.

Lindstrom graduated from Oregon State University with a Bachelor's of Science Degree in Social Sciences and has worked for the Pacific County Health Department for nearly 19 years. Lindstrom was promoted to director of the department in December 2019.

Below is Part II of Lindstrom's interview.

Herald: What are your thoughts about when a fourth booster is necessary? Should people boost now or boost later or not at all?

Lindstrom: We do recommend that folks get the boosters as soon as they are eligible. Currently, those who are over age 50 and those over age 12, who are immune compromised are eligible for a second booster, and everyone who has completed their initial series at least five months ago is eligible for a first booster. There is a school of thought suggesting value for those eligible to "time" their second booster for a later date when case rates are higher and/ or we have a more virulent variant. While I can understand some of the logic behind this, I think this strategy could be risky for a few reasons. Our case data is not as reliable as it was earlier in the pandemic which makes it difficult to know when the case rates are actually increasing and by how much. This is primarily due to the recent increase in home testing, which is generally a good thing, but does result in less accurate data, as many of those who test positive are not reporting their cases. These factors make it difficult to accurately "time' that second booster because we don't know that cases are increasing sometimes until a few weeks after the fact, once hospitalizations and deaths start to increase.

SOUTH BEND - South Bend School District is in the news with the hiring of a new facilities & transportation director, and for receiving three grants for important upgrades on the school campus.

According to Superintendent Dr. Jon Tienhaara, the school district hired Noah Rumbles as the facilities & transportation director.

SOUTH BEND - Director at Pacific County Public Health & Human Services Katie Lindstrom was kind enough to take time from her busy schedule to offer her expertise to the public about a wide range of questions from the Herald about the COVID-19 pandemic and several areas related to it.

Lindstrom graduated from Oregon State university with a Bachelor's of Science Degree in Social Sciences in the late '90's because she "knew that I wanted to work in a helping field, but wasn't quite sure what that would be exactly." After a few years of working in social services in the Portland area, Lindstrom was hired by Pacific County and said she "quickly fell in love with both Pacific County and public health."

Local man, Robert Sounvonnakasy is excited to announce the publication of his new book The Prescott Legacy.

The Prescott Legacy is an Urban/Fantasy novel that takes place in Seattle and is about a young man, a university student, who possesses the supernatural power of healing. The main theme of the story is about giving a second chance in life and tackles issues like unhealthy lifestyles, cancer awareness, STDs, domestic violence, violence against women, and a few more. The book is mostly for readers of young adults 18 years of age and older.

Six Raymond High School students competed at the Washington State High School Math Competition conducted at Central Washington University in Ellensburg over the weekend. All six of the Raymond Mathletics team placed in the competition. The Raymond team was under the guidance of RHS math teacher Coach Thinh Gunnarson.

Three RHS mathletes finished in fourth place at the state competition.

SOUTH BEND - Razor clam enthusiasts get to enjoy the last nine digs of the season after shellfish managers with the Washington Department of Fish and Wildlife (WDFW) confirmed Friday that the final round will proceed as planned. The digs get started Friday and run through Saturday, May 7, with a daily limit of 20 clams.

WDFW Coastal Shellfish Manager Dan Ayres said that the spring digs were a "memorable season," and he looks forward to the fall round. Ayres answered questions from the Herald about the factors that contributed to all the record-breaking numbers.

Longtime retired educator Kathy Tully has been appointed the interim superintendent of the Raymond School District through June 30. Tully takes over for Ross Baker, who was terminated by the Raymond School Board after being in the position for less than one year.

Tully has attended many colleges and has received several degrees and certificates including: Central Michigan University (Spanish and Elementary Education); University of Washington (fifth year); University of Portland (Master's in Educational Leadership); and Seattle Pacific University (Principal's Certificate).

During the recent Tokeland Chamber of Commerce meeting on Tuesday, April 12, it was announced that Dollar General was attempting to build a store in Grayland.

Kitty Bryan, a resident of the Grayland community, presented to the chamber that the proposed site is located at 2172 SR 105 across from the Local Bar and Grill on the Grays Harbor County side of the divide in Grayland. This puts it less than 6 miles away from the Westport Dollar General store.

Dollar General targets underserved regions throughout the United States. Bryan pointed out that in the east the chain store is every 6 miles throughout the back roads. One big concern for the Grayland and surrounding community is that they are an artist community and rely on the small stores for survival. The fear is that an incoming chain store will change the unique atmosphere of the area and drive out the smaller businesses.