[{"_1":2,"_99":-5,"_100":-5},"loaderData",{"_3":4,"_26":27},"root",{"_5":6,"_17":10,"_18":19,"_20":21,"_22":10,"_23":-5,"_24":-5,"_25":10},"user",{"_7":8,"_9":10,"_11":10,"_12":-5,"_13":-5,"_14":15,"_16":-5},"roles",[],"isAuthenticated",false,"isPremium","planName","subscriptionStatus","featureFlags",{},"insightsBudget","isDevelopmentHost","userPreferences",{},"recaptchaSiteKey","6LcvOJcUAAAAAHsB-gPGfGktcRlKpH7OTIU_dMTD","isImpersonating","impersonation","affiliateStatus","isFreedomPortal","routes/v2/article/layout",{"_28":29,"_30":31},"notFound",true,"relatedArticles",[32,75,87],{"_33":34,"_35":36,"_37":38,"_39":40,"_41":42,"_43":44,"_45":46,"_47":48,"_49":50,"_51":52,"_53":54,"_55":56,"_57":58,"_59":60,"_61":62,"_63":64,"_65":66,"_67":68,"_69":70,"_71":68,"_72":73,"_74":73},"mediaId",6255062,"mediaKeyId","3168383-7f1976ba2eec96dd779deb1fc9f75348","parentId",3168383,"title","County to remove and replace trees in north parking lot; work scheduled over three weekends","audioSeconds",159,"startMs",76000,"endMs",235000,"viewUrl","/Search/View?dp=1&key=3168383-7f1976ba2eec96dd779deb1fc9f75348&start=76&end=235","thumbnailUrl","https://assets.pipeline.soar.com/3168383-7f1976ba2eec96dd779deb1fc9f75348/thumbnail_76000.jpg","articleUrl","/articles/6255062/Cowlitz-County/Washington/County-to-remove-and-replace-trees-in-north-parking-lot-work-scheduled-over-three-weekends","mediaUrl","https://secure.pipeline.soar.com/6255062-858e92de5c38d3f02178eaa1a5ebfb2a/orig.mp4?Expires=1770440121&Signature=LdlykGfTtW7TeVd5csczsxSBZS0NkLngWhNjEo5xGBx1XX4r0o5K2YZM~JevBsoYJJr3RKiebR0rX~~UvWqIH6JRQTyQymwfr~UfR47prhaX4v3mTVBC~SX27~-c7032z6A0dnAjdIBN7JyyX-v6XvRv7xB-lnm-tNEIJdx-P-cPAJ6PkDxGjw6KY0js31HTkbplnyzg3AyUmmFZSylxZqHmgzOAen282LFdPVYLki1kh-A5BneMqZWl3oDcjJmlrMIIHCgE2lc-dey2r7yYrDqvaR559to9AbqVhC4uocglNRn1S~5pTw6KWWJHVWsyw21mi6YahEoZt3M-Tqrl7g__&Key-Pair-Id=KUT5TJCACFTXG","author","Cowlitz County Commissioners, Washington","date","2025-05-01T16:01:06.61Z","article","COWLITZ COUNTY — The county plans to begin phased maintenance of the north parking lot adjacent to the administration building this weekend, removing existing trees and stumps, upgrading light poles, grinding and paving the surface, replacing curbs, restriping stalls and removing a white vinyl fence.

Mike Moss, public services director, told the board the work will be done in three successive weekends starting Friday, with barricades placed Thursday evening to keep the lot clear for the contractor. He said staff will ensure the lot is available for the work week and that a notification email will go to county staff.

Moss acknowledged that removing the trees during their leafed‑out season will upset some people initially: “If you take these trees out in December when they look bad, it's not a big deal, but now they're beautiful green trees and all of a sudden, we'll get back.” He said the contractor, Bridal Tree Service, will remove trees and stumps and that public works will follow to complete paving and striping.

On replacement species, Moss said the county reached out to the city of Castle Rock for recommendations and mentioned the afterburner black gum (a cultivar of Nyssa sylvatica, commonly called black gum) as an option because its roots grow deep and are less likely to lift sidewalks. He said the county will evaluate the center area after removal to decide whether to install planters or retain a green space with new trees.

Commissioners confirmed the project will reconfigure existing pavement and not add parking spaces. Moss noted that the county cannot alter the adjacent city‑owned street and that any city projects in that area are separate.

Ending: Work is scheduled to start this weekend in phases; county staff will notify employees, maintain weekday access, and return to the board with any further design choices for tree replacement or landscaping.","mediaType","Video","parentTitle","Wednesday Business Meeting & Work Session - 04.30.2025","oneSentenceSummary","Public services director said the county will remove trees and stumps, upgrade lighting, repave and restripe the north parking lot in a phased project over three weekends; commissioners were briefed on timing, community reaction and potential replacement species.","taxTitle","Cowlitz County, Washington","taxId",5122,"location","headline","","shortSummary",{"_33":76,"_35":36,"_37":38,"_39":77,"_41":78,"_43":79,"_45":80,"_47":81,"_49":82,"_51":83,"_53":84,"_55":56,"_57":58,"_59":85,"_61":62,"_63":64,"_65":86,"_67":68,"_69":70,"_71":68,"_72":73,"_74":73},6255067,"Army Corps survey shows shifting sediment in Cowlitz River; county and state discuss dredge spoils and monitoring plans",423,317000,740000,"/Search/View?dp=1&key=3168383-7f1976ba2eec96dd779deb1fc9f75348&start=317&end=740","https://assets.pipeline.soar.com/3168383-7f1976ba2eec96dd779deb1fc9f75348/thumbnail_317000.jpg","/articles/6255067/Cowlitz-County/Washington/Army-Corps-survey-shows-shifting-sediment-in-Cowlitz-River-county-and-state-discuss-dredge-spoils-and-monitoring-plans","https://secure.pipeline.soar.com/6255067-9a35601c674b84c908775b9a118d83a9/orig.mp4?Expires=1770440121&Signature=ohvt7vn0ftkICiGRkP9Vykp0XgXMuIorR9sOyCplPrvqoS7AHiMhUAYLBbjOmn~IvZ~iiMBUAWkmKevWmzJK5Kni~cbiZ3m~IDXDm-vSqXNLYAq2SQRVv1LmYP13GD19q8NF-bTwv3rQ19ebIw3Zfb~jDg-dPMk0F~gBT9fgZVLK1ITq7jXHu9qoU9S5wER1sPLg3xA-AyOtiKsheLDBLlmJDvcFklYskDSYpTo~1OImZpZw33H1ECzVukqpq6RGGIYx-A7fqn~Vyx8joS37JjmNH7Q8NeKmxC-Xth1dnlWLqhFfQTJUexnY8M-FCL5Ssh9QCqXpg4do-BGeYw5dSQ__&Key-Pair-Id=KUT5TJCACFTXG","COWLITZ COUNTY — The Army Corps of Engineers’ latest bathymetric survey shows sediment bars forming in the Cowlitz River and changes in channel alignment that county staff and state partners say are reshaping local flood risk and bank erosion patterns.

Susan Eugenas, Cowlitz County engineer, summarized maps and cross sections presented at the Army Corps’ annual meeting and said the Corps is shifting away from 100‑year nomenclature toward probability metrics (for example, a “0.85% chance of occurrence,” formerly described as a 118‑year event). She said different reaches of the river have different levels of protection and that some study lines show declines in authorized levels of protection since 2022, though the lines remain above the authorized threshold.

Eugenas said the Corps’ slides show a bar that has grown north of Castle Rock, producing about 50 feet of bank erosion in that reach since 2013 and a “pinch point” near Rocky Point between Lexington and North Kelso where the channel transitions to sandier bars. “You can see how it has changed,” she said, noting a cross section that has gained roughly five feet of sediment since 2013 and that “the river is shifting to the right bank that everybody is noticing the erosion.”

County and state staff discussed the Corps’ decision matrix in the Mount St. Helens supplemental environmental impact statement (EIS). Eugenas said the Corps has a matrix that would trigger actions — such as raising the sediment retention structure (SRS) design and, at some thresholds, dredging — but she did not provide the decision matrix at the meeting, saying she would bring it to commissioners for review.

Eugenas also said the Corps will issue a request for proposals for 2025 monitoring and that the Corps has asked county staff to help identify potential spoil‑site locations if a dredging trigger is reached. She explained that, historically, the state was the Corps’ local sponsor and paid for land purchases and fish handling; the state later delegated that role to the county under an interlocal agreement. That agreement, she said, expires in June and the county has asked the state to reauthorize or resume responsibility.

The county discussed practical limits on available spoil sites between Kelso and Castle Rock and noted that, under a state law discussed at the meeting, dredged spoils from the Toutle and Cowlitz rivers south of the Toutle mouth do not owe the state royalties — a provision county staff said helped encourage property owners to accept spoils in the past.

County staff and partners also described the Rivers Need Room work group, a smaller collaborative that met recently in Longview to discuss actionable steps for the lower Toutle and Cowlitz reaches. The group includes representatives from ports, planning departments, the tribe, the Lower Columbia Estuary Partnership and the Fish Recovery Board. Participants are exploring commercial uses for dredged material and community engagement to prioritize projects that open floodplain capacity and improve habitat.

Shauna (staff member) said the collaborative is working to identify potential community projects and public engagement steps and that local leaders at the Council of Governments are exploring ways to find commercial markets for the dredge material.

Separately, state Ecology staff briefed commissioners on water‑quality and contaminant issues. Staff described recent studies into 6PPD‑quinone (a tire‑related chemical linked to coho die‑offs) and PBDEs (a class of chemicals that can bioaccumulate), noting that some findings point to treated wastewater and urban runoff as contributors. Ecology staff also said it is conducting temperature and dissolved‑oxygen monitoring on smaller tributaries and exploring alternative restoration plans to prioritize water‑quality funding.

Ending: Susan Eugenas said she will bring the Corps’ decision matrix and more detailed monitoring information to the board and that county and state staff will continue collaborative work to identify potential spoil sites, monitoring contracts and community priorities for dredge material reuse.","County engineer reported Army Corps bathymetric results showing sediment accumulation and channel migration in the Cowlitz River. County staff and state partners discussed monitoring, potential dredging triggers identified in a supplemental EIS, the need for dredge‑spoil sites, and collaborative work to find commercial uses for dredged material.",{"_33":88,"_35":36,"_37":38,"_39":89,"_41":90,"_43":91,"_45":92,"_47":93,"_49":94,"_51":95,"_53":96,"_55":56,"_57":58,"_59":97,"_61":62,"_63":64,"_65":98,"_67":68,"_69":70,"_71":68,"_72":73,"_74":73},6255072,"Cowlitz County authorizes up to $150,000 for cybersecurity incident response after spike in suspicious traffic",228,4066000,4294000,"/Search/View?dp=1&key=3168383-7f1976ba2eec96dd779deb1fc9f75348&start=4066&end=4294","https://assets.pipeline.soar.com/3168383-7f1976ba2eec96dd779deb1fc9f75348/thumbnail_4066000.jpg","/articles/6255072/Cowlitz-County/Washington/Cowlitz-County-authorizes-up-to-150000-for-cybersecurity-incident-response-after-spike-in-suspicious-traffic","https://secure.pipeline.soar.com/6255072-da9b013aa7992295696732adb71c85eb/orig.mp4?Expires=1770440121&Signature=lle8ipmqISfz7eaCe0dx2H3Gz5mfn-RGppO0eL2NFGGuYFC6xvJK8Za8owmUlTFMQvkzSX8~uqXBvc-ugr67t0ICVnVjEmgCa9-v2k4Yr-W2yS0Xaff6gEAR6-1AkzJwVrWBQnHjrrcYHJT0DWtptk7n0252qsqlHslxh2xOmJMUPUmWghWzWkPrX9WcuO6kc8gjurOX7jtYwKoG0vrb6B4HfDroLtIZB3v2xK0qNqH~k2AG5zdp-Oi3E~0XkwQ13-fAIiafpHAWiU2XpGqMIyWByfN6nty6nPzUonZvQAbDC1UGB8hE0wQxSv6H5gHQFr1yRdpcCgJKRuoSDACBVg__&Key-Pair-Id=KUT5TJCACFTXG","COWLITZ COUNTY — Cowlitz County’s IT director told commissioners that the county has seen a recent, rapid increase in suspicious outbound network activity and recommended hiring a specialist incident‑response vendor to investigate and contain the threat.

Travis Huschini, Cowlitz County IT director, told the board that monitoring devices and state sensors began logging irregular events about two months ago and “last Friday we saw a dramatic spike. And then there were tens of thousands of these reported network flows to the internet.” Huschini said many of the destination addresses have “known bad reputations” and that the traffic originated from dozens to possibly hundreds of internal hosts.

The scale and pattern of the traffic led the county to increase monitoring and endpoint protection and to consult the Multi‑State Information Sharing and Analysis Center (MS‑ISAC). Huschini said MS‑ISAC “discontinued alerting because it was so excessive” and that the county has engaged the Center for Internet Security for additional analysis.

Jason Lorene of the prosecutor’s office advised the board that the county had followed the risk pool’s vendor evaluation and that the IT director had reviewed recommended vendors. He said the prosecutor’s office would record the IT director’s justification for selecting a specific vendor before the board approved any contract.

After convening briefly in executive session to discuss contract negotiations, a commissioner moved that the IT director be authorized to work with CrowdStrike “up to a hundred and fifty thousand dollars to resolve this issue.” The board voted in favor of the motion.

Huschini told the board that while the county has taken steps to contain the activity, it is not yet possible to confirm whether data has been exfiltrated or the ultimate motive of the actors. He said the county lacks the internal forensic capacity to fully trace the foothold and recommended an incident‑response engagement to perform network and endpoint forensics.

The county’s immediate steps, Huschini said, included expanding monitoring, installing endpoint protection where gaps existed, and consulting outside firms. He presented three vendor options: CrowdStrike (a higher‑cost, industry‑leading provider), Arctic Wolf (lower cost but with more limited coverage), and Veloxiti (a mid‑range option the IT director has used previously). The board approved the CrowdStrike authorization so the county could move quickly rather than wait for a longer request‑for‑proposal process.

Commissioners asked the IT director to provide ongoing updates as the response progresses and to coordinate with the prosecutor’s office on contracting and any legal questions.

Ending: The board authorized the emergency procurement; commissioners did not disclose further operational details at the meeting. The IT director encouraged commissioners to request updates as needed and said the county would continue coordination with state partners and incident‑response experts.","County IT reported a recent surge of suspicious outbound network traffic; commissioners met in executive session and approved authorizing the IT director to contract with CrowdStrike up to $150,000 to investigate and contain the threat.","actionData","errors"]

Article not found

County to remove and replace trees in north parking lot; work scheduled over three weekends

Army Corps survey shows shifting sediment in Cowlitz River; county and state discuss dredge spoils and monitoring plans

Cowlitz County authorizes up to $150,000 for cybersecurity incident response after spike in suspicious traffic