Timberland makes staffing changes at some small branches

Staffing changes within the Timberland Regional Library system will extend the duties of library managers in three counties, including Grays Harbor.

Aberdeen Timberland Library Manager Allison Grubbs will begin overseeing libraries in Westport and Amanda Park. Though the library isn’t implementing any layoffs, budget cuts dating back to 2009 have led to the elimination of empty librarian positions at libraries in smaller towns, said Jeff Kleingartner, communications manager for Timberland Regional Library.

Since the library manager in Amanda Park resigned a year ago, Kleingartner said, the position has been difficult to fill. The librarian overseeing the branch in Westport also stepped down recently.

“It’s in a remote area, many of these positions are part-time and it was just hard to find what we thought was a Timberland-quality candidate,” Kleingartner said.

The small marketplace for librarians, the part-time nature of the positions and their location in smaller towns, he added, were the likely reasons for the unfilled positions.

Even with the reduced staff, Kleingartner said that managers from larger towns could bring ideas and resources to the smaller branches. Managers from larger branches will check up on smaller libraries in person once or twice a week, Kleingartner said.

Timberland has no plans to change the hours of the affected branches, Kleingartner said, adding that patrons should see no difference in service.

Libraries in Thurston and Mason counties will also see similar changes.

Super Shock: Patriots stun Seahawks in Super Bowl XLIX

GLENDALE, Ariz. — Russell Wilson did everything to win the Seahawks’ second consecutive Super Bowl – except hand the ball one more time to Marshawn Lynch.

Two completions by Wilson, to Lynch across midfield then by Jermaine Kearse between his legs while on his back, had Seattle at the New England 1 with 20 seconds left. The Seahawks trailed 28-24 but had one time out remaining

One yard from winning it all. Again.

Instead, the Comeback Kid passed one too many times. Wilson intended to hit Ricardo Lockette on a slant route. But New England’s Malcolm Butler cut off Lockette, who didn’t fight through his cover man to the ball. Butler intercepted it at the goal line to end the Seahawks’ season in their 28-24 loss Sunday in a crazy, dramatic Super Bowl XLIX at University of Phoenix Stadium.

The jump ball that Jermaine Kearse tapped to himself, put between his legs then cradled at the New England 5 with 1:06 left had Seattle poised for their second consecutive miraculous comeback, and Wilson 15th career fourth-quarter rally to victory.

But game Most Valuable Player Tom Brady’s four touchdown passes with a Super Bowl-record 37 completions in 50 throws trumped Wilson 12 completions for 247 yards, Marshawn Lynch’s 102 yards rushing with a touchdown, former Canadian League receiver Chris Matthews almost-MVP breakout. And it ruined the 24-14 lead Seattle (14-5) took into the final, frantic period.

The Seahawks were denied becoming the eighth franchise ever and first team since the 2003-04 Patriots to win consecutive Super Bowls.

New England (15-4) gained 147 of game’s first 169 yards and had nine of the initial 10 first downs. But Jeremy Lane’s end-zone interception of Brady late in the first quarter on which the nickel back broke his arm kept the Patriots ahead only 7-0 early.

The Seahawks’ scored 17 unanswered points from the end of the first half into the fourth quarter. Matthews’ leaping, twisting, 11-yard touchdown, Steven Hauschka’s 27-yard field goal Matthews set up with another jumping, 45-yard grab and Doug Baldwin’s 3-yard touchdown catch on which he shrewdly sent the man covering him, New England’s Darrelle Revis, into the umpire official on a route across the end zone made it 24-14 Seattle entering the final quarter.

Brady brought New England back with a third and 14 completion to Julian Edelman for 21 yards, despite a hit by Kam Chancellor that spun Edelman around.

Brady to Danny Amendola from 4 yards out, Brady’s NFL-record 12th Super Bowl touchdown, got New England within 24-21 with 8 minutes left.

Ricardo Lockette got tripped in the open field going after a throw by Russell Wilson, then Wilson threw longer than Marshawn Lynch ran on an improvisation route, and Seattle had to give the ball back to Brady.

He continued his short passing, setting a Super Bowl record with his 36th completion while moving New England inside the Seahawks 5. Then Brady threw his fourth touchdown pass, to Julian Edelman. Seattle suddenly trailed 28-24, yet rallied. Again.

Except for the final yard.

This was the third halftime tie in 49 Super Bowls. And it was because of one of the most unlikely heroes in the game.

Chris Matthews?

Seahawks’ nickel back Jeremy Lane made the game’s first big play, an end-zone interception of Tom Brady after Michael Bennett hit New England’s iconic QB and made him shy away from what became an awful throw. That saved Seattle at least three points — but cost it Lane. He appeared to fracture his lower left arm on his landing at the end of his interception return.

That meant on the next defensive drive the Seahawks moved starting cornerback Byron Maxwell from right cornerback inside to nickel and brought second-year man Tharold Simon in to play cornerback. Brady targeted Simon three times on what became the game’s first scoring drive. It ended with Brandon LaFell’s touchdown catch of 11 yards, on a slant inside Simon.

It was Brady’s 50th postseason touchdown throw, an NFL record. His 10th Super Bowl TD pass was one behind Joe Montana’s record.

New England gained 147 of the game’s first 169 yards, but led only 7-0.

The Seahawks stuck with their offensive game plan of establishing Marshawn Lynch’s inside runs. It finally paid off late in the second quarter. Wilson had only thrown two passes when he finally got his first completion on the third throw, to Jermaine Kearse for Seattle’s initial third-down conversion of the game with 5 minutes left before halftime. The Lynch running then set up Wilson’s play-action pass that afforded him time to wait for former Canadian League receiver Matthews to run 35 yards down the right side. Matthews’ first NFL catch, for 44 yards, set up Lynch’s 3-yard touchdown run off right tackle past the knocked-off helmet of guard James Carpenter, and Seattle had tied the game at 7.

But Cliff Avril jumped offside on third and 3, giving New England a first down at the Seattle 43. Brady then found unanimous All-Pro tight end Rob Gronkowski alone outside one on one with linebacker K.J. Wright. Gronkowski on any linebacker in the league is a mismatch for the Patriots, and the 22-yard pitch and catch had to be one of Brady’s easiest of 11 career TD passes in the Super Bowl. New England led 14-7 with 31 seconds left in the half.

That was still enough time for the Seahawks to score points. Runs of 19 yards by Robert Turbin and 17 yards on a scramble by Wilson set up Wilson’s 23-yard pass to Ricardo Lockette. That and a 10-yard facemask foul on New England cornerback Kyle Arrington put Seattle at the Patriots 11 with 6 seconds left.

After timeouts by each team, Wilson dropped to pass and looked only at Matthews. The 6-foot-5 wide out leaped, twisted and basketball-rebounded the pass to re-tie the game at 14. It was a stunning, 80-yard drive in 25 seconds.

Matthews is only in the receiving rotation because rookie Paul Richardson went out for the year in the NFC divisional round with a knee injury.

Brady completed 20 of 27 passes in that half for 177 yards and the two scores, almost all those on quick throws underneath zone coverage before Seattle’s Bennett could reach him.

Wilson had just four completions in seven throws for 84 yards. But 12 yards per connection wasn’t shabby.

Super Bowl XLIX time to party in the harbor

Two major Super Bowl viewing parties took place on Sunday in Aberdeen and Hoquiam. Fans could be heard from blocks away as they cheered on their favorite team at the 8th Street Ale House in Hoquiam and the D&R Theater in Aberdeen.

Local Scouts build Hoquiam High concession stand

Scouts from troop 100 started building a concession stand for Hoquiam High School last summer, a project necessary for Boy Scout Caspin Darrin to achieve the rank of Eagle Scout. On Saturday a group of several scouts gathered to sheath the roof of the stand which now has plumbing and electricity installed. The project is scheduled to be completed by the time soccer season begins in March.

Hoquaim photographer preserves 12th man memories

Sativa Miller, a photographer based in Hoquiam, spend Saturday making portraits of some of Grays Harbors most dedicated Seahawks fans. Families, friends and pets came, adorned in 12th man gear, to get their picture taken by Miller who is using the photos for a project depicting Grays Harbor’s love for the Seattle Seahawks.

Fandom at its finest: The Seahawk Girls

If you hear abnormally delirious shrieks of joy, disappointment or just plain revelry coming from the 8th Street Ale House in Hoquiam this coming Sunday, there is no need to call the police: it’s just the Seahawk Girls.

The group of diehard Seattle fans is made up of Tracy Dugas, Jennifer Durney, Vicki Jewell, Tracy Wood, Nancy Peterson and Jenna Garner, and for the past four years the women have convened at the bar to watch their team every Sunday.

But, this group of Seahawk supporters isn’t your average fan crew. The women pull out all the stops on game day, sitting at a table that is a consummate example of extreme fandom, lined with Hawk knick-knacks and odds and ends. A miniature Lego replica of CenturyLink Stadium’s Red Zone adorns the table, along with “Sherman” the stuffed lizard, a Russell Wilson doll, Seahawk beads, and a green-haired troll, to name a few.

Most of the items are brought by Wood, while the rest are provided by other members of the group, including a Seahawks banner festooned above the ladies’ table.

“This isn’t all I have,” says Wood with a grin. She explains that in her home she keeps a Seahawk shrine.

With this peculiar assortment of dolls and trinkets, fellow bar patrons might think the group was preparing for some type of voodoo ritual. And, the girls make it clear that the assumption might not be too far off. As an act of superstition, they move the items to different tables during the game.

If the Seahawks do well with the items at certain tables, they keep them there. If Seattle is struggling, they will be moved to a different location in the bar to see if their luck changes.

Durney and Dugas even brought a gnome from the table to a 49ers game this season as a good luck charm. Unfortunately, the doll was lost in a rental car during the trip.

“I’m down a gnome in case you run across one,” said Wood, who plays with a toy troll’s hair when she’s nervous during a game. During the NFC championship, she had one in hand quite a bit.

“He (the troll) lost some hair,” said Jewell. “She was choking it real bad.”

John Garner, Jenna’s husband, has seen the girls cheering for the Hawks first-hand and knows what rowdy bunch they can become.

“You can probably hear them outside on any given Sunday. They’re loud,” he said.

The group can go overboard sometimes, explained Durney.

“We’ve had people move from our table before,” she said.

As they are for any other game, the posse will be at the Ale House on Sunday for the big game, and they’re all optimistic about the outcome. But, at the same time, the anticipation hasn’t been easy to take.

“This is stressful,” said Durney, lamenting the days leading up to the contest.

Jewell said she had to take a Tylenol PM to fall asleep earlier this week. The comment could have been an attempt at humor, but with this group of nervous fans, it’s very hard to tell.

Simpson Bridge will see a return to original color

At 4 p.m. on Thursday, Polson Museum staff turned out the lights in glass display cases as the day winded down.

But up the stairs from the front entrance, down a long hallway and behind a door marked “private,” museum director John Larson scaled a few more stairs into the museum’s attic. He searched for a green binder amid the cluttered shelves, and spied it within seconds. Inside were copies of the original building plans for the Simpson Avenue Bridge.

Earlier on Thursday, state Department of Transportation spokesman Doug Adamson said the department plans to spend six to seven months cleaning and painting the bridge this summer. The bridge, he added, will take its original color, mitigating corrosion and bringing back the glory it had nearly 90 years ago.

But what color did officials paint the bridge in 1928? That was the million-dollar question.

Adamson couldn’t say what the color was on Thursday afternoon, so The Daily World went to the Polson Museum to find out. The answer, Larson said, was somewhere in the green binder.

When the project begins later this year, it will require closing the bridge and detouring traffic for six weeks during the summer, Adamson said. Sixty to 70 percent of the work, he added, will be done below the deck, away from traffic. The detour will route traffic to the Riverside Bridge, which will then become a two-way bridge.

“Our plan is to get in, get the work done and get out as soon as possible,” Adamson said. “We recognize the significance of this bridge for the community, families and people getting around in the region, hence the closure for only six weeks.”

The department, Adamson said, will advertise bids for the work later this spring. Officials expect to begin work in the summer and finish by the end of the year.

Though the cost of the work hasn’t been determined, about $4,400 will come from pre-existing funds, the department’s webpage says.

The bridge, which has served as a major thoroughfare for Grays Harbor drivers, was last painted in 1992.

Back at the Polson Museum, Larson flipped through the back pages of the green binder.

There, he found nearly every other detail about the paint, including the number of gallons it took to coat the bridge — 388 — and who made the paint — Rasmussen and Co. in Portland. But hiding a few pages closer to the middle was the million-dollar answer.

Detroit Graphite #501.

The bridge will be painted in steel gray, Adamson later said in an email.

Regardless of which shade of gray the bridge will have by the end of the year, Larson said he’s happy to see that it’s getting some attention.

“The bridge is a focal point of the community landscape,” he said. “I think it’s a good deal all around. We all drive over it every day.”