Ralph Schwartz

Twisp

Reporter at Cascadia Daily News

I’m in journalism. “It’s a bunch of nerds interrupting people who know what they’re doing.” — Bill Burr

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Articles

NC Builders Supply joins battle against tariffs

1 week ago | methowvalleynews.com | Ralph Schwartz

Manager says local firm faces risks from Trump policy A local business has taken a stand against the tariffs threatened by President Donald Trump, saying they pose a significant risk to the Methow Valley’s construction-heavy economy. North Cascades Builders Supply added its name to a state of Washington amicus brief, filed May 20 in support of a multistate lawsuit seeking to stop the president’s tariffs.
Don’t feed the deer - or the elk

1 week ago | methowvalleynews.com | Ralph Schwartz

New state law prohibits feeding, use of salt licks The state is coming for your salt licks. The Washington Department of Fish and Wildlife (WDFW) imposed a new rule prohibiting the feeding of deer, elk or moose in the state. Individuals may no longer provide deer with grain, hay, minerals, salt, fruit or any other types of food, according to the language of the new rule, which went into effect on May 17.
Survey looks at drinking, vaping in Methow Valley School District

1 week ago | methowvalleynews.com | Ralph Schwartz

Officials seek to combat e-cigarettes’ popularityAlcohol use and vaping among Methow Valley’s high school students exceeded state averages, according to data from the most recent Healthy Youth Survey. The survey, conducted in fall 2023, indicated that 52% of seniors that year were current alcohol users, meaning they had drunk a glass, can or bottle of alcohol in the previous 30 days. The state rate for small schools was 21%, according to the survey.
Bull escapes from Methow Valley Rodeo arena, one person injured

1 week ago | methowvalleynews.com | Ralph Schwartz

A bull punched through a containment fence and charged through part of the crowd on the hillside Saturday (May 24) at the Methow Valley Memorial Day Rodeo, knocking at least three people down and injuring a man who went to the hospital for stitches, according to witnesses. The bull had been brought into the arena in an attempt to coax a different bull back into the pen, Methow Valley Horsemen President Dennis Gardner told Methow Valley News Monday (May 26).
Report criticizes school’s handling of shooting threat

2 weeks ago | methowvalleynews.com | Ralph Schwartz

Officials promise more changes after March 11 incident at high schoolA Methow Valley School District committee issued a report this month criticizing how officials handled a school-shooting threat in March — including their decision to open schools when the student who threatened to “shoot up the school” that day was still at large.
Methow Valley’s 2025 Rodeo queen is a lifelong horse lover

2 weeks ago | methowvalleynews.com | Ralph Schwartz

Winter Holt to preside over Memorial Day weekend eventIt didn’t take long for Winter Holt to become local royalty. Holt grew up in Snohomish and moved to the valley just a year ago. But she earned her status as queen of the Methow Valley Rodeo after a lifetime spent with horses. “I’ve been riding horses since I could walk,” she said.
Okanogan Electric Cooperative receives grant for battery storage

3 weeks ago | methowvalleynews.com | Ralph Schwartz

But tariffs put $2.75 million project at riskThe Okanogan County Electrical Co-operative (OCEC) won a $2.75 million state grant to install a battery system near its Winthrop headquarters, to save on wholesale energy costs and reduce its carbon footprint, according to the utility and the granting agency, the state Department of Commerce. But the project may be in trouble before it even starts.
ILC senior wins state art award

3 weeks ago | methowvalleynews.com | Ralph Schwartz

Izabel Bajema, a senior at the Independent Learning Center (ILC), will be recognized Wednesday (May 14) at a statewide arts awards ceremony in Olympia. Bajema won an honorable mention in the 2025 Superintendent’s High School Art Show for her painting “Plums,” after winning best of show with the piece March 15 at the regional level, according to the North Central Educational Service District (NCESD).
PSFA’s new director all about relationships

3 weeks ago | methowvalleynews.com | Ralph Schwartz

Duguay-Smith benefited from the nonprofit’s workThe new executive director of the Public School Funding Alliance (PSFA) is a familiar face. Johnnie Duguay-Smith was a student at Methow Valley Elementary School when the nonprofit that supports school district programs had its launch in 2003–04. Duguay-Smith, 30, learned how to play the violin with funds the group had raised from community members. “I was in second grade when PSFA started,” Duguay-Smith said.
State lawmakers approve $6M for MV Elementary School roof replacement

3 weeks ago | methowvalleynews.com | Ralph Schwartz

Capital budget awaits governor’s signatureThe Methow Valley School District expects to receive $6 million from the state to replace the elementary school roof. The appropriation — the maximum allowed in a single grant from the state’s small-school district modernization program — was included in Washington state’s $7.5 billion capital budget for infrastructure projects. The budget passed unanimously in both chambers of the state Legislature and awaits Gov. Bob Ferguson’s signature.