First published in the July 26 print edition
Warrenton Police Department welcomed a new recruit into the fold Tuesday night and said goodbye to its drug-sniffing dog, Gabe. Christina Trujillo, hired May 24, has never worked as a police officer before. She grew up in Clatsop County, graduated from Astoria High School in 2011 and graduated from Portland State University in 2018 with a bachelor’s degree in criminology and criminal justice. She worked previously at Washington State Youth Authority’s Naselle Youth Camp, Ross Dress for Less (continued)
First published in the July 16 print edition
Mayor Henry Balensifer would like to be Warrenton’s next city manager. He made the announcement at Tuesday night’s city commission meeting during a discussion about finding a replacement for City Manager Linda Engbretson. Engbretson plans to retire later this year. “I intend to put my name in for that,” he told fellow commissioners and then stepped back from the conversation about how the recruitment process would be handled. The four remaining commissioners agreed the city will hire a (continued)
First published in the July 16 print edition
A few good things have come out of the pandemic and Brian Ratty’s new book is one of them. “Broken Arrow: History, Myths & Legends” will be released Wednesday. “About this time a year ago, our homes and towns were locked down because of the coronavirus,” Ratty said. “Ahead of us were months of unpredictability, quarantines and a fear of an invisible virus that ran through our population like a winter storm. Against this backdrop of uncertainty, I started a new book project. I called (continued)
First published in the July 16 print edition
City commissioners stepped back Tuesday night from an earlier decision to withdraw from the Lower Columbia Tourism Council. Instead, the city will simply scale back the amount of money it sends. LCTC was formed three decades ago to combine the marketing efforts of Astoria and Warrenton. Both cities collect taxes from tourists when they camp in the area or stay in a hotel. The tax money is used to attract more visitors by letting people across the state and nation know about the region’s (continued)
The first results of our nation’s latest population count were released recently, and with the slowest population growth in 90 years, will have far-reaching consequences for many aspects of American life. The census will drive decision-making on many fronts for the next decade from congressional representation and federal funding for local communities to allocations for emergency preparedness and business planning. With so much at stake, was the shift away from paper-based data collection a (continued)
Oregon’s 911 program and RapidSOS, an emergency response data platform, have formed a partnership to deliver enhanced location data to each of the state’s 43 911 dispatch centers. Oregon is the first in the nation to securely deploy RapidSOS into an existing, secure emergency services network. “The existing 911 system used to locate cell phone calls is over 20 years old, designed long before smartphones or GPS,” explained Program Manager Frank Kuchta. “When a person calls 911 from a (continued)
Astoria Regatta returns this year for an abbreviated festival on Saturday, Aug. 14. Just a few weeks ago, the Regatta’s Board of Directors had canceled the historic event for the second year in a row. However, as COVID-19 infections have fallen and pandemic restrictions have lifted, the board reconsidered its decision. “The Regatta Board came together this year with the goal of reviving some outdoor events that could be held safely during the pandemic,” board President Melissa Grothe (continued)
Columnists and Other Opinions
Greetings from Warrenton Community Library (WCL), a place for you! The library has a steady flow of patrons and book browsers visiting daily and, with summer in full swing, it is a great time to stop in and grab the latest best seller, car trip books, or games to take camping. We have them all. WCL’s summer reading program, Reading Colors Your World, is well underway and, last month, participants read a total of 17,760 minutes. We want to congratulate our top readers for June, starting with (continued)
“Life is like riding a bicycle. To keep your balance, you must keep moving,” -- Albert Einstein. I tend to believe almost everything I read about health. However, just pages apart in one of my books, Einstein’s quote is followed by another reminding us that “Sleep is the most powerful anti-aging medicine.” Yet another source in the same book presents a plan to “Give your brain a fighting chance” by treating oneself to a nap for no less than 30 minutes and no more than an hour. (continued)
Events
The comic opera ‘The Old Maid and the Thief” will be performed July 30 and Aug. 1 at the Charlene Larsen Center for the Performing Arts in Astoria. The work by Italian playwright Gian Carlo Menotti will be performed in English by Cascadia Chamber Opera and feature local artists Ann Bronson, ChrisLynn Taylor, Bereniece Jones-Centeno, Elias Hesse, and Paul Brady. Greg Hopper-Moore is director and Vincent Centeno is conductor. The opera provides a funny take on mistaken identity, gossipy (continued)
The FBI in Oregon seeks applications from business, religious, and community members for its Citizens Academy program. The Citizens Academy allows leaders to explore the work of the FBI, both in Oregon and around the world. Over the course of seven weeks, participants have a chance to engage with FBI leadership, case agents and professional staff. Applicants may nominate themselves by July 16. Acceptance into the program is competitive. Selections will be made by the field office. Those who (continued)
The Clatsop County Fair is scheduled during the last week of July and already tickets are on sale for two of the singing acts. Country singer Josh Turner will bring his classic gospel and country tunes to the fairgrounds at 7 p.m. Friday, July 30. Steve Augeri, the former lead singer of classic ‘70s rock group Journey, will perform his melodic rock tunes at 7 p.m. Saturday, July 31 – the fair’s closing day. Tickets are available at Lums Auto Center in Warrenton, Teevin Bros. in Knappa, (continued)
Several Oregon craft beverage producers have teamed up with a nonprofit group to replant trees in areas decimated by the 2020 wildfires. Pelican Brewing Company, which has three locations on the coast including Cannon Beach; Portland Cider Company; Sunriver Brewing, which is based in Bend; and Willamette Valley-based Stoller Wine Group will donate $1 from every six-pack sold in July and August to Oregon Parks Forever. The nonprofit group is raising money to replant 25,000 trees through the (continued)
The Great Columbia Crossing, a 10-kilometer run/walk across the Astoria-Megler Bridge, returns this year, the Astoria-Warrenton Area Chamber of Commerce announced. Last year’s event was held virtually due to the pandemic, with participants running their distance on their own schedule and course. The scenic run across the bridge is the only occasion in which pedestrians are allowed to cross the longest continuous truss bridge in North America. The bridge will be closed to vehicles for enhanced (continued)
Police and Public Safety
** Thefts and burglaries ** Shoplifting, 11:30 a.m. June 27, Walmart. Samantha R. Lillard, 28, of Ilwaco, Wash., was cited for second-degree theft after she allegedly attempted to leave the store without paying for $145 in household items. Shoplifting, 12:43 p.m. June 29, Walmart. Jacob S. Wieckowski, 37, of Seaside was cited for third-degree theft after he allegedly attempted to leave the store without paying for $100 in tools. Shoplifting, 1:30 p.m. June 29, Walmart. Danielle N. Duffey, 40, (continued)
Education
