Category Archives: Daily Astorian

Coast Guard seeks to federalize anchorage grounds east of Astoria

Proposals near Rice Island and other places could increase the safety of ship navigation. As the president of Columbia River Pilots, Jeremy Nielsen is no stranger to the narrow and sometimes unforgiving waters that flow between Astoria and Portland. The river is a designated marine highway — and as on any highway, Nielsen said, travelers […]
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Port of Astoria approves settlement with log exporter over pier damage

A $250,000 agreement. The Port of Astoria Commission voted Tuesday to approve a settlement agreement with Astoria Forest Products, ending a yearslong legal process with the log exporter. In 2021, the Port filed a lawsuit against the company, a local subsidiary of Murphy Overseas USA, for breach of contract. The suit alleged that the asphalt […]
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‘We’re always trying to find the right line’

Cities evaluate successes, challenges of homeless camping ordinances. On a recent April morning, Sgt. AJ Duryea set out along Commercial Street in his police cruiser, scanning the sidewalks for sleeping bags and tents. Duryea, who’s served the Astoria Police Department for a dozen years, remembers a time when camping was prohibited downtown. As laws have […]
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Guest Column: Astoria Bridge likely wouldn’t survive major ship strike

The Astoria Bridge near the mouth of the Columbia River is as well-protected as any span against ship collisions, but it’s not likely to withstand an impact like the one that brought down a similar span in Baltimore in March. Reduced risk doesn’t mean no risk, according to the Oregon Department of Transportation, which maintains […]
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Guest Column: Tragedy should prompt safety evaluation of Lewis and Clark Bridge

The moment I heard about the Baltimore bridge collapse, I thought about Jerry Reagor and a story I’d written in 2019 about him and the Lewis and Clark Bridge. Reagor is an 85-year-old Longview, Washington, resident who has built bridges across the region for six decades. He was worried five years ago and he still […]
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Citing a projected budget deficit, college announces layoffs

Deficit for next fiscal year estimated at $900,000. Clatsop Community College has announced it will eliminate and restructure several staff positions in anticipation of a budget deficit for the upcoming fiscal year. College leaders have been vocal about financial difficulties in the past year and estimate a deficit of over $900,000. Interim president Teena Toyas, […]
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As budget season begins, school districts on the North Coast tackle funding challenges

Pandemic-era federal stimulus funds expire in September. Confronted with enrollment declines and the end of federal stimulus money, school districts in Oregon and across the country are grappling with ways to balance budgets ahead of the new fiscal year. The Elementary and Secondary School Emergency Relief Fund was a lifeline for many school districts during […]
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Fort George Brewery to receive $1 million grant to install solar array

Project off Marine Drive. Fort George Brewery will receive $1 million in federal funding toward a renewable energy project for their property off Marine Drive. The money is part of $4.5 million in grants from the U.S. Department of Agriculture’s Rural Energy for America Program in Oregon. Source: Fort George Brewery to receive $1 million […]
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Behind the News: ‘We could have achieved the same level of conservation while also honoring the economics’

As the Oregon Board of Forestry reviewed the habitat conservation plan, Clatsop County Commissioner Courtney Bangs was the county’s voice on two important regional panels. Bangs serves on the Council of Forest Trust Land Counties and the Forest Trust Land Advisory Committee. Decades ago, the counties gave forestland that had been overharvested and abandoned by […]
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Writer’s Notebook: Kotek, Fitzpatrick strain the public trust

In her first year as governor of Oregon, Tina Kotek received respectable reviews. The Democrat made good on her promise of traveling to every county for listening sessions. Unlike some other leaders, she went to Morrow County and listened as residents and government officials told her about the concentrations of nitrates that made drinking water […]
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