Image provided by: University of Oregon Libraries; Eugene, OR
About The daily Astorian. (Astoria, Or.) 1961-current | View Entire Issue (Dec. 7, 2019)
Astorian Hailey Hoffman/The »INSIDE WINTER SPORTS PREVIEW STLING ∙ KETBALL ∧ WRE GIRLS & BOYS BAS SWIMMING 147TH YEAR, NO. 69 WEEKEND EDITION // SATURDAY, DECEMBER 7, 2019 $1.50 SUNSET EMPIRE Free bus rides for students Program starts in January By EDWARD STRATTON The Astorian Photos by Hailey Hoff man/The Astorian A cluster of Astoria High School students in the lunch line. Childhood poverty rates improve, but concerns linger Struggle behind the statistics By NICOLE BALES The Astorian ates of childhood poverty, child food insecurity and student homelessness have all slightly improved in Clatsop County, accord- ing to a report from Children First f or Oregon. However, the rates of childhood poverty and student homelessness are still higher than the state average. According to the 2019 report, chil- dren who live at or below the federal poverty level have decreased by about 1% to 1,272 . Children facing food inse- curity have dropped by 2.5% to 1,370 . And students described as homeless have dropped about half a percent to 315. Astoria School District Superin- tendent Craig Hoppes credits any improvements to increased awareness and local services available to children and their families. “From the school district standpoint, I have a group of counselors that are just more than aware of the kids’ needs than they ever have before. And they’re constantly trying to provide services to the kids and to the families,” he said. “I just think there’s more services in our community, more outreach, which is just more helpful to families.” Hoppes said school counselors help connect families to local services through groups like Clatsop Commu- The Sunset Empire Transportation District will make buses free for students starting in early January . Jeff Hazen, the director of the tran- sit district , introduced the idea Thurs- day, saying he got it from the Grant County Transportation District at a recent conference. Providing free rides builds children’s familiarity with mass transit, creating a potential pool of future riders and drivers, he said. The district struggles to attract drivers, and much of its funding is based on ridership. “None of our buses are overcrowded,” Hazen said . “We have seats on the bus, and why not let that child ride for free?” Students from kindergarten through 12th grade will be able to ride free start- ing Jan. 6. Sunset Empire will be reimbursed for transporting high schoolers through the Statewide Transportation Improvement Fund. A payroll tax to fi nance the fund was part of a $5.3 billion transportation package the state Legislature passed in 2017. The Legislature required that 1% be spent on improving transportation for high schoolers. See Buses, Page A6 R County drops fl avor ban Students grab apples, pears and condiments in the cafeteria. nity Action. Some of the services Clatsop Com- munity Action provides are utility assistance, personal care items and homeless outreach like rent assistance and subsidized housing programs. Viviana Matthews, Clatsop Com- munity Action’s executive direc- tor, said if the county’s rates have improved, she hasn’t seen a difference yet. “We have never seen so many people in our offi ce like we’re see- ing lately,” she said. “We have never seen so many people in line asking for food.” Matthews has been working in social services in Clatsop County for the past 20 years. She said the last time she saw so many people seeking help was during the Great Recession. “We see a lot of families struggling working two, three jobs to even make it a little bit. Not even putting money into savings, just paying the rent,” she said. She said it is important the county gets a complete census count in 2020, so there is accurate data to help obtain proper federal and state funding. Both Hoppes and Matthews said poverty takes a toll on children’s men- tal health. Hoppes said schools have had to play a bigger role in mental health sup- port for students. The school district has an offi ce for a Clatsop Behavioral Controversial part of tobacco rules By NICOLE BALES The Astorian A tobacco retail license ordinance is going back before the c ounty Board of Commissioners on Wednesday, but this time it will not include a ban on fl avored tobacco products. The ordinance was expected to be approved by county commissioners in October. However, they decided to delay a vote after claims were made during pub- lic comment that cities and local tobacco retailers had not been informed about the fl avor ban . See Poverty, Page A6 See Ban, Page A6 Fire destroys house near Tongue Point No injuries were reported By NICOLE BALES The Astorian A fi re that destroyed a home near Tongue Point on Thursday after- noon sent smoke across Astoria. The fi re at the end of Blue Ridge Drive was brought under con- trol within an hour, but fi refi ght- ers remained on scene until 10 p.m. mopping up hot spots. The cause of the fi re is under investigation. The Astoria Fire Department said the home was vacant. But there were signs of people who may have been staying on the property. Edward Stratton/The Astorian Hailey Hoff man/The Astorian Firefi ghters battled a fi re at a house off Blue Ridge Drive in Astoria on Thursday afternoon. Smoke from a house fi re near Tongue Point could be seen across Astoria.
