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About The daily Astorian. (Astoria, Or.) 1961-current | View Entire Issue (May 30, 2020)
»INSIDE 147TH YEAR, NO. 143 WEEKEND EDITION // SATURDAY, MAY 30, 2020 $1.50 »INSIDE CORONAVIRUS Fireworks canceled in Astoria Annual event a virus casualty By EDWARD STRATTON The Astorian The Astoria-Warrenton Area Cham- ber of Commerce has canceled its Fourth of July fi reworks show over coronavirus concerns . The decision follows the cancel- lations of much larger fi reworks dis- plays in Seaside and Long Beach, Washington. “Our team had hoped that we would be able produce the Independence Day fi reworks show as planned, but we are still facing many unknowns and uncer- tainties as we look ahead to July,” David Reid, the chamber’s executive director , said in a statement . “Under the current health circumstances, it would be irre- sponsible for us to proceed. “By making this decision, we are standing with other communities in the area that have canceled their events out of an abundance of caution.” See Fireworks, Page A6 MORE INSIDE Record unemployment in April • A3 Hailey Hoff man/The Astorian Fort George Brewery will partially reopen on Monday. Fort George to partially reopen amid coronavirus County reports new virus case • A6 Upstairs pub with limited seating By EDWARD STRATTON The Astorian Warrenton considers public safety fee options City may base fee on water meter size F R.J. Marx/The Astorian Chef-owner John Sowa announced the closure of Sweet Basil’s Cafe this week. By EDWARD STRATTON The Astorian Sweet Basil’s Cafe to close WARRENTON — Leaders are con- sidering a new fee based on the size of a property’s water meter to help cover increasing police and fi re costs in the rap- idly growing city. Warrenton was already facing a bud- get gap from commercial sprawl not cov- ering the costs of delivering utilities, staff reviews and policing businesses. The City Commission recently voted to increase the penalties for traffi c violations and other crimes, along with other adminis- trative fees related to the city’s Municipal Court. Commissioners placed a moratorium on utility increases because of the corona- virus pandemic, but have appeared recep- tive to the idea of charging a public safety fee given the calls for service to police and fi re. Cannon Beach eatery known for Creole-Cajun fl avor By R.J. MARX The Astorian CANNON BEACH — Sweet Basil’s Cafe, the beloved restau- rant and community gathering place known for its Creole-Cajon fl avor, is closing due to the coro- navirus pandemic . With the release of the state’s reopening guidelines for restau- rants, John Sowa, the chef and owner, realized the eatery could not survive. Social distancing measures would have limited seating to three tables inside — four at the most. “I don’t care how small you are, three tables doesn’t cut it,” he said. Sowa is among a handful of chefs distinguished with long ser- vice in Clatsop County, a slew of Iron Chef Goes Coastal trophies and a loyal international audience. A Brooklyn, New York, native, Sowa studied cooking in New Orleans at K-Paul’s with Paul Prud- homme, America’s foremost pro- ponent of Creole and Cajun cuisine. See Cafe, Page A8 ort George Brewery will reopen the upstairs pub on Duane Street on Monday to limited, reservation-only seat- ing, following Astoria’s smaller breweries . Fort George has been closed to all but to-go orders since Gov. Kate Brown restricted seated dining to prevent the spread of the corona- virus. Co-owner Chris Nemlowill said the brewery is taking a cau- tious approach and trying to avoid attracting many visitors . The brewery will take res- ervations through its website for eight tables spaced through- out the upstairs, with a maximum group size of four, and two tables on its upstairs deck, with a maxi- mum capacity of eight. The partial reopening will bring Fort George up to a skeleton crew of around 30 employees out of more than 120 who worked there before the pandemic. “Everybody who works at Fort George, it’s like a big family,” Nemlowill said. “So, it’s been very diffi cult. What’s been sad is you’re letting people go that didn’t do anything wrong. They didn’t deserve to lose their jobs.” Fort George was able to access money from the federal govern- ment’s Paycheck Protection Pro- gram, which Nemlowill said is part See Fort George, Page A8 See Warrenton, Page A6 Video Horizons moving downtown A merger with a record store By EDWARD STRATTON The Astorian Edward Stratton/The Astorian Neal Cummings is moving Video Horizons from Astor Street to Duane Street, where his video collection will be joined by Richard Moore’s vinyl records. Video Horizons owner Neal Cummings is partnering with vinyl collector Richard Moore to create a new rental and record store on Duane Street. Cummings closed Video Horizons, one of the few video rental stores left in the region, to walk-ins during the coro- navirus outbreak. He recently raised more than $4,500 through a GoFundMe campaign to help with a slowdown, but said his rent at the Astor Street location is unsustainable . On Tuesday, h e began mov- ing his video collection to 1156 Duane St. The storefront is next to the Deals Only thrift store and on the opposite side of the build- ing from the Five Zero Trees mar- ijuana store. “I’m really looking forward to presenting kind of a physical media paradise,” Cummings said. Moore, a former Elvis imper- sonator, has amassed more than 300,000 vinyl records spread between several storage units across Oregon and southwest Washington state. He runs Play it Again, a record store inside a hangar in Gearhart selling a menagerie of media, including LPs, eight tracks, 33s, 45s, 78s and VHS tapes. After moving his record store 21 times over the past 29 years, the 70-year-old Moore said, he’s ready for some stability. See Moving, Page A6