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About The daily Astorian. (Astoria, Or.) 1961-current | View Entire Issue (Feb. 13, 2021)
148TH YEAR, NO. 98 WEEKEND EDITION // SATURDAY, FEBRUARY 13, 2021 $1.50 CORONAVIRUS Shooting death ruled justifi ed A SNOWY FRIDAY Burns was killed after break-in in December By NICOLE BALES The Astorian An investigation into the police shoot- ing that killed an Astoria woman near Sun- set Beach in December found it was justifi - able homicide. Alaina Burns, 31 , was shot and killed by an Oregon State Police trooper after enter- ing a home on Dec. 28 and later climbing onto the roof with a gun. Clatsop County Chief Deputy District Attorney Dawn Buzzard released the fi nd- ings of the investigation on Monday. The fi ndings identifi ed the state trooper involved as James Eslinger. Based on interviews with Eslinger and other witnesses , viewing body and dash- board cameras, home surveillance sys- tems and other evidence, the report con- cluded it was clear the t rooper was justifi ed in using deadly force. The report added that the trooper had reasonable belief Burns was going to use deadly force against him and other offi cers . Astoria woke up to a light dusting of snow Friday. Edward Stratton/The Astorian MORE INSIDE Winter weather advisory issued • A2 Astoria students go back A hopeful to school after long wait return for sports By GARY HENLEY The Astorian A burglary report At about 1:30 p.m. on Dec. 28, police and sheriff’s deputies responded to a Over the next week, an estimated 507 chil- dren in kindergarten though fi fth grade will return to classrooms at Astor Elementary and Lewis and Clark Elementary. If all goes well and case metrics remain low in Clatsop County, the school district plans to begin to do the same for middle school and high school students beginning March 11. All students in the school district started the school year online, but the district brought a limited number of students back into build- ings for specifi c classes and activities in recent months. In January, the school board voted in favor of a phased reopening beginning with the youngest students. The district will continue to follow I t’s g ame on for Oregon school sports. Or, rather, g ame on, with safety precautions. After a nearly year long absence , the Oregon Health Authority announced Wednesday it will be revising its guidance for the continuation of outdoor sports. T hat opens the door for high school fall sports to begin the fi rst week of March — with protocols in place. Astoria athletic director and football coach Howard Rub is cautiously optimis- tic and pleased that there are now at least plans in place for sports. “The premise is, we are excited, if we fi nd that we can do all this stuff safely,” he said. “Everyone is excited to put some- thing together that will be safe and healthy for our kids, provided we can make sure to follow all the new guidelines that will offi - cially come out on Friday, regarding contact sports like football. We will certainly try to move forward.” The revised sports schedule will have fall sports up fi rst, with cross-country, foot- ball, soccer and volleyball. Practices for football offi cially begin on Monday , with practices for other sports to begin later this month . Games and events start March 1. In a statement , Gov. Kate Brown said, “T his has been a diffi cult year for Oregon’s youth athletes and, as our COVID-19 num- bers have dropped, I have been commit- ted to working with our health experts to re evaluate our protocols for sports. See School, Page A6 See Sports, Page A6 See Shooting, Page A6 State narrows virus case count at hospital Revision disclosed in weekly outbreak report By NICOLE BALES The Astorian The Oregon Health Authority has nar- rowed the coronavirus cases tied to Colum- bia Memorial Hospital . In a weekly report on workplace out- breaks released on Wednesday, the health authority listed 14 cases dating from Nov. 27 to Dec. 22. The state had previously detailed 27 cases from Nov. 27 to Jan. 14. The health authority discloses outbreaks at businesses with 30 or more workers once fi ve virus cases are reported. See Hospital, Page A6 Katie Frankowicz/The Astorian Children line up to enter Astor Elementary School on Thursday, their fi rst day back into classrooms since the coronavirus pandemic shut down schools last March. By KATIE FRANKOWICZ The Astorian As Tristan Robinson went through the checklist his parents created to keep him on track each morning, he was thrilled to skip one particular step: Getting out the computer for his online classes. Instead, Thursday was the k indergartner’s “fi rst day of school” — his fi rst day being in a classroom in front of a teacher with other students since the coronavirus pandemic shut down schools and many day care and pre- school centers last March. Robinson was among nearly 100 elementary school students who began to return to classrooms on Thurs- day as the Astoria School District slowly reopened to in-person instruction. Buoy Beer, Scoular interested in enterprise zone Investments could bring tax breaks By EDWARD STRATTON The Astorian Edward Stratton/The Astorian Buoy Beer Co. has begun jacking up the roof of the former Video Horizons to house new brewing equipment, part of an $8 million waterfront expansion. Buoy Beer Co. and The Scou- lar Co. are offering to invest mil- lions and create higher-paying jobs in exchange for tax breaks on new property. The Clatsop Enterprise Zone offers companies tax breaks on new investments in return for improving property and creating new jobs that pay at least 130% of the average county wage. The companies still pay taxes on exist- ing property. Fort George Brewery was approved for an estimated $617,000 in tax relief over 15 years. The com- pany promised to invest at least $12.5 million to convert the former Astoria Warehousing campus in Uniontown into a new brewery and create at least 35 jobs. Buoy and Scoular pitched their projects to local leaders Wednesday. Clatsop C ounty, Astoria, Warren- ton and the Port of Astoria need to approve additions to the enterprise zone. River Barrel Brewing, the par- ent company behind Buoy Beer and Pilot House Distilling, has begun an $8 million expansion on the water- front expected to fi nish by the end of the year. Buoy Beer is raising the roof of See Enterprise zone, Page A2 Feb. 20th & 21st Saturday: 9 am- 3 pm ◆ Sunday: 10 am- 3 pm Seaside Convention Center You Never Know What You’ll Find At A Collectors West Gun & Knife Show! 415 1st Avenue, Seaside collectorswest.com $ 8
