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