Image provided by: University of Oregon Libraries; Eugene, OR
About The daily Astorian. (Astoria, Or.) 1961-current | View Entire Issue (April 8, 2021)
»INSIDE THURSDAY APRIL 8 2021 TASTE TE PA S GE T 8 FEATURES RESTAURANT LS, GOLFING MEA DECADENT RIA’S EXPLORE ASTO ART WALK ERT AND ENJOY DESS DRINKS PAGE 6 PAGE 4 BAY CASINO; Col- SHOALWATER x 108 Front Cover- ; 756 235550-1; 04.08 x 1.5; XPos: 0 YPos: 0, Width: or; 4 DailyAstorian.com // THURSDAY, APRIL 8, 2021 148TH YEAR, NO. 121 $1.50 CORONAVIRUS Church annex draws ire of neighbors Uppertown church wants to expand Hood to Coast could return Last year’s event was a casualty of the pandemic By R.J. MARX The Astorian By EDWARD STRATTON The Astorian L ief Erikson Drive in Uppertown divides the neighborhood between large commercial prop- erties such as Safeway and Comfort Suites to the north and mostly sin- gle-family homes to the south. A proposed annex by Bethany Free Lutheran Church on 34th Street has two families up the hill opposed to what they see as encroachment of another box of a building on a historic neighborhood. Bethany Free Lutheran, formed in 1890, spent nearly a century on Frank- lin Avenue amid a collection of his- toric homes on a bluff overlooking the Columbia River. The church moved in the 1980s to 34th Street, buying a lot across the street and next to the U.S. Customs house replica for overfl ow parking and an eventual expansion. Craig Johnson, the pastor of Beth- any Free Lutheran for more than 20 years, said there has long been talk of building an annex across the street. Older congregation members have expressed concerns over lim- ited access to the Astoria Senior Cen- ter, he said, while church-related youth groups have found it more diffi cult to fi nd after-school activity space in pub- lic buildings. Photos by Hailey Hoff man/The Astorian Vincent Tadei sits next to his window, which overlooks the Columbia River and the lot Bethany Free Lutheran Church plans to develop. Bethan Free Lutheran Church is facing opposition from some neighbors over plans to develop a 5,000-square- foot annex on this plot of land. See Relay, Page A6 RDA Project Management See Annex, Page A6 SEASIDE — The Hood to Coast Relay is back on track . The “mother of all relays,” which was canceled last summer because of the coro- navirus pandemic , could take place Aug. 27 and Aug. 28, with 12-member teams running 199 miles from the top of Mount Hood to the beach in Seaside. “We’ve been planning on operating our 2021 relay events since the beginning of the year,” Hood to Coast Chief Oper- ating Offi cer Dan Floyd said . “We feel strongly that we can safely operate the 2021 events.” The relay team lottery has fi lled its limit, with 1,050 Hood to Coast running teams and 400 Portland to Coast Walk Bethany Free Lutheran Church is planning a 5,000-square-foot annex on 34th Street. County to remain at moderate risk for virus Recent spike not enough to change risk level By NICOLE BALES The Astorian Clatsop County will remain at mod- erate risk for the coronavirus on Friday even after a recent spike in cases. The county has been at moderate risk since late March. “We are at a critical moment in this pandemic as we face more contagious vari- ants of COVID-19 tak- MORE ing hold in our com- INSIDE munities,” Gov. Kate County Brown said in a state- reports ment Tuesday. “Now new virus more than ever it’s cases • A6 imperative that we all continue wearing masks, maintain physi- cal distance, stay home when sick and get the vaccine when it’s available to you.” See Risk, Page A6 Educators expect strong demand for kindergarten A large class likely at Astor Elementary By KATIE FRANKOWICZ The Astorian Educators expect a large class of incoming k inder- gartners at Astor Elemen- tary in September as regis- tration opens this month. The Astoria School Dis- trict started this school year online only and principal Kate Gohr believes many families opted to wait a year to enroll their young- est children. Some rea- soned that their kids would gain little from online schooling while the s chool d istrict remained shut down to in-person classes because of the coronavirus pandemic. Now, with widespread vaccinations underway and a more positive out- look on pandemic-related precautions, Gohr expects See Kindergarten, Page A6 Leaders back historic cemetery name Pioneer Cemetery was once called Hillside Cemetery By EDWARD STRATTON The Astorian Edward Stratton/The Astorian John Goodenberger, a local historian and preservationist, said the stone Astoria Pioneer Cemetery plaque would likely stay as part of the site’s history after the name reverts to Hillside Cemetery. The Astoria Pioneer Cem- etery, a burial ground off Niagara Avenue that used to be named the Hillside Ceme- tery, will revert to its histori- cal name during a restoration by Clatsop Community Col- lege students. Astoria city council- ors on Monday voiced their approval of the college using the older name in a new wooden sign on 14th Street a student will make as part of their capstone project. In 1865, John Welch deeded land for Hillside Cemetery, which replaced Potter’s Field at 14th and Irving Avenue as the city’s primary burial ground . By the 20th century, the city established Ocean View Cemetery in Warrenton and outlawed further interments in Astoria. Many bodies were exhumed and moved to See Cemetery, Page A6