149TH YEAR, NO. 29
WEEKEND EDITION // SATuRdAY, SEpTEmbER 4, 2021
$1.50
Military
helps out
hospitals
National Guard arrives
in Astoria and Seaside
By R.J. MARX
The Astorian
photos by Hailey Hoffman/The Astorian
An elk calf drinks milk from its mother in Warrenton.
The Oregon National Guard arrived
Friday to provide assistance to Columbia
Memorial Hospital in Astoria and Provi-
dence Seaside Hospital, which have seen
more coronavirus patients during the
surge of the delta variant.
While the number of local virus
patients is not as high as other hospitals
in Oregon — five at Columbia Memo-
rial, three at Providence Seaside as of
Thursday — the increase in virus cases
and hospitalizations over the past several
weeks has caused stress to the region’s
health care network.
See Military, Page A2
A collaborative approach
to elk on the North Coast
Culling — always a controversial proposal — remains on the table
By KATIE FRANKOWICZ
The Astorian
S
tate Sen. Betsy Johnson and
more than a dozen other stake-
holders, including timberland
managers, mayors, hunters and con-
servationists, signed off Wednesday
on the first unified approach to deal-
ing with urban elk on the North Coast.
Elk herds in the Clatsop Plains, an
increasingly developed area that stretches
from Warrenton to Gearhart and includes
part of Seaside, have grown over the
years, leading to concerns about safety
and conservation. Community debates
about the best way to address elk-related
issues have often been divisive.
See Elk, Page A6
County
records
several new
virus deaths
Death toll reaches 21 as
virus case count climbs
By GRIFFIN REILLY
The Astorian
Elk stroll across U.S. Highway 101 near Cannon Beach.
MORE INSIDE
biologists research how climate change may impact elk • A6
The Oregon Health Authority reported
several new coronavirus deaths for Clat-
sop County as virus cases continue to
surge.
The health authority disclosed eight
new virus deaths on Friday in addition to
two virus deaths previously reported by
the county. Since the pandemic began,
See Deaths, Page A2
Clatsop County recorded 684 COVID-19 cases in August, the most of any month during the pandemic so far. The
new virus cases were driven by the spread of the delta variant and mostly involved people who were unvaccinated.
Clatsop County recorded 684 COVID-19 cases in August, the most of any month du
new virus cases were driven by the spread of the delta variant and mostly involved p
684
NUMBER OF CASES
Total Cases
August 2021
*Source:
Oregon
Health
Authority
AUGUST 2021