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About The Columbia press. (Astoria, Or.) 1949-current | View Entire Issue (May 25, 2018)
T he C olumbia P ress 1 50 ¢ C latsop C ounty ’ s I ndependent W eekly n eWspaper www.thecolumbiapress.com May 25, 2018 Warrenton wages a fight against blight B y C indy y ingst The Columbia Press Warrenton has declared war on blight. And, like any strategy meant to entice or force people to do what’s in the best interest of others, it will take diligence and perseverance to pull off. After success at two properties last year and a third property this month -- with partial success at a fourth, the City Commission moved on to other problem parcels Tues- day night and discussed tactics for dealing with them. One of the commission’s goals this year is to use grants and urban re- newal funds to improve downtown and the city’s main entryways. “We plan on updating our urban renewal plan to detail the most stra- tegic use of funds … (and) we also are going to deal with blighted and nuisance properties,” Mayor Hen- ry Balensifer wrote in a column in April about the city’s goals. See ‘Blight’ on Page 4 Vol. 2, Issue 21 Life Flight hopes for better response with new app The Columbia Press Life Flight Network, which has a base of operations at the Asto- ria-Warrenton Airport, released a cellphone application Wednesday that allows hospitals and medics to call for an air ambulance with the touch of a button. Victims of a serious crash who have life-threatening injuries could get help faster, which could save their lives, the company said. “With LFN Respond, approved hos- pital and emergency responders can instantly request a Life Flight Net- work aircraft by tapping the flight call button in the app, sending vital information and GPS location direct- ly to dispatch personnel at our com- munications center,” said Michael Griffiths, Life Flight’s chief executive officer. “(It) saves precious seconds and makes calling for air ambulance Top left: An unoccu- pied house at 11th Street and South Main Avenue. The three other photos at top were taken on Highway 104. Right: A house and warehouses at South Main and Ninth Street. See ‘Life Flight’ on Page 4 Those killed in line of duty honored in local Memorial Day observances Vietnam combined, points out Mitch The Columbia Press Those who died to keep Americans Sparks, director of the Oregon De- free will be honored across the coun- partment of Veterans’ Affairs. try and locally Monday in Memorial An estimated 6,000 Oregon service members have died in the Day observations. line of duty since Oregon be- This year marks the coun- came a state. try’s 150th Memorial Day. “Today, Memorial Day is a On May 5, 1868, a Civil War cherished and protected na- veterans group, urged the tional holiday,” Sparks said. country to honor soldiers lost “ However Memorial Day is in the war they lived through celebrated in your commu- when many of their friends nity, and however different did not. it may appear from the sim- It was a war that nearly ple ceremonies of a grieving, tore the country apart. It was Sparks post-Civil War America, the America’s bloodiest conflict, with more than 620,000 casualties – sentiment remains the same. It is more than World War I, II, Korea and that of a grateful nation to its fallen soldiers: ‘Thank you. We will never forget you.’” In Clatsop County, several events will publicly honor the country’s ser- vice members who lost their lives. • Veterans of Foreign Wars Post 10580 will have a ceremony at 11 a.m. at the Fort Stevens Army Post Ceme- tery. “We pay tributes to the crew of the lifeboat Triumph, lost Jan. 12, 1961, while assisting the fishing vessel Mer- maid on Peacock Spit and a wreath will be placed for all the lost military members who lost their lives,” said Bert Little, quartermaster. To get to the cemetery from Pacific Drive in Hammond, head toward the ocean and turn left on Seventh Ave- nue and then left on Russell Drive, which dead-ends at the cemetery. • VFW Post 10580 will have a changing of the flags ceremony at 12:30 p.m. at the park in front of War- renton Post Office. Fallen Warrenton Police Reserve Officer Robert McMaster, killed in the line of duty in March 1996, will be honored and a wreath will be placed under the U.S. flag and the POW/MIA Flag to honor all service men and women who left home, nev- er to return. Guest speaker is Warrenton High School Principal Rod Heyen. See ‘Memorial Day’ on Page 6