T he C olumbia P ress
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C latsop C ounty ’ s I ndependent W eekly n eWspaper
www.thecolumbiapress.com
Vol. 2, Issue 36
September 7, 2018
Final days of summer
Signs of Fall
The region’s busiest season is winding
down.
Thousands of tourists bulked up Clat-
sop County’s population, causing traffic
snarls, requiring rescues and even get-
ting a trailer stuck in the ocean surf.
They also provided a flush of money
for local businesses and helped create
jobs for residents.
Top left: Two workers take a break at a
third-floor window while working at Pacific
Rim Apartments on Ensign Lane.
Top right: A bull elk keeps his harem,
including two calves, in line at Oceanview
Cemetery.
Bottom: A man uses a metal detector at
Hammond Marina, a bit quieter now that
tourist season is winding down.
Photos by Cindy Yingst/The Columbia Press
Hallways bulge
with students as
new year begins
The Columbia Press
When students returned to school
this week, they found a freshly paint-
ed grade school, revised athletic pro-
grams and a larger class of peers.
Districtwide, 1,046
students are on the High school
rolls in the War-
fall sports
renton-Hammond
schedule.
School District, an in-
See page 5
crease of 41 kids.
The biggest jump
was at the high school, which had 278
students on the books this week.
Add a healthy number of kinder-
gartners – 83 to 85 – next week and
Warrenton Grade School is a busy
place. The campus serves kindergar-
ten through eighth grade and has a
preschool program as well.
“There are pinch points,” Superin-
tendent Mark Jeffery said. “We run
it as well as we can. We have them
flow into and out of the cafeteria in a
way that makes it seem like it isn’t as
crowded as it is.”
Eighty-three percent of the kids par-
ticipate in Warrenton Grade School’s
breakfast program, which is offered
free to all students, and 54 percent in
the free and reduced lunch program.
See ‘Schools’ on Page 5
State-sponsored savings program replaces employer retirement
A savings program set up by the
state treasury is popular with resi-
dents even those who aren’t taking
advantage of it.
OregonSaves was developed in July
2017 for workers whose employers
don’t offer retirement plans.
More than 80 percent of Orego-
nians say they support the program,
according to research sponsored by
AARP Oregon.
The study, conducted by DHM Re-
search in Portland, also shows bipar-
tisan support for the program.
“I’m a pollster. I’m asking Orego-
nians questions about public policy
matters all the time,” said John Hor-
vick, vice president of DHM. “Such a
high support across party lines is un-
usual today.”
Oregonians are anxious about re-
tirement security, said Joyce De
Monnin, communications director at
AARP Oregon.
“Too many workers in our state face
financial insecurity because of a lack
of retirement savings, and a culture of
savings,” De Monnin noted. “The re-
tirement savings landscape has shift-
ed in the last few decades with more
responsibility for savings put on the
shoulders of employees.”
The new survey shows about two-
thirds of respondents feel anxiety
about retirement funds.
More than $6 million has been saved
by the 39,000 enrolled employees, ac-
cording to Oregon State Treasury.
See ‘Saving’ on Page 6
Cindy Yingst/The Columbia Press
An inspirational banner greeted stu-
dents their first day at Warrenton Grade
School.