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About The Columbia press. (Astoria, Or.) 1949-current | View Entire Issue (July 26, 2019)
July 26, 2019 T he C olumbia P ress News in brief Senior Moments with Emma Edwards There never seems to be enough time to do things we want to do Fall football season begins Aug. 31. Hallmark Channel just started advertising pro- gramming we can look for- ward to in October. As if that weren’t enough, the channel featured Christmas movies this entire month. So where did the year go? “Yesterday is history. Tomorrow is a mystery. And today? Today is a gift. That’s why we call it the present.” The quote is from Nige- rian-born drummer Baba- tunde Olatunji, who’s cred- ited with bringing the sound of African drumming to an American audience, influenc- ing a number of jazz and rock musicians. Olatunji was 76 when he died in Salinas, Ca- lif., in 2003. I was thinking the other day of a song I enjoyed hearing John Denver sing in the early 1970s. “Time in a Bottle” was written and sung most often by Jim Croce. The song contains thoughts such as, “If I could save time in a bottle . . . If I could make days last forever . . . I’d save every day like a treasure . . . But there never seems to be enough time to do the things you want to do.” Pretty heavy stuff, for sure! Think how often you or I or any one of us have made statements like that. John Denver sang those words never guessing his life would end at age 53 when the plane he was piloting crashed in the Monterey Bay moun- tains. Denver was asked if he wanted to gas it up but said he would only be out about an hour. (Both tanks were low on gas). He ran out of gas in one tank and his at- tempt to switch to the other tank failed. Ironically, Croce met the same fate. He died in September 1973 when his chartered plane crashed in Louisiana. He was only 30. Did you notice there are two new moons this month? The first was on July 2 and the second is next week, on Wednesday, July 31. In recent years, accord- ing to the Old Farmer’s Al- manac, when this happens in a single calendar year it’s called “black moon.” (A “blue moon” is when there are two full moons in a month.) You may recall hearing about the partial lunar eclipse on July 16-17, which I do not think was visible in our area. Sometimes the full moon for July is called the “full buck moon” because a buck’s ant- lers are in full growth mode at this time. Some have also referred to this full moon as the “thun- der moon” because thunder- storms are so frequent during July. The Old Farmer’s Almanac notes that these full moon names come from “Native American tribes, Colonial Americans or other tradition- al North American names passed down through gener- ations.” By the way, while studying about the moon, I learned a new word, syzygy. Syzygy is “the nearly straight-line configuration of three celes- tial bodies (such as the sun, moon, and earth during a so- lar or lunar eclipse) in a grav- itational system.” Never heard that word? I hadn’t either. However, it has been around since 1847. 7 College board seeks applicants The Clatsop Communi- ty College Board of Educa- tion seeks applicants for the board’s vacant Zone 3 posi- tion. Zone 3 includes War- renton, Clatsop Plains, Gear- hart, Seaside, Cannon Beach and Arch Cape. Applications will be accept- ed through Aug. 1. Interested persons are asked to submit letters of interest accompa- nied by resumes of relevant experience. Those applying must be registered voters liv- ing within Zone 3 and must have been a resident within the district for one year im- mediately preceding the ap- pointment. Applications should be submitted to the President’s Office, Clatsop Community College, 1651 Lexington Ave., Astoria. The board will review the applicants and arrange in- terviews in August. For more information, contact Stepha- nie Dorcheus at sdorcheus@ clatsopcc.edu. State reinstates mortgage program The state housing agency has reopened its mortgage payment assistance program for homeowners receiving unemployment. The Mortgage Payment As- sistance Unemployment pro- gram is designed is designed to help unemployed home- owners avoid foreclosure while they seek new employ- ment. Eligible homeown- ers may receive assistance to cover up to 12 months of mortgage payments, up to a maximum of $20,000. To be eligible, applicants must own no other residen- tial property, may not be in active bankruptcy and must be receiving unemployment insurance. Applications will be accept- ed through Sept. 30. Homeowners should visit oregonhomeownerhelp.org for information. ABC fire extinguisher. Non- industrial use of chain saws still is allowed. For more information, visit the agency’s website at ore- gon.gov/ODF/Fire/pages. Oregon Department of For- estry raised the fire danger level Tuesday in the north- west part of the state from low to moderate for those us- ing the forests for recreation. Campfires will be allowed only in designated camping sites. Motorists using forest roads are required to have a shovel and one gallon of wa- ter or a 2 ½-pound or larger Astoria Regatta Association seeks photos that celebrate the 125th anniversary of the event. The group plans to create window shop displays lead- ing up to the celebration Aug. 7-10. If you can help, contact Nancy Kennell, Regatta As- sociation board member, at 503-325-5219. Fire danger level Regatta photos old increased by ODF and new sought Senior lunch menu Monday, July 29: Meatloaf, mashed potatoes and gravy, car- rots, coleslaw, apple pie. Thursday, Aug. 1: Ham, sweet potatoes, corn, tomato soup, bread pudding. The Warrenton senior lunch program is at noon (doors open at 10:30 a.m.) Mondays and Thursdays at Warrenton Community Center, 170 SW Third St. Suggested donation is $6 for ages 55 and older; $7 for those younger. For more information, call 503-861-3502. Community Energy Workshop The Warrenton-Hammond School District, in conjunction with the Energy Trust of Oregon, is hosting an energy work- shop. The workshop is scheduled for Wednesday, July 31, 2019, 10:00 a.m. till noon at the Warrenton Grade School Multi-Pur- pose Room, 820 SW Cedar Avenue in Warrenton. The workshop will include consultants and engineers who will brainstorm ideas with staff and community regarding various opportunities to reduce energy consumption of the new mid- dle school building as part of the ongoing design process. Other ideas related to the reduction of water and gas usage will also be explored. The new middle school is under design and scheduled to open in Fall 2021. It is paid for through bond funding ap- proved by the voters in November 2018. This workshop is partially funded by the Energy Trust of Or- egon and is a first step to applying for potential energy grants that may be available to the District. This is an open workshop to anyone wishing to attend. No RSVP is necessary.
