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About The Columbia press. (Astoria, Or.) 1949-current | View Entire Issue (Sept. 13, 2019)
T he C olumbia P ress 1 50 ¢ C latsop C ounty ’ s I ndependent W eekly n eWspaper www.thecolumbiapress.com September 13, 2019 Vol. 3, Issue 37 History maven closes book on Warrenton museum B y C indy y ingst The Columbia Press Diane Collier is Warren- ton’s queen of historical obscurity. She owns an auto- graphed photo of Arnold Schwarzenegger from “Kindergarten Cop” days, a bow tie from the 1955 Lewis and Clark Sesqui- centennial Celebration at Fort Clatsop, pan- oramic photos of Tansy Point when it was a bus- tling freight and passen- ger dock, and books long Above: Diane Collier behind the counter at the Warrenton Visitor’s Center and Museum. Left: The center’s restroom is filled with history. Below: The center in Youngs Bay Plaza. Photos by Cindy Yingst since out of circulation. Even the Warrenton Visitor Center and Muse- um’s restroom walls are filled with Collier’s his- toric photos. The town’s official his- torian plans to retire from the unpaid position at the end of the month. “We’ve had a good time here and it’s been fun, but it’s time to move on now,” said Collier, 79. “Now Sonny will have to put up with me all the time.” Sonny is the man she married in 1958 and with whom she raised a family. Her love of history didn’t start long after. “My family been here since before the white people,” said Collier, a Clatsop Indian and chair of the Clatsop-Nehalem Confederated Tribes. She was born and raised in Warrenton and has been lifelong friends with See ‘History’ on Page 6 Emergency groups, city offer chance to get ready The Columbia Press The storm of 2007 knocked out elec- tricity, phone lines, cell phone towers and even gas stations. Roads were blocked by downed trees, and Clatsop County was isolated. It’s likely to happen again. The city of Warrenton and Warren- ton-Hammond Community Emer- gency Response Team (CERT) are sponsoring an event designed to help residents prepare themselves, their families, their pets, their homes, and their neighborhoods for another dev- astating storm, earthquake or other emergency. While residents living in the rest of See ‘Emergency’ on Page 4 If you go What: Second annual Warrenton Disaster Preparedness Event When: 9 a.m. to 3 p.m. Saturday, Sept. 21 Where: Warrenton Community Center, 170 S.W. Third St. Warrenton swears in two new police officers; two spots to go The Columbia Press Two new Warrenton police officers took the oath of office Tuesday night, leaving the department with two ad- ditional spots to fill. “It’s not an easy task,” Chief Matt Workman said. “The process to hire these two police officers began at the end of last year.” Finding the right fit for the de- partment, the town and its people is essential, he said. There was an ex- tensive interview process and back- ground checks. Next, the officers will attend a basic police academy in Salem, then an internal training program before they’ll be allowed to patrol on their own. “We’re very excited to get them going in their careers with us” and hopefully they’ll have a long career in the department, Workman said. Madyson Hanna was born and raised in Warrenton and graduated from Warrenton High School. She has a bachelor’s degree in criminal justice from Warner Pacific Universi- ty in Portland. Most recently, she has worked at the Nike Factory Outlet in Seaside. Dylan McCoy graduated high school in Chico, Calif., and lived in Nehalem before moving to Seaside. He worked most recently for Ram Security at Camp Rilea and John Young Construction in Naselle. The officers will fill vacancies left by Officer Len Mossman, who retired in June, and Officer Teresa McKee, who retired and moved to Arizona a month ago. There are two more vacancies in the department. Officer Alfonzo Fontana retired in December, but still is working on a temporary contract until his position can be filled. Officer Sheridan Crutcher, who was hired in October 2017, resigned to take a job with the police department in La Center, Wash. Cindy Yingst Officers Madyson Hanna and Dylan Mc- Coy take the oath of office Tuesday.