T he C olumbia P ress
1
50 ¢
C latsop C ounty ’ s I ndependent W eekly
www.thecolumbiapress.com
January 31, 2020
Schools President Debbie Morrow
wins top chamber honors
Three winners named for Astoria’s award
The Columbia Press
Debbie Morrow of Warrenton was given top
honors Saturday at the annual meeting and ban-
quet for Astoria-Warrenton Area Chamber of
Commerce.
There were three recipients this year sharing the
top honors in Astoria.
“I was completely surprised,” Morrow said about
receiving the Richard Ford Distinguished Service
Award, a citizen-of-the-year commendation given
to a Warrenton resident who goes above and be-
yond in making contributions to the community.
“This truly was the best-kept secret,” she said.
“It is such an honor. … I’m still smiling. I love
the work we do. I love knowing we are making a
difference. Our community and our children are
worth it.”
The Ford Award was presented by Warrenton
Mayor Henry Balensifer after the dinner at the
Debbie Morrow with her husband, Chris, and Clatsop County Fairgrounds with 250 people in
attendance.
children Matthew, Jessica and Jake.
“Our award winner this year
could be singled out as the Warren-
ton-Hammond School District’s big-
gest cheerleader,” Balensifer said.
Morrow, who is executive officer of
the Clatsop Association of Realtors,
is an advocate of Warrenton’s fam-
ilies and children. She is president
of the school board and serves on
the board of Warrenton-Hammond
Brownlie
Mike and Mary Davies
Taylor
See ‘Chamber’ on Page 6
Vol. 4, Issue 5
State talking about fixes at
jammed-up intersection
B y C indy y ingst
The Columbia Press
A hot spot for traffic jams
and vehicle collisions is on
state lawmakers’ radar.
The intersection on Ensign
Lane, where exits from both
Wendy’s and Home Depot
send drivers onto the busy
major commercial street, has
been problematic for the city
since the fast-food restau-
rant opened last spring.
Three proposals city lead-
ers looked at Tuesday night
included variations on re-
moving the median island
or “pork chop,” changing the
striping, and adding signs
and pavement arrows.
The cost of any improve-
ments would be borne by the
city.
Changing the intersection
requires amending the city’s
Transportation System Plan
(TSP), a 20-year blueprint
for roads, which the state
See ‘Ensign Lane’ on Page 4
Crime calls drop ever so slightly
2019 stats show
rise in arrests
and disturbances
B y C indy y ingst
The Columbia Press
Arrests and citations in-
creased 21 percent last year
in the city of Warrenton, but
overall calls dipped slightly.
“We’ve had no drastic
changes and even gone down
in total calls for service,” Po-
lice Chief Matt Workman
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told city commissioners
Tuesday night. “If you ask an
officer, they’ll say they don’t
believe it because we are
very, very busy.”
The department has been
short-handed, with two pa-
trol positions open much of
the year. Overtime has aver-
aged 200 hours per month,
he said.
The city of Astoria has been
tracking police calls involv-
ing homeless and transient
See ‘Crime’ on Page 8
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