Image provided by: University of Oregon Libraries; Eugene, OR
About The Columbia press. (Astoria, Or.) 1949-current | View Entire Issue (April 17, 2020)
T he C olumbia P ress 1 50 ¢ C latsop C ounty ’ s I ndependent W eekly www.thecolumbiapress.com April 17, 2020 Vol. 4, Issue 16 Finally, state gets some encouraging virus news The Columbia Press and news services News this week about the COVID-19 pandemic brought a bit of optimism to the state of Oregon, its struggling businesses and those who aren’t receiving paychecks. Infections with the virus are pro- jected to remain level into May and stay within current hospital capaci- ty if Oregonians continue social dis- tancing, Oregon Health Authority officials said. All 58 of the state’s deaths have been among the elderly, and all had pre-existing health conditions. Clatsop County has had six positive cases, none of them have required hospitalization and three have re- covered and are no longer under quarantine. New projections from health re- searchers estimate that Oregon’s “aggressive” social distancing mea- sures have prevented 18,000 cases of COVID-19 and 500 hospitaliza- tions. But restrictions must remain Supplies from the fed- eral stockpile in Dubai arrive at the state distribu- tion center in Wilsonville. Courtesy Oregon Health Authority in place to prevent new cases from rising above what’s happening right now, the agency warned. Oregon received 78 pallets of per- sonal protective equipment April 10 from the U.S. Agency for Interna- tional Development, replenishing the state’s stockpile of N95 masks, face shields, gloves, masks, coveralls and other equipment. The PPE has been kept in a foreign disaster warehouse in Dubai. The last time the stockpile was touched for a domestic emergency was after Hurricane Katrina in 2005. This week, Oregon Army Nation- al Guard members picked up the supplies from the state distribution center in Wilsonville and distrib- uted them to all 36 counties, nine tribal nations, and two tribal health See ‘Coronavirus’ on Page 3 City making post-pandemic party preparations B y C indy y ingst The Columbia Press The city is ready to party. With cancellation of the Easter egg hunt and a downtown street festi- val, plus the possibility of no Fourth of July parade, commissioners feel something should be done for citi- zens, many of whom haven’t left town or their homes for months. “It’s important we don’t just can- cel everything,” Mayor Henry Balen- sifer said during Tuesday night’s City Commission meeting. He and other commissioners are working with Spruce Up Warrenton on a “Welcome Back to the Future How to help Donations can be made to Spruce Up Warrenton, P.O. Box 97, Warrenton OR 97146. To volun- teer, contact the group through its Facebook page or call organizer Brenda Hoxsey at 503-861-7309. End of Pandemic Party” at Robinson Community Park. The date has yet to be set with so much uncertainty re- garding the COVID-19 virus. The group is raising donations for the party so the city’s general fund doesn’t take further beatings during the unstable economy. “It’s a communal sigh of relief,” Balensifer said. “It’s important to consider how do we move forward and how do we play our role in the new normal.” Much will depend on orders of the governor. “My hope is that our state leader- ship will get on board” in opening up the economy, Commissioner Mark Baldwin said. “In Clatsop County, we’ve had six cases in five weeks that we know of. If it’s looking like some of us dodged a bullet, it’s because (lo- cal governments) took action early. … I urge our state leadership to make decisions that are right for our citi- zens.” Graduation in time of COVID a sad introduction to adulthood B y C indy y ingst The Columbia Press How will our seniors graduate from high school if the rest of the school year has been cancelled? It’s already a done deal, state leaders have decided. While other grade levels continue with individualized “dis- tance” learning, any senior who was in good standing when the governor shut- tered the schools March 12 has been given amnesty for fourth quarter. Heyen The news is small so- lace for Warrenton’s class of 2020. There will be no prom, no spring sports, no final band or dance recital, no scholarship banquet, no gradua- tion ceremony and no grad night. “I’m sad for them,” Warrenton High School Principal Rod Heyen said. “It’s an anxious time for our seniors, for sure.” Senior Melia Kapua, a three-sport athlete, appreciates the love and support from the community, which has helped her cope with such a frustrat- ing situation, she said. “Missing the last Kapua sport season of your fi- nal year of high school and not being able to walk at gradu- ation are the two biggest things that have really affected me,” she said. “Everything was cut off and I didn’t See ‘Graduation’ on Page 4