The Columbia press., January 01, 2021, Page 4, Image 4

4
The Columbia Press
January 1, 2021
2020: A look at a year that will live in infamy
Continued from Page 1
came a political statement.
And then came the fires that
ate through Oregon and oth-
er Western states, killing 11
Oregonians, burning a mil-
lion acres and thousands of
homes and businesses.
The November election was
the cherry on the 2020 night-
mare. Love him or hate him,
will it take an army to re-
move Trump from the White
House?
But turning our gaze to
home base, here’s a local look
at the year that couldn’t end
soon enough.
January
•Local developer Jason
Palmberg submits plans to
the city of Warrenton for a
large RV park on vacant land
along the Skipanon River.
•The city is fined $10,800
for a dozen safety and health
violations within the fire de-
partment. Because of the
city’s quick response, fines
are later reduced to $4,100.
•Warrenton Middle School
students build a Goonies-
themed miniboat that was
launched in the ocean, part of
a joint learning program with
students in Japan.
•More than 400 soldiers
head to Kosovo after training
at Camp Rilea. They are part
of the largest deployment of
troops since World War II.
•Debbie Morrow receives
top honors at the annual As-
toria-Warrenton Area Cham-
ber of Commerce banquet
for her community work
as school board president,
sports supporter, and co-or-
ganizer of Warrenton-Ham-
mond Healthy Kids.
February
•Warrenton High School’s
new Career and Technical
Education center is dedicat-
ed. It will serve those stu-
dents seeking vocational
training that doesn’t require
a college degree.
•Reconstruction of South
Courtesy J.E. McAmis Construction
Rock work is put in place at South Jetty, a $140.7 million fed-
eral project in Fort Stevens State Park designed to protect the
shipping channel.
Jetty, a $140.7 million feder-
al project, begins. Work will
continue through 2024.
March
•Warrenton city commis-
sioners vote to stop approv-
ing new water connections
outside city limits. The
move is in response to stud-
ies showing impending in-
adequate water availability
during summer months.
•Gov. Kate Brown issues
executive orders in response
to the threat of a novel coro-
navirus. Schools, restaurants
and bars are closed.
•Warrenton gives tourists
24 hours to get out of town
after hordes of people --
who’ve been implored to stay
home -- flock to local beach-
es, campgrounds and hotels
for spring break. Soon, most
communities on the coast fol-
low Warrenton’s lead.
April
•The
governor
orders
schools to remain closed for
the rest of the school year,
devastating the spring sports
program for student athletes
and eliminating numerous
opportunities for those in
band, chorus and other ex-
tracurricular activities.
•The state and Clatsop
County receive pallets of per-
sonal protective equipment
from the federal government.
There have been 58 deaths
in the state from COVID-19,
all of them elderly. Clatsop
County has had six positive
cases so far.
•Alexander Jimenez, 34,
dies a few hours after creat-
ing a disturbance downtown
during which police use a
Taser to subdue him.
May
•Land that once belonged to
Native Americans at the north
end of Seaside is returned to
the Clatsop-Nehalem Con-
federated Tribes by the North
Coast Land Conservancy.
•Voters elect John Toyoo-
ka of Gearhart and Courtney
Bangs of Knappa to replace
incumbents Sarah Nebeker
and Kathleen Sullivan on the
Clatsop County Commission.
June
•The
Warrenton
High
School Class of 2020 be-
comes the first to participate
in drive-through graduation
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