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About The Columbia press. (Astoria, Or.) 1949-current | View Entire Issue (May 21, 2021)
The Columbia Press 1 Clatsop County’s Independent Weekly www.thecolumbiapress.com 50 ¢ Vol. 5, Issue 21 May 21, 2021 Happy trails as Warrenton connects the dots Masked man sought in DQ robbery State funding will create a new trail and connect another By Cindy Yingst The Columbia Press The Columbia Press Police are reviewing video from nearby businesses after a Monday night robbery at the Dairy Queen on Marlin Avenue. The robber, a man dressed in black and wearing a black face mask, came in through a back door that had been propped open while employees were cleaning, Warren- ton Police Chief Matt Workman said. A customer called 911 about 9:45 p.m. Sunday after an employee told them to call the police because they were being robbed, according to dispatch logs. “The suspect went into the man- ager’s office and entered the open safe,” Workman said. “An employ- ee confronted the man and grabbed him when they realized he was steal- ing money. A short struggle ensued with the employee yelling for help from other employees who joined in the struggle.” The robber told employees he had a knife and then kicked one of them before running off toward Warren- ton Kia, which is next to the restau- rant. More than $1,200 in cash was missing from the safe. Several officers from Warrenton and the Clatsop County Sheriff’s Of- fice searched the area, including the woods behind Dairy Queen and Kia, but the robber wasn’t found. Anyone with information about the crime, including those who may have been in the area and possibly saw something or someone, are asked to contact an on-duty War- renton officer by calling dispatch at 503-325-8661. KOA New Trail Dr . n no l i Tra Waterfront Trail ific NW Warrenton Dr. Pa c ipa See ‘Trail’ on Page 4 Steve Fulton walks with his dog, Jin Dao, along the Waterfront Trail near 13th Street in Warrenton on Tuesday. A state grant will help the city connect the section with another section that bgins at the dog park in Carruthers Park. (Cindy Yingst) At right is a map showing a new trail that will cut through a swap between the KOA campground and Northwest Warrenton Drive. Sk A new walking and biking path that would run from Fort Stevens through the city’s swampy midsection and out to the Columbia River was approved by the Oregon Transportation Com- mission late last week. The project was approved under a new funding category, Oregon Community Paths. The state legis- lature has prioritized projects that make communities more walkable, accessible by bicycles, and bus friendly. The paths are funded by the state’s vehicle privilege tax, bi- cycle excise tax and federal highway funds. More than $15 million was ap- proved for 21 community path projects, including Warrenton’s new trail, and improvements to As- toria’s Riverwalk Trail. “These awards represent a culmi- Two incumbents defeated in Clatsop College board race The Columbia Press Voters chose to replace two of the three contested seats on the Clatsop Community College board. Other than the college board race, there were few other races that drew more than one candidate in Tues- day’s special districts election. Turn- out also was low, with just under 23 percent of voters submitting a ballot. Most of the uncontested races saw incumbents running for and retain- ing their seats. Other races had no candidates and the positions likely will be left un- filled or appointed by board members Meyer Citovic Iverson whose seats weren’t up for election. For the college board, Sara Meyer retained her seat as director for Zone 2, Position 2. She garnered 3,675 votes, or 65.5 percent, over Patrick Preston’s 1,932 votes. In the seat representing Zone 2, Po- sition 3, newcomer Trudy Van Dusen Citovic received 3,101 votes, or 55 percent, over incumbent Bob Dueh- mig, the board’s chair. He’d been appointed to the board in December 2014. Christina Secord had with- drawn from the race, yet received 12 percent of the vote. The tightest race was in the Zone 3, Position 6, contest. Suzanne Iverson received 50.4 percent of the vote over incumbent David Zunkel. Zunkel, a retired doctor, was appointed to the board in August 2019. All of the incumbents for the Port of See ‘Election’ on Page 6