Local News

Astoria City Council prepares to consider exclusion zones again

A majority of Astoria City Councilors still question whether an ordinance that would temporarily ban people from the downtown area will be effective at curbing unwanted behaviors, but they say they’re ready to move forward — with certain guardrails in place. The City Council held off on voting on a proposed exclusion zone ordinance at…


Oregon moves forward on roadmap for offshore wind energy

A roadmap for how Oregon would handle offshore wind energy development is still in the works even as the Trump administration looks to stop future projects. In January, one of President Donald Trump’s early executive orders halted permits for onshore wind projects and withdrew all of the outer continental shelf in federal waters from future…


Hospital, leaders continue push for federal funding

While millions of dollars in federal funding for a major hospital expansion project on Oregon’s North Coast remain uncertain, U.S. Representative Suzanne Bonamici told local leaders she’s not giving up. On Friday, the Oregon Democrat told Clatsop County and Astoria leaders there is a relatively new bi-partisan call to reverse the Trump administration’s decision earlier…


Port Commission candidates prioritize Pier 2

Uncertainty was its own theme at a candidates forum in Astoria this week. Candidates vying for special district seats in Oregon’s upcoming May election wrestled with variations of the question: How would they help grow and maintain stability amid uncertainty? The forum, hosted by the Astoria branch of the American Association of University Women, included…


Astoria School District candidates talk budget concerns

Candidates running for the Position 4 seat on the Astoria School Board in Oregon’s May 20 regular district election emphasized a student-first approach at a forum this week. But they also said the district also faces some very big challenges. Near the top of the list: the budget. The candidates forum, hosted by the Astoria…


Transportation district hires new director

A transportation district on Oregon’s North Coast that survived a recent financial collapse hopes a new executive director will keep them moving toward stability. On Wednesday, the Sunset Empire Transportation District announced the hiring of David Carr to replace former executive director Craig Johnston. Johnston announced he was stepping down late last year. He was…


FEMA grant canceled for North Coast hospital

ASTORIA, Ore. — Important funding for a North Coast hospital has been canceled after the Trump administration ended a grant program intended to help communities prepare for disasters including earthquakes and tsunamis. The Federal Emergency Management Agency announced it was ending the Building Resilient Infrastructure and Communities program last week. The program had been started…


City Council wants more time on downtown exclusion rules

ASTORIA, Ore. — Astoria leaders are holding off on an ordinance that would have temporarily banned people from a large part of downtown if they were cited or arrested for certain crimes in that area.  At a hearing Monday night, City Councilors Andy Davis, Andrea Mazzarella, Elisabeth Adams and Vance Lump said they wanted more…


Astoria to consider ‘exclusion zones’ downtown

ASTORIA, Ore. — The Astoria City Council will consider a new ordinance tonight that would temporarily ban people from downtown Astoria and is intended to address an uptick in what police consider “quality of life” crimes. But critics argue the ordinance will not provide lasting solutions. Astoria has explored the idea of exclusion zones in…


Downtown protest draws hundreds

ASTORIA, Ore. — Thousands of people turned out for rallies across Oregon and on Oregon’s North Coast on Saturday, joining nationwide protests of the Trump administration’s actions since coming into office. The rallies were held days after President Donald Trump rolled out new tariffs on nearly all U.S. trading partners and followed whirlwind weeks of…


Community meetings set to discuss federal funding freeze

Oregon’s North Coast is trying to figure out where the impacts of a federal funding freeze hit home. Mike Brosius, a retired Costco executive, is spearheading an effort to gather together people who represent governments, agencies and organizations across Clatsop County. He wants to talk to them — and have them talk to each other…


Council shows support for cap on vacation rentals

The Astoria City Council is again discussing the possibility of regulating vacation rentals in the city. And — with two new councilors in place after the November election — a cap on the number of vacation rentals allowed in the city also seems to have council support. The previous council was split on several aspects…



Fishery managers worry about effects of NOAA cuts

Updated 3/2/25, 3 p.m. The long term impacts of recent staff cuts at the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration are still unknown, but fishery managers on the West Coast called the situation troubling.  On Thursday, NOAA laid off more than 800 workers as the Trump administration continues its push to reduce the federal workforce. West…


Lawmakers hear growing frustration at town halls

ASTORIA, Ore. — Elias Hess wanted to stir things up.  On Saturday, more than 700 people attended a town hall event with U.S. Rep. Suzanne Bonamici and Sen. Jeff Merkley at Clatsop Community College, but only a few of them got the chance to ask the lawmakers a question.  People asked how the Democrats planned…


City will cover cost of development fee for nonprofit

ASTORIA, Ore. — Astoria leaders have agreed to cover a major city fee for a nonprofit looking to move into a former church downtown. Jenny Pool Radway, executive director of Consejo Hispano, said the decision is a huge relief. Consejo Hispano serves Latinx communities on Oregon’s North Coast and is on track to close on…





Tuition going up for Clatsop Community College students

ASTORIA, Ore. — Tuition is going up for students at Clatsop Community College. The college board recently voted on a $3 per credit increase that will go into effect this summer. College President Jarrod Hogue told the board the main reason for the increase is to keep pace with rising operational costs. He described the…


Firefighters return from battling Los Angeles blazes

CLATSOP COUNTY, Ore. — Local firefighters who helped battle wildfires in Southern California are now back home. Fire chiefs on Oregon’s North Coast say the roughly 17-day deployment provided critical support in the effort to beat back fires that have decimated parts of Los Angeles and Ventura counties. It was also a chance for the…


Astoria continues to monitor slide

CLATSOP COUNTY, Ore. — A portion of Commercial Street in Astoria continues to be closed between Fourth and Fifth streets due to a shallow landslide.  At a meeting Monday night, Public Works Director Jeff Harrington told the Astoria City Council that city staff are continuing to monitor the area. No structures appear to be in…


Proposed refinery lands key permit

CLATSKANIE, Ore — State environmental regulators approved a key permit for a controversial refinery project near Clatskanie this month. The Oregon Department of Environmental Quality had previously denied water quality permit applications submitted by Houston-based NXT Clean Fuels, also referred to as NEXT, in 2021 and 2022 “due to insufficient information to evaluate the permit…





Women’s March held in Astoria over the weekend

ASTORIA, Ore. — Around 70 people, most of them women, marched through downtown Astoria on Saturday, joining communities across the country in demonstrating for abortion access and other women’s rights issues ahead of Election Night. They walked from the Clatsop County Courthouse to the Columbia River Maritime Museum. By the time they reached their destination…




Buoy Beer fined by state over partial building collapse

An Astoria brewery faces a fine of more than $138,000 after the state said they polluted state waters. The fine comes after the partial collapse of Buoy Beer Co.’s building on the Astoria waterfront in June 2022 and December 2023. The Oregon Department of Environmental Quality said that — in both cases — building materials,…