Audrey Long has started sending postcards to herself just to see what makes it back. She slips each postcard into a United States Postal Service collection box only steps away from the coffee shop and ceramics studio she co-owns on Duane Street in downtown Astoria. She sent out the first postcard on August 14 and…
Local News
New details have emerged about a June 7 incident at Port of Astoria property that involved federal immigration officers and triggered concerns about a possible violation of Oregon’s sanctuary law. On June 7, U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement officers detained two people, including a longtime Clatsop County resident and business owner, and then accessed a…
The federal government is releasing more than $14.5 million for a hospital expansion project in Astoria after the money sat in limbo for more than a year. On Monday, local leaders announced the Federal Emergency Management Agency was finally releasing funding awarded to Columbia Memorial Hospital in 2023, but faced an uncertain future when the…
A coastal storm knocked out power for over 1,000 residents on Oregon’s North Coast as winds hit Thursday night and continued through Friday morning. The National Weather Service issued a wind advisory for northwest Oregon and southwest Washington state Friday morning that, for now, is in effect through 11 a.m. Friday. South winds of 15…
Elections officials on Oregon’s North Coast are trying something new. When the U.S. Supreme Court rejected President Donald Trump’s mail ballot restrictions this week, it cleared the way for states like Oregon to proceed with midterm elections as usual. But that doesn’t mean the situation is any clearer to voters ahead of November. So when…
Road work on Highway 30 in Astoria began a day earlier than previously announced today and will continue through Thursday Crews with the Oregon Department of Transportation are repairing sections of damaged pavement on the roadway between 16th and 33rd Streets on Highway 30/Leif Erikson Drive. Travelers should expect daytime lane closures with flaggers controlling…
A longtime Seaside resident and business owner who was arrested by federal immigration officers last week appears to have been abruptly transferred from a detention facility in Washington state. Martin Anguiano, the 63-year-old owner of Guadalajara Taco Shop in Seaside, was being held at the Northwest ICE Processing Center in Tacoma. His family said he…
Investigators say a Tillamook man may have suffered a medical emergency before a fatal car crash on U.S. Hwy 101 Saturday morning. Ronald Gregory Smith, 76, of Tillamook was driving northbound on Hwy 101 when he used the right shoulder to pass an SUV driven by Ronald Francis Smith of Seaside. The Tillamook man’s vehicle…
This story has been updated to include new information about ICE’s presence in Clatsop County this summer. The family of a longtime Clatsop County resident and restaurant owner who was detained by federal immigration officers last week is pushing for his release. Immigration and Customs Enforcement officers arrested Martin Anguiano, 63, on Sept. 10 at…
The Cannon Beach City Council is looking to move ahead with a cap on vacation rentals amid concerns about impacts on neighborhoods and on housing options for people who live and work in the city. At a meeting Tuesday, the city councilors opted to continue a hearing on a proposed ordinance that would cap the…
Incumbent Elisabeth Adams will face a challenger as she looks to secure a second, four-year term on the Astoria City Council in November’s general election. The race for the Ward 3 seat, representing Astoria’s core downtown area, marks local photographer Justin Grafton’s first time running for elected office, but he told KMUN he has been…
Astoria City Councilor Andy Davis has officially entered the mayoral race. Davis, who represents Ward 1, announced he would not seek re-election because he was moving away from his ward after his term ends this December. He had told KMUN he wasn’t sure if he would run for any office. He held off filing for…
With one Astoria city councilor looking to land the role of mayor in the Nov.3 general election, two political newcomers are vying for the seat he’s leaving behind. Andy Davis announced this month that he wouldn’t seek a second four-year term for his Ward 1 seat because he is moving out of the ward after…
A lawsuit filed on behalf of students who were impacted by the Trump administration’s plans last year to abruptly shut down Job Corps centers across the country reached a settlement earlier this month. The Tongue Point Job Corps Center in Astoria was not a party to the lawsuit, but the settlement carries implications for its…
A final report by the Clatsop County District Attorney’s Office has concluded that police officers were justified in fatally shooting a man in a Seaside neighborhood in early July. The report also released the most detailed account of the shooting since it occurred. On July 8, Hayes McCloud, 24 from Eatonville, Washington, was wanted for…
Two more candidates have emerged in the race to be Astoria’s next mayor, including a former city councilor. Earlier this month, it looked like combat veteran Sean Davis might run unopposed after incumbent Mayor Sean Fitzpatrick announced he would not seek a second four-year term. Now Tom Brownson, a former Ward 2 city councilor who…
U.S. Representative Suzanne Bonamici and Oregon Attorney General Dan Rayfield say they are still fighting to land federal money for a major hospital expansion project in Astoria. At a press event with other officials at the Columbia Memorial Hospital construction site Wednesday, Bonamici said the Trump administration is “playing games with people’s lives” by delaying…
A man has been arrested following a stabbing late Wednesday night at the Helping Hands Reentry Center in Seaside. Mark Warren, 41, faces charges of assault in the second degree, unlawful use of a weapon and felon in possession of a restricted weapon. According to Helping Hands, a nonprofit that works with homeless populations in…
Supporters say tax will support housing; critics aren’t so sure. An initiative that would tax vacant homes with the goal of supporting long-term housing opportunities in Astoria will go to voters this November. At a meeting Monday night, the Astoria City Council faced several options when it came to the citizen-led initiative, including adopting the…
An Astoria-based nonprofit that provides advocacy and support to survivors of domestic violence and sexual assault is expanding. The Harbor announced Monday it has purchased a building on Exchange Street that, until recently, housed The Astorian newspaper. The building is only several blocks away from the nonprofit’s current location. The Harbor outgrew its space off…
Most of the seats on the Seaside City Council will be up for election this November. All except one. City leaders had hoped to appoint someone to the vacant Ward 3 seat this summer in time to also get that seat on the ballot in November. Whoever was appointed would serve through the end of…
An investigation into a police shooting in Seaside earlier this month that resulted in the death of a Washington man concluded that officers were justified in returning fire. Officers shot and killed 24-year-old Hayes Miles McCloud of Eatonville, Washington in the Cove area in Seaside on July 8. McCloud was a suspect in two homicides…
After announcing his intent to run for mayor of Astoria earlier this year, Sean Davis will officially be on the ballot this November. City officials say Davis has gathered enough verified signatures to proceed as a candidate. He was required to submit a petition signed by 48 registered voters living inside Astoria’s city limits. The…
Voters will get to make the call this November on whether the Astoria City Council expands from five members to seven. At a meeting this week, a majority of the Astoria City Council approved resolutions for three amendments to the city charter, including an amendment to expand the city council and include at-large positions. The…
A suspect in two homicides in Washington state is dead after a shoot out with police in Seaside Wednesday evening No other injuries were reported and the officers involved in the shooting have been placed on administrative leave. Oregon State Police is leading an investigation into the incident. According to the agency, the man shot…
Changes to Astoria’s camping ordinance won’t go into effect until July 15, but work is already underway to prepare people camping on city streets. Earlier in June, Astoria City Councilors passed amendments to the city’s camping ordinance as part of a new multi-pronged “shelter first” policy. Among other things, the changes councilors approved spell out…
Clatsop County is set to distribute $1.6 million in state funds for county-wide shelter response, but one shelter says its cut of that money won’t be enough to keep the doors open going into next month. The possible closure of LiFEBoat Services’ 22-bed shelter in downtown Astoria comes as the city is launching a new…
Clean up of an oil spill from a long unused pipe at the Port of Astoria is complete as of this week and the state will not require follow-up remediation at this time. The Oregon Department of Environmental Quality and the U.S. Coast Guard will continue to monitor affected areas over the next two weeks,…
Port of Astoria leaders say staff who allowed federal immigration enforcement officers to access fenced-off property at the port on June 7 followed state law and did the right thing in a tricky situation. ICE officers claimed it was an emergency when they asked for access to the property, Port Commission President Dirk Rohne told…
Longtime St Helens City Administrator John Walsh is presumed dead after he fell into the Columbia River Saturday night. Walsh reportedly slipped and fell into the river while moving from a boat to the St. Helens City Docks. He was swept downriver and not seen to resurface. Search and rescue efforts were ongoing Sunday. The…