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Astoria hospital lands state funding

Columbia Memorial Hospital is set to receive $6 million from the state of Oregon for a major expansion project at its Astoria campus. Oregon’s House and Senate passed House Bill 5006 on Friday. The bill included the budget allocation for the hospital as well as $700,000 for the Columbia River Maritime Museum’s Mariners Hall Exhibition…

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Injunction halts Job Corps closures

A federal judge has granted a national preliminary injunction that will halt the closure of Job Corps campuses for now.  The decision, issued Wednesday, prevents the Department of Labor from shutting down the Job Corps program while a lawsuit against the closure is still in motion. It follows an extension of a temporary restraining order…

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Astoria City Council rejects exclusion zone ordinance

With differing opinions over the intent of a proposed ordinance versus its possible real world impacts, the Astoria City Council voted 3-2 at a Monday night to reject an ordinance that would have temporarily banned people from downtown Astoria if they broke certain laws. The ordinance would have created enhanced enforcement zones in downtown Astoria…

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Ahead of city council vote on exclusion ban, Exchange Street campers in the crossfire

The sidewalk along part of Exchange Street in downtown Astoria is about the right size: Just wide enough to legally camp on, said Timathy Bachteler.  Or as legally as he can under the city’s camping ordinance. When he’s all set up, ideally there is still the minimum six feet of “clear, continuous width” for pedestrians…

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Protests draw hundreds over the weekend

Hundreds of people turned out on Oregon’s North Coast to protest President Donald Trump and his policies on Saturday. In Astoria, organizers with Indivisible North Coast Oregon estimate around 1,400 and perhaps as many as 1,800 people assembled along one mile of Marine Drive. In Seaside, between 300 and 400 people attended. Similar protests were…

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Court order buys time for Job Corps center on Oregon Coast

ASTORIA, Ore — A federal judge has temporarily blocked the closing of Job Corps centers across the nation, days after the Trump administration announced it was shutting down the job training program. The restraining order buys extra time for staff and students at the Tongue Point Job Corps center in Astoria. Some of them faced…

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Astoria City Council passes vacation license program

Vacation rentals in Astoria now come with a licensing requirement and a cap on the total number allowed in the city. On Monday, the Astoria City Council voted 4-1 to approve an ordinance establishing a vacation-rental license program and capping the number of rentals at 50. Astoria currently has 43 vacation rentals.  Councilors Andy Davis,…

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Astoria daycare looks to expand

One of Clatsop County’s largest child care providers is looking to expand. On Monday, Angie Jannusch, co-owner of the Astoria-based day care Bumble, told Astoria city councilors the business has applied for a grant through Business Oregon that, if successful, would allow Bumble to purchase a house near its location to use for infant care….

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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…

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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…

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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…

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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…

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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…

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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…

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Uncertainty around federal funding, Medicaid complicates outlook for Astoria hospital

A continued freeze on federal funds and uncertainty about the future of Medicaid have put a North Coast hospital in a wait-and-see situation. Columbia Memorial Hospital, or CMH, is in the middle of a massive expansion and renovation project at its Astoria campus. The hospital is due to receive a $20 million resiliency grant through…

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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…

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Nonprofit looks to city for help with system development charge

ASTORIA, Ore. — After 20 years of serving Latinx communities on Oregon’s North Coast, Consejo Hispano is poised to close on a former church in Astoria next month, a move that would give them a permanent home downtown and enough space to expand operations and services.  There’s just one unexpected — and expensive — snag….

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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…