LOCAL NEWS: Coastal communities shut down as spring break tourists swarm by Joanne Rideout Coastal officials in Oregon and Washington sprang into action this weekend, responding to an influx of spring break visitors on beaches and other recreation areas during a state of emergency over COVID-19. Joanne Rideout reports. Script follows, scroll down to Listen…
Local News
LOCAL NEWS: Listen to KMUN’s Evening Newscast, Thursday, March 19, 2020 In tonight’s Northwest News, host Dylan Hauser Shaulk brings you these stories from Coast Community Radio’s local reporting team: Joanne Rideout, Jacob Lewin and Kathleen Morgain. More on closures of area municipal offices A look at COVID-19 testing in Pacific and Wahkiakum counties in…
LOCAL NEWS: Governor makes declaration as hospital shortages loom Oregon Governor Kate Brown is ordering hospitals and other health care providers to stop elective procedures. The move is designed to conserve crucial medical supplies. Coast Community Radio’s Jacob Lewin has details. (Script below, scroll down to Listen: [1:08]) The Oregon Health Authority says the state is…
LOCAL NEWS: Tillamook County emergency director throws his hat in the ring Tillamook County official shifts gears to run for sheriff. Joanne Rideout reports. Gordon McCraw, Tillamook County emergency management director, also known to Coast Community Radio listeners as the station’s meteorologist, has announced his candidacy in the November election for Tillamook County Sheriff. McCraw…
LOCAL NEWS: Pacific Power $45K grant will fund Astoria electric car charging stations Lovely! A story that’s not about the coronavirus! A boost for electric car owners is headed for Astoria. Joanne Rideout reports. Pacific Power will award the City of Astoria a $45,000 grant to install two electric vehicle charging stations at the Astoria…
LOCAL NEWS: Pacific Power says no shutoffs Pacific Power will not disconnect customers in Oregon, Washington and California during emergency response to COVID-19. Joanne Rideout reports. Pacific Power says they are temporarily suspending disconnections and late fees for non-payment for customers in Oregon, Washington and California to support the state of emergency declared in all…
LOCAL NEWS: Clatsop Circuit Court enacts COVID restrictions Clatsop County Circuit Court has new COVID-19 protocols in place. Joanne Rideout has more. Read below, scroll down to Listen: [:42] Most hearings have been rescheduled till after May 1, and may be extended depending on what happens. Court hearings that are scheduled during this time will…
LOCAL NEWS: COVID-19 kills Clark County couple A husband and wife, both in their 80s and living in separate care facilities in Clark County, Washington, have both died after being diagnosed with COVID-19, the disease caused by the coronavirus. Joanne Rideout reports. [1:28] They were both hospitalized last week at PeaceHealth Southwest Medical Center in…
LOCAL NEWS: WA donors asked to give blood to stem shortage by Joanne Rideout The Washington State Department of Health is asking eligible donors to give blood. Growing concerns about COVID-19 are cancelling blood drives and causing a shortage of blood available for patients. The state health department says it’s a significant public health risk….
LOCAL NEWS: Cannon Beach City Council adopts emergency resolution In an emergency meeting Monday, the Cannon Beach City Council adopted an emergency resolution that allows the city manager to take immediate steps to respond to the coronavirus emergency without waiting for City Council approval He also is authorized to ask for aid from Clatsop County….
LOCAL NEWS: COVID-19 testing ongoing in Clatsop County Clatsop County residents have a lot of questions about COVID-19 testing locally. Here’s an update. by Joanne Rideout Clatsop County Health Dept Director Mike McNickle said, contrary to rumors circulating on social media and elsewhere, people are indeed being tested locally in the county for the virus. …
LOCAL NEWS: Clatsop County declares public emergency The Clatsop County Board of Commissioners voted Monday March 16 to declare a local emergency in response to the COVID-19 outbreak. The declaration will be in place through May 1. By declaring an emergency, the county can now take actions such as declaring curfews, placing limits on public…
LOCAL NEWS: City of Astoria says no water shutoffs The City of Astoria is giving water customers a break during COVID-19. Joanne Rideout has more. The City of Astoria has announced that temporarily, city water service will not be canceled without a request from the customer. The temporary policy, announced Monday, was enacted in response…
LOCAL NEWS: Pacific County activates emergency response Pacific County went to Emergency Level 1 status. Joanne Rideout explains. Washington’s Pacific County Emergency Management Agency decided Monday to activate its emergency response at the highest level possible, in response to the COVID-19 outbreak. In a press release, agency director Scott McDougall said that Pacific County currently…
Local News: Gordon McCraw to run for Tillamook County Sheriff Gordon McCraw, Tillamook County emergency management director, also known to Coast Community Radio listeners as the station’s meteorologist, has announced his candidacy in the November election for Tillamook County Sheriff. McCraw is a lieutenant on the executive staff of the Tillamook County Sheriff’s Office. The…
Local News: Tillamook Warming Center closes for the season The Tillamook CARE Warming Center released a statement Friday saying that the center was suspending center operations. CARE is a non profit social services agency in Tillamook that runs the warming center. Erin Skaar is executive director. Skaar said in a press release, “I’m sorry to…
Area Event Cancellations List This a public Google Doc that anyone can view via the link. We are updating it daily as we receive info. If you have a cancellation you’d like to report, please email information on Date, Time and Location of your event to news1@coastradio.org. https://docs.google.com/document/d/1CjrzpmWvCUU9asJKV88Biag94vzuoOHNCrQ-rOyZGRs/edit?usp=sharing
City of Astoria, Clatsop County, and Port of Astoria leadership provide update to Astoria’s upcoming cruise ship season and COVID-19 Joint Statement of Astoria Mayor Bruce Jones, Clatsop County Commission Chair Kathleen Sullivanand Port of Astoria Executive Director Will Isom Astoria, OR – March 12, 2020 – In order to focus on our priority of…
Local News: Neah-kah-nie schools suspend large events as a precaution This letter was issued today, Thursday, March 12, 2020, by the Neah-kah-nie School District: Dear Neah-Kah-Nie School District Families and Staff, With the number of confirmed COVID-19 coronavirus cases in Oregon increasing, including the first instance in Multnomah County, Governor Brown announced new guidance regarding…
Local News: Repair work continues on Washington SR 4 landslide site by Joanne Rideout Most local residents in Washington know that SR 4 has been closed since Jan 23, when a landslide took out the road west of Cathlamet. Since the slide, emergency clean up crews have removed slide material to the tune of 50,000…
Local News: Weather observer training postponed – online class offered South Bend, Washington – The Pacific County Emergency Management Agency (PCEMA) Community Emergency Response Team (CERT) and Skywarn Weather Observer training classes scheduled for March and April have been indefinitely postponed due to ongoing concerns over Covid-19. These trainings will be rescheduled later this year….
Local News: Whale Watching returns to the coast Spring Whale Watch Week event returns to the coast March 21 – 29 to celebrate the more than 25,000 Gray whales expected to migrate north past Oregon over the next few months. Trained volunteers will be stationed 10 a.m. – 1 p.m. each day at some of…
Local News: Gov. Kate Brown signs climate change executive order At a press conference Tuesday, surrounded by Oregon schoolchildren from around the state, Governor Kate Brown signed into law an executive order to curb climate change. Joanne Rideout has more. “Executive Order 2004, there you have it.” [Cheers from crowd] Brown said the order would protect rural Oregonians…
The first case of COVID–19 in Multnomah County, was diagnosed Tuesday. The disease is caused by the novel coronavirus. The new case brings Oregon’s total to 15 cases in seven counties. Joanne Rideout has details. The Oregon Health Authority and Multnomah county are seeking to isolate anyone who may have been in close contact with the patient in the…
Local News: Clatsop County gears up for the coronavirus Officials in Astoria and surrounding areas are preparing for the coronavirus. Joanne Rideout has more. Story transcript follows, scroll down to Listen [2:13] At Monday’s Astoria City Council meeting, Astoria Mayor Bruce Jones addressed concerns about COVID-19, the coronavirus. He said he’d met with county and…
Local News: Astoria Planning Commission approves Pacific Seafood Uniontown employee dorm By Joanne Rideout Tuesday night, the Astoria Planning Commission unanimously approved Pacific Seafood’s application to site employee dormitory housing in a former drug treatment facility located in a residential area in the Uniontown neighborhood of the city. The decision is final, unless an appeal…
Live recording of Astoria Planning Commission meeting, Tuesday, Feb. 25, 2020. The commission voted to OK the Pacific Seafood request to site employee dormitory housing in a Uniontown residential neighborhood.
Local News: Astoria City Council says no to Grocery Outlet proposal The Astoria City Council said no last night to the Grocery Outlet project that had been proposed for a triangular-shaped plot of land on Marine Drive next to the Shell station, in the Mill pond neighborhood on the city’s east end. The council denied…
Local News: Ecola State Park closed for road repairs Ecola State Park in Cannon Beach is closed until further notice because a section of the park’s only entrance road is damaged. There was a landslide on the hill beneath a section of the road in an area which had previously been repaired, and the slide…
Local News: SR4 opens one lane as landslide cleanup continues A single lane of State Route 4 west of Skamokawa, WA, reopened Feb. 8 after a landslide closed the highway Jan. 23. Traffic will alternate through the area using the eastbound lane. The westbound lane will remain closed while Washington State Department of Transportation crews…