Columbus
Columbia County Spotlight
11 questions with our award-winning sports columnist, Wade Evanson
You know him for his coverage of local sports, his picture-perfect action shots at games and his weekly sports column — or, maybe you just know him as Wade — but did you know his columns won first place in the 2023 Excellence in Journalism Contest? Hosted by the Society of Professional Journalists Region 10 — which includes Oregon, Washington, Idaho, Montana and Alaska — the contest is the largest of its kind in the nation and evaluates standout works of journalism published during the...
To concertgoers' delight, 13 Nights on the River in St. Helens will run through August
Those who enjoy 13 Nights on the River will be pleased to hear that the Thursday concert series will continue through Aug. 29. That’s the word from the city of St. Helens as they announced a continuation of the event, which this year is being held at McCormick Park because of construction at the waterfront along the Columbia River. The event features free live music 6 p.m. to 8 p.m....
Evanson: When it comes to the Blazers, it’s out with the old and in with the new, and all with losing in mind — seemingly
Welcome Donovan Clingan. Portland took the center from the University of Connecticut with the No. 7 pick in last week’s NBA Draft and in the process continued stock-piling apparent talent to pair with their already potential stars. But as we get further removed from the Damian Lillard generation and ever closer to what fans and the organization hope the team is opposed to what it once was, who the team values and the direction general manager Joe Cronin wants to go is becoming ever more...
Exploring Portland middle housing at the NW Natural Street of Dreams
Today, many Oregonians face high housing costs because the supply of diverse housing is so low. For a variety of reasons, the construction of more traditional housing types like single-family homes and apartment complexes has remained the primary form for any new housing built in the last several decades. However, given the growing housing crisis, Oregon became the first state in the nation to re-legalize another form of housing, often called “Missing Middle Housing.” ...
Oregon Democrats join 40 federal lawmakers urging rehearing on landmark youth climate case
More than three dozen Congressional Democrats, led by Oregon Sen. Ron Wyden, are hoping to help revive a landmark lawsuit against the U.S. government by 21 young Americans — including 11 Oregonians — over continued federal support for fossil fuel production and a failure to urgently mitigate the worst effects of climate change, violating the plaintiffs’ right to a livable environment. The case, Juliana v. United States, was first filed in the U.S. District Court in Eugene nearly 10 years ago. At the time, the...
Readers Respond: "Light fireworks responsibly"
It’s fireworks week in Oregon—exciting! But with the rising heat, Oregonians must remember to keep fireworks safe this year. Your Oregon News asked readers about their fireworks usage habits, and whether they support stricter regulations. Here’s what you said. About 85% of reader respondents said they support stricter regulations on the sale and use of fireworks in Oregon, in order to reduce wildfire risks. About 7% said they are neutral...
Anti-Jewish, anti-Muslim acts spur surge in reported hate incidents in Oregon
Hateful acts directed at Oregonians because of their religion drove an increase in reported bias-related crimes and non-criminal incidents over the past year, according to a report released Monday, July 1, by the Oregon Criminal Justice Commission. Oregonians in 2023 reported nearly 3,000 incidents of bias to a confidential state hotline, and about 20% of those incidents were related to the victim’s religion — most targeted at Jewish people. As it has since the commission began collecting data in 2020, race remains the largest motivating...
Our TV picks for Wednesday, July 3: The Price Is Right; MasterChef; Reginald the Vampire
The Price Is Right KOIN 8 p.m. Celebrating active-duty military, veterans and their families, this Fourth of July special episode welcomes The Band of The Golden West from Sacramento, Calif., performing with airmen-musicians under the command of Lt. Col. Cristina Moore Urrutia. MasterChef ...
Democrats back cities limiting camping on public property
At least two Democrats say they want to revisit a 2021 law requiring Oregon cities to adopt “objectively reasonable” standards when they regulate the place, time and manner of camping on public property. The calls by Rep. Paul Evans of Monmouth and Sen. Mark Meek of Gladstone echo those made by the Republican minority leaders in the House and Senate on Friday. All did so after the U.S. Supreme Court...
Scappoose looks to Eastern Oregon for next city manager
The city of Scappoose is on the verge of officially naming its newest city manager. The city council, at its June 27 special meeting, voted to direct Mayor Joe Backus to issue Ben Burgener, currently city manager of the small town of Stanfield, a letter of intent to become Scappoose city manager. Stanfield is in Umatilla County, a 10-minute drive from Hermiston. It had a 2020 population of 2,144, considerably...
Oregon expands free Medicaid health insurance to tens of thousands more people
After two years of planning, Oregon is officially expanding its Medicaid program to provide tens of thousands of more people access to the free health insurance program. The Oregon Health Authority announced on Monday, July 1, the launch of its OHP Bridge Plan to those who earn more than the federal limits for traditional Medicaid. The Oregon Health Plan, the state’s version of Medicaid, currently covers 1.4 million Oregonians who earn up to 138% of the federal poverty level, or nearly $21,000 per year for...
OPINION: Hydropower is ready to step up to the plate against summer heat
Summer is here and the Northwest has sprung to life as the days have grown longer and warmer. It’s an exciting time for many of us as we break free from the cold grip of winter. But in the past few years, we’ve experienced increasingly extreme weather. Hotter, drier conditions during the summer have started earlier and lasted longer, with multiple “heat dome” events leading to record-breaking temperatures across the region. Uncomfortable as it may be, comfort is really the least of our concerns. The...
State council proposes new literacy requirements for teacher training and licensing
Oregon teacher colleges, plus future and current teachers hoping to get hired at public elementary schools in the state soon could be required to demonstrate a much more robust understanding of how to teach reading and writing than is currently required. Gov. Tina Kotek’s Early Literacy Educator Preparation Council — made up of K-12 and staff from Oregon teacher colleges, as well as literacy experts, an indigenous language expert and bipartisan state legislators — shared its final recommendations last week for overhauling literacy training for...
2024 BMW Z4 M40i keeps the traditional sports car spirit alive
When I was young and foolish, I owned a 1958 Triumph TR3 convertible sports car. It was beautiful, unreliable, and taught me what a sports car was supposed to be – a two-seat visceral driving experience slung low to the ground with the wind in your face, enhanced by a manual transmission that maximized your control of the engine on winding roads. Fast forward more years than I want to admit and there are not many convertible sports cars with manual transmissions anymore. The most...
Former Pacific University basketball player Ethan Chung is living a hoop dream
Too good to be true? Seemingly, but in this case definitely not. Despite twice thinking his basketball playing career had ended, former Pacific University basketball player Ethan Chung is living a hoops dream he didn’t even think was possible. Since graduating from the Forest Grove university in 2023, the California native of Taiwanese descent worked out for and ultimately made a Taiwan professional basketball team, had a 40-point game, and...
RURAL REFLECTIONS: The eyes have it
There are so many things I could quote in reference to eyes. Dads were blue like the sky. Then there are Bette Davis eyes. And those beautiful, dark eyes of a sweet newborn. Eyes are indeed so much more than vision, color or that occasional wink. They are a silent voice. Writers are really a pain. We take in everything and processes it. We look at a picture taking in all of the background, the tiniest bit of detail. Yes, writers are observers. ...
Oregon reactions continue to pour in following U.S. Supreme Court’s ruling on Grants Pass homelessness case
Oregonians continued to speak out after the Friday, June 28, news that the U.S. Supreme Court ruled in favor of a homelessness ordinance in Grants Pass, Oregon, saying the city’s prohibition on outdoor camping does not violate the Constitution’s Eighth Amendment prohibition on cruel and unusual punishment. The ruling could pave the way for stricter rules on homelessness in every Oregon community, and the ripple effect could reach across state lines. ...
Hops Weekly: A week to be forgotten for the Hillsboro Hops
Weeks don’t get much tougher than this past week for the Hillsboro Hops who dropped all six of their games at Vancouver. With the sweep, the Canadians improved to 9-0 in the second half of the season, while the Hops dropped to 1-8 having lost seven straight games. Hillsboro batted just .226 as a team over the six games in Vancouver and scored just 14 total runs. A direct result...
Columbia County Spotlight
5K+
Posts
5M+
Views
The Columbia County Spotlight has the most circulation and reader engagement of any publication — printed or web — in Columbia County, and is the only source for consistent Scappoose and St. Helens sports coverage.
Welcome to NewsBreak, an open platform where diverse perspectives converge. Most of our content comes from established publications and journalists, as well as from our extensive network of tens of thousands of creators who contribute to our platform. We empower individuals to share insightful viewpoints through short posts and comments. It’s essential to note our commitment to transparency: our Terms of Use acknowledge that our services may not always be error-free, and our Community Standards emphasize our discretion in enforcing policies. We strive to foster a dynamic environment for free expression and robust discourse through safety guardrails of human and AI moderation. Join us in shaping the news narrative together.