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The Cannon Beach Gazette
‘Unprecedented’ paralytic shellfish poisoning outbreak closes shellfish harvests on coast
For nearly a month, the harvesting of shellfish on the Oregon coast has slowed to a crawl as mussels, clams and oysters have been inundated with toxins that cause paralytic shellfish poisoning in humans. The outbreak occurred exceptionally quickly, striking at least 31 people ill, including several who were admitted to the hospital, and at least one who was put on a ventilator. Matthew Hunter, shellfish program leader at the Oregon Department of Fish and Wildlife (ODFW), said that the outbreak had occurred at a...
Shore Climate Change
A 15-year period ending in 2020 that included a marine heat wave and a sea star wasting disease epidemic saw major changes in the groups of organisms that live along the rocky shores of the Pacific Northwest. The study by Oregon State University scientists, involving four capes in Oregon and California, suggests these communities of species may have low resilience to climate change. Findings were published Monday in Nature Ecology & Evolution. ...
Wellness: Why cancer screening is important
Cancer screening can seem really scary, time consuming, like a waste of time, or a host of other things that it doesn’t have to be! It’s sometimes uncomfortable, stressful, and anxiety-inducing until you get those negative results. Nevertheless, cancer screening saves lives! Increased cancer screening, along with fewer people smoking and improved cancer treatments, have contributed to preventing about 3.2 million cancer deaths from 1991-2018 (American Cancer Society, 2021). The American Cancer Society (ACS) recommends screenings for breast, cervical, colorectal, lung, and prostate cancers. Early detection of these cancers can substantially improve a patient’s chances at entering remission and having...
OSAA appoints new Championship Thresholds Task Force at May meeting
A new task force for the Oregon School Activities Association will look at the amount of teams and individuals who compete in state championships for sports and activities. The OSAA Executive Board appointed the Championship Thresholds Task Force at its May meeting. The 12-member committee includes representatives from each of the six classifications, as well as three additional at-large members (one each for Class 6A/5A, 4A/3A and 2A/1A), two representatives...
Early Literacy Educator Preparation Council releases final recommendations
Following a one year review of Oregon's early literacy education, a state council has released its final recommendations to strengthen educator preparation programs for teaching reading and writing in Oregon elementary schools. In January, the Early Literacy Educator Preparation Council released initial recommendations to revise educator and school administrator preparation program standards for literacy instruction. Members of educator prep programs and the general public were able to submit feedback to the recommendations. ...
Governor urged to use ‘Oregon way’ in ocean wind energy development
Oregon Gov. Tina Kotek is being urged to embrace the “Oregon way” in pursuit of offshore wind energy development. Oregon’s state seafood commodity commissions have expressed their concerns in a letter to Kotek over federal offshore wind energy development plans proposed for the southern Oregon coast. The letter emphasizes what the commission states are adverse effects on the ocean environment and Oregon’s sustainable seafood industry. ...
County budget committee has two vacancies
Clatsop County is accepting applications for two vacancies on the County-wide Budget Committee. Budget committee members review the proposed overall county budget, make recommendations and approve the proposed budget for adoption by the county commissioners. The committee is made up of five local residents appointed by commissioners. The committee generally meets in May to review the proposed budget. One vacancy is for a term ending June 30, 2024 and the...
It’s calf and fawn season – keep your distance from elk and deer
Oregon’s deer and elk give birth from May through July. It’s natural for mother animals to leave their young alone and hidden for extended periods of time while they go off to feed, so never assume a young animal is orphaned when you see it alone. The mother will return when it’s safe to do so—when people, pets or predators aren’t around. Removing an animal from the wild is also a violation of Oregon wildlife laws. (ORS 497.308 – No person shall remove from its...
Column: Professor Lindsey
The war is on. It started innocently enough. I suppose most wars do. Rex Amos, artist, called “Old Trapper” by his intimates, “4” by me, (the number of his $100 mug at Clark’s), strode into a public gathering last week sporting a snappy campaign hat. Some Deschutes River folks had bequeathed it to him, a handsome topper all right, one of those Teddy Roosevelt beauties, the kind Smokey wears, the pinch-crown version, of standard issue to Royal Canadian Mounteds. “Damn fine hat,” I offered. ...
Agendas for building community
On Friday, May 10, 2024, we gathered to honor the life and legacy of Arch Cape resident and community icon Marney Beemer. The Cannon Beach Community Church was filled with her family and friends as we shared stories and rejoiced at being part of her life. She’s the third community icon to pass this year, following Dr. Bob Wayne and Dave Rouse. All of them made profound positive impacts on the people around them. How did they do that? Maybe it’s because they had values...
DART Training for emergency pet sheltering
Members of the Cannon Beach Disaster Animal Response Team (DART) gathered for training on emergency pet sheltering at Cannon Beach city hall on Sunday, May 19th. Members of Cannon Beach DART were joined by members of the Medical Reserve Corps (MRC) and the Community Emergency Response Team (CERT), with the training led by Lisa Kaufman, a consultant in Community Emergency Planning and Behavioral Health. The training focused on the themes of safety and security while covering the basics of emergency animal sheltering in the event...
Oregon Geologist to speak about tsunami and earthquake danger in Oregon coastal cities
Dr. Jonathan Allan, a registered geologist with the Oregon Department of Geology and Mineral Industries (DOGAMI), will speak about the risk of tsunamis and earthquakes in Oregon coastal areas at a free program on Friday, June 28, 2024 from 2:00pm until 4:00pm at Pine Grove Community House in downtown Manzanita. The public is invited to attend this event sponsored by EVCNB. Dr. Allan, DOGAMI’s geomorphologist, has undertaken research on a variety of topics including coastal change mapping, coastal flooding, and the effects of tsunami. He...
N. Coast opens for bay clam harvesting, and S. Coast re-opens for razor clam harvesting
The Oregon Department of Agriculture and the Oregon Department of Fish and Wildlife announce a new shellfish opening. Bay clamming has been re-opened on the north coast. Levels of the marine biotoxin paralytic shellfish poison (PSP) have tested below the closure limit on two consecutive rounds of testing. Additionally, razor clam harvesting has re-opened on the south coast. Levels of the marine biotoxin domoic acid (DA) have continued to test below the closure limit. Bay clamming is now open from the Washington border to Cascade...
OHA issues heat wave safety advisory
Summer kicked off officially June 20, and Oregon Health Authority recommends people in Oregon take steps to keep this season from becoming a “bummer” with tips for staying healthy and safe. The Oregon ESSENCE Summer Hazard Report dashboard allows people to monitor trends in the most common summer-related hazards. The dashboard contains interactive graphs showing total daily counts of emergency department and urgent care center visits in Oregon associated with four injury and illness categories: heat-related illness, water submersion events, wildfire-related smoke inhalation, and air...
Hot weather safety for pets
With the temperatures rising this week, Greenhill Humane Society administrators are encouraging pet owners of the importance of keeping pets safe this summer. Leave pets at home when running errands. Leaving your animal in a parked car, even for just a few minutes, can easily cause heat stroke or brain damage. A car's interior temperature can increase in minutes, even with the windows slightly open. Dogs are especially vulnerable to...
Letter -Cannon Beach: When $40M isn’t enough
The Cannon Beach Budget Committee just approved the 2024-25 budget. It goes to city council to finalize next week. The city manager decided a 10% contingency isn’t big enough for 2024-25, it should be 15%. This means over $1M in ‘unidentified’ expenditures. The $40M in the school + city hall + police department projects each already contain their own large contingencies. Also, many things in the budget are relatively fixed and won’t flex much (headcount & salaries, small amount of capital for vehicles, etc.) So the $1M is needed in for only $3M in supplies & services? A 33% buffer...
At the Library: A Summer Reading Program, a Four-Day Book Sale & Lobsters
Shakespeare was right when he wrote that “summer’s lease hath all too short a date.” So we should make the most of summer while it lasts. The library has programs and events that can help children and adults do just that, with an event-filled summer reading program, a huge book sale and a chance to learn all about lobsters. This year’s Summer Reading Program, which is themed “Read, Renew, Repeat,” is designed to encourage children to think about conservation, environmental awareness and wildlife stewardship through...
Oregon adds 4,000 jobs
Oregon’s seasonally adjusted nonfarm payroll employment rose by 4,000 jobs in May, following a revised gain of 2,400 jobs in April, according to the Oregon Employment Department. Health care and social assistance gained 1,900 jobs in May, while leisure and hospitality added 1,000. Monthly declines were largest in retail trade ( -800) and construction ( -400). Private-sector job growth has been very slow over the year, gaining 3,500 jobs (+0.2%). ...
Pacific coast gray whales have gotten shorter, OSU study finds
Gray whales that spend their summers feeding in the shallow waters off the Pacific Northwest coast have undergone a significant decline in body length since around the year 2000, a new Oregon State University study found. The smaller size could have major consequences for the health and reproductive success of the affected whales, and also raises alarm bells about the state of the food web in which they coexist, researchers say. ...
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The Cannon Beach Gazette covers local news in Cannon Beach and Clatsop County areas in Oregon. We focus on local breaking news, general news, community news, sports, and opinions.
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