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The St. Helens Chronicle
Rainier Columbians on the bullseye
The Rainier Columbians Trap Team traveled to the Hillsboro Gun Club recently for the Class 1A Oregon State Championship Tournament, competing against 35 teams from across Oregon on June 23. Head Coach Jeff Sorenson gave an update on the team’s finale in a Facebook post after an “outstanding” day of shooting that saw the team hit a team-record score of 471/500 birds. The Columbian’s sharp shooting saw them place 3rd overall in 1A Classification, narrowly missing second-place Madras, who scored 472/500. This year’s state champion,...
Celebrate safely this Fourth of July: Rethink the Drink, drive sober
As Oregonians gear up to celebrate the busy months of summer – from Fourth of July and barbecues to weddings and river outings – the Oregon Health Authority's (OHA) Excessive Alcohol Use Prevention Program and the Oregon Department of Transportation’s (ODOT) Impaired Driving Program are partnering to remind everyone about the importance of driving sober and drinking less. Excessive drinking impairs a person’s judgment, slows reaction times and increases the likelihood of making fatal decisions. This Fourth of July, OHA and ODOT are encouraging people...
Independence Day in McCormick Park
Though there won’t be the traditional firework display over the Columbia River in Columbia View Park this year, St. Helens will have Independence Day activities in McCormick Park that honor the United States and the service of veterans. The theme for this year’s event is “Tour of Duty,” and is a collaboration with the American Legion, VFW, Elks Veteran Bunker, and the City of St. Helens. Judy Thompson is the volunteer coordinator of the event, and this year’s Independence Day celebration will also be the...
Fireworks issues beyond Independence Day
The use of fireworks, both legal and illegal goes beyond celebrations during Independence Day. The fireworks are dangerous and have led to injuries and fires. The law Oregon law prohibits the possession, use or sale of any firework that flies into the air, explodes, or travels more than 12 feet horizontally on the ground without...
U.S. Supreme Court sides with Oregon city, allows ban on homeless people sleeping outdoors
The U.S. Supreme Court Friday sided with a local ordinance in Oregon that effectively bans homeless people from sleeping outdoors, and local governments will be allowed to enforce those laws. In a 6-3 decision, Justice Neil Gorsuch wrote in the opinion that the enforcement of those local laws that regulate camping on public property does not constitute the Eighth Amendment’s prohibition on cruel and unusual punishment. “Homelessness is complex. Its...
New training technique makes AI systems less socially biased
An Oregon State University doctoral student and researchers at Adobe have created a new, cost-effective training technique for artificial intelligence systems that aims to make them less socially biased. Eric Slyman of the OSU College of Engineering and the Adobe researchers call the novel method FairDeDup, an abbreviation for fair deduplication. Deduplication means removing redundant information from the data used to train AI systems, which lowers the high computing costs of the training. ...
Merkley Monthly: Tackling the housing affordability crisis
June is National Homeownership Month, but the housing affordability crisis is putting home ownership farther and fartherout of reach for too many working families in Oregon and across America. When I was growing up, my parents, like many of their generation, were able to save enough money to buy a modest home for our family in Oregon. I still live in that same blue-collar neighborhood. But it’s a different story for my children’s generation. As prices to rent and buy skyrocket, young people are worried...
Mist-Birkenfeld Division Chief passes away
The firefighter community in Columbia County are in mourning, a result of the passing of Mist-Birkenfeld Division Chief Nicholas “Nick” Berg. Berg passed away unexpectedly at home on June 6.. The investigation of his death has ruled it a Line of Duty Death. “Nick was a volunteer for our Fire District for 47 years and has worked and volunteered throughout the greater Columbia County area his entire life,” ...
Alex Tardif withdraws from County Commissioner election
In a surprising turn of events, Alex Tardif has withdrawn his candidacy for Position 1 of the Columbia County Commissioners, taking himself off of the ballot for the runoff election between himself and incumbent County Commissioner Margaret Magruder. Tardif's exit from the commissioner's race was confirmed by Columbia County Public Information Officer Mark Pacheco via email June 27. When asked what the result will be for the election, Pacheco said that Tardif's name will not appear on the November ballot but that "everything else will...
U.S. Supreme Court sides with Oregon city, allows ban on homeless people sleeping outdoors
The U.S. Supreme Court Friday sided with a local ordinance in Oregon that effectively bans homeless people from sleeping outdoors, and local governments will be allowed to enforce those laws. In a 6-3 decision, Justice Neil Gorsuch wrote in the opinion that the enforcement of those local laws that regulate camping on public property does not constitute the Eighth Amendment’s prohibition on cruel and unusual punishment. “Homelessness is complex. Its...
St. Helens’ seventh annual Citizens Day in the Park
McCormick Park was teeming with activity on June 22, as folks from around St. Helens enjoyed the sunshine, free food, music, and fun for the seventh annual Citizens Day in the Park. St. Helens Communications Officer Crystal King said that the city estimated that more than 1,000 people were in attendance based on the number of meals served during the free barbecue lunch. In addition to the large crowd turnout, this year’s event doubled the number of vendors the city hosted, with about 100 vendors...
New Asbestos and lead testing drop box in St. Helens
The Columbia County Solid Waste Department is excited to announce the addition of a new drop box at the St. Helens Transfer Station for asbestos and lead testing services. This new drop box offers county residents a convenient and affordable way to access comprehensive testing services. Key Features include: Multiple Asbestos Testing Turnaround Options. Choose from same-day to 5-business-day results to meet your specific needs.Affordable Testing. Asbestos testing starts as...
Oregon Health Authority issues measles advisory
The Oregon Health Authority (OHA) and county public health officials are investigating two cases of measles in a single Clackamas County household. One household member, an unvaccinated adult, was confirmed to have measles Friday, June 14. The individual developed a rash June 11. While the time range of the exposure is believed to be between May 19 and June 4, the specific location of the exposure, which occurred in Marion County, is unknown, suggesting there may be other, unreported measles cases in Oregon, according to...
Columbia County pro boxer Haidon Allen ready for second bout
Following a successful debut, Haidon “Ippo” Allen is getting back in the ring for his second professional fight, and this time, he’s going up a weight class to do it. Not much has changed since Allen got his first professional win. Allen took a few weeks off after his victory over Robert Jimenez on Apr. 20. After some time off to recover, Allen hopped right back into training camp with his coach, Victor Morales. ...
Ace to host BBQ in honor of 100th year
In celebration of Ace Hardware’s 100th year in operation, the St. Helens Ace Hardware location will be hosting a community event with free food, vendors, and activities for folks on June 29. Ace Hardware was founded in 1924 in Chicago, and over the course of its operation, the business has expanded internationally. The St. Helens location was founded in 1973, according to St. Helens Ace Store Manager Melissa Peterson. From there, it moved to the old Columbia Lanes Bowling Alley building on S. 17th Street...
Despite mild fire season forecast, agencies tell Oregon leaders they need to invest in workforce
Oregon is likely to face fewer big wildfires this summer than in previous years, but a lack of rural housing, coupled with unstable and often low pay, continues to create firefighter workforce challenges across the state and region. That was a big part of the message from state and federal fire and emergency response officials, who discussed this year’s fire outlook and what they need at a meeting Monday at the Northwest Interagency Coordination Center. The Portland-based center is part of a larger wildfire prevention...
CCHUB’s entrepreneur contest now open!
Our business development competition is officially live and this is just the beginning of all the fun. We are accepting applications from Columbia County residents, age 16-25, now through July 15, 2024, and official contestants will be announced by July 20. All you need to do to express interest is fill out our online interest form, which should just take a few minutes. That form is available at bit.ly/kidsbiz2024, and as a tab on our website www.columbiacountyhub.com. Once you submit your initial note of interest,...
Police Blotter: Six arrested on fugitive warrants
he police blotter relates to the public record of incidents as reported by law enforcement agencies. All individuals arrested or charged with a crime are presumed innocent until proven guilty. Information printed is preliminary and subject to change. For specific details about cases listed, contact the appropriate law enforcement agency. St. Helens Police Department June...
Operation Dry Water to be launched through July 4th holiday
The Oregon Marine Board, Sheriff’s Offices across the state and the Oregon State Police will be participating in Operation Dry Water, July 4-6. The enforcement effort is part of a nationally coordinated effort to reduce the number of accidents and fatalities related to boating under the influence of intoxicants (BUII). Leading factor The US Coast...
New info may beget leads in Zuber case
After months and years of seeking clarity regarding the tragic passing of their daughter, Sarah Zuber, in 2019, Randy and Rebecca Zuber may be on the path to getting the closure they seek, as the Columbia County Major Crimes Team has been provided new information that may generate new leads. This development came after Zuber family spokesperson Jennifer Massey met with Columbia County Sheriff Brian Pixley in late March to explain her involvement in the case and the family’s goals regarding the investigation. ...
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The St. Helens Chronicle covers local news in the St. Helens and Columbia County areas in Oregon. We focus on local breaking news, general news, community news, sports, and opinions.
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