Columns

Most of us who live in Clatsop County, no matter what we look like or how much money we have, want our families to feel safe here. When we feel safe, we can make the connections in our schools…

Writing about a death in the family is difficult. Emotion tugs at us.

The initiation of remote learning for the 2020-2021 school year because of the coronavirus pandemic has presented challenges and circumstances never before experienced even by the most seasone…

I never thought I’d be writing a guest column in the local newspaper, but I was raised that if something was important to you, take a stand.

Oregonians are grieving about the death and destruction caused by wildfires across our beautiful state. There are likely to be more dangerous fires to come this year, according to fire experts…

As sheriff it is my responsibility to be the conservator of the peace.

The one constant in life is change.

This year marks the 30th anniversary of the reunification of the two Germanys. That event came about as a consequence of the East German people’s unexpectedly bringing about the fall of the Be…

As the 2020 census draws to a close, I urge each one of you reading this to respond before it’s too late.

Oregon’s state forests are multiuse working forests, managed by the Oregon Department of Forestry to provide the “greatest permanent value” for surrounding counties, which includes harvest, re…

I am the coordinator at the Manzanita Visitors Center. I love my job for many reasons, chief of which is that I get to interact with travelers from everywhere around the country and the world.

Dec. 7, 1941 is a date seared into the memory of Americans.

It’s hard to know where to start and end when asked to share personal reflections on the ratification of the 19th Amendment.

News consumption is growing exponentially, but for the past decade, the revenue to news publishers has been on a decline.

I turned 21 on April 1, 1970. I don’t remember actually registering to vote, but I do remember that I knew voting was a very important privilege. I have voted in every election, local, regiona…

Some older runners may recall a time when kangaroo skins were used in some running shoes, but are surprised to learn that while diminished, the use of these wildlife skins is still a big part …

This year marks the 30th anniversary of the North Coast Chorale.

My memories around the first time voting are hazy, but I do know it was 1980 and I was just 22.

When our family arrived in Astoria in 1987, we had two children in tow — ages 4 and 18 months. Not surprisingly, child care was the topic of the first three-part series The Daily Astorian prod…

This has been a week of bad news, worse news and occasional good news in Oregon government. But instead of recounting all those downs, ups and sideways, let’s check in on a continuing issue: u…

Dear Mari,

“Don’t let what you cannot do interfere with what you can do.”

We started seeing media coverage of nationwide protests months ago, and shortly thereafter, they began in Astoria, Warrenton, Seaside and Cannon Beach.

In celebration of the 100th anniversary of the ratification of the 19th Amendment to the U.S. Constitution, it is important to look at the role of Clatsop County in securing this right.

Since the guest column I wrote for The Astorian about my time in quarantine for the coronavirus, I have been peppered with questions by the people I meet.

State Rep. Andrea Salinas was livid.

Democratic U.S. Sen. Tammy Duckworth, of Illinois, and Republican U.S. Sen. Margaret Chase Smith, of Maine, served more than a half-century apart. They found common cause last week.

One of the many joys of volunteering at the Wildlife Center of the North Coast is getting up close and personal with the patients we care for, the amazing array of birds who grace our Pacific …

When The Astorian contacted me about having tested positive for COVID-19, I was reluctant to settle for an interview and a story written by a reporter because the very nature of this experienc…

Edward Harvey was the godfather of historic preservation in Astoria.

After reading the article published in The Astorian on July 2 titled, “Records show county, state were warned about coronavirus risk at seafood plants,” Clatsop County commissioners are collec…

We are in the midst of a crisis that’s delivered a one-two punch.

Charitable organizations enrich our lives on the North Coast.

Being isolated from the coronavirus pandemic gave lots of time to reminisce about remarkable changes that have transformed the world and reshaped our lives since the 1930s. They’re changes mos…

Between us, my wife and I have five great-great-grandfathers who fought in the Civil War to end slavery and preserve the Union. One died during the war. Two others died later from chronic ailm…

I never imagined that the incidents leading up to and following the killing of George Floyd by law enforcement officers in Minnesota would incite such volatile demonstrations and fuel discussi…

Mum is dead.

The message might not fit neatly on a protest sign, but Ron Louie, a former Astoria police chief, believes mandatory accreditation has the potential to make the biggest difference in law enforcement.

Over the past week and a half, hundreds of Astorians gathered on our streets in demonstrations to condemn the racism that persists in too many corners of our society, both hidden, and in the o…

Jo Rae Perkins’ victory in the Republican primary for U.S. Senate in May announces that the Oregon Republican Party is running out of gas.

In 1956 — my father still tells the story today — a team of baseball players from his hometown in Cananea, Sonora, Mexico, won the regional championship.

En 1956 —mi padre aún sigue contando la historia — el equipo de béisbol de su pueblo natal en Cananea, Sonora, México ganó el campeonato regional.

Small, family-owned businesses are the economic and cultural heartbeat of small towns.

If you are a newspaper subscriber or you pick up a copy at a local retailer, you pay for the news and information you receive in your paper’s print edition or digital outlets.

Though the state budget hole grabbed the most headlines, there were other important takeaways from the state’s latest economic and revenue forecasts.

Roughly 30 years ago, I was in my shop attempting to bore a hole through a piece of steel plate when my next-door neighbor, Doug Bracher, wandered in. “You need to put a little oil on that,” he said.

The COVID-19 pandemic has been unlike anything Clatsop County Public Health Department staff has ever experienced.

Turning the page on Clatsop County’s complicated history with native peoples, on May 5 the North Coast Land Conservancy transferred ownership of the historic site of Neacoxie village to the Cl…

Our region is rich with authors. Four of them visited with me about how the coronavirus pandemic has affected their literary world.

With the outbreak of the COVID-19 pandemic, Columbia Pacific Coordinated Care Organization is keenly aware of the additional burdens and challenges for everyone.

Clatsop County’s robust performing arts sector is rare in a rural county. Like restaurants and other consumer-driven enterprises, theaters have been dealt a big setback by the coronavirus shutdown.

As a community, we’ve gone through a lot together to do our part in flattening the coronavirus infection curve.