SHC1120

Page 1

YEAR IN REVIEW Wednesday, January 1, 2020

The Chronicle

$1

thechronicleonline.com

Serving Columbia County since 1881

100 Year old sequoia cut down CHRISTINE MENGES chronicle2@countrymedia.net

On Dec. 24, workers began stripping the giant sequoia, and other trees on the property, of limbs and branches in the take down process.

Jeremy C. Ruark / The Chronicle

It had stood tall and proud for 100 years towering over Scappoose. Today, it is gone. On Dec. 24, The Chronicle received word from a Scappoose resident that a 100-year old giant sequoia was in the process of being chopped down. The sequoia and other trees on adjacent property located next to Dealers Market, LLC were in the way of the used car lot’s expansion and remodeling. According to Gregory Taresh, Dealers Market finance manager, the owner of Dealers Market had the tree tested, and results showed the tree had already rotted through. “They said we need to get rid of the tree, because we’re liable,” Taresh said. Southwest Sequoia Street in Scappoose is named for the tree. The street is catty-corner to Dealers Market where the tree is located, the official address of which is Columbia River Highway. According to an information page on the Sequoia & Kings Canyon National Parks website, giant sequoias can live up to 3,000 years and can grow up taller than 300 feet. They usually grow along the western slope of the Sierra Nevada Mountains, where the periodic dry heat of the mountains allows the cones on the tree to open and release seeds. As of Dec. 26, the tree had been completely cut down.

Authorities release gas station shooting video STAFF REPORT chroniclenews@countrymedia.net

The St.Helens Police and the Columbia County District Attorney’s Office have released video of a shooting incident and the use of deadly force by officers against

(503) 232-7292

HEAT AND COOL UP TO 1000 SQFT. INSTALLED FOR AS LITTLE AS $2800 AFTER REBATES AND INCENTIVES RX18NMVJU/FTX18NMVJU

Michael Veatch on Oct.9. The deadly force happened after investigators said Veatch pulled a gun on an employee and fired shots with an AK-47 into the Chevron gas station 115 N Columbia River Highway. At approximately 5:26 a.m. on Wednesday, Oct. 9, St. Helens officers responded to the report of the shooting. According to the findings of the incident by Columbia County District Attorney Jeff Auxier, a St.Helens police officer used his patrol car to strike Veatch as he fled the scene and began shooting at people in their vehicles. The Chronicle first reported on Dec. 3, that after reviewing the

evidence, Auixier ruled that the St. Helens Police Department’s deadly use of force against Veatch was justified. In the video link below, the incident unfolds at the gas station where employees and customers duck for cover as the shooting begins. The Chronicle has chosen not to publish the video showing other aspects of the incident due to the sensitivity of this case. https://www.dropbox.com/ sh/wthbhgsjb386ntn/AABBClh DTf8JnxyWPP5emSFPa?dl=0 &preview=_Extraction_1_1___ Clip_1_1___Extraction_2_1__ ch02_20191009050959_veatch_ shows_gun_and_fires_into_building.mp4

Chronicle photo

The Oct. 9 shooting incident unfolded at this Chevron gas station in St. Helens.

Year in Review February 13

Flood 2019: Overwhelmed, underwater JULIE THOMPSON chronicle1@countrymedia.net

As Columbia County braced for incoming flooding on Tuesday morning, Feb. 12, there appeared to be no end to the rain in sight. “Unfortunately, there’s a rain band sitting right over you,” meteorologist Will Ahue with the National Weather Service said. “We’ve been watching it, and unfortunately, we think right now that it may last for the next several hours.” Ahue predicted an additional one to two inches of rain by the end of the day. “It’s one of our wet, wintery events that we get every so often,” Ahue said. “We’re not expecting snow at lower elevations,

Year in review:......A1-6, Year in review:...A10-12 Poll: ...........................A4 Cartoon: ...................A4 TV Guide: ................A7 Classified Ads: .........A8 Legals: ...................A8-9

Waters of Milton Creek rising quickly towards bridge level on Old Portland Road.

Vol. 138, No. 1

Kelli Nicholson/The Chronicle

­­­­

See FLOOD Page A4

Happy Holidays and Happy New Year from your friends at Saint Helens Market Fresh! 1111 Columbia Blvd, St Helens, OR 97051 • 7 a.m. to 10 p.m. • (503) 397-2288


Turn static files into dynamic content formats.

Create a flipbook
Issuu converts static files into: digital portfolios, online yearbooks, online catalogs, digital photo albums and more. Sign up and create your flipbook.