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Salute to the U.S. Coast Guard

The Chief

The Chronicle

Published by Country Media, Inc.

Wednesday, July 29, 2020

Salute to the

U.S. Coast Guard

Columbia River Eats, Page A9

The Chronicle

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thechronicleonline.com

Serving Columbia County since 1881

Rainier juvenile faces murder charges STAFF REPORT chroniclenews@countrymedia.net

A Rainier juvenile is facing murder charges after he allegedly drove through a gathering at the Hunt Creek rock pit in Clatsop County, killing one person and injuring others. On July 25, at approximately 4 a.m. Clatsop County deputies were called to the Hunt Creek rock pit, east of Nicolai Mountain off Highway 30, for a report of a hit and run. Deputies investigating the incident learned that a large gathering had occurred at the rock pit and Kyle Snook, a juvenile male from Rainier, left the area after allegedly driving his vehicle through a crowd of people. Three people in the crowd received serious injuries from being hit by the vehicle. Robert Betschart, of Rainier, died as a result of his injuries, according to the Clatsop County Sheriff’s Office. The Clatsop County Major Crimes Team arrested Snook who is charged with murder in the second degree, manslaughter in the first degree, five counts of felony vehicular assault and driving under the influence of intoxicants. At press time Snook was being held at a Detention Facility. Investigators are requesting anyone with information about the case to call Clatsop County Detective Justin Dersham, at 503-325-8635.

Who We Are

Courtesy photo

The donations were lined up in front of Woodland Cottage Handpicked Boutique at 241 S. 1st St. in St. Helens before they were sent to the Warm Springs Indian Reservation in Central Oregon.

County residents donate to reservation CHRISTINE MENGES chronicle2@countrymedia.net

After hearing about a need for water and other items at the Warm Springs Reservation in Central Oregon, Woodland Cottage Handpicked Boutique in the Old Town District of St. Helens and local political action committee Moving Forward Columbia County (MFCC) teamed up to collect donations from community members to send to residents of the reservation. Local organizers, Courtney Allison, owner of Woodland Cottage, and Shana Cavanaugh, co-founder

of MFCC, first saw the need on a social media post a mutual friend, Kristina Paine, had shared on the Facebook group, Concerned Citizens of Columbia County (4C’s). Paine had posted that she was looking for a local business to host a site for a donation drive for the Warm Springs reservation. Paine had not been the originator of the drive. Paine was only one part of a complicated network that had spun out of four women who had decided to start donating to the reservation. The ringleader for that group is Mariah Hilson. Hilson runs a farm in Colton, and said it was an article about the

reservation that broke her heart and inspired her to take action. “I’m not a very emotional person, but it brought tears to my eyes and a lump in my throat. So it I felt like I had to do something,” Hilson said. She and three other women got together and worked out what to do. At first, they thought it was clean water that the reservation needed most. But then one of Hilson’s friends decided to call the reservation, and after calling and being forwarded to several different people, she eventually got in contact with Danny Martinez, who leads the relief center at the reser-

vation, according to Hilson. “After speaking with him, we found that there was more need other than water,” Hilson said. According to Hilson, the first team got together and decided what to do on July 9. The team of friends set to work collecting all sorts of items, from hand sanitizer to clothing to paper towels, to other hygiene items, according to Hilson. The four friends tried to get the word out about what they were trying to accomplish, and posted on social media, and called

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See DONATE Page A10

Pandemic impact on our schools JEREMY C. RUARK jruark@countrymedia.net

An Oregon group is calling for the state to keep schools closed until the COVID-19 pandemic slows considerably. Oregon Safe Return to Schools members include teachers, school staff, families and students, held a rally at the state capital building in Salem Monday, July 27, to voice their concerns. The group’s Facebook page reads: “We are Oregon educators, school staff, parents, students, and concerned individuals who demand a safe return to campus. We refuse to return to campus until our counties report no new cases of COVID-19 for at least 14 days. Until then, we demand that our students and school staff have adequate access to all necessary technology to resume distance learning. Upon return, we demand adequate supplies, personnel, and facilities to safely share space on campus and react aggressively to any resurgence of COVID-19.” The Chronicle contacted the

Opinion: ......................A4 Poll: ..............................A4 Cartoon: ......................A4 Obituaries: ..................A5 Classified Ads: ............A6 Legals: ..........................A7 TV Guide: ...................A8 Columbia River Eats ..A9

Vol. 138, No. 31

Oregon Department of Education (ODE) for a response to the group’s concerns. ODE’s communications director Marc Siegel said school districts make determinations about what instructional model to use in collaboration with local public health authority and other partners. “ODE and Oregon Health Authority (OHA) are coming out with a set of criteria in coming days that will help school districts understand the local impacts from COVID-19 so that they can take those impacts into consideration as they make their decision,” Siegel said. The St. Helens School District Board of Directors is set to discuss the issue at its regularly scheduled public meeting Wednesday, July 29. The Chronicle also contacted the Scappoose, Clatskanie and Rainier School Districts for comment. In an earlier published interview, Clatskanie School District Superintendent Cathy Hurowitz said the district school board had agreed to open schools this fall for all students who wish to return to school. Elementary students will attend Monday -Thursday from 8 a.m. to 2 p.m. Friday will be reserved for

planning and working with students that choose our on-line option. Middle/High School students will attend from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. Rainer School District interim Superintendent Dr. Joseph Hattrick told The Chronicle specific decisions about opening the Rainier schools have not yet been made. “Rainier School District is gathering feedback from all stakeholder groups while working with the Center for Disease Control (CDC), ODE, and OHA to determine the best course of action,” Hattrick said. “It is our intent to present a comprehensive learning plan on Aug 10 which will continue to be revised in accordance with state and local guidance updates. I am investigating options that are mutually beneficial for students, parents, and staff while providing a safe and rigorous learning Environment for all.” Governor’s action Governor Kate Brown had scheduled a press availability for Tuesday

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See SCHOOLS Page A5

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Courtesy photo

While testing is increasing in Columbia County and across Oregon, officials said the results are slow in returning.

COVID-19 testing increasing CHRISTINE MENGES chronicle2@countrymedia.net

Oregon reached a grim point on Friday, July 24, with the report of nine deaths from COVID-19. That was the single most deaths in one day since the pandemic occurred this past spring in the state, according to the Oregon Health Authority (OHA).

The OHA reported four additional pandemic deaths on Saturday, July 25, but no new deaths on July 26 and 27. The state’s death toll from COVID-19 remained at 289. The OHA also reported 340 new confirmed and presumptive cases of COVID-19, bringing the state total

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See COVID-19 Page A4

Wednesday Night BBQ is back! 3 pm -7pm.

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