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SUICIDE

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PREVENTION & RESOURCES

Now and ahead

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Wednesday, September 9, 2020

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The Chronicle

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thechronicleonline.com

Serving Columbia County since 1881

Lights, camera, action: movie comes to town Jeremy C. Ruark / The Chronicle

The Columbia River has become a popular recreation point in Columbia County.

Waterways: Fatalities, accidents rising

Jeremy C. Ruark / The Chronicle

The wildfire smoke was clearing a bit as the sun rose Tuesday morning over the Columbia River in St. Helens.

Rare east wind event JEREMY C. RUARK jruark@countrymedia.net

A rare east wind event sent strong winds and smoke from wildfires in Washington state and Oregon into Columbia County late Monday afternoon The National Weather Service issued a High Wind Warning Monday, Sept. 7 which remained in effect until 1 p.m. Tuesday for the region. Wind warnings were also issued for the Cascades and the Oregon Coast. Columbia River Fire & Rescue reports the high winds knocked a tree into house in the 200 block of S. 8th Street in St. Helens. No injuries were reported. Another tree fell into power lines and blocked Highway 30 near Rainier for a time. National Weather Service meteorologists Tyler Kranz in Portland said such wind storms are usually seen in fall and winter. “It was definitely a rare event,” he said. “We usually don’t have winds of this magnitude in late summer.” Kranz said a mix of cool and warm air led to a difference in pressure that triggered the strong winds with a peak gust at 32 miles an hour at the Scappoose International Airpark and at 52 miles an hour at the Portland International Airport late

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JEREMY C. RUARK jruark@countrymedia.net

Christine Menges / The Chronicle

Bundy’s Café Drive-In in Clatskanie is one location that has been used for filming. On Sept. 2, 3 and 4, the building was closed and coned off to the public. CHRISTINE MENGES chronicle2@countrymedia.net

Although far from Hollywood, St. Helens residents are familiar with movies coming to town: from Twilight (2008), to Halloweentown (1998), to Behind the Mask: The Rise of Leslie Vernon (2006), the place is rife with filming spots, many of the spooky/horror genre. Residents might be happy to know that filming is in the works once more, but this time, it’s a web series, produced by Crypt TV, called “The Birch,” and broadcast on Facebook Watch, at: https:// www.facebook.com/watch/thebirchshow/2699333366784923/. The first season is already available. The second season will have 14 new episodes, and will be released Oct. 11. The series

See WIND Page A5

Some might say the show’s prem-

ise is scary. According to the series’ Facebook Watch show page, “The Birch” follows the lives of three teenagers who have been forever changed by the Birch, a blood-thirsty monster deep in the woods. “Once you summon her protection, you never escape,” the synopsis reads. Film producers did not return requests for comments on filming, saying they wanted to wait until 2021 to talk about the show. However, a trailer is available on YouTube at https://www.youtube. com/watch?v=SxQj0DumF8Y. The trailer reveals a show that may not be suitable for children. There’s a warning on the video the content may be inappropriate for some viewers. “Viewer discretion is advised” is written below the warning. But a watered-down version could be described as thus: a misfit teenage boy, being tormented by the school bully, finds escape in the woods. As he’s walking, a hoarse

voice narrates: “Some people believe that the forest cares for nothing but itself. That’s not true. If you listen carefully, you can hear its voice. Its tortured heart. It can feel our pain too.” It’s later revealed that the narrator is the boy’s grandmother, who lies on her death bed as she gives her grandson a book, saying, “When I’m gone, she will look after you. Protect you. Just as I have always done. Just as she did for me. Look for her mark in the forest.” The camera then reveals the teenage boy being confronted by the bully in the woods, and all of a sudden, help comes in the form of The Birch: a 20-foot-tall tree-like creature, with a skeleton-like face, and a nest-like structure enveloping its head. The last shot implies that The Birch, in answer to the boy’s summons, kills his tormentor.

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See MOVIE Page A8

This summer Oregon has seen a disturbing trend along Oregon’s popular rivers and lakes: A high number of increasing fatalities and accidents. The Marine Board’s Randy Henry calls the rise in waterway fatalities and accidents concerning. “I am very concerned with the number and types of incidents and fatalities we’ve seen this summer on Oregon’s waterways,” Henry said. “Part of that is explained by COVID-19 closures and that outdoor recreation is at record levels all over. Nationwide I’m told there is about a 30% increase in boating fatalities and we’re seeing that same level of increase in Oregon. More boating, more accidents.” Henry said his biggest concern is the number of very preventable fatalities. “We’re seeing people not surviving capsizings and falls-overboard,” he said “In nearly all these cases, a life jacket would have prevented the tragedy.” Henry said Oregon has recorded 22 boating fatalities as of Tuesday, Sept. 1.

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See WATERWAYS Page A7

Caples house nearing completion CHRISTINE MENGES chronicle2@countrymedia.net

After a years-long renovation process, the Caples House Museum Complex, located at 1925 1st Street in Columbia City, is nearly ready to reopen. The house, which turns 150 this year, has had restoration efforts in the works for a while in preparation for the anniversary, according to Chair of the Caples House Building and Grounds Committee Kelly Wiggins. Those renovations included installing a foundation for the house, which was built without one, in order to prevent a host of damages to the building. The Chronicle reported on the construction efforts in September of last year, when the house was raised six feet off the ground in order to install the foundation.

Opinion: ......................A4 Poll: ..............................A4 Cartoon: ......................A4 Obituaries: ..................A5 Classified Ads: ............A6 Legals: ..........................A7 TV Guide: ...................A8 Suicide Prevention ...A10

While a large grand reopening was in the works, the museum will have to have a much softer reopening in light of the coronavirus pandemic, Wiggins said. “We had planned a very large 150th celebration for August 1. It was going to be very large, very grand, with music, city leaders, all the contractors that have worked on the project. We had to cancel that, which was incredibly disappointing,” Wiggins said. The new date for reopening is Saturday, Sept. 12. Because of the pandemic, the museum will not be able to resume its normal hours, according to Wiggins. While the museum is usually open for tours from Friday through Sunday, the new hours will be only Saturdays, from 11 a.m. to 4 p.m., Wiggins said. Before the renovations, the mu-

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Christine Menges / The Chronicle

See CAPLES Page A7

The newly renovated Caples House, at 1925 1st Street in Columbia City, is ready for visitors.

Order Deadline: TUESDAY 09-15-20

WHILE SUPPLIES LAST HUGE SAVINGS

Vol. 138, No. 37

seum offered not only tours, but also served as a venue for events such as weddings. Right now, Wiggins said the museum is just focused on getting back open in order to make up for lost revenue, and then they can focus on extending hours and booking events. According to information from the Caples House Museum Complex, the house is also known as the Dr. Charles G. and Lucinda McBride Caples Farmstead, the namesake of a couple who emigrated across the Oregon Trail when they were children and married in Oregon in 1855. Dr. Charles Caples was the first physician in Columbia County. He built his home in 1870. In 1959, the Caples’ daughter, Dell Caples Houghton, gifted the Oregon

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