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Wednesday, October 23, 2019
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Bacterial meningitis suspected in SHHS teen’s death Here’s what you need to know
JULIE THOMPSON chronicle1@countrymedia.net
A 16-year-old junior and wrestling team member at St. Helens High School passed away Monday morning, Oct. 21, and doctors suspect bacterial meningitis caused his death. According to Public Health Administrator Michael Paul, JD, MPH, the county was contacted by the ER where the teen was treated to alert them to the possible presence of the communicable disease. Test results are expected later this week to pinpoint the boy’s exact cause of death. Bacterial meningitis “is very serious and can be deadly” according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, and death can occur in as little as a few hours. It is a
communicable disease that spreads from person-to-person when there is direct contact with mucus from an infected person’s nose or throat. However, the disease does not spread through casual contact or by simply being the same room, such as a classroom, as the infected person. Right now, Paul said, the county is working on an investigation using the Oregon Health Authority’s (OHA) Public Health Division investigative guidelines. Those guidelines can be found on OHA’s website. “Our main job right now is trying to identify all of the people who had significant exposure to the deceased – those who spent at least four hours in close face-to-face contact with the deceased within the ten days prior to when he developed symptoms,” Paul said.
That ten-day time period covers Oct. 10 to Oct. 20, with Paul adding the dates they are most concerned about for those possibly exposed narrowing from Oct. 16 to Oct. 19. “The most infectious period is the three days prior to symptoms developing, and he developed symptoms on Sunday (Oct.20),” Paul said, adding the ten-day timeline is a more generous range to be safe and thorough. At this time, the antibiotic prophylaxis is recommended for: family and household members connected to the deceased, anyone who spent at least four hours in close, face-to-face association with the teen within those ten days, anyone directly exposed to the teen’s cough or nasopharyngeal secretions (via kissing or wrestling with him, for example, within those ten days). Paul said students who simply
sat in the same classroom with the teen or may have touched the same surface he did would not be affected. Those of concern would include wrestling partners, girlfriends or boyfriends and siblings. Symptoms to watch for include fever, stiff neck, severe headache, weakness, confusion, irritability, vomiting and a rash. “The rash is often red bumps on the skin that appear suddenly. They can look similar to hives initially and could appear in areas such as underwear, socks, and other areas under the clothing or in fingernail beds,” Paul said. “It’s got to be somebody that had significant contact with him and suddenly doesn’t feel well.” Symptoms can appear two to ten days after exposure, but usually occur within three to four days. Antibiotic treatment of the disease
is usually successful, especially if started early after symptoms begin. Individuals should seek medical care if signs or symptoms develop within the next two weeks. Those who may have been exposed should contact their primary care physician to discuss whether treatment is needed. “We don’t want to instill panic, but anyone concerned should get the antibiotics,” Paul said. According to the county, Public Health staff is working on directly contacting those who were potentially exposed. “We want to inform them about the signs and symptoms of the illness. The antibiotics will protect them and their family members.” Anyone with any questions about this information should call Columbia County Public Health at 503-397-7247.
Changes to Riverfront District CHRISTINE MENGES chronicle2@countrymedia.net
Changes are coming to the Riverfront District. Sometimes referred to as “Old Town,” The Riverfront District is the vicinity from 7th Street to the river and is the city’s historic downtown area. The area has recently seen the expansion of businesses, as well as increased access to the waterfront. Molly’s Market There is also one business that is completely new: Molly’s Market Located at 290 S. 1st Street, the market is stocked with a lot of items one would find at a convenience store like water bottles, soda and snacks, but also items often found at a grocery store, like eggs, milk, bacon and bread. Co-owners Molly Matchak and Philip Stanton, brother and sister, opened up Molly’s Market on Oct. 5 in a “soft opening,” in order to get the feel of the business. The business will have a grand opening on Halloween, Oct. 31, Stanton said. Stanton, who owns some property in St. Helens, and operates Portland Properties, LLC, said he and his sister had been wanting to see a small-size market in St. Helens for a while, because he felt the city was sorely lacking one. “Having been down here for ten
Christine Menges/The Chronicle
Molly’s Market, recently opened on 1st Street in St. Helens.
years, [the lack of a market] drove me crazy,” Stanton said. Matchak fell in love with what she called the “St. Helens vibe,” and decided to move here. She said opening a market has always been a dream of hers, especially one that was modeled after a store located in her childhood hometown. When she was a child, Matchak said she and her family would often walk to a grocery store named “Rory’s” three blocks away from her house to buy a soda or a chocolate bar and came to know the owners of the grocery store very well. The market was more than just a place to buy goods for Matchak and
Stanton, but a place for everyone in their town to feel a sense of community. “Everybody knew each other, it was just such a good feeling,” Matchak said. Stanton described Molly’s Market as one you would find back in a traditional small town that carries a little bit of everything. Their selection includes some food, but also a kitchen section where customers can purchase cleaning supplies, a health section for health-specific foods and even an upcoming toy section. The move-in process has taken about a year. Stanton purchased a
few properties in St. Helens a year and a half ago, including the buildings where Running Dogs Brewery and Plymouth Pub are located. Stanton was able to keep the space empty and waiting for Matchak before she could begin the move-in process. Six months ago, Matchak began moving refrigeration into the place and started to define her business model. Right now, the store occupies about 800 square feet, although Stanton estimates the business has room to expand to 1,500 square feet. Already, Matchak said she has felt a sense of community, support and gratitude from customers regarding her business. One person in particular has already made an impact. That person made a $1,000 donation to Matchak when she was first moving in. She told the story with tears in her eyes. One Wednesday morning, Matchak was in her market, working with her beer distributer and calculating inventory when she saw a man in his 70s or 80s walk in. He asked Matchak if she was the woman who ran the establishment, and she replied that she was. He then handed Matchak a check for $1,000. “He said recently he got a bill of health and said he wanted to support small businesses. I started to cry. He just smiled and said, ‘I just believe in small businesses and I hope you do well,’” Matchak said.
That customer has been back to the store a few times since then, Matchak said, and she knows the customer and his wife on a firstname basis. It’s this sense of community that Matchak said she is hoping to build. “Just a sense of you can say, ‘Hey, Molly,’ and I can say, ‘Hey, Jim,’” Matchak said. “I want to know my community by name and they know I have the things they need.” Matchak said so far, she has felt a strong sense of gratitude from all of her customers who walk in her store. “I didn’t realize how much this place really needed a grocery store,” she said. Additional expansion There are three other businesses in the Riverfront District that are either expanding or have recently expanded: Running Dogs Brewery, Plymouth Pub and a new business to complement The Woodland Cottage Boutique. Stanton, who owns the buildings for both Running Dogs and Plymouth Pub, said Running Dogs, located at 291 S. 1st Street, has recently expanded their brewery to the space that neighbors them, with plans to break down the wall
See RIVERFRONT Page A11
Deer Island Fire Station manager retires after 12 years of service JULIE THOMPSON chronicle1@countrymedia.net
Bill Matthews, firefighter, first responder, EMR/EMT and manager of the Deer Island Fire Station for 12 years, officially hung up his helmet following a retirement
party on Friday, Oct. 18. Matthew, 65, had been a supervisor at Boise Cascade for 37 years when he was first approached to be a firefighter. The company was involved in a mock drill that directed them to close Highway 30 and “save many lives,” according to his wife, Connie St. Clair-Matthews. When the fire department showed up for the mock drill, Division Chief Brian Burright saw Matthews in action and asked him where he lived, and did he want to become a firefighter and manage the Deer Island Station? He said they needed one bad. So, Connie said, Matthews passed all of the tests and physicals and went to work. “He’s used jaws of life on car wrecks, he’s rescued a horse, he’s done a lot,” Connie said. “He went to McBride to talk to all the children about being a firefighter and drove the largest fire truck through the parade.” Matthews fought two wildland
fires in Oregon in 2017 and would go on to spend 14 days fighting fires in California that same year with the rest of the Columbia County team. Connie specifically remembers one incident in which Matthews responded to a motorcycle accident on Canaan Road. While volunteers aren’t technically supposed to call Life Flight, she said Matthews knew the victim was in critical condition, so he called them. “The guy said he heard everything he did, heard when they started plucking rocks out of his leg and Bill told them not to. He said, ‘you saved my life,’” Connie said, adding those involved sent him thank you notes. He still has the book the victims and family members made for him. Matthews’ dedication didn’t end at work, according to Connie. She
See RETIREMENT Page A11
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Bill Matthews celebrated his retirement on Oct. 18.
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