Pot farm
Clatskanie Venom
sprouts concerns Page A7
headed to State competition Page A13
TODAY’S WEATHER Partly Cloudy Highs to 72 Page 12 Lows to 48
Classified Ads A9-10 • Legal Notices A10 • Obituaries A6 • Opinions A4 • Out & About A7 • Calendar A10 • TV Guide A8 • Sports A13-14 • Weather A12
Wednesday, June 22, 2016
The Chronicle
$1 Vol. 134, No. 25 16 Pages
www.thechronicleonline.com
Lion mural installed on SHHS campus DON PATTERSON/The Chronicle
St. Helens artist, Paul Coca prepares to put the finishing touches on the new mural at St. Helens High School. Coca used a French technique to make the lion appear to emerge from the wall. See the complete story on page 2.
Severe boat collision injures two men Two men suffered traumatic injuries after their boat was struck by another vessel on the Multnomah Channel near Scappoose Bay Marina. The crash occurred at around 9 a.m. on June 18, according to Columbia River Fire & Rescue Division Chief Eric Smythe. “It appears there was significant energy exchanged in the collision,” Smythe said. “Both of the victims had multiple injuries,” Smythe said. “One was take by Life Flight, the other by ambulance to area hospitals.” Sgt. Phil Edwards, Columbia County Sheriff’s Office Marine Patrol, said the crash occurred approximately a half-mile south of Scappoose Bay, and involved a 23-foot Alumaweld guide boat and a smaller 16-foot Smoker
Craft fishing boat. “This was a very traumatic and violent collision,” Edwards said. Edwards said the smaller boat was trawling downriver when the larger boat, which was traveling upriver at the time, struck it. The impact launched the guide boat over the top of the fishing boat, essentially destroying the smaller craft, according to Edwards. “The events that followed the collision were nothing less than heroic,” Edwards said. The crash left the fishing boat spinning out of control in the water, motor running but unattended, and Edwards said the guide boat operator maneuvered to stop the runaway craft. The guide boat operator then saw the two men in the boat lying on the deck, one appearing to be unconscious and the other in substantial distress. Edwards said despite the fact the smaller fishing boat was taking on water, the guide boat operator jumped aboard and rescued the injured men, moving them onto the guide boat. He finished putting them on board just as the fishing boat slipped under the surface and then capsized. The guide boat operator carried
See BOAT CRASH, Page A6
Columbia County braces for wildfire season unofficially on March 31, with a wildland fire near Clatskanie that started from an escaped debris burn that burned nearly 2 acres and required firefighters and apparatus to respond from the Clatskanie Fire Department, Mist-Birkenfeld Fire Department, Columbia River Fire and Rescue from Rainier, and the Oregon Department of Forestry. “Currently, some of the weather indices (indexs) that we track for fire season severity are worse than for the same indices recorded for this date last year and long range forecasts are predicting above average temperatures and below normal precipitation in August and for the first half of September,” Hiatt said.
BY JEREMY C. RUARK jruark@countrymedia.net
Fire officials are bracing for a more dangerous wildfire season in Columbia County compared to previous years. “I see our area as several weeks ahead of schedule of where we would be in regards to last year and we had dryer then normal season last year,” Clatskanie Rural Fire Protection Chief Steve Sharek said. “Our larger forest fuels are dry which means a much larger fire could carry through the wild land interface.” Malcolm Hiatt with the Oregon Department of Forestry said the official fire season could be declared this month. Hiatt said the 2016 fire season started
See WILDFIRE, Page A12
Courtesy photo
Columbia County fire officials are predicting an early summer wildfire season and urging property owners to take proactive steps now to protect homes and businesses.
Camping closed at McCormick Park in the past, which led to a ban on camping during the previous year. He said in anticipation of continued issues, the council decided to close the park to campers until further notice. “People want their livability and to feel safe when they visit the park,” Walsh said. “That wasn’t happening with the campground there.” Walsh said there was not an official vote held regarding camping in the park; the council
BY CODY MANN cmann@countrymedia.net
St. Helens City Council recently chose to prohibit overnight camping in McCormick Park. The camping ban would allow for closing the park at night, which may alleviate some difficulties related to homeless campers who are frequenting the area as well as issues of visitors misusing park facilities. City Administrator John Walsh said allowing camping in the park proved to be problematic
See CAMPING, Page A12
CODY MANN/The Chronicle
Camping will not be allowed in McCormick Park until further notice.