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Wednesday February 24, 2021 Below is a list of WHERE to pick up a FREE copy of the print edition of the News-Advertiser. Also available every week at: thechronicleonline. com and at thechiefnews.com CLATSKANIE • CLATSKANIE SAFEWAY • HI SCHOOL PHARMACY IN CLATSKANIE • CLATSKANIE MARKET SCAPPOOSE • ROAD RUNNER GAS & GROCERY • JACKPOT 76 • ENGSTROM CHEVRON • B&B MARKET • FRED MEYER • SMOKE SHOP • NELSON NEIGHBORHOOD MARKET • ACE • GROCERY OUTLET ST. HELENS • CHUBB’S CHEVRON • SHERLOCK’S • YANKTON STORE • ZATTERBURG’S • MARKET FRESH • WALGREENS • BEST WESTERN • MOLLY’S MARKET • WALMART • ACE • DON’S RENTAL DEER ISLAND • DEER ISLAND STORE COLUMBIA CITY • COLUMBIA CITY GROCERY & GAS RAINIER • ALSTON STORE • DOLLAR GENERAL • GROCERY OUTLET
EXTRA
Cyberattack helps strengthen city’s security Originally published in The Chronicle Vol. 139 February 17, 2021 JEREMY C. RUARK jruark@countrymedia.net
Just over one year ago, suspicious activity was detected within the City of St. Helens computer systems. A cyberattack was underway. What happened On Jan. 14, 2020, city of St. Helens officials posted an advisory on the city’s website that all of the city department phones, computers and emails were offline. The disruption affected all city departments, including city hall, public works, public library and the recreation center. The city’s online statement said Emergency 911 and the non-emergency dispatch, 503-397-1521, were still working. City spokesperson Crystal King said the city became aware of suspicious activity within its computer network and that some data and programs were unavailable. “We promptly commenced an investigation and took the rest of our network offline in response,” King said. “We also engaged cybersecurity experts to assist with our investigation of the suspicious activity and to help restore access to programs and data within our network.” By Jan. 23, most city computer services had been restored and King said it did not appear that personal and sensitive data was compromised. “The goal is to block as many attacks as possible and have a plan in place to mitigate as much risks as you can and be prepared,” King told The Chronicle following the incident in January. New details Since the attack last January, King said the city has not experienced any further cyberattacks or suspicious
activity. King said the January 2020 cyberattack was first noticed by city employees. “The IT incident was triggered by an email which contained a corrupted attachment,” she said. Following the forensic review by the city’s IT team, King said it was discovered that no customer information or software systems that manage customer data were accessed. “The incident was found as soon as it started and our IT team was able to stop the incident before any data was actually taken.,” King said. “The community experienced a brief disruption in access to electronic city services as those systems were taken offline until an outside investigation firm confirmed that all software was clean. This included a brief shutdown of the city’s email server, phone system, and software which runs programs such as permitting and utility billing.” King added that following the attack, the city conducted a broad investigation and took specific action to prevent further incidents. “All impacted computers were replaced, and the city purchased new software that was used to help clean and better protect the IT infrastructure after the incident,” King said. “The city also reviewed its IT policies for employees and implemented new guidelines along with a new IT service provider. As is the case with most IT incidents, it was not determined where the attack originated.” King said the city has also adopted an in-depth IT policy, which is reviewed, and ongoing staff training will be conducted as a way to stay current on best practices. “The city hired a new IT service provider and purchased new software to enhance IT security,” she said. “The city is still going through an IT upgrade process that should be completed by April at all city facilities.” Building Bridges to Self Sufficiency
EXTRA READ ALL ABOUT IT! Keep up with local news at: www.thechronicleonline.com • Updated daily •
Community Action Team
Are you a veteran?
Jeremy C. Ruark / The Chronicle
It’s been just over a year since the City of St. Helens services were impacted by a cyberattack.
COVID COMMUNITY OUTREACH TESTING OHSU IS OFFERING COVID TESTING AT NO COST TO YOU!
You may be entitled to benefits for serving your country.
Contact your Veteran Service Officer • 503-366-6580 Call CAT at (503)397-3511 to find out if you qualify. Rental and energy assistance applications are available at 125 N. 17th St., St. Helens, OR. Also available on our website at www.CAT-TEAM.org
Location: St. Helens High School, 2375 Gable Rd., St. Helens, OR Beginning Wednesday, March 3, the event will be moved to the Columbia County Fairgrounds located at 58892 Saulser Road. Dates: Wednesdays Time: 10:00 a.m. to 2:00 p.m. Sign up: www.ohsu.edu/COVIDVans
SIGN UP TO GET YOUR TEST AT THIS LOCATION How do I get tested? - Go to URL to sign up for your timeslot. - Please carefully follow registration and scheduling instructions. What else do I need to know? - This is an outdoor testing event, so please dress for the weather. - Testing is for those older than 2 months. - If you tested positive before and do NOT have symptoms, you must wait 90+ days before getting another test. - COVID vaccine will not be provided at these events.
Read the news online
The Chief 1805 Columbia Blvd, St. Helens www.thechiefnews.com 503-397-0116
News Advertiser Columbia County
Classifieds
Page 2
Wednesday, February 24, 2021
Listings are updated daily at thechronicleonline.com
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Yard Work
Misc Services
Help Wanted
Help Wanted
Help Wanted
Help Wanted
Lawn Mowing Services Cut grass, edging, trimming, and clean up. Can do large areas. Call Gene at 503-3960885 or 971-8133197.
CCB# 217173 Lic., Bonded & Insured. 503-440-0723 or 503-543-8274
Hours a week, M-F, requires teaching multiple subjects and working directly with families. Must be licensed, technology-capable, and flexible. Starts March 8 through June 10. Position may be renewed based upon performance for 2021-2022. Email vweaver@ scappoose.k12. or.us for an application, other required materials, and a full job description. Position open until filled.
The City of St. Helens is hiring a PARKS AND RECREATION MANAGER See website for details: www.sthelensoregon. gov/jobs. Deadline: 3/5/21. Equal Opportunity Employer.
drop off at 365 S Nehalem Street, Clatskanie. If you have any questions, please contact Cyndi at 503-728-2038. Resumes will be accepted until 3 p.m. on Monday, March 8, 2021.
The Rainier Cemetery District is looking for PartTime Office help (20-25 hours per week). Must be at least 18 years of age and able to pass a background check. Duties are, but not limited to; answering phones, meeting with the public and record keeping. Skills required for this position are, but not limited to; Excel, Word, data entry, attention to detail, customer service and the ability to work independently. The position is available immediately. Please send your resume to: Rainier Cemetery District, PO Box 307, Clatskanie, OR 97016. You can also email your resume to cyndi@ dconnercpa.com or
General Assignment Reporter St. Helens Chronicle and Clatskanie Chief, has an immediate opening for a general assignment reporter in Columbia County. Primarily responsible for writing multiple day-to-day news stories for the two weekly newspapers and accompanying websites. Reports to the publisher. The successful applicant will produce a wide variety of news and information, including local business, government, schools, and community events and various feature stories. The general assignment reporter will also contribute to our teams’ efforts in developing special sections.
Country Media, Inc. offers highly competitive newsroom wages and a variety of employee benefits, including group health insurance; paid holidays, vacation and sick leave; mileage reimbursement; and others. For immediate consideration, please email a cover letter and resume to jruark@ countrymedia.net We look forward to hearing from you.
105
Cleaning Services
Kell-Clean!!
*Low-Cost* Carpet & Upholstery Cleaning • Residential • Apartments • Rentals *Commercial* Fast Dry Times!
Cell: 503-556-2568 Cell: 503-396-6228
FIND US ON FACEBOOK Licensed - Bonded - Insured
150
Misc Services
Paul’s Tree Service Inc. No bush too small, no tree to tall- Call Paul! Specialized in danger trees, take downs, storm clean-up. Time to prune- pruning Lace Leafed Maples & ornamental shrubberies, chipping, senior or veterans discount, free estimates.
301
Health & Nutrition
Alcoholics Anonymous Info-line, (503) 366-0667 www.oregonaa district18.org
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Announcements
FREE!!!! Car magazines from 1970 - 2020. Hot Rod, Motor Trend, Road and Track and Car and Driver. Please call 503-397-5165.
502
Help Wanted
Director, Emergency Management Columbia County, OR EOE Deadline 3/19/2021 Apply at ColumbiaCounty OR.gov Middle Educator (6-8) position at South Columbia Family School for 32
Newspaper Delivery Scappoose/St. Helens Routes available for delivery of The Oregonian and other National Newspapers. No experience necessary. Early AM hours. Routes run 2.5 - 3.5 hrs and are low mileage. Pay for delivery and tips average $1000.00 1500.00 per month depending on paper count. Please call 971-400-5679 and leave a message that includes your name and phone number.
Need a job? check the classifieds online at www.thechronicleonline.com to find your perfect job offer
690
Wanted Autos
Ca$h 4 Car$
$Drake’s Towing is now paying TOP Cash$ 4 Junk Cars!!! We buy junk/broken cars, trucks, vans, heavy equip. Top $$ paid to $300. We are LOCAL, serving Columbia County. Same day service.
503-438-6099
702
Garage Sales
ESTATE SALES by JANET janetestatesales@ gmail.com 971-645-3320 [Your ad here] Call 503-397-0116
806
Houses Furnished
FOR RENT! Nice big downstairs 3 bed/1 bath home with own kitchen, laundry, bath & parking. Private entrance. Big yard. Looking to rent to a couple or a single occupant. $1400/month. Please call 971276-4316.
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Rooms for Rent
Roommate wanted in a 2 bedroom apartment in Scappoose. $600/ month - includes all utilities with cable. Call 503-369-9377. Available immediately.
VIEW OUR CURRENT RENTAL PROPERTIES AT:
www.therentalcenter.net
River City & Rentals Northwest 503-543-4440 Phone
503-543-7929 Fax
Kristie Flanagan, Licensed Property Manager 51891 Old Portland Road, Suite “A”, Scappoose OR 97056 (next to the scappoose totem pole)
Columbia County
BUSINESS & SERVICE DIRECTORY
www.thechronicleonline.com
Waterman Garage Doors
CCB#204858
SALES, SERVICE INSTALLATION
Scott Waterman
503.819.6715 St. Helens, OR 97051
Owner
YOUR AD HERE
Advertise your business in the Business & Service Directory. Call 503-397-0116 for more information
Chronicle and News/Ad Classified Ad Deadline is Monday by noon Ads received after the deadline are not guaranteed to be placed in that week’s issue. Call 503-397-0116 for more information
Get your ad in the paper and reach out to potential customers. Call 503-397-0116 to place your ad in the newspaper and online.
Subscribe to The Chronicle today! The Chronicle will be delivered to your home by mail every Friday.
ONLY $60 a year!* *In Columbia County. Outside County $80.00/year
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Subscribe me to The Chronicle for one year for $60.00 in Columbia County!
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News Advertiser Columbia County
Wednesday, February 24, 2021
Page 3
Read the news online
The Chronicle
Brrrr! 2Cs has warm scarves, caps, mittens, gloves, and sweaters. 215 S 1st Street St. Helens • 503-410-5280 • www.2csvendormall.com
LIBERTY
BOOKKEEPING & TAX
503-397-4527
PATT JOHNSON
MELISSA CLEGG
licensed tax consultants
onic Electr Filing
10% 15% Senior Senior Discount Discount
Simple Direct Cremation $795 Simple Direct Burial $995 Church Funeral $2,965
Portland 832 NE Broadway Portland, OR 97232 Phone: 503 783-3393
Discounted price, caskets, urns & other memorial items.
Privately owned cremation facility
Offering online arrangements - CrownCremationBurial.com
2264 Columbia Blvd, St. Helens Next to Don’s Rental CALL TODAY! UP TO 75% OFF!
Make your home your sanctuary.
BLINDS & DRAPES
Read local news from your home
Blinds 4 You Direct
Blinds • Shutters • Drapes & More • FREE Measuring • FREE Consultation • FREE In Home Service
• Tile flooring repair • Repair services available • Best Prices
(971) 719-7119
on your laptop or mobile device www.thechronicleonline.com 503-397-0116 • 1805 Columbia Blvd.
MONGILLO’s Rideshare Services, LLC. Owner/operator Renee Thayer: 971-328-2440 Property & Casualty Services Your Local Independent Insurance Agency
503-397-0714
2012 COLUMBIA BLVD, ST. HELENS MON THRU THURS 3PM - 11PM FRI & SAT 11 AM-12AM SUN 11AM-11PM
Call us for ALL of your insurance needs! Auto • SR-22’s • Home Renters • Business Trucking • Bonds Worker’s Comp
Free food deliveries in the St. Helens area with a minimum $20 order
SAVE MONEY
If you live outside of the 5 mile radius it will cost you $3.00 plus tip. This offer starts on February 20th and runs until February 28th. We are also accepting payments on Facebook pay or Paypal too. Our new email address is mongillosrideshareservices.llc@gmail.com.
Hours: Tuesday - Sundays from 11:00 am to 11:00 pm. Closed on Mondays Please visit our website at www.mongillosrideshareservicesllc.com
Pet
of the Month Sookie & Aya Contact Columbia Humane Society Website: columbiahumane.com Phone: 503-397-4353
Sookie (4 years) & Aya (2 years) are a sweet motherdaughter duo that were surrendered when their family could no longer care for them. Because they are such a bonded pair, they need to be adopted together.
urbanpacific REALESTATE Columbia County Division proudly sponsored by
253 S. 1st Street, St Helens, OR 97051 503.329.7269 mobile urbanpacificrealestate.com
Read the news online
The Chronicle www.thechronicleonline.com Advertise in The newspaper. Email Amy at atrull@countrymedia.net.
503-397-0116 • 1805 Columbia Blvd.
News Advertiser Columbia County
Page 4
Wednesday, February 24, 2021
A Safety Solution for our Growing Community
BY CHIEF BRIAN GREENWAY Chronicle Advertorial
The City of St. Helens is embarking on a major project to build a modern Public Safety Facility in St. Helens. The new facility will improve the safety of our community and protect our officers who keep you safe. It is designed to meet the increasing needs of our rapidly growing city and is the most affordable way to get the job done. We understand that building a new Public Safety Facility is a large ask. We take this decision seriously, and we are listening to your feedback. Please join your neighbors at an upcoming virtual community engagement event to learn more about the current condition of the police station and share your feedback. You can find a list of the dates and times of these events at the bottom of this article. Current Police Station Our current police station was built in 1971 to serve 6,200 residents, less than half of today’s population. The station has seen almost no change to the original 2,200 square feet of office space and a garage which was added in 1988. The building was built for a police force that
did not handle digital data or face active shooters, school shootings, online child pornography and exploitation, or the opioid and mental health crises of today. Today, the station does not meet operational standards for policing best practices. Our agency cannot be accredited due to the severe deficiencies of the building that our police work out of to serve and protect you. This disqualifies our Police Department from many grants and any federal funding for assistance. The station does not meet basic energy efficiency or seismic standards. It was not built to accommodate the large amount of digital data that our officers now work with. There is not enough space to secure all the Department’s police vehicles indoors or provide dedicated training space for officers. The police station lobby is not ADA accessible. This is a necessity for our community so that we can provide equal access to police services for everyone. The lobby only has enough space to place one two-person bench for seating. There is not enough space to hold confidential discussions with community members who come into the station. This includes having
no private, dedicated interview spaces for those in crisis or secure briefing spaces for officers and partners to coordinate cases. If you are the victim of a violent crime such as abuse or assault, you may have to sit in an area where other staff or community members can overhear you sharing the details of what happened to you. This is unacceptable and we must do more to protect victims in our community. Right now, we have six supervisors that share two small offices. One of these offices also doubles as the kennel area for our police canine. This makes it difficult for supervisors to hold private conversation with an officer or community member. The reporting room is a small office shared by 12 officers who must take turns completing their police reports since there are only three work stations. There is no space available to dedicate to officer training. This limits the amount of classroom and reality-based training that our officers receive. It also means that we must sometimes send our officers outside the city for training that we would hold at our station if there was sufficient space. The station lacks a briefing room for officers. The
current briefing table is in a common area in the center of our staff’s main work area. Many years ago, an extra closet was converted to a breakroom, but this area has no seating and is only large enough for one person at a time, so our officers must also eat meals at the briefing table. Recently, our community has been the location of many serious and complex cases, including an active shooter, kidnaping, multiple attempted murder and bank robbery cases, and numerous child sexual assault cases. These cases often take days or weeks to investigate and require coordination with the FBI, Oregon State Police, the District Attorney, and regional law enforcement agencies. Because we have no area in the station where this can occur, these coordinated investigations occur out of a temporary trailer located next to the police station which was donated by the St. Helens School District. This trailer has no running water or restroom facilities for people working in the building. The building also houses cubicles for police administrative staff. We have no public restrooms to accommodate community members visiting the station. Our officers
share a unisex locker room roughly the size of a standard bedroom (8 ft. x 10 ft.). The locker room contains 18 lockers for 23 employees. It allows only one person to change at a time. Due to the inadequate storage space, our officers must use alternate storage spaces around the station for their police gear and personal items that will not fit in their locker. There is also no decontamination area near the entrance of the building for our officers who are exposed to dangerous chemicals or pathogens while on a call. This means that they must enter the station to clean off. This runs the risk of exposing other officers to contaminants who may then expose the public or their family to these dangerous chemicals or pathogens when they respond to another call for service or go home. Our current garage is not large enough to park and store all our police vehicles. Vehicles must remain outside in a parking lot that is accessible to anyone. This makes the vehicles vulnerable to vandalism, which has occurred. Our community deserves public safety services that better meet your needs and expectations for our future. It is time to build a Public
Safety Facility that enhances the safety of our families, neighbors and businesses and protects our officers who keep us safe. This is an investment in our community and a successful future. Community Engagement Events We welcome your voice. The City is hosting a series of informational community meetings about the proposed Public Safety Facility in St. Helens. This is an opportunity to have more conversation with Councilors, staff and police officers about the proposal and to share your thoughts. These events will be held virtually due to current COVID-19 restrictions. Friday, March 5 at 12 p.m. Saturday, March 13 at 6 p.m. Tuesday, March 16 at 5 p.m. Sunday, March 21 at 6 p.m. Tuesday, March 30 at 3 p.m. Saturday, April 3 at 6 p.m. Tuesday, April at 6 p.m. You can find complete event details, links to the meetings, and additional information about the Public Safety Facility on the City’s website at www.sthelensoregon.gov.
A new Public Safety Facility is the accountable way to take on crime in St. Helens. This facility will significantly enhance our police force’s ability to keep you safe by: • Eliminating overcrowding • Better securing the facility • Adding safety features that deter active shooters • Creating an ADA accessible building so that all citizens have equal access to public safety services • Establishing a building that’s able to grow and meet the rapidly increasing safety needs of our community as the St. Helens community continues to grow • Improving evidence storage • Providing training space • Adding real interview rooms to protect the privacy of crime victims and conduct suspect interrogations • Safely securing taxpayer funded police vehicles, equipment, and firearms • Providing back up emergency operations center
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