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Ryan Gillett racing for family
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Chronicle & Chief THE COLUMBIA COUNTY
Wednesday, March 6, 2024 | Columbia County, Oregon
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Clatskanie Middle/High School receives funding CTE program to these opportunities. “[We want to] see if we can draw more female students to those programs, and also students who are at risk or struggle in the academic arena,” Maughan said. “Some kids who don’t excel at bookwork really, really excel in the CTE programs. They are like lifegiving to them.” Maughan said the strategy to bring in those students is something CMHS and the district are building and thinking through so they can advertise to a broader demographic. Maughan said that she feels “honored and grateful” to be able to bring upgrades to Clatskanie’s students. The district has just gotten their guarantee of funding, and they are now finalizing and putting processes in place to secure the items the grant will help fund. Maughan said they hope to have some of them in the fall of 2024.
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latskanie School District received $250,000 in funds from the State of Oregon through the Career and Technical Education (CTE) Revitalization Grant. The grant funds will go toward supporting the expansion of Clatskanie Middle/High School’s (CMHS) Automotive/ Manufacturing Program of Study. CMHS Principal Laurie Maughan gave insight into how the school was able to secure the grant. “We worked with Tim Kamppi, who’s our manufacturing teacher, and I worked with Northwest ESD to put in the grant,” Maughan said. “That was the max amount. It sounds like a lot of money, right? But sometimes, when you’re talking about that equipment, it doesn’t go quite as far as you would think.” Maughan said she thought they would be awarded less than the maximum amount they requested, but they were thrilled to be awarded with the full $250,000. Maughan said that CMHS currently has a manufacturing program, and there are courses of study within. There is a metals program where students learn to manufacture with metals. They have a woodworking course, construction basics, a robotics class, and an equipment repair program. One of the big uses of the secured funds will be the expansion of the equipment repair program to a “full-blown automotive repair class.” Maughan said they want to update the equipment to the most current technology related to the automotive field.
About the CTE Revitalization Grant JEREMY RUARK / COUNTRY MEDIA, INC.
CMHS has been guaranteed $250,000 in funding through the State of Oregon.
“So we’ll be able to bring in the computer systems that are required now for automotive repair,” Maughan said. “It’s a huge advantage for our students to be able to have experience in what is happening in that industry right now.” Another big use of the funds will be to upgrade the machining in the metal manufacturing department. The school is looking to buy a Haas Mini Mill for their coursework.
Maughan said supporting CTE programs is important because CMHS has many kids who are eager to “dive into that workforce.” “It’s really important that we offer them an opportunity to experience some of those things that they would be experiencing in the workforce. To build that skill set, and be ready to go out,” Maughan said. “Also, we find that our community needs skilled workers. And they’re ready to take on further training,
especially when those kids come out with some basic knowledge and understanding of the trade.” With manufacturing and industry being staples in Columbia County, Maughan said offering this alternative curriculum can help kids stay close to home and work and make a livable wage. Maughan also emphasized that part of the grant is for the school to try to bring some of the demographics that aren’t represented in the
Seventy-four Oregon high schools—serving more than 36,000 students—have secured career readiness grants totaling $7.629 million. The CTE Revitalization Grant funds from the State of Oregon serve diverse communities around the state, with programs focused on advanced manufacturing, agricultural science, business, computer science, construction, cosmetology, engineering, firefighting, health sciences, hospitality, media and natural resources. See CLATSKANIE, Page A10
Zubers request CCSO turnover investigation WILL LOHRE
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epresentatives of the family of Sarah Zuber are urging Columbia County Sheriff Brian Pixley to approve an investigation into the death of Sarah Zuber, a teenager who tragically died in March 2019. Background
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Community members gather beneath a rainbow at Rainier City Park during the candlelight vigil for Sarah Zuber March 13, 2023.
On Mar. 13, 2019, Sarah Zuber’s body was found by her sister, Katie Zuber, on the side of Neer City Road in Rainier, less than 400 feet from her home. After an investigation by a major crimes team, Oregon State Medical Examiner Rebecca Millius ruled that the death was accidental and caused by “combined deterious effects of acute ethanol (beverage alcohol) intoxication and hypothermia due to
exposure.” From the moment the investigators delivered their conclusion, the Zuber family had serious concerns about the investigation. The Justice For Sarah Zuber Facebook page, created to bring awareness to the ongoing plight of the family, now has more than 2,000 followers. While the family hopes for a reinvestigation of Sarah’s death, the family has also been seeking public records related to the case. Representatives for the Zubers filed a complaint against the Columbia County District Attorney’s Office and the Columbia County Sheriff’s Office (CCSO) in December 2023 because they say public records relating to the death of their daughter requested of the agencies have not been filled, now more than two years after the original requests were made. The family is also requesting that an investigation
be undertaken by St. Helens Police Department Detective Matt Smith. The Columbia County Chronicle & Chief spoke with Zuber family spokesperson Jennifer Massey and Zuber family attorney Erica Tatoian to understand where things stand on both requests. “[There’s] two requests from the Zubers. One is the public records request, which is being handled in litigation,” Tatoian said. “The second request is that Sheriff Pixley reopen the investigation and allow either Matt Smith of the Major Crimes Team, or ask the Oregon Department of Justice (DOJ) to investigate Sarah’s death.” Tatoian said the public records would tell the family what the initial investigation entailed but that opening a new investigation would provide answers the family desperately seeks. See ZUBERS, Page A10
NXTClean Fuels asks port for rent reduction WILL LOHRE
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NXTClean Fuels, also known as NEXT Renewable Fuels, Inc., has petitioned the Port of Columbia County to decrease its monthly rent following the accident that saw a tug boat run into the dock at Port Westward. The petition requests that the monthly rent be decreased from $108,497 to $15,000. However, according to records provided to the Columbia County Chronicle & Chief by environmental nonprofit Columbia Riverkeeper, NXTClean Fuels has already paid a reduced rate for both December 2023 and January 2024. The matter was brought before the Port of Columbia County Commissioners at their Feb. 14 meeting, though the commission will vote on the resolution on Mar. 13. The materials presented to the port commissioners at the Feb. 14
meeting included a letter from NXT CEO and Chair Chris Efird to Port Westward director Sean Clark dated Nov. 27. Efird requested in the letter that rent payment be lowered in response to the damage done to Port Westward when a tug boat ran into the dock Nov. 12. “Damage inflicted on the Port Westward Dock by the tow boat collision on the morning of Nov. 12, 2023, calls into question NXT’s ability to ever operate a refinery at the site as stipulated under its Ground Lease Agreement,” Efird wrote. “Given the unknown period necessary to bring the dock back into service and the inability of NXT to proceed with engineering until such time as the final dock repairs have been complete, this event renders any existing or estimated timelines void and additional development activities uncertain.” The letter outlined that NXT has paid more than $3 million to the port in rent since 2018. One of the factors
IN THIS ISSUE Police Reports .............. A3 Opinion .......................... A4 Obituaries ...................... A5 Market ............................ A6 Public Notices ............ A6-7 Games & Puzzles .......... A8 Crossword .................... A9 Sports .......................... A10
COURTESY PHOTO FROM PORT OF COLUMBIA COUNTY
Port Westward is a deepwater port with existing dock facilities and direct access to the 43-foot navigation channel in the Columbia River.
in NXT asking for reduced rent was the extended process of permitting, use agreements, and other factors that Efird said efforts in this area would “continue for most of 2024.” NXTClean Fuels Director of Communications Michael Hinrichs
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said the rent reduction is retroactive to December 2023. Hinrichs also said the rent reduction request is partially because of the extended permitting process. “The original site development agreement included a clause that in-
creased the rent dramatically, which we’ve been paying for many years, because the original agreement was based on previous expectations of the permitting timeline,” Hinrichs said. “Permitting has taken longer, so we are asking to go back to the original rent and then pay a lump sum to the Port of Columbia County upon a successful Financial Investment Decision (which would come after all permits are approved to move to construction).” Hinrichs said the Financial Investment Decision refers to whether NXTClean Fuels ultimately decides whether to go forward with construction after all the permits for the project are secured. “We are requesting to revert back to the original lower rent and then ‘true up’ the difference in a lump sum following permit approval and Final Investment Decision,” Hinrichs said. The Chronicle & Chief asked See NXT, Page A10
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