Girls basketball season ends for CMHS, SHHS
Scappoose’s Annual Town Hall Meeting
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Chronicle & Chief THE COLUMBIA COUNTY
Wednesday, March 13, 2024 | Columbia County, Oregon
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Police investigating double homicide in Scappoose STAFF REPORT Country Media, Inc.
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aw enforcement is investigating a double homicide following a reported “critical incident involving a weapon” near SW Linden Street in Scappoose that occurred on Mar. 10. Information was released in a post on the City of Scappoose Facebook page. “On March 10, 2024 at approximately 9:58 pm, officers responded to the area of SW Linden Street and SW Sequoia to a reported critical incident involving a weapon. Officers responded to the scene and have secured it for a double homicide investigation. The involved suspect has been placed into custody and there are no outstanding suspects at this time and no danger to the public,” the release stated. Scappoose Police Lieutenant Chris Fluellen gave more details as to the nature of the crime. “This incident involved was a double homicide and an assault in the first degree involving three separate victims in total. One did survive out of the three,” Fluellen said. Based on the investigation, the weapon used to commit the crime was a knife. Law enforcement is not releasing the names of the victims at the time of press.
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Officers at the scene of the crime in the area of SW Linden Street and SW Sequoia in Scappoose.
“Due to the respect of the family and that this is an ongoing investigation will we not being releasing the names of the victims at this time,” Fluellen said. Scappoose Police Department thanked Columbia County Sheriff, the St. Helens Police Department, Columbia 9-1-1 Communications
District , and the Scappoose Fire District for their assistance in handling the incident. The inmate census on the Columbia County Sheriff’s website shows that Larry Dale Holland was arrested on Mar. 10, and booked Mar. 11. The charge information included charges
of attempt to commit a crime 2, two counts of murder, three counts of 1st degree assault, and three counts of unlawful use of a weapon. Police are seeking information in the case, and request that if anyone has any information regarding this incident, please call
non-emergency dispatch at (503)397-1521 referencing case number #240011059. Follow this developing story at thechroncileonline.com, thechiefnews.com and in the Wednesday print editions of the Columbia County Chronicle & Chief.
Clatskanie Farmer Collective growing WILL LOHRE
Country Media, Inc.
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COURTESY PHOTO FROM HEATHER EPPERLY
One of the new features this year will see an Easter bunny accompanying folks riding the CC Rider bus to the fairgrounds.
2024 mEGGa Egg Hunt coming soon WILL LOHRE
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aster is right around the corner, and that means the return of the mEGGa Egg Hunt, which takes place each year at the Columbia County Fairgrounds, 58892 Saulser Road in St. Helens. The mEGGa Egg Hunt, which will be Mar. 30, is a free family event that has become a tradition since its inception 24 years ago. Gates open at 10:30 a.m., and the hunt will start at 11 a.m. The fun at the fairgrounds will last until about 12:30 p.m. Last year’s event drew about 2,700 people to the Columbia County Fairgrounds, and Organizer Heather Epperly is hoping for a good turnout even though the event will overlap with spring break. The mEGGa Hunt The main draw for the event is, of course, the hunt. More than 37,000 pieces of candy have been bought for the young hunters, according to Epperly. This year, organizers have gotten a variety of candy to spread in the field and acquired 50 cases of candy. Unlike in previous years when there was only chocolate, there will now be
chocolate with peanut butter filling, hard candies, and a variety of Twizzler candies. Organizers spread candy throughout the fairgrounds fields, and children split by age group have the chance to run around in the grass, collect candy, and win prizes. In addition to candy, each field has 20 coins hidden within. If a child finds a coin, they can bring the coin to the sponsor for their age group and pick out a prize. “I always make sure I’m at the main gate when we open the gates because the flood of people and kids coming through the gate is amazing,” Epperly said. “Obviously, the hunt, when it’s going on, seeing the kids get the candy and they’re happy and having a great time: that’s what makes it worth it for all of us organizers.” There will be five age groups participating in the hunt: 0-2-yearolds, 3-4, 5-7, 8-9, and 10-12. The five groups will separated into different fields so kids are hunting with others their age. To help folks get to the event, CC Rider, Columbia County’s bus service, will once again offer a park-and-ride option from McBride Elementary School. This See MEGGA, Page A9
IN THIS ISSUE Police Reports .............. A3 Community Events ....... A4 Obituaries ...................... A5 Market ............................ A6 Public Notices ............ A7-8 Crossword .................... A9 Sports .......................... A10
he Clatskanie Farmer Collective, formerly the Clatskanie Farmers Market, has crunched the numbers for 2023, and this year brought growth in sales and a new brand to the organization. Clatskanie Farmer Collective Executive Director Jasmine Lillich explained why they thought now was the perfect time to rebrand under the new name. “The Clatskanie Farmer Collective is a name that puts the farmer on the pedestal. It encompasses all the work that we, as an organization, are doing to bring farmers together collectively to get their products to market and to highlight and share their knowledge and skills with the community,” Lillich said. “It’s a farmer’s first name, and I really like that. The logistical piece of it is that we’re more than a farmer’s market now.” Lillich said that the many different market opportunities for farmers go beyond the farmer’s market. These opportunities include the farmers market, the Clatskanie Food Hub, and season extension markets like the spring and winter markets. “We have various ways that we engage with the community as well with our classroom in the food hub. We’ll be expanding that into some on-farm classes in the coming years. [We also do] different community events where we always feature local food, like at our concerts and skill-sharing events,” Lillich said. “We offer producer support as well. So, providing support, technical assistance, and marketing for our producers.” With all the things they were doing beyond the farmers market, Lillich and the Clatskanie Farmer Collective board felt that the new name better aligned with all the different ways the organization is involved in the local food system. By the numbers Produce wasn’t the only thing growing for the Farmer Collective this year; the organization also boasted an explosion in sales numbers across its venues. One of the things that stood out to Lillich
7 DAY FORECAST
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Brandon Schilling, Candy Uskoski, and Jasmine Lillich at the opening of the food hub in June 2023.
was the 183% growth in vendor sales. The Clatskanie Food Hub opened in June of 2023, and the sales it brought in have boosted the organization’s gains. “The food hub was only open for six months of that full year, so these stats are also only for six months of the food hub,” Lillich said. “A big piece of that (183 %) percentage is that we managed to do over $100,000 in sales at the food hub by Dec. 31.” Lillich said that hitting six figures in sales at the food hub went beyond her expectations. Lillich had thought that the wintertime would be a slow point of the year but was surprised to see the store “packed” almost every single day. Lillich said that the food hub has more than 700 “loyal customers” at the food hub. A loyal customer is something that the food hub’s payment system labels recurring transactions in the system. “That is just from credit card customers. Over 45% of our transactions are cash, so that means potentially, we have twice that many loyal customers,” Lillich said.
“According to our Square software, over 700 loyal customers. For a little town, Clatskanie, Oregon of 1,800 people, that’s pretty good.” Lillich also highlighted the food assistance programs that help make the produce affordable. They accept EBT, SNAP, FDNP checks, and “double up food bucks.” They also secured a grant from the Oregon Food Bank to make funds available to low-income customers. “Anybody that needs food can come in, and they get $10 of free food a week,” Lillich said. “And that’s on top of other amazing food assistance programs.” Lillich said that in the wake of the food hub’s success, she has been contacted by other communities who would like her insight on how to start their own food hubs. Lillich said that people from Castle Rock, St. Helens, Scappoose, Rainier, and Puget Island for advice and mentorship. “That is absolutely a joy to hear. I think every community should have a food hub, and it should be See CLATSKANIE, Page A6
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