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Wednesday, August 16, 2023
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Serving Columbia County since 1881
Sizzling temperatures bake Columbia County JEREMY C. RUARK Country Media, Inc.
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emperatures climbed over 100 degrees in Columbia County over the past few days as a new summer heat wave developed in Oregon. At one point, a Highway 30 electronic temperature board in St. Helens showed 108 degrees Monday afternoon, Aug. 14. National Weather Service (NWS) Metrologist Briana Muhlefien said high pressure stabilized over the region Saturday causing the heat up. A cooling trend is expected by week’s end. “An onshore flow will move in, reducing the daytime temperatures to the upper 80’s,” she said. Muhlefien said no rain is in sight over the next several days. The heat, winds and continued dry conditions have heighten the fire danger. Fire agencies in the region are urging everyone to be aware of the danger and to follow burn ban regulations. Cooling centers open The heat wave promoted area officials to open cooling centers in Columbia County this week. The National Weather Service issued an Excessive Heat Warning effective until 11 p.m. August 15. To accommodate those in need of a place to escape the heat, cooling centers were established. The St. Helens Senior Center, at 375 S. 15th Street, was scheduled to be open as a cooling center August 14 to 15. The St. Helens Senior Center has air conditioning, water, and restrooms. Pets are welcome upon approval when you arrive. Snacks and food are allowed. You can contact the St. Helens Senior Center at 503-3973377 for information about additional
Vernonia Public Library
cooling center operations. Other cooling centers were to operate through Wednesday, Aug. 16 during their regular business hours (non-cooling-center locations). Air conditioning, water, and restrooms are available.
At 375 S. 18th Street 503-4291818. Only registered ADA service animals are allowed at the Vernonia Public Library.
St. Helens Public Library
Regular hours
375 S. 18th Street 503-397-4544. Only registered ADA service animals are allowed at the St. Helens Public Library.
• 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. Wednesday, Aug. 16
Regular hours
At 547 Weed Avenue 503-4293327. Only registered ADA service animals are allowed at the Vernonia Senior Center.
• 10 a.m. to 7 p.m. Wednesday • 10 a.m. to 7 p.m. Thursday • 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. Friday • 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. Saturday Oregon Trail Lanes 735 S. Columbia River Highway 503-397-1011. No pets are allowed inside Oregon Trail Lanes. Pets are welcome on the patio with access to cold water. Regular hours • 9 a.m. to 10 p.m. Wednesday, Aug. 16 Scappoose Public Library 52469 SE 2nd Street 503-5437123. Only registered ADA service animals are allowed at the Scappoose Public Library. Regular hours • 10 a.m. to 8 p.m. Wednesday, Aug. 16.
Vernonia Senior Center
Regular hours • 10 a.m. to 3 p.m. Wednesday, Aug. 16 Other resources • Columbia County Cooling Centers: For additional countywide information, visit www.columbiacountyor.gov/coolingcenters • Energy assistance for your utility bill: Contact Community Action Team (C.A.T.) at 503-397-3511 • Dial 211 for information about cooling centers in the region Follow the City of St. Helens social media pages or visit the City of St. Helens website for any future updates. The NWS recommends the following precautions: • Drink plenty of fluids, stay in an air-conditioned room, stay out of
Will Lohre / Country Media, Inc.
The temperature reached 108 degrees in St. Helens according to the Wauna Credit Union electronic notice board along Highway 30 Monday, Aug. 14.
the sun, and check up on relatives and neighbors. • Young children and pets should never be left unattended in vehicles under any circumstances. • Take extra precautions if you work or spend time outside. When possible reschedule strenuous activities to early morning or evening. • Know the signs and symptoms of heat exhaustion and heat stroke. Wear lightweight and loose fitting clothing when possible. To reduce risk during outdoor work, the Occupational Safety and Health Administration recommends scheduling frequent rest breaks in shaded or air conditioned environments.
• Anyone overcome by heat should be moved to a cool and shaded location. • Heat stroke is an emergency. Call 9-1-1. For sheltering information and other human services in your area, dial 2-1-1 during business hours or visit 211info.org in Oregon. Continue to follow the NWS for the latest forecast: https:// forecast.weather.gov/MapClick. php?lat=45.859740800000054&l on=-122.81317519999999.
Scappoose plant would be closing starting in July. While the company had hoped to maintain operating one of its two machines at the St. Helens location, market conditions and a significant decline in demand in this region for brown recycled products specifically manufactured at the facility compromised the long-term financial viability of the plant, according to Cascades’ Vice President and Communications Representative Hugo D’Amours. The company also dealt with fluctuating production costs in the lead-up to the announcement. “In the last weeks, we were also forced to take some downtime to compensate for the lack of orders. Our hope of keeping the facility profitable has unfortunately vanished,” D’Amours said. “On top of this, in regard to Scappoose and despite our efforts, we have not found an interested buyer that could have converted the production of St. Helens. Considering our
production is not integrated with the rest of Cascades and considering we don’t believe we can make this facility profitable anymore, we took the decision to close it.” The annual capacity of the machine in St. Helens is 50,000 short tons of brown 100% recycled tissue paper. These tons are not integrated into the Cascades network, so the closure will have no impact on the company’s other operations, according to the release. For those who are impacted by the closure, D’Amours said Cascades would be working with the 75 employees and have started to work with the Union to organize the closure and support employees.
Follow the latest weather and cooling center details at thechronicleonline.com and in the Wednesday print editions of the Chronicle.
Cascades Tissue to close St. Helens plant WILL LOHRE Country Media, Inc.
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Will Lohre / Country Media, Inc.
Cascades Tissue announced the full closure of its St. Helens plant on Aug. 10.
ascade Tissue Group has announced it will fully shut down operations in St. Helens, a development that comes in the wake of the closure of its plant in Scappoose. On Aug. 10, Cascades announced the full closure of its St. Helens plant, which will affect 75 employees, according to a release on the Cascades website. The end of operations will be effective at the beginning of October. “Today’s announcement further simplifies the company’s operational platform by concentrating the majority of its tissue product operating activities at core, geographically well-positioned sites that offer opportunities for future development,” the release said. Cascades initially announced a partial closure of its St. Helens operations in April in conjunction with its announcement that the
Transitioning Paul Vogel of the Columbia Economic Team (CET) said that the announcement of the St. Helens
See CASCADES Page A4
St. Helens High School football, then to now WILL LOHRE Country Media, Inc.
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lot can change in 50 years; the world is constantly adapting and evolving, and so too is the sport of football.
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Vol. 141, No. 34
In 1972, The Chronicle wrote a story about how football had developed over the previous half-century. The article featured interviews with the Head Coach of the St. Helens High School Football Team at the time, Dave Kocer, and former coach Jay Austin, who coached the team in the 1920s. Now, 50 years later, The Chronicle has reconnected with Kocer to get his thoughts on the game’s evolution. The newest member, and current head coach of the St. Helens Lions, Nic Shular, gave his thoughts on today’s game and what he hopes to accomplish with his new group of players. Then to now Kocer started coaching in St. Helens at the helm of the junior high school football team. After about three years of coaching the freshman football team, Kocer was called up to be an assistant coach for the high school team. After three years on the staff, Kocer took on head coaching responsibilities. “We put this offense in; we incorporated the run and shoot. We split two wides and then had two flat backs in there, and then we used a little motion, did things that were totally different at the time,”
Courtesy from Nic Shular
Nic Shular is excited to be coaching in a town that gets behind their hometown team.
Kocer said. “We actually were ranked number 5 for AAA in the state.” In the ‘70s running a spread offense wasn’t as typical as it is today. Kocer and his team benefited from adding three star players from their basketball team. Kocer and his staff got the athletes downfield and ran a more explosive offense, as opposed to the run-heavy, smash-mouth football that was typical of the time. One of the biggest changes from
Kocer’s time as a player was the implementation of new equipment. When Kocer was in high school, the padding and helmets were a lot different. “When I played at Oakridge as a freshman, they handed out the helmets, and you’d fold em up and put him in your back pocket, and walk off to practice,” Kocer said. “The old leather helmets.” Kocer mused about the development of the cage and modern suspension helmets that have been
implemented over the years. On the football side, Kocer said that most of the strategy goes in cycles. Coaching is a game of copycats, and Kocer talked about how he and the coaching staff implemented the single-wing formations that were popular around the time. “You try to prepare yourself to be the best you can be. Try to get some ideas from other people, copy it, put them out on the field, hope that they help the kids, and make sure that they have some fun at it and that they’re safe,” Kocer said. Kocer spent 12 years in St. Helens, his last year coaching before taking a job as Athletic Director at Jackson High School in Portland was 1973. The biggest change that Kocer has seen from his time to now is the preparation and resources students can access in the sport. Kocer said that St. Helens had a disadvantage back then because there was a policy that wouldn’t allow kids to play tackle football until 7th grade. Kocer said that having kids start playing tackle football put the program behind the bigger schools at the time, which started much earlier.
See FOOTBALL Page A6