Senior center auction
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Wednesday, November 2, 2022
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Serving Columbia County since 1881
Bundle up and take your umbrella JEREMY C. RUARK Country Media, Inc.
The National Weather Service’s (NWS) latest winter outlook shows a 75% chance of La Niña December through February for Columbia County and the rest of the state. El Niño and the Southern Oscillation, commonly referred to as ENSO, is a periodic fluctuation in sea surface temperature (SST) and the overlying atmosphere across the equatorial Pacific Ocean. It is a defining model for weather forecasters. This would be the third consecutive year for our weather to be influenced by El Niño. Weather experts said that influence is directly related to climate change. The NWS outlook suggests that the La Niña impact will likely continue through mid-winter.
NWS Climate Prediction Center (CPC) outlooks:
• Wetter than normal Fall 2022 • Equal chances of wetter, drier or near normal precipitation December, January and February • Greater chance for slightly cooler temperatures than normal December, January and February The NWS outline shows equatorial SSTs are below average across most of the Pacific Ocean, which would favor wetter and cooler than normal conditions for the Pacific Northwest this winter. The NWS November outlook favors a greater chance of above normal precipitation with equal chances for above, near or below normal temperatures. The outlook for December through February shows a greater chance for above normal precipitation and
a greater chance of below normal temperatures. The Oregon Drought Monitor shows moderate drought along the Oregon Coastline with abnormally dry to moderate drought inland and extreme drought in eastern and southeast Oregon. The NWS long-range drought forecast shows conditions improving or even ending across much of Oregon and Washington through December. Forecasters said it’s too early to tell if St. Helens, Scappoose, Rainier and Clatskanie will see snowfall this winter, but they said it’s always best to be prepared. Three weather elements, cold offshore flows, an air mass in place and moisture from the Pacific, rarely come together often, according to the NWS, but when that does happen it increases the chance of snow at lower elevations in Columbia County and
This illustration shows the winter weather outlook for Oregon and the nation.
across the state. The NWS said under La Niña, winter temperatures in the lower elevations of
the Pacific Northwest can range from the mid 40s to low 50s day side and from the 20s to 30s overnight.
Courtesy photo from the NWS
Jeremy C. Ruark may be reached at jruark@countrymedia.net.
13 tenants return to Columbia Hills after tragic fire engaged a general contractor who has cleared part of the building for occupancy but is assessing the damage to determine whether the building can be completely rebuilt. “There is a great need for affordable housing for older and disabled adults,” Bailey said. “The board is committed to providing housing to meet that ongoing need in St. Helens.” She added that all the tenants were offered rooms at the Best Western, paid for by Columbia Hills. She said Best Western offered the five tenants who went to hospi-
HERB SWETT Country Media, Inc.
Kelli Nicholson / The Chronicle
The charred remains of this section of the retirement center are still unoccupied.
Thirteen of the 31 Columbia Hills Retirement Center tenants have returned to the building since the Oct. 5 fire that took the life of one tenant and sent five others to the hospital. Eight of the residents remained at the St. Helens Best Western Motel or a hotel in Portland, and 10 are staying with family and friends, as of Monday, Oct. 31, according to Ellen Bailey, a member of the board that oversees the center. Bell said the board has
tals free rooms after they are released. After the fire was extinguished, Columbia River Fire and Rescue (CRFR) continued to provide support to the management team at the retirement center and all the tenants who were moved to the Best Western. The Red Cross and many generous community members are also supporting the tenants, CRFR said. Local Scouts held a donation drive Oct. 8 at the St. Helens Ace Hardware Store to support the tenants. Additional donations may be made to the Red
Cross by following this online link: https://www. redcross.org/donate/donation.html. Donations also can be made online using GoFundMe (search for St. Helens Fire at Columbia Hills Retirement CTR); going through Facebook to InRoads Credit Union; or deposited at the InRoads branches in St. Helens, Scappoose, and Rainier. Investigators determined that the fire was accidental and human-caused, accord-
See TENANTS Page A7
Heavy traffic congestion linked to lower infant birthweight MOLLY ROSEBACH Chronicle Guest Article
An Oregon State University (OSU) study finds that traffic congestion is linked to decreased birthweight for full-term babies born to parents living near areas of heavy traffic, such as highways and freeways. Though the decrease was relatively small, researchers say the cumulative effect of stop-and-go traffic on top of baseline air pollution from cars and other environmental contaminants could have significant consequences at the population level, affecting up to 1.3 million babies per year based on location. The researchers found birthweights were an average of 29 grams, or about 1 ounce, lower for babies in the group with the highest exposure compared with babies with the lowest exposure. “We’ve had all these models to predict polluOpinion ....................... A4 Community Calendar A4 Obituaries ................ A5 Classified Ads ............ A6 Crossword .................. A6 Legals ........................ A7 Kids Parade ................ A8 Sports ....................... A9
Phone: 503-397-0116 Fax: 503-397-4093 Email: chroniclenews@ countrymedia.net 1805 Columbia Blvd., St. Helens, OR 97051 Vol. 140, No. 44
tion, but they can’t measure congestion. With 10,000 vehicles on a road, if those 10,000 vehicles are doing stop-and-go traffic, there’s a lot more pollution that’s coming from cars,” said co-author Perry Hystad, an associate professor in OSU’s College of Public Health and Human Sciences. “There are health impacts specific from congestion that are not included
in any environmental risk assessment or cost-benefit analysis, and those should start to be included.” Low birthweight can lead to a variety of problems for infants, including trouble breathing and neurological issues, but at a population level, researchers are looking more at long-term effects. “There’s a higher risk of cardiovascular disease,
cognitive impacts, premature mortality; a lot of long-term, life-course impacts,” Hystad said. “It’s not necessarily the acute events that happen during birth.” The study, published in the journal Science Advances, looked at 579,122 full-term births from 2015-2016 in See BIRTHWEIGHT Page A7
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Low birthweight can lead to a variety of problems for infants, including trouble breathing and neurological issues, according to researchers.
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