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FRIDAY, JUNE 23, 2023
VOL. 132, NO. 7 Serving the Lower Columbia Region since 1891
Heritage Days Car Show revs up festivities
Courtesy photo from Cade Brown
Hot rods and vintage cars spread across Clatskanie City Park for the annual Heritage Days event. WILL LOHRE Country Media, Inc.
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latskanie Heritage Days are back, and the festivities will kick off with the annual Heritage Days Car Show in Clatskanie City Park Saturday, June 24. Gabe Wiggins oversees planning the Car Show for Heritage Days, and he said that they expect between 150 and 200 entries into the show this year. “Like last year, the Heritage Days Committee has worked
together in the planning of this year’s event,” Wiggins said. “Prior to COVID, the Clatskanie Cruisers Car Club organized the event.” The Heritage Days Car Show is a longstanding tradition, and the Clatskanie Cruisers Car Club organized the event for nearly 30 years before the Heritage Days Committee took over organizing the past two years, according to Wiggins. Super Saturday The festivities on Saturday will
begin with a Car Show Breakfast in the Big Guy parking lot that starts at 7 a.m. and goes until 9 a.m. For those participating in the show, the gates to the park will open at 8:30 a.m. so people can begin parking their cars. The show is free to spectators and $20 for people showing their vehicles. Wiggins said all proceeds from the event would go back into funding the other Heritage Days activities. The car show will be held in conjunction with several other
activities on June 24. Clatskanie City Park will have food, music, and vendors present during the car show, and there will also be the annual “Pie in the Park” contest sponsored by the Clatskanie Chapter T P.E.O. “In the park, we will have vendors, music, the P.E.O. “Pie in the Park,” and, of course, the vehicles,” Wiggins said. “Attendees will have the chance to walk through the park and view vehicles from the early 1900s to recent models.” The car show is scheduled
to last from 9 a.m. until 3 p.m. There will be 23 category trophies awarded to the winning cars in their respective categories. Additionally, entrants and attendees each have the opportunity to help select the People’s Choice Trophy. Attendees can also show their support for individual cars by purchasing a “My Trophy” at the registration tent and awarding it directly. For “Pie in the Park,” entrants
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ODOT announces bridge closure projects STAFF REPORT Country Media, Inc.
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ightly single lane closures of the Lewis and Clark Bridge will begin Monday night June 26, as crews prepare for full closure of the bridge in July that could last for as long as eight days, according to the Oregon Department of Transportation (ODOT). The night single lane closures are a major step in the project to replace two expansion joints and a fractured floor beam on the 93-yearold bridge between Rainier and Longview, Washington. Closing the only bridge across the Columbia River between Astoria and Portland may create hardships for communities along the river and require residents to reschedule medical and other important appointments. During the night lane closures, northbound and southbound traffic, controlled by flaggers, will share the open lane and alternate crossings. The lane closure schedule:
Courtesy photo from ODOT
Nightly lane closures begin Monday, June 26 in preparation for a full bridge closure of up to eight days starting July 16.
• 8 p.m. to 7 a.m. Sundays through Fridays. • 8 p.m. to 8 a.m. Fridays to Saturdays • 8 p.m. to 9 a.m. Saturdays to Sundays.
Single lane closures will resume after completion of the July 16 full bridge closure. No lane closures will take place over the Fourth of July holiday weekend, Friday, June 30 through
STAFF REPORT Country Media, Inc.
“To respond to the needs in our behavioral health system we must invest in community-based services for Oregonians with acute needs,” Senate Majority Leader Kate Lieber (D - Beaverton and SW Portland) said. “Expanding access requires a continued commitment to improving infrastructure, bolstering successful community models and expanding the workforce.” “Oregonians were clear that we need to get people the appropriate, high quality, and affordable care they need, Representative Rob Nosse (D - Inner SE & Inner NE Portland said. “Behavioral health is not one-size-fits-all, and there is no one way to approach it. But with this amazing budget package, we’re investing in key parts of Oregon’s infrastructure to meet people where they are.” The investments include:
Tuesday July 5, or on Saturday, July 8 for Rainier Days. The five-week construction schedule of nighttime lane closures and the bridge closure of up to eight days shortens the construction timeline for this $1 million preser-
vation project. It also avoids months of daytime single lane closures that would create congestion throughout Southwest Washington and Northwest Oregon. Last April 12, bridge inspectors discovered a fractured floor beam resulting in an emergency 12-hour closure. Prior to that discovery, the bridge was scheduled to close for up to six days for the expansion joint replacement work. Because of the April 12 discovery, the closure has been extended to accommodate the additional work of installing a new floor beam. “Safety is our number one priority during the closure of this critical bridge, for travelers, construction crews and those who need access across the river for life-saving medical care,” said WSDOT Southwest Region Administrator Carley Francis. “We are asking the public to avoid use of the low-capacity Wahkiakum County Ferry in order to prioritize its use for first respond-
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$153M to address Oregon’s behavioral health crisis News and Views ........ A4 Classified Ads ......... A5 Legals ....................... A5 Obituaries ................. A6 Community Events .. A7 Crossword ............... A7 Sports.........................A8
Contact The Chief Phone: 503-397-0116 Fax: 503-397-4093 chiefnews@countrymedia.net 1805 Columbia Blvd., St. Helens, OR 97051
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regon legislative leaders have announced the$153 million Behavioral Health Care Delivery Budget Framework. The investments will help strengthen the state’s behavioral health workforce, stabilize mobile crisis funding, and support response and recovery resources to ensure access to high-quality, affordable services for everyone who needs them, according to the legislative leaders. Part of the framework is House Bill 2757, which passed out of the House Revenue Committee June 20. The bill will expand and build on American Rescue Plan Act (ARPA) funding and programming for 9-8-8, the national suicide prevention hotline number launched in Oregon in summer 2022—a critical resource for Oregonians experiencing mental health crises, the legislative leaders said. The 2023-2025 Behavioral Health Budget framework builds from the $1.3 billion down payment the legislature made in the 20212022 biennium.
• $2.6 million for recovery schools (House Bill 2767) • $37.1 million for Oregon Health Authority programming (SB 5525), including: • $15 million for construction of
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Courtesy photo
The behavioral crisis funding is one of the key priorities for Gov. Kotek and the state legislature during the 2023 session at the state capitol building in Salem.