Minimum Wage Increases
Car Show Page A6
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$1.50
FRIDAY, JUNE 30, 2023
VOL. 132, NO. 8 Serving the Lower Columbia Region since 1891
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The VFW American Legion Clatskanie Post leads the annual Heritage Days Parade.
Clatskanie Heritage Days full of fun, patriotism WILL LOHRE Country Media, Inc.
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he 2023 Clatskanie Heritage Days kicked off with the annual Car Show last weekend, with the bulk of the festivities to take place this weekend and on the Fourth of July. The Heritage Days Committee, which has organized the event, has been working to ensure the event’s success since January. Committee member Sarah Johnson of Clatskanie PUD said coordinating the event has been a team effort. “A lot of time and hard work has gone into the coordination of the 2023 Clatskanie Heritage Days celebration. Debi and Greg Smiley, our Heritage Days co-chairs, are
fantastic leaders for our planning committee,” Johnson said. “The Clatskanie Chamber of Commerce sponsors the event coordination, but it is the dedication of the planning committee, business sponsorships, volunteers, and our community residents attending the events that makes Heritage Days successful each year.” Saturday, July 1, the festivities will return with a “Strut your Mutt” dog show at Clatskanie City Park from 2 p.m. to 4 p.m., followed by Movie Night in the Park at dusk. At 7 p.m. on July 1, Clatskanie will welcome back the Hypnotist Family Entertainment show at the Birkenfeld Theater. Sunday, July 2, an “All Class Reunion” will be held at the City
Park Gazebo, and Monday, July 3, there will be a “Reunion in the Restaurants.” These events will be a great opportunity for people to come together and strengthen old connections. Community parade The annual long-standing tradition community parade kick off the celebrations. At 10 a.m. The parade staging will occur with the marching band and horses lining up at Clatskanie Elementary School, 815 S Nehalem Street, while motorized floats will line up at the front entrance of Clatskanie Middle/High School, off Bel Air Street. The 4th of July Parade will begin at 11 a.m. The parade participants include
the Veterans of Foreign Wars (VFW) Clatskanie Post, marching bands, horses, farm vehicles, fire trucks, law enforcement patrol vehicles, and dozens of colorful floats. Spectators line Nehalem Street from the elementary school to the city park to watch the event. The Columbia County Sheriff’s deputies and local volunteers help guide the parade through the city to the Clatskanie City Park. Fun on the Fourth In addition to the weekend activities, Independence Day Tuesday, July 4, will feature a full day of fun. “Another popular event brought back from last year is the Donkey
Races. They will be held at 3:30 p.m. in the park on July 4. For the athletes out there, the softball game and 3 on 3 Basketball Tournaments will be held the afternoon of the 4th as well,” Johnson said. “This year we are bringing in a Game Truck for the video game enthusiasts, and it will be the first time for providing free cartoon caricature artist drawings.” The full schedule of events may also be found on the Clatskanie Chamber/Heritage Days website at clatskaniechamber.com or on at the Facebook page ClatskanieHeritageDays@clatskanieheritagedays. All the Heritage Days events in the park are family-friendly, and
See HERITAGE Page A6
Rainier Days in the Park celebration returns Saturday
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• 10 a.m. Parade • 12 p.m. Idol poets • 2:30 p.m. Cloudshine • 5 p.m. Big River Big Band • 8 p.m. Back into Black AC/DC tribute • 10 p.m. Fireworks
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he annual Rainier Days in the Park celebration is back, and the town and waterfront will be alight with a parade, carnival, vendors, food, thrill rides, live music, wrestling, and fireworks. The event will take place at Rainier City Park on July 7, 8, and 9. In 2022, the event drew around 2,000 people over three days, according to Rainier Mayor Jerry Cole. Coming out of the COVID pandemic, the event has remained a mainstay in Rainier. “It draws people in, it’s definitely fun for the whole family,” Rainier City Administrator Scott Jorgensen said. “It’s the kind of thing where you can spend all day, bring your kids, they go on the rides, you got live music. So, It’s something for everyone.” Though they had to cancel the event in 2020 due to the pandemic,
Sunday • 10 a.m. All church service • 12 p.m. Faith-Based Music all church events Jeremy C. Ruark / Country Media, Inc.
Rainier Mayor Jerry Cole tossing candy to spectators at a past Rainier Days Parade.
they still managed to have a parade that year, and the event has been going strong since, according to Cole. Starting on June 7, the threeday event will feature circus wheel acrobats, a carnival, and craft and food vendors each day.
Here are the scheduled events according to Cole: Friday • 3 p.m. Music TBA • 6 p.m. Pro Wrestling • 8 p.m. Steelhead classic rock
Presale all-day ride passes for the event, and carnival are available at Deli Store and More for $30. The event boasts an impressive firework display that will seek to be voted as the “Best on the Columbia River” for the eleventh consecutive year. Oregon native and Rainier resident Delbert Larson is the 2023 Grand Marshall for the Rainier Days in the Park parade.
“Parades too, that’s a chance for the community to shine, and you just see how happy it makes people,” Jorgensen said. “It’s something that everyone looks forward to in town.” This will be the 32nd Rainier Days in the Park, according to the Rainier Oregon Historical Museum. The Rainier Days in the Park started in 1992 and was originally sponsored by the Rainier Chamber of Commerce. Since 2011, the event has been under the direction of Mayor Jerry Cole and a committee of community volunteers. According to Cole, the event is made possible by a host of sponsors, including: Teevin Bros., Remax Power Pros, Rainier Chevron, Luigi’s Pizza, Deli Store and More, Rightline, Grocery Outlet, Hudson Garbage, Clatskanie PUD, Columbia River PUD, Port of Columbia County, Vilardi Electric, and the Columbia County Cultural Coalition.
Port commission adopts $16.2M budget Obituaries ................. A3 Opinions ................... A4 Classified Ads ......... A5 Legals ....................... A5 Crossword ................. A5 Car Show ................. A6
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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he Port of Columbia County Commissioners have unanimously adopted the port’s 2023-2024 fiscal year budget of $16.2 million. The spending plan continues assessing the port’s annual property tax levy at a rate of zero dollars. The Port Commission has the authority to impose a property tax levy of $0.0886 per thousand upon the assessed value of all taxable property within the district but has instead voted to keep the levy at zero for the past four years. By assessing the tax rate at zero since 2020, the port has saved local taxpayers approximately $1.9 million. “This will be the fourth year the Port of Columbia County has opted not to tax property owners, saving taxpayers more than one million dollars,” Port of Columbia County Commission President Robert Keyser said. “We are pleased to be able to fully fund our economic development activities without levying property taxes.” The port’s 2023-24 budget totals $16.2 million, a $1.3 million increase from the previous fiscal year that is attributed to a growth in capital
expenditures. The budget assumes that the port’s 42 commercial and industrial tenants will continue with their building and property leases. Combined budgeted revenues for all port tenant leases, permits, and licenses add up to more than $6 million. Port Westward remains the port’s most profitable property site, accounting for almost half of total revenue at over $3 million. One of the port’s largest tenants, Columbia Pacific Bio-Refinery, also known as Global Partners, is projected to continue transloading renewable diesel at Port Westward at the same volume of approximately one to two vessels per month. Other Port Westward tenants include Portland General Electric with their Beaver Power Plant and the Port Westward 1 and 2 Generation Plants, and Next Renewable Fuels, which intends to build a $2.5 billion renewable diesel and sustainable aviation fuel production facility on their 90-acre ground lease. The port intends to spend an estimated $7.2 million in capital projects in 2023-24. Significant
See BUDGET Page A3
Courtesy photo from the Port of Columbia County
The boundaries of the Port of Columbia County District span 51 miles along the Columbia River from the Clatsop County line, to the Multnomah County line in the southeast.