RSV Executive Order Page A2
Page A6
$1.50
FRIDAY, NOVEMBER 18, 2022
VOL. 131, NO. 28 Serving the Lower Columbia Region since 1891
Clatskanie School District Superintendent resigns JEREMY C. RUARK Country Media, Inc.
The Clatskanie School District Board is looking for a new superintendent. The board accepted the resignation of Superintendent Cathy Hurowitz during its Nov. 14 regular meeting. The Clatskanie School Board issued the following statement: Dear Clatskanie Community: The Clatskanie School Board has worked with Superintendent Hurowitz to develop a plan for the transition of the District’s leadership that will take place prior to the end of December. Superintendent Hurowitz has agreed to continue to work as our superintendent until the Board can identify and hire an interim superintendent to support the District through the end of the school year. Superintendent Hurowitz’s leadership over the course of the last five years has moved our District forward and has helped us survive the challenges of the COVID school closures, we wish her the best in her next opportunity. Hurowitz comments “I did the best that I could with what I know, and I am grateful for the opportunity,” Hurowitz told The Chief. “I wish the district the very best.” Hurowitz said she has yet to decide what’s next. “I am looking at my options,” she said. “I am retired, and I was working back as superinrtendent.” Hurowitz was under the first year of a three-year contract with a value of an estimated $400,000 plus benefits which would be approximately 30%.
Jeremy C. Ruark / The Chief
Clatskanie School District Superintendent Cathy Hurowitz makes a point during the school security town hall on Feb. 27, 2020 at Clatskanie Middle/High School.
She became the Clatskanie School District Superintendent in 2018. School board chair insight Clatskanie School District Board Chair Megan Evenson said the change in leadership came following a district executive session. “The district is ready to move
on with leadership and do the best for kids,” Everson said. “We have been in touch with Oregon School Boards Association (OSBA) and they are helping us with an interim search. We are hoping that process can go pretty quickly.” Everson said a representative from the OSBA was scheduled to meet with the board during a special Zoom meeting Thursday, Nov.
17 to present a proposal to find a permanent superintendent. “We are looking for a leader that is going to put kids in our community first, that is our priority, and to empower the district administration and staff to do their very best for kids,” Everson said. The school board is expected to look at like-size districts to determine the salary and benefits for the
new superintendent. “We want to be competitive and attract the right quality candidate,” she said. “OSBA does a nationwide search, so the search is wide open.” Everson said the new superintendent will need to be ready to move the district forward. “We are right in the middle of our bond project (school renovations) and so getting that finished is going to be key and getting the next district budget together,” she said. “We have a lot of work to do. We need to have a board retreat to set our goals for next year and make sure the new superintendent is with us.” Community meetings are expected to be held in the months ahead as the district board moves to select and interview superintendent candidates. The process could be held between January and March of next year. Information on those public sessions will be posted at the district’s Facebook page and on the district’s webpage. Everson, who has been the school board chair for the past 5 years, acknowledged that the transition it is “a little stressful.” “Such a leadership change and finding the right person for the position of superintendent is stressful because the position is a huge part of the district,” she said. “One concern is that the state has had a lot of school district superintendent turnover. We understand that 50% are brand new, so we just don’t know what to expect with the candidate pool.” Everson said the school board appreciates Hurowitz time as superintendent. “We wish her well professionally and personally,” Everson said.
$37.5M possible from United Airlines Ventures for NEXT STAFF REPORT Country Media, Inc.
United Airlines Ventures (UAV) has announced a strategic investment in NEXT Renewable Fuels (NEXT), which is permitting a flagship biofuel refinery in Port Westward in Columbia County with expected production beginning in 2026. NEXT is a Houston-based company developing the biorefinery which, at full production, could produce up to 50,000 barrels per day of Sustainable Aviation Fuel (SAF), renewable diesel, and other renewable fuels, UAV states in a release. UAV could invest as much as $37.5 million into NEXT, as long as the company meets certain milestone targets. “Right now, one of the biggest barriers to increasing supply and lowering costs of sustainable fuel is that we don’t have the infrastructure in place to transport it efficiently, but NEXT’s strategic location and assets solve that problem and provide a blueprint for future facilities that need to be built,” United Airline Ventures Michael Leskinen said. “We believe this investment will not only bolster NEXT’s ambitions and
Obituaries ................. A3 Community CalendarA3 Opinions ................... A4 Classified Ads ......... A5 Legals ....................... A5
Courtesy from NEXT
These conceptual drawings illustrate the $2 billion renewable fuels facility proposed for Port Westward.
create near-term solutions to expand our SAF supply, but further demonstrates our commitment toward producing SAF at the scale necessary to decarbonize the aviation industry.” NEXT’s biorefinery offers several unique benefits including access to a deep-water port, an existing industrial-grade dock, and multimodal logistics options, which facilitates access to feedstock options and fast-growth SAF offtake markets on the west coast. NEXT has secured an agreement with BP for sourcing 100 percent of its feedstock, further de-risking supply issues smaller facilities have historically experienced. NEXT has also received a crucial air permit
from the State of Oregon. Once all the necessary approvals and permits are obtained and the biorefinery is operational, it has the potential to be used as a platform to scale SAF and deploy additional future technologies, according to the UAV release. “The clean fuels industry is taking off and our access to feedstocks, multimodal distribution, and major industry players positions us to be a leading SAF supplier on the West Coast,” said Christopher Efird, CEO and Chairperson of NEXT. “United’s investment in NEXT strengthens our resolve to be one of the clean fuels leaders in the transportation sector.” The announcement, made
Tuesday, Nov. 15, marks UAV’s fifth SAF-related technology investment, and its first investment directly in a biorefinery. The relases describes United as an industry leader in advocating for alternative jet fuel for years – including investing in more SAF production than any other airline in the world and flying the world’s first passenger flight using 100% SAF in one engine. United also launched the EcoSkies Alliance program, which among its 30 corporate participants, has collectively purchased more than 7 million gallons of sustainable aviation fuel. Launched in 2021, UAV is a firstof-its-kind sustainability-focused
ventures fund that targets startups, upcoming technologies, and concepts that will complement United’s goal of net zero emissions by 2050 – without relying on traditional carbon offsets such as voluntary offsets or planting trees. To date, UAV’s portfolio includes SAF producers and other companies advancing technologies including carbon utilization, hydrogen-electric engines, electric regional aircraft and air taxis. The environmental group Columbia Riverkeeper is a leading opponent of the proposed fuels plant. Read a series of stories about the opposition’s concerns at thechiefnews.com.
Search for ‘Armed and dangerous’ felon suspended JEREMY C. RUARK Country Media, Inc.
Contact The Chief Phone: 503-397-0116 Fax: 503-397-4093 chiefnews@countrymedia.net 1805 Columbia Blvd., St. Helens, OR 97051
Courtesy photo from CCSO
Call 9-1-1 if you see Kevin James Reynolds.
Kevin James Reynolds has been taken into custody without incident, according to the Clatsop County Sheriff’s Office. Reynolds, described by law enforcement as ‘armed and dangerous,’ was apprehended around 12 p.m. Thursday, Nov. 17. Specific details of the arrest were pending at press time. The search for Reynolds had intensified in the Rainier area this week. Law enforcement agents first converged in the area of Heath Road and Old Rainier Road Tuesday, Nov. 15 following reports that Reynolds was in the area. Reynolds is wanted on multiple criminal charges in Cowlitz County including robbery, assault, vehicle theft and witness intimidation.
During the Tuesday manhunt, Columbia County Sheriff Brian Pixley said the Oregon State Police SWAT responded to the location and used distractionary devices, loudspeakers, drones equipped with Forward Looking InfraRed (FLIR). The search included K9’s from St. Helens Police Department and Longview Police Department. “The suspect did fire his gun at a passing car that was hit. The driver was not injured,” Pixley told The Chief. He later told KATU News that the suspect had taken a woman hostage, fired a weapon and fled the scene. Deputies freed the woman and got her medical treatment, KATU reports. As the search intensified Tuesday, the Columbia County
Sheriff’s Office posted a Facebook alert to residents in the area. “Reynolds is considered to be armed and dangerous. Residents in the area are asked to secure their homes and stay inside. If you spot Reynolds, call 9-1-1,” the Facebook post stated. Pixley issued a statement shortly after 11 p.m. Tuesday night, stating that law enforcement had completed a search including buildings, homes, and property west of Rainier in an attempt to locate Reynolds, but he was not found. The search was suspected that night but was resumed Wednesday afternoon, Nov. 16.
See FELON Page A3