Thank you for your interest in reading The Astorian. Here are a few stories that you might have missed this week:

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When the state Department of Education releases graduation rate data each year, administrators in the Warrenton-Hammond School District try to piece together what happened to the students who fell through the cracks somewhere along the road to graduation.

Superintendent Tom Rogozinski highlighted some of this data at a school board meeting on Wednesday night, concealing biographical information to protect student privacy. Twelve students in the Class of 2023 were designated as “noncompleters” — meaning they stopped attending and never reenrolled, either in Warrenton or in another school district.

Eight of those students hadn’t been to school since 2021, leaving amid the disruptions of the coronavirus pandemic. Another student attended Warrenton High School for just three months before the district lost track.

Even in a small community like Warrenton, and despite the efforts of administrators and school counselors, students can disappear off the face of the map.

The school district is ramping up its attempts to reach these students and get them back to school with the help of a new grant awarded through the Northwest Regional Education Service District’s Regional Educator Network.

See the story by Rebecca Norden-Bright by clicking here.

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Cannon Beach city councilors suggested a cap on vacation rentals at a work session Tuesday night in response to concerns about the impacts short-term rentals have on the community.

Vacation rentals would be capped at 200. The city’s Community Development Department reports that there are 196 vacation rentals.

“For many years, I think the highest I’ve ever seen it is 205,” City Councilor Nancy McCarthy said. “So 200 sounds just about right to me. It sounds like that’s what the demand is, and that’s where we should probably keep it.”

City Councilor Lisa Kerr emphasized that the cap was not meant to be punitive, although she and City Councilor Brandon Ogilvie acknowledged that it would be perceived as such by some in the community.

“It really resonates with me what was said about social utility, and how short-term rentals do not help a feeling of community, how they really deteriorate a sense of place in a community,” Kerr said. “To me, that’s an essential thing.

Read the story by Jasmine Lewin by clicking here.

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A lighting project on the east side of the Astoria Riverwalk has been scaled back due to budget constraints.

In 2021, the city received a grant through the Oregon Community Paths program to add bollard-style lights to the Riverwalk between the Columbia River Maritime Museum and Pier 39. A section of the project — between the museum and Mill Pond — has already been completed.

Now, due to budget concerns, the Oregon Department of Transportation said additional lighting will only extend from Mill Pond to about 34th Street, behind the gas station at Safeway, instead of going all the way to 39th Street.

David House, a spokesperson for the Department of Transportation, said the grant, which includes both state and federal funds, no longer covers the full project as initially expected.

“Basically, we found out that both the engineering and design, as well as the construction, both exceed the original estimates for the project,” House said. “So we’ve had to scale back what our goals are.”

Take a look at the report by Rebecca Norden-Bright by clicking here.

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