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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Every other weekend, prospective volunteer firefighters from around Clatsop County train together at the fire station in Gearhart as part of a two-month Recruit Academy.

Disrupted by the coronavirus pandemic, the academy has returned for the first time since 2019. It initially began in the 1980s, when Fire Chief Josh Como was first introduced to firefighting.

“I like to say I joined the service when I was 6, because that’s how old I was when my dad joined in 1988 as a volunteer firefighter,” he said.

Now, Como is coordinating essential training for the next generation of firefighters.

See the story by Jasmine Lewin by clicking here.

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An expansion of the construction program at Seaside High School will give students the opportunity to learn additional skills and prepare for a career in the construction industry.

The high school received a $115,000 career readiness grant as part of the state Department of Education’s CTE Revitalization Grant, which distributed $7.6 million to 74 high schools statewide.

Seaside High School offers three career and technical education programs: culinary arts, business and marketing and construction. The pathways are intended to tailor to local industry needs.

“When we look at CTE programs, I think one of the things that are important is that we support programs that are going to be supported by our community,” Jeff Roberts, the school principal, said.

The construction program is focused primarily on woodworking. With the help of the grant, that focus will expand so students are able to acquire additional skills and prepare for potential careers.

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

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The Clatsop County Historical Society will receive a $1 million state grant for the expansion of the Oregon Film Museum in Astoria.

The grant was included in a spending bill approved Thursday as the state Legislature wrapped up a short session in Salem. The bill now goes to Gov. Tina Kotek for her review and likely signature.

“It’s just a wonderful vote of confidence,” said McAndrew Burns, the executive director of the historical society.

The Cultural Advocacy Coalition of Oregon, which vets capital projects by arts and cultural organizations, recommended the money for the Oregon Film Museum last year.

The historical society wants to expand the film museum, housed in the old Clatsop County Jail downtown, into the former Morris Glass building at Duane and Seventh streets.

The estimated $10.1 million project involves a new, two-story, 13,000-square-foot facility. The film museum at the old jail — about 800 square feet — drew more than 52,000 visitors last year.

Take a look at the report by Julia Eastham by clicking here.

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— Derrick DePledge