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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Astoria will receive $1.8 million in federal funding for the replacement of a nearly 100-year-old waterline on Irving Avenue.

The funding, backed by U.S. Sen. Jeff Merkley, is part of a spending package approved by Congress and signed into law by President Joe Biden this month. Merkley and U.S. Sen. Ron Wyden helped secure nearly $42 million for 28 community-initiated projects across the state in the portion of the package that dealt with environmental and forest-related spending.

The 6-inch cast-iron waterline, located between 20th and 28th streets, extends through several landslide areas and has a history of failure. With the federal funding, the city will replace the aging waterline with a new 12-inch pipe constructed of modern materials and designed to improve the resiliency of the city’s water system.

City Manager Scott Spence explained that the project has been on the city’s priority list for several years, but has been put off due to funding concerns.

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

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Landlords and tenants involved in eviction cases in Clatsop County Circuit Court will soon have the opportunity to participate in a new mediation program.

The court will hold a one-day pilot on April 4 so mediators and court staff can evaluate the process and troubleshoot any obstacles before offering the mediation regularly.

“Everything we do in this virtual court is brand new, there’s nobody else really doing what we’re doing,” said AJ Wahl, the program’s coordinator. “So it’s exciting, but it’s also really trying to troubleshoot and find our way.”

Wahl, an attorney and mediator who fills in as a judge, began working at the courthouse in 2021, just before the end of a statewide eviction moratorium that had protected renters during the coronavirus pandemic. Since then, she’s been handling the majority of the court’s landlord-tenant cases.

Read the story by Jasmine Lewin by clicking here.

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LiFEBoat Services has expanded operations at an overnight shelter for the homeless on Commercial Street to seven nights a week.

The nonprofit began offering a year-round, low-barrier shelter three nights a week in February. Since then, Osarch Orak, the nonprofit’s executive director, said they’ve tripled their staff.

The shelter is now open every night — 6 p.m. to 6 a.m. — on a first-come, first-served basis.

Orak said he sees low-barrier shelters, which are intended to reduce hurdles like requirements for sobriety or participation in social services, as an important first step in addressing homelessness.

“We need to meet people where they’re at with our low-barrier services,” he said. “We believe in our hearts that is how we’re going to turn the tides and change what’s happening, get people off the street, into housing, into treatment, into mental health care services.”

Take a look at the report by Olivia Palmer by clicking here.

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— Derrick DePledge