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

•••

The Port of Astoria is pleading with U.S. Customs and Border Protection to ease the clearing process for cruise ship passengers after Princess Cruises canceled four ships scheduled for this fall amid concerns about waiting times.

When cruise ship passengers arrive in Astoria from a foreign port — typically in Canada — it is standard for them to spend two or three hours waiting to go through customs screening. But last year, Customs and Border Protection began to implement changes to the process, introducing advanced biometric screening methods that the Astoria customs office’s equipment was not able to handle.

As a result, waiting times went from two or three hours to sometimes five or six for the largest ships, Will Isom, the executive director of the Port of Astoria, said. Astoria does not host cruise ships overnight, so passengers who spent several hours waiting to be cleared were barely able to get off the boat, missing tours and other planned excursions in town.

Due to these delays, Princess Cruises, which is owned by Carnival Corp., has diverted four cruise ships that were scheduled to stop in Astoria this fall. According to Melanie Howard, the Port’s finance director, each of these larger ships brings in more than $47,000 in revenue for the Port, which typically hosts a few dozen oceangoing ships at Pier 1 each year. The four canceled ships result in a loss in revenue of approximately $190,000.

The Port is pulling out all the stops to pressure Customs and Border Protection to find a solution. The Port has refused to enroll in the federal agency’s reimbursable services program, which would entail purchasing new equipment for the Astoria customs office, costing upward of $100,000 for technology that the Port would not have ownership of. In addition, the reimbursable services program would require the Astoria office to bring in additional personnel from Portland or Vancouver, Washington, also at the Port’s expense.

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

•••

The new president of Clatsop Community College is ready to win people over.

Jarrod Hogue joined the college in August. The college had been led by interim presidents Kevin LaCoste and Teena Toyas since Chris Breitmeyer’s departure last year.

Hogue, who grew up in St. Helens, has wide experience across the education world. He began his career teaching and coaching in Pennsylvania before he returned to his home state, where he worked as an education and training specialist for a company called Management Training Corp., driving a trailer around northwest Oregon and leading life skills workshops.

That job was Hogue’s first experience working with community colleges, a passion that has driven his career since. He spent 14 years working at Mt. Hood Community College, working his way up to serve as executive dean and chief academic officer.

After leaving that job, Hogue worked for Pearson, a textbook company, and then launched his own math tutoring business, Math Mentors, in 2022. When the job opened up at Clatsop Community College, Hogue jumped at the opportunity to return to the community college world.

“A lot of community college students are struggling with basic needs, or just need a little bit of a boost or a hand and (that) can make a generational impact,” he said. “The difference of somebody who lands a middle-wage job with benefits, and they can feel comfortable and afford to have the things that a lot of people deserve — so I always kind of gravitated toward that. I’ve always been a kind of ‘root for the underdog’ type of person.”

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

•••

A long-stalled apartment complex on the riverfront will welcome tenants this week.

Astoria Waterfront Apartments, previously known as NorthPost Apartments, contain 66 newly constructed units near Safeway.

The construction of the complex, which was initially owned and developed by Walt Postlewait, came to a halt last year amid financial issues. The project was taken over by Gabe Johansen, a Salem-based investor, and is now being managed by Port Town Property Management in Astoria.

The four buildings contain 66 units, 60 of which are one-bedroom apartments. Three of the buildings — or 48 apartments — are available for rent this week. Nan Schoenwald, the property manager and owner of Port Town Property Management, said the units have been in high demand and several are already rented out in advance of the opening.

The complex is authorized for a 50-50 mix of long-term rentals and vacation rentals — Postlewait’s initial vision for the project. But Johansen has provided repeated assurances that the entire project will be long-term housing.

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

•••

We invite you to help sustain local journalism on the North Coast. Please consider subscribing. We have several options available at: www.dailyastorian.com/subscribe-now/

— Derrick DePledge