County unemployment rate

was 4.1% in September

Clatsop County’s unemployment rate was 4.1% in September.

The seasonally adjusted rate was up from 4% in August and up from 3.7% in September 2023.

The statewide unemployment rate was 4% in September, the Oregon Employment Department reported, compared to the national rate of 4.1%.

Town hall planned in Warrenton

on federal impacts on land use

WARRENTON — Mayor Henry Balensifer will host a town hall meeting at Warrenton High School on Monday to discuss the impact of federal regulations on building and development.

The meeting, which starts at 6 p.m., will also cover impacts on the value of land and housing in the area.

The meeting follows the announcement of new draft flood risk maps and a requirement by the Federal Emergency Management Agency to adopt new flood plain development rules.

Astoria city website target of cyberactivity

Astoria’s website was down this week due to cyberactivity, the city announced in a Facebook post on Tuesday.

Staff contact information is available on the city’s Facebook page.

— The Astorian

Washington state’s first presumed human infections of bird flu under investigation

Four workers at a poultry farm in Franklin County, Washington, tested positive for bird flu, Washington Department of Health officials said Sunday.

The infected workers had mild symptoms and were treated with antiviral medications. Other workers are being tested, according to the department.

This is the first documented case in Washington state of humans contracting avian influenza. Humans have been infected in five other states this year, according to health officials.

The workers were sickened on a farm where bird flu had been detected the same week. According to the U.S. Department of Agriculture, about 839,700 chickens were euthanized after the Washington State Department of Agriculture confirmed Oct. 15 the virus was present in the flock.

— Capital Press

Eugene Weekly gets

$100K grant to boost coverage

The Eugene Weekly has received a $100,000 grant to bolster its coverage.

The money is from Press Forward, a national foundation-funded initiative to provide operating support for local journalism outlets.

Eugene Weekly editor Camilla Mortensen said applying for grants is becoming a part of the paper’s new business model, which also includes soliciting donations from readers.

“We’ve already traditionally been ad-based, but now also through our nonprofit arm, we’re trying to develop some community resources to help grow the newsroom and increase the coverage in the area,” she said.

Mortensen said community support was critical after the paper discovered last year that it had lost a significant amount of money to embezzlement.

Two other Oregon news outlets received grants from Press Forward: Underscore Native News and the Lund Report, which focuses on health care topics.

— KLCC