The Spotlight newspaper

01/14/2026

🌲Stop by and check out the NW Ag Show going on now through Friday at 2 p.m. in Salem!

🚜 Jan. 14-16, 2026 Oregon State Fair & Expo Center, 2330 17th St., Salem. Attendance is FREE and parking is just $10.

👉Read more at: tinyurl.com/yc3az3td

01/14/2026

Hillsboro will be the home of the Portland Cascade, a new women's professional softball team set to start June 9.

Thorns, Fire… Cascade? That’s right, it was announced Jan. 13 that the Portland Cascade will be joining the local NWSL and WNBA women’s professional franchises as one of five new […]

01/14/2026

If the levy fails, reductions in library service could follow as soon as this year.

The Scappoose Public Library is likely to ask voters to approve a tax levy in the upcoming May election. The library’s board of directors will vote on the final details […]

01/14/2026

The conversation will center around Merkley’s work in Washington, D.C., and attendees will have the opportunity to ask questions and share their ideas for how to tackle issues facing Oregon and the country.

Columbia County residents will have an opportunity to hear from U.S. Sen. Jeff Merkley at a town hall event this week. The town hall is set for 3:30 p.m. Friday, […]

01/13/2026

What happened in the world of Columbia County high school sports last week? See all the results here...

Boys basketball Pendleton 51, Scappoose 48 St. Helens 78, Showtime Basketball (Australia) 58 Tillamook 68, Molalla 61 Junction City 53, Seaside 41 Scappoose 54, St. Helens 39 Astoria 57, Tillamook […]

01/13/2026

We're a month into the season and the state's girls basketball teams are coming into their own. Who do the coaches think are the state's best? Find out here...

Below are the latest statewide Girls Basketball Coaches Polls in all classifications for the 2025-2026 winter season, brought to you by the OSAAtoday. Please note: these polls are for generating […]

01/13/2026

Details of the superintendent's complaint against a school board member show allegations of bullying and harassment that "sabotage and undermine my leadership," the superintendent wrote.

An investigation is underway into claims of bullying made against a St. Helens school board member by the district’s head administrator. During a Dec. 10 meeting, the school board voted […]

01/12/2026

What would you do if you were the mayor of Scappoose?

What would you do if you were the mayor of Scappoose? The city is inviting its youngest residents to share their ideas in the annual “If I Were Mayor” contest. […]

01/12/2026

🐄This three-day event is coming soon, featuring safety classes, agricultural equipment displays, live speakers and more.

Find all the details here: https://tinyurl.com/yc3az3td

01/12/2026

In case you missed it, sports columnist Wade Evanson wonders if the Ducks will ever win the big prize...

The game was over in 11 seconds, but you could feel this Oregon defeat coming all week. Say what you will about Indiana, and they are very good, but the […]

01/11/2026

Nearly two years after beginning negotiations, St. Helens has finally sold the former Cascades Tissue site to Arcadia Paper Mills.

An opening date for the new mill has not been announced, but it will make paper towels and napkins.

Read more at the Columbia County Spotlight: https://columbiacountyspotlight.com/2026/01/09/arcadia-paper-mills-to-open-plant-in-st-helens/

01/10/2026

Friday night was a dark one for Duck fans as Oregon was handily defeated by Indiana in the College Football Playoff, and sports columnist Wade Evanson is beginning to wonder if it will ever be Oregon's time...

The game was over in 11 seconds, but you could feel this Oregon defeat coming all week. Say what you will about Indiana, and they are very good, but the […]