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Crabbers rebound from Southwest Washington seafood facility fire

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2 years ago

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Crabbers rebound from Southwest Washington seafood facility fire


Washingotn state Sen. Jeff Wilson and U.S. Representative Marie Gluesenkamp Perez talk with commercial fisherman Jay Vaughn in Ilwaco about the impacts of a Jan. 22 seafood facility fire on local fishermen. Vaughn did not lose gear, but was able to provide some to fishermen who had.

Katie Frankowicz / KMUN

On Monday, commercial crabbers in Oregon and Washington state started dropping baited circular steel crab pots into the ocean.

On Thursday, they will start hauling them back up — hopefully full of Dungeness crab.

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It’s a critical and fast-paced time. The bulk of the crab caught in the lucrative fishery is typically landed in the early weeks of the season.

On the water this week are fishermen who saw hundreds of their crab pots burn up in a fire at a seafood landing facility in Ilwaco, Washington, a week before the fishery was set to open.

An estimated 4,000 pots were lost in the Jan. 22 fire at the Bornstein Seafoods facility. Now, almost as many are back in the fishermen’s hands.

Crabbers up and down the West Coast rallied to get them replacement gear, loaning hundreds of pots for the entire season. Locally, people, businesses and other groups have set up donations and other aid to get fishing families through the start of the season. Political leaders are also pledging state and federal support over the coming months.

A cloud of black smoke rises above a large fire at a building located on the shore of the Pacific Ocean in Southwest Washington.

A seafood facility in Ilwaco, Washington caught fire on Monday, Jan. 22, 2024. No injuries were reported and the cause of the fire is still unknown.

Courtesy Kathy Hudkins

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U.S. Rep. Marie Gluesenkamp Perez, a Democrat who represents southwest Washington state, visited with community leaders, the Port of Ilwaco and fishermen late last week to discuss what resources are available to rebuild and what support might be needed at higher levels of government.

The congresswoman told KMUN the way the community has come together is inspiring.

“I mean, if government worked half as well as this community does, coming together, we’d be in a much different world,” she said.

Gluesenkamp Perez said she will be looking at different types of proactive support around disaster grants and government-backed small-business loans.

“I would say often you see that the people who end up getting these grants and loans are the ones that have administrative capacity,” she said. “It’s not the owner-operator, it’s not the independent — and that’s wrong.”

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Gluesenkamp Perez is the owner of a Portland auto repair shop and said she knows there’s a high barrier.

“I’m really committed to leveling the playing field and seeing this community thrive and continue to thrive as a fishing community,” she said.

With Gluesenkamp Perez was state Sen. Jeff Wilson, a Republican who represents Washington’s 19th legislative district, which includes Ilwaco. His office has been working at the state level to make sure fishermen have what they need to get on the water.

He told KMUN credit is due to the Washington Department of Fish and Wildlife, which moved quickly to make sure fishermen had the identification tags needed for each new crab pot.

But Wilson said there is work to be done to make sure Bornstein’s can rebuild — not in two years, but in the coming year.

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In Oregon, state Rep. Cyrus Javadi and Sen. Suzanne Weber said the Oregon Department of Fish and Wildlife has assured them that the 1,320 Oregon tags impacted by the fire would be reissued in time for the season at no extra cost.

“The fishing and crabbing industry is the backbone of the North Oregon Coast. Our local economy depends on their ability to bring in the highest quality seafood to feed Oregonians and the nation,” Weber, a Tillamook Republican, said in a statement.

Javadi, also a Tillamook Republican, thanked the Department of Fish and Wildlife “for responding quickly to give our crabbers some much-needed regulatory flexibility during this difficult time.”

Fire investigators wrapped up their investigation into the cause of the blaze on Saturday, but have not publicly announced their findings. A final cost estimate has not been determined, but the fire resulted in a total loss. Drone footage of the site shows blackened crab pots on a skeleton dock and debris where buildings once stood.

Investigators with the federal Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives are writing the final origin and cause report. Once the report is complete, the findings will be given to the Ilwaco Fire Department.

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This story is part of a collaboration between KMUN and The Astorian.



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Washington

Inside Woodlawn Cemetery’s mission to preserve history

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5 hours ago

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June 24, 2026

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Inside Woodlawn Cemetery’s mission to preserve history


The iron gate to Woodlawn Cemetery is almost always locked shut, but Toni White-Richardson was more than happy to let News4 inside.

As president of the Woodlawn Cemetery Perpetual Care Association, she was excited to talk about what makes this resting place so special.

“It is major D.C. history, first. Then it’s also major Black history, second,” White-Richardson said.

More than 30,000 people, mostly African Americans, are buried among the 22 acres of Woodlawn Cemetery, which opened in Southeast D.C. in 1895. And like so many cemeteries that date back to the 1800s, particularly African American cemeteries, this one has fallen into disrepair, is overgrown and has headstones tumbled over, like those of Wilhelmina and her husband James, and Eliza Spencer, a mother who died in 1887.

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“Let me do a very upfront disclaimer,” White-Richardson said. “We have no idea where these stones go. And when we looked at the grid, it became even clear as mud, it became less clear as to where these stones should really go. Unfortunately, when we look back, we can tell there was a plan, but we could see we never got totally completed. Even back then, there are no markers saying this is Section H or this is Section G or this is 102 and this is, none of that.”

One of the most notable Washingtonians laid to rest here is John Mercer Langston, Virginia’s first Black congressman.

“Langston University came one year because they had a grand reunion in D.C., and we arranged for them to come to see […] John Mercer Langston, the university that was named after this man,” White-Richardson said.

And Blance Bruce, the first Black U.S. senator to serve a full term and register of the treasury, is also buried in the cemetery.

“He’s the signature on our dollar bill, you know, back in the late 1800s,” White-Richardson said. “So, oh, it’s history. It’s capital letters. No getting around it.”

Woodlawn is also the resting place of several of the original founders of two of the country’s most prominent Black sororities, Alpha Kappa Alpha and Delta Sigma Theta. Both organizations volunteer to help with clean ups.

The Perpetual Care Association recently received a grant from the D.C. Office of Planning to help with upkeep of the grounds and preserving the history here.

“These are important individuals who’ve made contributions to the District a century ago, but today still their history and their stories reverberate and really influence the trajectory of our city,” said Anita Cozart, director of the D.C. Office of Planning.

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The cemetery tucked away off Benning Road is only open to the public five days a year, but groups can request tours anytime. The next chance to visit Woodlawn when it will be open to the public is Labor Day.

They’re always looking for volunteers and donors to help with the upkeep of this sacred ground.



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Parsing Trump’s claims about Washington’s reflecting pool

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15 hours ago

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June 24, 2026

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Parsing Trump’s claims about Washington’s reflecting pool


US President Donald Trump wanted to mark the US’s 250th birthday with a renovated Lincoln Memorial Reflecting Pool on the National Mall.

The makeover, including a new coat of “American Flag blue,” cost taxpayers $16 million (€14.1 million).

But the water is covered in green algae. The blue paint is already peeling. Trump has blamed vandals, while his critics question the project’s transparency and cost.

DW’s Brent Goff and Washington correspondent Janelle Dumalaon unpack the whole fiasco.

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Social media reacts to former BYU star AJ Dybantsa going No. 1 in 2026 NBA draft

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1 day ago

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June 23, 2026

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Social media reacts to former BYU star AJ Dybantsa going No. 1 in 2026 NBA draft


Former BYU basketball star AJ Dybantsa fulfilled his dream of going No. 1 overall in the 2026 NBA draft.

The Washington Wizards selected Dybantsa with the first pick.

Immediately after the pick, reactions poured in on social media about the Wizards drafting Dybantsa.

Social media reactions to the Washington Wizards selecting BYU star AJ Dybantsa

Mitch Harper is a BYU Insider for KSL and hosts the Cougar Tracks Podcast daily on KSL Sports YouTube and KSL NewsRadio (SUBSCRIBE). Harper also co-hosts Cougar Sports Saturday (12–3 p.m.) on KSL NewsRadio.

Follow Mitch’s coverage of BYU athletics in the Big 12 Conference on X (formerly Twitter) and Instagram: @Mitch_Harper.

Want more coverage of BYU sports? Take us with you wherever you go.

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