Image provided by: University of Oregon Libraries; Eugene, OR
About The daily Astorian. (Astoria, Or.) 1961-current | View Entire Issue (April 3, 2015)
Warrenton spring sports previews Jewell spring sports previews WEEKEND EDITION PAGE 10A 142nd YEAR, No. 198 PAGE 11A FRIDAY, APRIL 3, 2015 ONE DOLLAR Astoria balances sewer work, rate hikes Sewer project extension could give ratepayers some relief By DERRICK DePLEDGE The Daily Astorian MORE INSIDE Astoria’s vow to minimize the Àow of wastewater into the &olum- bia River after heavy rains will take six years longer to achieve, but water ratepayers could get some relief from a surcharge used to help ¿nance the sewer project. The state Department of Environ- mental Quality has granted the city’s request for an extension to 2028 to complete the sewer improvements necessary to meet the federal &lean :ater Act. The city, which ¿rst com- mitted to the work in 1993, had pre- Turn to page 12A for a graphic detailing data showing how peak surcharge costs on ratepayers may be reduced. viously intended to ¿nish the project by 2022. Water ratepayers, who essentially pay three times every time they turn on a faucet or Àush a toilet ² a basic charge, a consumption charge, and a surcharge for the sewer project ² may receive a break on the surcharge. &ity ¿nancial analysts estimate the surcharge rate, which is now 86 percent of the basic charge and consumption charge, will climb to a peak of 110 percent, instead of 151 percent. So while ratepayers will pay the surcharge longer, the peak rate should be lower. “Our main goal with the time extension is to reduce the peak cost to ratepayers,´ &indy 0oore, a city support engineer, said in an email. “Additional time also gives us the ability to gather more data to better scope the projects, which could re- duce the overall program cost.” See SEWER, Page 12A ALEX PAJUNAS — The Daily Astorian file A dump truck, seen through a 24-inch-diameter pipe, waits in line behind other trucks for a load of dirt excavated from the site of the 1.2-million gallon storage tank that is part of the Denver Street Com- bined Sewer Overflow Project Phase 3 at Tapiola Park in 2010. Practice makes safer Assault at gunpoint injures 3 Suspects Àee possible hostage By KYLE SPURR The Daily Astorian Photos by JOSHUA BESSEX — The Daily Astorian A MH60T Jayhawk and Coast Guard ship participate in training exercises on the Columbia River near the Astoria Bridge Wednesday. U .S. &oast *uard crews had training exercises Wednesday near the Astoria %ridge. The &oast *uard’s 13th District is made up of Oregon, Washington, ,daho and 0ontana. 0ore than 3,000 ac- tive duty and reserve members, &oast *uard Auxiliarists, and civilian employees are stationed in the 1orthwest. Three people were injured in an assault at gunpoint at an apartment Friday morning in the 300 block of Alameda Avenue in Astoria. Astoria Police initially responded at 8:25 a.m. to a report of someone shot at the apartment. When of¿cers arrived no one was shot, but two men had been assaulted at gunpoint. A third person suffered injuries from a chemical spray that was discharged in the house at the time of the as- saults. Astoria Police &hief %rad -ohn- ston said the two assault victims had relatively signi¿cant injuries to the head and body. Police transported the three victims to &olumbia 0e- morial Hospital. Of¿cers learned that at least two suspects entered the house and as- saulted the occupants at gunpoint. They struck two victims with ¿re- arms and batons causing signi¿cant See ASSAULT, Page 8A A better boatyard &ommittee holds ¿rst meeting to look to the future By EDWARD STRATTON The Daily Astorian A bird flies by as a MH60T Jayhawk helicopter and Coast Guard ship prac- tice on the Columbia River Wednesday. A Coast Guard rescue swimmer is lowered from a MH60T Jayhawk into the Columbia River during an exercise near the Astoria Bridge Wednesday. information had been compromised due to the weakness. At a 0arch 1 Port of Astoria &ommission meeting, Executive Di- rector -im .night headed off a bar- rage of public comment on the impending closure of the Pier 3 boat- yard. He an- nounced that after a meeting with the state, the Port was canceling the closure. Jim The Port Knight would create an ad hoc committee to look at its oper- ation and future, he said, and provide a recommendation to the Port &om- mission. The boatyard committee, a col- lection of boatyard users with .night as a facilitator, convened for the ¿rst time Wednesday. &ommittee mem- bers included: Ed *reen, a commercial ¿sher- man. See WEBSITES, Page 8A See BOATYARD, Page 12A State websites may not be secure Out-of-date software leaves web visitors vulnerable to attack By HILLARY BORRUD Capital Bureau SA/E0 ² Oregonians who used state websites to pay child support, file unemployment claims and renew their vehicle registration in recent months were vulnerable to attackers who could intercept Social Security numbers and other sensitive information. The state and private contrac- tors left the door open to what is known as a “man in the middle at- tack” by using outdated encryption protocols on some websites. ,n that scenario, the attacker intercepts data as it’s passed from the sender Outdated encryption software on several websites operated by the state of Oregon, including one used for making online child support payments, have put user data at risk. to the intended recipient. A spokeswoman for the Employ- ment Department said Thursday that, to her knowledge, no one’s personal