143rd YEAR, No. 100
TUESDAY, NOVEMBER 17, 2015
ONE DOLLAR
Take a book, leave a book
Little Free Library event to support
literacy for Clatsop County’s kids
By KATHERINE LACAZE
EO Media Group
C
latsop County’s main reading outreach
program is challenging everyone in the
area with time, a toolbox and a passion
for literacy to design and construct their own
“little free library.”
The initiative, inspired by a national pro-
gram, will be capped by a Little Free Lending
Library Build and Auction fundraiser in the
spring. The libraries and the books on their
shelves will be shared throughout county com-
munities.
The standard size for the libraries is 22 inch-
es square and 12 inches deep . Fun and whim-
sical designs are encouraged, but the libraries
must accommodate as many as 10 hardcover
books standing 21 inches tall. In similar initia-
Is it only an elite,
urban option?
tives throughout the country, people have cre-
ated libraries to resemble lighthouses, movie
theaters, barns, phone booths and more.
Libraries Reading Outreach of Clatsop Coun-
ty, known as Libraries ROCC, is collecting the
¿ nished little libraries at Seaside Public Library
through December . The donated libraries will be
on display through January for viewing and vot-
ing for people’s choice awards. They will then
be auctioned off during a fundraiser in February.
“This is your opportunity to get books in the
hands of children,” Seaside Public Library Di-
rector Esther Moberg said.
Funds raised from the auction will go di-
rectly to Libraries ROCC, a nonpro¿ t program
that provides no-fee library cards and summer
reading programs to youth up to age 19 in Clat-
sop County. The program is supported by the
Seaside , Astoria and Warrenton libraries and the
county’s ¿ ve school districts, along with several
corporate sponsors, Clatsop County and the cit-
ies of Seaside, Astoria and Warrenton.
By NATALIE ST. JOHN
EO Media Group
LO1G BEACH, Wash. ² A grow-
ing number of terminally ill residents
have chosen to die on their own terms
since the Death with Dignity Act went
into effect in 2009. However, a recent
report suggests that few minority, low-
er-income and rural Washington resi-
dents have taken advantage of the law.
It may be more dif¿ cult for residents in
rural parts of the state, including Pacif-
ic County, to participate because they
don’t have easy access to participating
doctors and pharmacists.
Another end-of-life option
Little library project
The Little Free Library movement, which
started in 2009, is focused on spreading liter-
acy and making community connections. It has
grown over the years to involve about 32,000
book exchanges.
Although the movement is popular, there has
not been a collective push to spread the move-
ment in Clatsop County, which is why “we
loved it,” Moberg said. Astoria Library Direc-
tor Jane Tucker agreed it would make a good
fundraiser because it gives people something to
make and allows them to use their imagination
and creativity.
“It seemed like something that would be
fun,” she added.
Death
with
Dignity
R.J. Marx/The Daily Astorian
A Little Free Library in Astoria. Such librar-
ies are springing up throughout the coast.
Only three Little Free Libraries in Clatsop
County are of¿ cially registered ² one each in
Gearhart, Astoria and Knappa. Moberg said she
believes there actually are about a dozen in the
county, but not all are registered.
“The concept is sharing with your communi-
ty,” Moberg said. “You’re supposed to take one
and leave one of equal value.”
See LIBRARY, Page 10A
Beatrice “Bebe” Michel with her Little Free Library at McMenamins in Gearhart.
Eric Halperin/For EO Media Group
Washington is one of just four states
where “aid in dying” (sometimes called
“physician-assisted suicide”) is legal.
Under state law (which is modeled after
Oregon’s 1997 Death With Dignity Act)
a mentally sound person who is within
six months of dying from a terminal
condition can request a lethal dose of
medication. The process requires ap-
proval from two physicians, as well as
a pharmacist who is willing to dispense
the lethal drugs. In some cases, a psy-
chological evaluation is also required to
ensure the person is competent to make
the decision.
The number of people who received
the lethal doses of medication has in-
creased each year, from 65 in 2009, to
176 in 2014, according to an annual re-
port published by the state Department
of Health , which is responsible for
making sure that participating patients,
doctors and pharmacists comply with
the requirements of the act.
See DIGNITY, Page 10A
Astoria
to try
toilets by
the river
Three restroom
options added after
complaints about
homeless
By DERRICK DePLEDGE
The Daily Astorian
Mayor Arline LaMear and City
Councilors Drew Herzig and Cindy
Disturbing reports of public urina-
tion and defecation by the homeless
have prompted the Astoria City Council
to experiment with three new portable
toilets near the Astoria Riverwalk.
Two portable toilets will go in at
People’s Park at 16th Street and Ma-
rine Drive and one portable toilet will
be installed at Ninth and Astor streets.
The new toilets, which will be cleaned
twice a week by a private vendor, will
cost the city $5,395 a year from the
Promote Astoria tourism fund.
Some tourists and locals who use
the Riverwalk have groused about
the lack of public restrooms, but the
issue was driven by persistent com-
plaints over the summer from down-
town merchants and others about the
homeless.
Installing portable toilets was a rec-
ommendation from a city task force
responding to the growing homeless
population.
Astoria Police Chief Brad Johnston,
who is also the assistant city manager
and serves on the homeless task force,
said the number of calls the city has
been getting about public defecation, in
particular, is “alarming.”
“I’ve never seen anything like it,”
he said.
Public restrooms are available at the
Sunset Empire Transportation District
and near 12th and Exchange streets.
The new portable toilets would add op-
tions closer to the Riverwalk.
See CROSSING, Page 7A
See TOILETS, Page 7A
Council says ‘Stop’ at confusing crossing
Astoria leaders
split over scope
of other changes
By DERRICK DePLEDGE
The Daily Astorian
Astoria will place a new “Stop” sign
and make other improvements at Irving
Avenue and Eighth Street, an intersec-
tion man\ drivers ¿ nd confusing even
though traf¿ c engineers have proclaimed
it safe.
The steep, four-way intersection that
gives westbound drivers on Irving the
ability to zip left up Eighth without stop-
ping has been bashed by some residents
as perilous. But collision data between
2009 and 2014 shows just one accident
that caused a minor injury, a crash rate
considered normal for traf¿ c volume.
Westbound drivers on Irving will
still have the right-of-way, but the City
Council voted Monday night to install
a “Stop” sign so northbound drivers on
Eighth will have to stop, instead of just
yield, for Irving drivers. Other signs
will also help guide drivers through the
unique intersection.
The 3-2 vote was an example of how
the City Council can get whipsawed
when trying to weigh the concerns of vo-
cal residents against expert advice.
The idea for traf¿ c improvements
originated with complaints from resi-
dents about Irving and Eighth, as well as
the “Right Turn Permitted Without Stop-
ping” signs under several “Stop” signs at
other intersections.
City engineers insisted the intersec-
tions were safe, but the City Council
called for a review and the city reached
out to DKS Associates, a Portland trans-
portation consultant.
The consultant agreed that the inter-
sections were indeed safe, yet recom-
mended the changes at Irving and Eighth
along with better signage and roadway
striping at several other spots around the
city to help improve driver perceptions.
The recommendations, adopted by the
city¶s Traf¿ c Safety Advisory Commit-
tee in October, included swapping in
“Except Right Turn” signs for the “Right
Turn Permitted Without Stopping” signs
for clarity and consistency with national
traf¿ c control guidelines.
Some feared
greater confusion