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About The daily Astorian. (Astoria, Or.) 1961-current | View Entire Issue (April 8, 2015)
WEDNESDAY, APRIL 8, 2015 142nd YEAR, No. 201 ONE DOLLAR Bridge Vista blueprint gets OK Destination Astoria! Plan restricts development, but some are disappointed By DERRICK DePLEDGE The Daily Astorian Balancing economic growth with the preservation of iconic views of the Astoria Bridge and Columbia River, the Astoria Planning Commis- sion voted Tuesday night to advance the Bridge Vista phase of the city’s Riverfront Vision Plan. The commission recommended restricting development over the riv- er close to the bridge, near the Mar- itime Memorial, and west of Second Street, where the old White Star Cannery boiler is a reminder of the city’s historic past. New buildings in these regions could be no higher than the riverbank, which would essen- tially limit growth to docks or piers. Daily Astorian file Harvey Bartz, of White Bear Lake, Minn., snaps a photo of the grand stairway leading to the second floor of the Capt. George Flavel House Muse- um during a visit in 2013. The Flavel House had its best year in 2014 with a 20 percent increase in attendance, after increasing 12 percent in 2013. Visitor numbers at museums, parks shoot through the roof By KYLE SPURR The Daily Astorian T he oldest Anglo settlement west of the Rockies is being discovered again. Astoria is experiencing a re- cord number of visitors at various attractions, including the multiple museums and parks. Locals say the obvious reasons for the uptick in tourism is due to the mild weather this past winter and even the large number of sea lions drawing visitors to the water- front. Columbia River Maritime Mu- seum Executive Director Sam Johnson agrees the weather has played a role in bringing people to the North Coast. Poor snowfall in the Cascades this winter brought people, who ordinarily would have been skiing, he said. “That is possible, but I also think Astoria is becoming a ‘go to’ place,” Johnson said. “It is reason- ably close to Portland and is just a nice place to be. With good restau- rants, brew pubs, interesting shops, etc., and spectacular views, we are a good choice for a day or weekend trip.” The visitation trend in Astoria has been increasing over the past few years. Since 2012, the Maritime Mu- seum increased from about 88,000 visitors annually to more than 105,000 in 2014, which is one of the best years in the museum’s his- tory. “For us, some of this is due to Annual turnout at select Clatsop County museums and parks (Thousands of visitors) Clatsop County museums* Columbia River Maritime Museum Lewis and Clark National Historical Park 96.3 38.4 ‘Little known gem’ 217 201.7 191.9 a determined effort to market the museum on the coast and in the Portland metro area, along with QHZH[KLELWVDQGWKH'¿OPVWKDW now draw many to the museum,” Johnson said. “But obviously there is more going on outside the muse- um that is affecting the entire North Coast.” 88.4 41.7 244.9 102.1 49.8 105.1 62.7 The Clatsop County Historical Society, which oversees the Fla- vel House Museum, Oregon Film 2011 2012 2013 2014 Museum and Heritage Museum, *Combined yearly attendance for Oregon Film, Flavel House, and Heritage museums is seeing a similar spike in atten- Sources: Clatsop Co. Historical Society; Columbia River Maritime Museum; dance. Lewis and Clark National Historical Park McAndrew Burns, executive Kyle Spurr and Alan Kenaga/EO Media Group director of the Historical Society, said it has been an extraordinary two years of growth for the non- SUR¿W In 2013, the Heritage Museum had 31 percent growth in visita- tion, followed by a 63 percent rise in 2014. The Oregon Film Museum, which opened in 2010, steadily in- creased from about 9,000 visitors WKH ¿UVW \HDU WR PRUH WKDQ in 2014. “It’s incredible when you look at the size of the building, and we have done very little advertising,” %XUQV VDLG RI WKH ¿OP PXVHXP “It’s kind of amazing it’s grown so quickly.” The Flavel House Museum had its best year ever in 2014 with a 20 JOSHUA BESSEX — The Daily Astorian percent increase in attendance, af- Families involved in the Oregon Connections Academy, including ter increasing 12 percent in 2013. See ASTORIA, Page 7A Josef Teague, center, and Brenda Teague, right, walk past exhibits during a visit to the Columbia River Maritime Museum in January. AHS principal explores Chinese schools Student life is high-pressure, and high-stakes By EDWARD STRATTON The Daily Astorian Astoria High School Principal Lynn Jackson learned a lot during his recent trip to China as an emissary for U.S. high schools. Absenteeism is not an issue, he said, and neither is not turning in homework. But Jack- son said he experienced a high school environment dominated by rote memorization and preparation for the gaokao, China’s life-altering national college entrance exam. “What’s amazing is that these stu- dents are incredibly, incredibly ded- icated,” said Jackson, who observed the students of Xi’an No. 85 Middle School as part of the China Exchange Initiative. The program was founded by late philanthropist Houghton Freeman to increase exchanges and interest in Asian studies. Jackson traveled to China March 22 for two weeks, along with a principal from Creswell Middle School; superintendents from Raini- er, Lebanon, Salem-Keizer and John Day school districts; and two charter school directors as part of an exchange between Oregon and Shaanxi, a prov- ince in northwestern China. Xi’an, where Jackson went, is the capital of the Shaanxi province, an ancient cap- ital of China and a city of more than 8 million. No. 85 was ranked 13th out of more then 200 middle schools in terms of performance on the gaokao, Jackson said, a relatively elite institution where children’s parents are mostly profes- sionals. The New York Times reported in December on a “cram school” of more than 20,000 students preparing around the clock for the gaokao. More than 9 million students a year take the test, the report said, for which many often start preparing in elementary school and see failing it as a ticket to manual, migrant labor. Only nine years of education is compulsory in China, from elementa- ry through junior middle school. Stu- dents take the zhongkao, the senior high school entrance exam, to get into senior middle school. Out of an aver- age grade size of 450 students, Jack- son said, he heard that maybe 50 to 60 percent make it to the high school level. See CHINA, Page 10A See BRIDGE, Page 10A Jessica Smith’s lawyers protest DA’s letter Attorneys claim Josh Marquis is violating rules By KYLE SPURR The Daily Astorian The defense lawyers for Jessica Smith, the mother accused of killing one daughter and injuring another, ¿OHG D PRWLRQ 0RQGD\ DVNLQJ WKH court to strike a letter from Dis- trict Attorney Josh Marquis, claiming the letter harasses Smith and is a violation of state trial court rules. Marquis’ letter — sent March 19 to Josh Marquis Smith’s de- fense counsel and Clatsop County Circuit Court Judge Cindee Matyas — expressed frustration over the defense’s fail- ure to produce any discovery, or evidence, to the state. As a result, Marquis wrote, it is not possible for the state to respond to the defense’s other “boilerplate” motions. The discovery deadline for the defense was Tuesday. As of this morning, no discovery was submit- ted, according to the District Attor- QH\¶V2I¿FH Meanwhile, the defense has had all the state’s discovery for about six months, Marquis noted. See LETTER, Page 10A coast weekend THURSDAY Spring into Gardening