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
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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
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in 2014.
“It’s incredible when you look
at the size of the building, and we
have done very little advertising,”
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“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