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About The daily Astorian. (Astoria, Or.) 1961-current | View Entire Issue (April 24, 2015)
THE DAILY ASTORIAN • FRIDAY, APRIL 24, 2015 A healthy change Promote a healthy Earth D ear citizens of Astoria: I have been going to a Clatsop County schools for 12 years now, and I believe the lunches have gone backward in taste, nutrition, and quantity. A question that very often comes to mind is, “Are these lunches making children fat, and des- tined to an obese future?” Ob- viously we are going wrong somewhere, since the majority of the U.S. suffers with obesity. I say let’s make a change. It is a proven fact that school lunches enhance the chances of childhood obesity by 20 percent because of the low nutrients and high calorie count. This high calorie count was made to help children who might not have the chance to eat dinner that night. I’d say the parents who can afford such things should also do their best to help other children in the community. So the main question we face today is, “How are we going to improve school lunch- es?” One idea that has been spreading all over the nation is creating an edible school- yard. This system is a way for a school to grow their own food in a greenhouse so they can en- sure they have nutrients needed on the daily basis. Another idea would be to ban all soda ma- chines and chocolate milk. Instead of providing kids with an à la carte menu, which is full of fatty foods, we could get a salad bar. I don’t know about any of you but I’m sick of seeing tater tots, pizza, chicken nuggets and chocolate milk on the lunch menu. I’m ready for a healthy change. SHAILEI WRIGHT Astoria Get rid of sea lions T he California sea lions have arrived in the Columbia River this year in record num- bers. Down in California they are short on food this year and that is causing them to migrate up here. There is a much larger source of food for them around here: the salmon. As most peo- ple know, there is a very popular spring salmon ¿shery that takes place on the Columbia River. With these huge amounts of sea lions feasting on the salmon, it has a major impact on the salm- on. Not only are they impacting the ¿sh, but us, the people, as well. Salmon have always been a major ¿shery in Astoria and continues to be. With these sea lions eating a large portion of the salmon, that could have a major impact on the salmon runs. Last weekend I person- ally witnessed three ¿sh eaten right off of the hooks of some- body ¿shing. It is bad enough to the point where sea lions are stealing ¿sh off of the lines of ¿shermen. When ¿shing out on the riv- er you can’t look around with- out seeing countless amounts of sea lions. The spring salmon run is probably the smallest of the salmon runs that come through the Columbia, so the ¿sh already have enough trou- bles getting by with all of the people ¿shing. In years past sea lions have come in small num- bers no where near to the large amounts that swarm the Co- lumbia today, which was never a problem. This year has taken things to a whole new level; sea lions are not only major preda- tors to the salmon, they are also very loud and obnoxious. Some people say kill them and some people like them; I say ¿nd a solution to just get them out of here. The Chinook salmon runs are very important in the Columbia both econom- ically and ecologically. Astoria has always been a ¿shing town and needs to stay that way. If there are tiny salmon runs due to the sea lions, that won’t be possible. The sea lion issue needs a solution very soon be- fore things get out of hand. CHASE RUSINOVICH Astoria Do an autopsy T he sad story reported on April 10 of Jerad Knutson’s body being found April 7, after his mysterious disappearance Feb. 27, raises more questions than it answers (“Body in riv- er identi¿ed as Jerad Knutson, 20,” The Daily Astorian). His Facebook page depicts an even more tragic life. Being that he is representa- tive of a very vulnerable popu- lation in our comm unity, why wasn’t an autopsy performed? FRIDAY EXCHANGE ‘W e do not inherit the earth from our ancestors; we borrow it from our children” is a timely Native American proverb that reminds us of the impact of our current actions on future generations. This is an important phi- losophy to remember as we celebrated Earth Day on April 22 this week. We all need to remember this annual event highlighting the importance of protect- ing and preserving the earth on which we live. As holistic nurses, my colleagues and I are committed to preserving the environment and recognizing our con- nection to the healing powers of Mother Earth. Since we all must share its limited resources and are each impacted by im- balances like earthquakes and drought, we ask all who live on the planet to do the same. Drowning is cited as the cause of death, but don’t we owe him some further effort to rule out the possibility that he was the victim of foul play? An autopsy would afford more closure, as well as paying respect to Jerad Knutson’s life and showing that as a commu- nity, we do care. DANI WILLIAMS Astoria New boat launch needed T he Port of Astoria needs to have more marinas to launch boats. We have the Hammond Marina, John Day Boat Ramp, the East and West Basin marinas. The Hammond Marina and East/West Basin Marinas are full of people’s boats, and there is not a lot of room for other people to launch their boats. We need a new boat launch in Astoria strictly for launch- ing the boats, and no docking. If this happens there would be more money coming in be- cause of the parking fees. Peo- ple would not have to go from the John Day boat ramp to the mouth of the Columbia Riv- er. This would save a trip and money for most people ¿shing, or even commercial ¿sherman. ZACHARY COX Astoria Two too many P ersonally, I am a strong be- liever in the legalization of marijuana, but I really don’t un- derstand why the city of Astoria alone needs to have three mar- ijuana dispensaries. The city of Astoria has only one liquor store, and there is another one in Warrenton. There are strict regulations made by the state concerning liquor stores. Why, then, do dispensaries not follow the same restrictions? I understand that the people running the dispensaries are doing so to make a living in a growing market. But as we ap- proach the legalization date, I can’t help but wonder why we need three. Wouldn’t one be enough to supply the growing population of cannabis con- sumers? This isn’t a crisis for our community, but I think that it is something we need to think about for our community’s fu- ture. MEGAN DAVIS Astoria Who are they? I f you log on to http://astoria. or.us/page/92, you will be quite impressed with a website displaying ¿ne photographs to- gether with the names and bi- ographical sketches of the city’s mayor and council members. If you seek similar informa- tion about Planning Commis- sion members (http://astoria. or.us/page/117), or Budget Committee citizen members (http://bit.ly/1CT8MQ3), you will be disappointed. For the commission and the commit- tee, only the names of individ- uals serving are provided. Among its various respon- sibilities the Planning Com- mission determines what the good people of Astoria and its visitors will see while walking along the river. Will they be looking at ducks, boats, and a beautiful bridge or will their view be obstructed by ugly warehouses and hundreds of forklift pallets extending over the river? The Budget Committee is responsible for the allocation of over $37 million. Our precious Earth supplies natural healing opportunities that are available from its sunlight, minerals, and plants. Staying connected to nature is vital to our health and well-being as a human species which is part of the whole plan- et’s biosystem. Human beings cannot function or live well when our water, air, or land are polluted. Furthermore, there have been in- creased threats from environmental changes over the years. We, as a glob- al community, have failed to maintain an environment that encourages health and growth — and thus the guaranteed continued success of all who inhabit the planet. And this is the only home we have. The holistic healthcare community considers the health of the ecosystem in relation to the health of those for whom Participatory democracy requires transparency, account- ability, and integrity on the part of those performing the awe- some duties and obligations de- scribed above. At a minimum, the good people of Astoria should have basic biographical information about those people who have such power and con- trol over their environment and their ¿nances. Under the city of Astoria Charter, the mayor has exclu- sive and absolute authority over the appointment of com- missioners and committee members. Mayor LaMear has the ability and the authority to provide her constituents with basic information about those making important decisions affecting their lives. Her Hon- or can do this with the stroke of her pen. GEORGE MCCARTIN Astoria Straighten the road D ear Clatsop County cit- izens: As you all know from experience, the John Day S-curves are a huge incon- venience to the community. They have had multiple traf¿c incidents in the past years. The most recent occurrences have raised awareness of this signif- icant problem, caused huge de- lays in schedules and, most im- portantly, taken innocent lives. You might be thinking that this has always been a problem, but not this much in a short amount of time. This just goes to show that we need to do something about it. I believe that it would be a great idea to straighten the road in some way. We could round the corners so that they were not so sharp for the log trucks and semis, thus minimizing the chance of an- other wreck. Straightening the road would additionally make this section of road safer in the win- ters. Instead of drivers driving too fast on a curvy road with a high chance of losing control, we could have drivers driving normal speeds on a straighter road with less chance of losing control and potentially causing an accident with another vehi- cle. I hope this gets you thinking about the life-threatening prob- lems we have with the roads in our community, and makes all of us realize that something has to be done. NATHANIEL TRUAX Astoria Tsunami prep hurts wallet S everal weeks ago I was con- tacted by Oregon Public Broadcasting regarding an an- swer I gave to one of their sur- veys regarding the preparations we have made for a potential Cascadia Fault earthquake and tsunami. As part of a remodel of our Seaside home, we added an el- evator and roof deck. Since our home is now in a state of Ore- gon designated tsunami inunda- tion zone, we constructed a very sturdy elevator shaft attached to the exterior of our home, with storage of emergency supplies on the top deck. Since my wife and I will soon be 80, in the 15 minutes it is predicted that we will have between the earthquake and tsunami it will be impossible for us to walk to an elevation that will be safe. Although the earthquake will disrupt power, we have an emergency battery on the elevator, which will al- low us to get to the roof. OPB we care. Our individual efforts to pre- serve earth’s resources are essential, and it is heartening to see industries and communities nationwide beginning to implement strategies towards this goal. We, the holistic healthcare community, are doing our part to create an environ- ment of peace, harmony and nurturance so that healing may take place when we are doing our work. We ask everyone who reads this letter to do the same. The worldwide celebration of Earth Day provides a gentle reminder for promoting a healthy environment. It’s something every individual can and should play a role in. KATHLEEN BELL Chapter leader, Oregon North Coast Chapter of the American Holistic Nurses Association Cannon Beach wants to incorporate our project into a future program they will produce on preparing for a tsu- nami. Our elevator, including the elevator shaft, cost us $30,000. Since it provided us an ocean view as well as some measure of tsunami protection, we felt that it was a reasonable invest- ment. Like many seniors, we are unable to sell our home be- cause the recession and tsunami threat have made our property’s value decline by about 50 per- cent. We expected that this im- provement would increase our property taxes, and so it has — but by $65,000, not $30,000. The state of Oregon does have a manual for the use of county appraisers that lists $30,000 as the cost of an elevator, includ- ing the new elevator shaft. The Clatsop County appraiser dou- ble-counts our project costs because he values the $30,000 elevator/shaft plus the addition- al square footage of the living area created by the shaft, which is an additional $35,000 for a total additional assessed value of $65,000. Of course the shaft has no Àoor, no ceiling, has un- ¿nished sides and is unheated, and is clearly fully valued at the actual project cost of $30,000. So I appeal to the local property appeals board, the magistrate and tax courts in Sa- lem. What I get is a consistent answer: “We need evidence which can only be obtained by you hiring an Oregon certi¿ed appraiser, have him do a full ap- praisal and bring him to court so we can question him in person.” That is a $1,000 bill, and by the way, you also now owe us over $5,000 for our attorney’s fees. So my answer to OPB is: The government that on one hand encouraged me to get pre- pared is, with the other hand, punishing me (because of their own inability to correctly utilize state data) with the other hand. JOHN DUNZER Seaside Drug test students S tudents involved in ex- tracurricular activities, or other school-based programs, should be tested for the use of substances, i.e. marijuana, alco- hol, tobacco, etc. Although drug and alcohol use has decreased among adolescents across the nation, it still remains a concern in schools today. Especially in our local districts. The preven- tion of substance abuse among students should be a common concern, for it has been prov- en that the discouragement of illegal drug use gives a more proactive workplace for our students. Students may argue that drug testing invades their pri- vacy, but the participation in extracurricular activities is a privilege. Testing gives students a reason to say no to drugs, and it gives schools the opportunity to prevent the use of illegal sub- stances within their students. School is a workplace, and a place for students to feel safe. Drug testing in schools is di- rected to address substance and drug abuse that commonly rises within the youth. I am a student at Knap- pa High School, and testing the youth within our district involved in extracurricular activities and other school based programs is mandatory. The use of substances has de- creased, and students realize that throwing away the oppor- tunity to be involved in extra- curricular activities isn’t worth the use of drugs. Testing should be mandato- ry in all districts in attempt to Getting the inside story at the Hanford Nuclear Reservation Anna King April 30th In a series of 12 radio pieces, Anna King is bringing the underrepresented women’s perspectives of the Hanford nuclear site out of the shadows. As a Northwest Public Radio correspondent based in Richland, King is the only journalist covering the Hanford Nuclear Reservation full-time. She has closely followed the mammoth on-again, off-again disposal of nuclear waste at Hanford. 5A decrease the use of illegal sub- stances within our youth. KACIE CAMERON Astoria One dispensary T o the citizens of Clatsop County: Upon the legaliza- tion of marijuana there will be an increased use of the drug. Under- standing from a business stand- point that marijuana will increase revenue, only one marijuana dis- pensary is necessary in the area. Having multiple dispensaries in the area could promote and increase the use of the drug, and although it will be legal, reduc- ing the users would help prevent some of the negative impacts tied to the drug. These impacts in- clude driving under the inÀuence of marijuana, the use of marijua- na by minors, and overdosing through the ingestion of the drug. Needless to say, marijuana use may promote further, more intense drug use and abuse, and marijuana users are often frowned upon in today’s soci- ety. Limiting the area to just one marijuana dispensary would help reduce the abundance of marijuana-related issues. RYAN SIMPSON Knappa Shelter needed A storia has many wander- ing souls who need a place to sleep and eat for the night. Every day is a struggle to ¿nd a place you can settle your cardboard box for the night, in hopes that it won’t be soggy from the rain the next morning. Not to mention the hunger pains everyday, and having to shame- fully ask others for money to ¿ll their stomachs. If there was a homeless shelter, there would be many people who could get a fresh start with their lives, or simply just a good night’s rest. If the homeless people were off of the streets and in a safe shel- ter, then they’d be able to spend less time bothering people for spare change, and more time pos- sibly trying to get a job. It’s easier to save money when you’re not spending your last dime every night on the dollar menu at Mc- Donald’s. A homeless shelter would provide hope for others to not give up, and encourage them to better themselves. Not only could it provide food and a cozy bed, there could be help to ¿nd jobs or even counseling, if the reason you were on the streets was possibly because of drug abuse or alcoholism. These people need to know that it’s possible to come back from rock bottom. If these services were provided, then Astoria would be a much more successful environment. JOCELYN BURNETT Astoria TO ATTE N D : F or M em bers: D in n er & L ecture:$30 ea . L ecture on ly: n o ch a rge F or Non -M em bers: D in n er & L ecture: $40 ea . L ecture on ly: $15 ea . Appetizers w ill be a va ila ble a t 6 p.m . D in n er w ill be served a t 6:30 p.m . T h e spea ker w ill begin a fter th e din n er service is com plete a n d n on - din n er m em bers a n d guests of th e a udien ce ta ke th eir sea ts. F orum to be h eld a t th e CM H Com m un ity Cen ter a t 2021 E xch a n ge St., Astoria . LIM ITE SEATIN D G RE SE R VE SPACE TO Y D O U R AY ! Columbia Fo r um FOR RESERVATION OR TO JOIN COLUMBIA FORUM CONTACT: H olly L a rk in s a t 503.325.3211 ext. 227 or foru m @ d a ilya storia n .com by April 27th, 2015 Columbia Forum is sponsored by: The D a ily Asto ria n • Cra ft3 • O SU Sea fo o d L a b o ra to ry • K M U N -F M Ca n n ery Pier H o tel & Sp a