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 !
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