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About The daily Astorian. (Astoria, Or.) 1961-current | View Entire Issue (Aug. 3, 2015)
THE DAILY ASTORIAN • MONDAY, AUGUST 3, 2015 NORTH COAST 3A Fire danger level A banner idea for raised as risk increases Heritage Square hole By KATHERINE LACAZE EO Media Group SEASIDE — Seaside re- sponded to ¿re precautions issued by the state Thursday, implementing recreational ¿re restrictions and limiting some industrial activities to early daylight hours. “It’s Must way too dry” for burning later in the day, Sea- side Division Chief Chris Du- gan said. As of Thursday, in re- sponse to a dry summer and rising wild¿re danger, the state raised the industrial ¿re precaution level from Level 1 to Level 2 for the Northwest 1 Zone. This zone stretches from Astoria to the border between Tillamook and Lin- coln counties and includes forest lands surrounding Seaside and Cannon Beach. Under Level 2, called Partial Hootowl, power saw use, blasting and welding — among other activities — are allowed only at night and in the morning and afternoon between the hours of 8 a.m. and 1 p.m. Level 2 requires a two-hour fire watch — fire monitoring at least two hours after operations cease. Bark dust fires Within Seaside city lim- its, there have been no fire incidents of a large scale, Dugan said, but the depart- ment has seen an increase in bark dust fires this year, a symptom of the dry summer. Bark dust fires are usually the result of careless ciga- rette disposal, he said. Although they are con- sidered trivial, Dugan cau- tioned, “all fires start small, and they can spread.” Each year, during fire season, all lands outside city limits but within the Sea- side Rural Fire Protection District become regulated by the state’s Department of Forestry. Seaside Fire & Rescue continues responding to in- cidents in city limits, but when it comes to wild or forest land fires in the rural district, the forestry depart- ment’s crews respond in conMunction with the local fire department, Dugan said. “Restrictions are pretty much tight everywhere, be- cause of the conditions this PUBLIC RESTRICTIONS Public restrictions on forest lands also have been in effect since June, because of high temperatures, low precipitation and similar factors. The restrictions apply to lands in Clatsop County that are protected by the Department of Forestry. They are as follows: • Smoking is prohibited while traveling, except in closed vehicles on improved roads. • Open fires are prohibited, including campfires, charcoal fires, cooking fires and warming fires, except at designated locations. Use of wood burning devices, used in conjunc- tion with temporary dwellings, including tents and trailers, is prohibited. • Non-industrial use of chain saws is prohibited, except as waived by the forester. • Use of motorized vehicles, including motorcycles and all-terrain vehicles, is prohibited, except on improved roads and designated areas. • Possession of the following firefighting equipment is re- quired while traveling, except on state and county roads: one gallon of water or one operational fire extinguisher and one shovel. • Use of fireworks, exploding targets, tracer ammunition and sky lanterns are prohibited during fire season. • Cutting, grinding and welding of metal is prohibited. • All open debris burning is prohibited with two exceptions. Burn barrels are allowed by permit, and metal barrels in good condition, heavy mesh screens, an available water supply and hand-tools are required. Burn barrels only are allowed from daylight to 10 a.m. year,” said Rod Nichols, an information officer with the state department. To date, about 620 fires have burned more than 3,300 acres on lands protected by the Department of Forestry and forest protective asso- ciations. Of these, 429 have been caused by people. According to the new pre- cautions, recreational fires are allowed by permit under certain guidelines issued by the Department of Forest- ry and the Clatsop County Fire Defense Board. Recre- ational fires must be at des- ignated campsites, personal residences or beaches and no closer than 50 feet from dune grass or 15 feet from any structures. These fires must be clear of all combus- tibles and completely ex- tinguished prior to leaving. The maximum fire size is 3 feet in diameter and 2 feet in height, and the maximum fire pit size is 4 feet in di- ameter. Chain saw use on person- al property is allowed only until 1 p.m. daily. Higher risk “It is standard for the lev- els to rise this time of year, but we’re seeing areas at a higher level right now than often times in the past,” Nichols said. For instance, the Douglas County area is at a Level 4, or general shutdown, “and it’s not very often we get up to a Level 4 in this state,” he said. A large portion of the state has been in a drought for about three years, with two severe fire seasons last year and in 2013, which was the most expensive fire sea- son in department history, Nichols said. “We’re really primed to have fires, and if we do get fire starts, it’s likely they’ll spread rapidly because of conditions,” he added. “Right now, the restric- tions are fairly tight around the state,” Nichols said. “We’re in the most active period of the fire season.” Additionally, the Depart- ment of Forestry and the state Fire Marshal are asking for the public’s cooperation in general to prevent hu- man-caused fires by reduc- ing fire-prone activities. “We’re looking at a formi- dable fire weather forecast,” Oregon State Forester Doug Decker stated in a news re- lease. “The benefit of any recent moisture we’ve re- ceived has now evaporated, and we’re looking straight at record-breaking tempera- tures, extremely low humid- ities and dry lightning: the trifecta of bad wildfire con- ditions.” Banners and benches by Regatta parade By DERRICK DePLEDGE The Daily Astorian Bamboo was a bust, but some enterprising thinkers have not given up on hid- ing the ugly pit at Heritage Square. Jeff Daly, a photographer and ¿lmmaker, has city ap- proval to put up interpretive banners and wooden benches along Duane Street between 11th and 12th streets. The ¿rst display explains the restoration work at the As- toria Column. Daly said oth- ers could tell stories about the Astoria Bridge, the old ferries that plied the Columbia River between Oregon and Wash- ington state, the devastating Astoria ¿re in 1922 and the famous Astoria Clowns. Daly hopes to have sever- al displays ready by the As- toria Regatta’s Grand Land Parade Saturday afternoon, when thousands are expected downtown. The hole at Her- itage Square is along the pa- rade route. “So everybody is going to stand there, waiting for the parade to start, looking at this hole going, ‘I thought? Didn’t you hear? What was supposed Derrick DePledge/The Daily Astorian Interpretive banners and wooden benches could help disguise an unsightly hole at Heritage Square. to? How come? Don’t they ever?’” Daly said. “It’s always bothered me that we can’t Must cover it up a little bit.” He has wanted to do something for a few years but revived the idea after Astoria City Councilor Cindy Price’s attempt to cover the fence around the hole with bamboo did not work as planned. “You build a visual dis- traction,” Daly said. “So your eye doesn’t go to the bad. It goes to the good.” The hole, at the site of a former Safeway, has been an eyesore downtown since the supermarket’s foundation collapsed after heavy rains in 2010. The city hopes to remove contaminated soil stockpiled in the hole this year. Longer term, the City Council is exploring a mixed- use redevelopment proMect at Heritage Square that could include a new public library and housing. “Citizens are doing this work. They’re putting their time and their effort into it,” City Manager Brett Estes said of Daly’s idea. “And I think that’s Must what everyone ap- preciates while the city is fo- cusing on the bigger look at what happens there.” Parkinson’s forum in Seaside The Daily Astorian SEASIDE — Parkinson’s Resources of Oregon is pre- senting “Cognitive Changes in Parkinson’s Disease,” an edu- cational event with Dr. Richard Rosenbaum, medical director of the Portland Parkinson’s Program, from 1:30 to 2:30 p.m. Aug. 14 at the Bob Chisholm Community Center, 1225 Avenue A in Seaside. Rosenbaum is a neurologist in the ¿eld of Parkinson’s care and research, and author of the book “Understanding Parkinson’s: A Personal and Professional View.” He will be discussing ways Parkinson’s disease can affect thinking, memory and mood, how to determine whether this may be a problem, as well as treatment strategies for cognitive challenges. People with Parkinson’s, as well as their family members and care partners, are encour- aged to attend, meet others in the community, and grow in their knowledge and abilities to cope with the challenges of Par- kinson’s Disease. Parkinson’s Resources of Oregon has several support groups in the coastal commu- nities, a helpline and lending library, web-based educational programs, and a social worker available to assist individuals with in navigating resources. To register or and ¿nd out more about the resources avail- able, call 800-426-6806. For information, go to www.par- kinsonsresources.org or email info@parkinsonsresources.org ‘Meet the Mayor’ event with LaMear The Daily Astorian Astoria Mayor Arline LaMear will hold her monthly event to hear public concerns on Wednesday at noon at City Hall. LaMear has committed to holding monthly “Meet the Mayor” events during her ¿rst year as mayor. The events are held on the ¿rst Wednesday of the month. Oregon Democrats express support for Planned Parenthood and accepted the Pro-Choice Champion award from the group in 2012. +er ¿rst Mob, as a lobbyist for the Women’s Rights Coalition, was funded in part by Planned Parenthood. By ZANE SPARLING Capital Bureau In the midst of a contro- versy surrounding the re- lease of undercover videos that critics say appear to show officials from Planned Parenthood casually discuss- ing the sale of fetal tissue, Oregon’s top Democrats re- main united in support of the organization. But that doesn’t necessar- ily mean they want to talk about it. The Center for Medical Progress, an anti-abortion group, has in recent weeks released a series of under- cover videos that it says show Planned Parenthood officials discussing the sale of organs and tissue har- vested from aborted fetuses. Sale of such tissue for profit is prohibited by federal law, though researchers can reim- burse providers for the cost of its collection and pres- ervation. The videos also appear to show officials dis- cussing alternative abortion techniques to provide more intact organs. Planned Parenthood says the videos are highly edited and present exchanges out of context. It claims the or- ganization and its employees have done nothing wrong and that the videos are meant to promote an anti-abortion political agenda. Ethical questions for medical professionals Don Ryan/AP Photo Gov. Kate Brown, shown here after signing a voter reg- istration bill in March, and other top Democrats have ex- pressed support for Planned Parenthood. Committed to comprehensive health services A spokesperson for Gov. Kate Brown issued a terse, one-sentence statement in re- sponse to questions about the videos. “No matter what hap- pens in other states or at the federal level, Gov. Brown is committed to Oregon pro- viding comprehensive health services to all women, and Planned Parenthood has been a long-standing and effective partner in that effort,” the spokesperson said. Brown’s of¿ce did not comment on whether the gov- ernor had seen any of the vid- eos, or whether the allegations and the organization’s use of W A NTED Alder and Maple Saw Logs & Standing Timber N orth w es t H a rdw oods • Lon gview , W A Contact: Steve Axtell • 360-430-0885 or John Anderson • 360-269-2500 state funding warranted inves- tigation. Since 2008, Brown has re- ceived $20,000 in campaign contributions from EMILY’s List, an abortion rights group, and about $10,000 from EM- ILY’s List Federal Fund. Planned Parenthood PAC of Oregon has given $3,500 to Brown. The president of Southern Oregon Planned Par- enthood has personally donat- ed $150. Brown spoke at a Planned Parenthood “Day of Action” rally in April of this year Brown chose Jeanne At- kins as her replacement as secretary of state when she succeeded former Gov. John Kitzhaber. Atkins led the Women’s Rights Coalition when it hired Brown in 1991 and also worked as a lobbyist for Planned Parenthood. Speaking through a spokesperson, Atkins said she had no of¿cial reaction as an of¿ce holder. “My personal belief … is that ethical questions about medical care and medical research are best resolved among medical professionals … I hope Oregonians will lis- ten thoroughly not Must to the allegations but to the respons- es given,” Atkins said. On social media, state Senate MaMority Leader Di- ane Rosenbaum, D-Portland used the hashtag “#Stand- withPP” to show her support for Planned Parenthood. Like Brown and Atkins, she de- Fre e as Est F ima t t es ll Ca ime yt n A • Residential • Commercial •Cedar Roof Treatments • Interior & Exterior Over 20 years local experience 503-440-2169 Jeff Hale, Contractor LICENSED BONDED INSURED CCB#179131 clined to discuss the issue in detail. “We know these to be po- litically-motivated attacks coming from a group with a questionable background,” spokesperson Molly Woon said. “We know Planned Par- enthood to be a trusted health care provider.” Defund Planned Parenthood Abortion opponents were less retrained. State Rep. Bill Post, R-Keizer, ran on an anti-abor- tion platform in 2014. Post said if he could, he would defund Planned Parenthood tomorrow. “In political terms, when the Founding Fathers said, ‘Life, liberty and pursuit of happiness,’ it’s pretty hard to have the last two without the ¿rst,” he said. “When a wom- an goes in for an abortion, I doubt she was thinking that the baby was going to be torn to pieces and sold off.” Post plans to introduce a bill to stop all taxpayer-fund- ed abortions in Oregon, which are performed by a number of service providers, during the legislature’s short session next year. Data from the Oregon Health Authority list 105,441 abortions performed in Ore- gon over the last 10 years. In ¿scal year 2013-14, around 43 percent of all abortions per- formed in state were taxpayer funded, Post said. The Capital Bureau is a collaboration between EO Media Group and Pamplin Media Group. Phil the Pelica n is co m in g to Ca n n o n Bea ch! 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