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About The daily Astorian. (Astoria, Or.) 1961-current | View Entire Issue (Dec. 4, 2015)
10A THE DAILY ASTORIAN • FRIDAY, DECEMBER 4, 2015 Port: Weston receives $22,500 in severance in settlement Continued from Page 1A As part of Browne’s settle- ment, she and Foster agreed not to comment to the press on the matter. Herman’s case contin- ues, with a trial scheduled for November 2016. Weston During a goal-setting work- shop last month, Knight men- tioned Weston would be leav- ing the Port in the imminent future. Weston could not be reached for comment. The Port will provide Weston with $22,500 in sever- ance pay, equal to three months of his salary, and pay him $14,046 worth of accrued vaca- tion and sick time. Knight will also provide him a neutral letter of reference. Weston will not be allowed to seek any claims against the Port. After Browne and Herman’s VXLWVZHUH¿OHG3RUW&RPPLV- sion Chairman John Raichl initiated a third-party review of allegations against Weston by human resources consult- LQJ ¿UP /RFDO *RYHUQPHQW Personnel Institute. The report dispelled some of the allega- tions against Weston. It sus- tained allegations that during his tenure as interim director, Weston was untruthful to the commission, engaged in decep- WLYHFRQWUDFWPRGL¿FDWLRQVDQG had unethically taken a tenant’s abandoned property for his per- sonal use. amended complaint, success- fully adding Raichl as a defen- dant. She left up to 10 “John Doe” spots open in the original lawsuit to add additional defen- dants. Foster also tried but failed to add a post-employment retali- ation claim. She alleges Com- missioner Hunsinger exclaimed, Herman Foster, who still represents “you’re a piece of s---,” to Her- +HUPDQ UHFHQWO\ ¿OHG DQ man while she and co-work- ers from a new job waited at a downtown Astoria intersection in September. But U.S. District Court Judge Mario Hernandez ruled against the claim. “Petty slights or minor an- noyances are not materially adverse,” Hernandez wrote in his opinion on Herman’s amended complaint. “Plain- tiff must show ‘retaliation that produces an injury or harm.’” Wetlands: Park was not always considered a wetland Continued from Page 1A their own application for the VSHFL¿F VSRW $ PRUH VLP- plistic application could be processed within a year. The developer would also be welcome to pull from the county’s application. “They could use it for a baseline for whatever they need to do,” Hansen said. Not always a wetland The North Coast Busi- ness Park was not always considered a wetland. In the mid-1960s, a large developer had plans to build an aluminum smelting plant. The huge project was never built, but the land was leveled. Over time, the land did not allow for drainage and wetlands grew. If the North Coast Busi- ness Park was not on wet- ODQGV FRXQW\ RI¿FLDOV EH- lieve, it would likely already be developed. Despite the possible 18-month delay, once the application is approved there should be no other hurdles. Developers could essential- ly start work the next day. The big picture is the park is on its way to being developed, said Scott Lee, chairman of the Board of Commissioners. “I was disappointed we have to go through these ex- tras steps,” Lee said. “I was hoping for quicker actions so people could take advan- tage of the enterprise zone. I hope folks that have interest in it will keep their interest up.” Submitted The U.S. Postal Service’s memo to the Chinook Observer regarding mailing marijuana ads. Pot ads: ‘The document seems to prohibit mailers that USPS had previously allowed’ Continued from Page 1A Early Tuesday afternoon as the Observer was about to be printed, Scarborough said KH H[SHFWHG WKH FRQÀLFW EH- tween the Postal Service’s de- cision to enforce federal law and the Justice Department’s decision to ignore technical legal marijuana violations to be addressed, eventually, at the “highest level” of the Postal Service. In the meantime, Scarbor- ough said Portland managers DXWKRUL]HG ORFDO SRVW RI¿FHV to go ahead and process this week’s Observer. But Scar- borough said delivery of next week’s issue, if it contains marijuana ads, remains in TXHVWLRQ +H VDLG SRVWDO RI¿- cials may ultimately arrive at a compromise in which ads would need to have a warning to the effect that mailing mar- ijuana remains unlawful. Alerted by Winters, Dai- ly Astorian Publisher Steve Forrester contacted Wyden’s ‘Marijuana possession has been legal in Washington for three years and in Oregon since this July. Pacific County voters favored legalization 54 to 46 percent.’ Matt Winters publisher of the Chinook Observer RI¿FHIRUDVVLVWDQFHLQTXHV- WLRQLQJWKHSRVWRI¿FHPHPR The Oregon Democrat scheduled a conference call ZLWKWKH3RVWDO6HUYLFHWR¿QG RXWZK\3RUWODQGRI¿FLDOVDS- peared to be throwing up a new obstacle to the normal- ization of the legal marijuana business in Oregon and Wash- ington. Over the next days, the RI¿FHVRI:\GHQDQG%OXPH- nauer, joined by the Merkley and Bonamici staffs, produced drafts of a letter to Postmaster General Brennan. Noting the disparity be- tween Postal Service ac- ceptance of Coast Weekend marijuana advertising and the threat contained in the Nov. 27 Postal Service memo, the congressional letter says, “The document seems to pro- hibit mailers that USPS had previously allowed.” The letter asks Bren- nan three detailed questions about the statutory basis of certain postal regulations and how consistently they are ap- plied. “What discretion does a regional postmaster have in enforcing or implementing WKHVH SROLFLHV VSHFL¿FDOO\ in states where marijuana is legal?” 7KHSRVWRI¿FHPHPRVWDU- tled Winters and Forrester. “Considering we’ve been running marijuana ads for months without complaints, this was a surprise,” Winters said. “Marijuana possession has been legal in Washington for three years and in Oregon VLQFHWKLV-XO\3DFL¿F&RXQW\ voters favored legalization 54 to 46 percent.” As to the origin of the complaint that generated the memo from Portland, Winters speculates: “It appears that a local postmaster outside Long %HDFK²EXWLQ3DFL¿F&RXQ- ty — raised the question, and that the Nov. 27 memo out of WKH 3RUWODQG RI¿FH ZDV D UH- sponse.” Submitted Clatsop County/Submitted Graphic Signatures on the letter from Northwest lawmakers questioning the U.S. Postal Service’s memo on mailed marijuana advertisements. Rendering of the new Cannon Beach Fresh Foods. Submitted Graphic Market: Cannon Beach seemed the ideal place to expand Continued from Page 1A Welsh said they expect the volume of customers to be about the same as Manzanita Fresh Foods, which they also own. “It could potentially be much larger,” he added. “We’re trying not to get the cart before the horse, but based on lodging” and visi- tor numbers, there could be more customers at the Can- non Beach location. The Manzanita location receives 800 to 3,000 trans- actions daily. Welsh added they have had numerous peo- ple from Arch Cape and Can- non Beach stop by. With Manzanita Fresh )RRGV JURZLQJ DQ LQÀX[ RI visitors from the South Clat- sop County area and its in- crease in tourism, Jon Welsh said Cannon Beach seemed the ideal place to expand. But they were also cau- tious about planning, he add- ed, as “commercial real es- tate is hard to come by there in Cannon Beach.” However, within two weeks of serious- ly discussing the new store, the family had secured the land. “It came together really quick,” Jon said. The family has spent time during the last six months meeting with general con- tractor Vito Cerelli from O’Brien and Co. and speak- ing to other local businesses. The response from Can- non Beach has been over- whelmingly positive, they said. Fresh Foods plans to hire 30 employees. “We realize people have bills to pay, a life to live, so we try to offer them full- time,” Tim Welsh said. Part- time is available for those who seek that option. Employees work harder over the summer during the tourist season, but the store doesn’t have to let anyone go in the off-season, he added. Produce Mmanager Ezra Irving and store Manager .K\*ULI¿QKDYHEHHQWUDLQ- ing at the Manzanita location in preparation. Both have ex- perience with natural foods. Tim Welsh said they hope to set a time for groundbreak- ing ceremony this week. Meanwhile potential Cannon Beach customers may check out Fresh Foods Cannon Beach on Facebook to offer product selection input. “It’s a chance to make the store theirs,” Jon Welsh said.