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About The daily Astorian. (Astoria, Or.) 1961-current | View Entire Issue (Jan. 15, 2016)
8A THE DAILY ASTORIAN • FRIDAY, JANUARY 15, 2016 9HWHUDQV Many of them rely on the van for transport &RQWLQXHGIURP3DJH$ issues as we get older, so it FDQ EH GLI¿FXOW´ 'LFN /DQJ the Astoria DAV van coordi- QDWRU VDLG ³2XU WXUQRYHU LV higher than you might nor- mally have.” Lately, the Astoria service is down to six active driv- ers, many of whom make the journey more often than they would prefer, sometimes twice a week, Lang said. Ideally, he would keep a roster of 11 ac- tive drivers, each available one to four days a month. ³:H KDYH GLI¿FXOW\ PDLQ- taining enough drivers so ZH FDQ DGHTXDWHO\ FRYHU WKH schedule without burning peo- ple out,” Jerry Alderman, a van driver, said in an email. :RXQGV From one-shot riders to fre- TXHQW À\HUV PRVW RI WKH YHW- erans in the Astoria DAV van travel to the Portland VA Med- ical Center, the main veteran health hub in the region. And the Astoria van isn’t alone: In the morning, vans coming from Albany; Bend; Eugene; Florence; Salem; The Dalles; Tillamook; Yamhill; DQG /RQJYLHZ :DVKLQJWRQ also converge on the center, dropping off veterans making XVHRIWKHLUPHGLFDOEHQH¿WV ³,¶G MXVW DVN \RX WR VLW LQ the lobby for a few minutes and just watch all the veter- ans going by, and you can tell that some of them have been wounded,” Lang said. Not every wound is visible. Canes, crutches and walkers abound, but many conditions simply don’t attract notice, like deafness and chronic heart problems — and, of course, mental illness. ³,µYH DOZD\V IHOW WKDW WKH people who are responsible for sending our young people off WR ZDU VKRXOG ZDWFK WKDW ÀRZ Joshua Bessex/The Daily Astorian Kenneth Lehman, right, a driver of the Disabled Veterans of American van, waits in the parking lot across from Burger King for passengers Wednesday morning. Joshua Bessex/The Daily Astorian Michael Murphy, a veteran who served in the U.S. Army, leaves the Disabled American Veterans van at his dropoff point in St. Helens on Wednesday. ‘The van is a great thing. It’s probably the greatest thing that we have around here.’ Dwight Faylor retired U.S. Marine who lives in Chinook, Wash. of humanity from so many con- ÀLFWVSDVVWKURXJKWKDW9$ORE- by for a day,” Alderman said. Michael Murphy — a vet- eran of the U.S. Army who began his service in the 1970s DQG ZDV ³PHGLFDOO\ UHWLUHG´ from active duty in 2009 — has relied on DAV transporta- tion to Portland and Vancouver for more than three years. ³,W¶VIRUDYDULHW\RIWKLQJV — everything from vision care to cardio,” said Murphy, of St. +HOHQV³7KHWKLQJV,¶PFDUHG for happened when I was in the military.” Though many riders re- ceive treatment for service-re- lated injuries and disabilities, some use their medical bene- ¿WVIRUVHULRXVFRQGLWLRQVOLNH diabetes. LNG: Riverkeeper’s conservation director called the company’s EHKDYLRUµEL]DUUH¶ ³:H GRQ¶W NQRZ ZKDW they’re being treated for, and we don’t need to know,” Lang said. As long as the veteran has a VA medical appointment and can climb aboard the van un- assisted, he or she may hitch a ride. Dwight Faylor — who re- tired from the U.S. Marine Corps, served in the Korean and Vietnam wars and was part of a detachment unit that pro- tected President Dwight Eisen- hower at Camp David — takes the Astoria DAV van into Port- land about every three months. His appointments are mainly for eye and dental checkups, but he also gets examined be- cause he took a bullet and was exposed to Agent Orange in Vietnam, he said. ³7KH YDQ LV D JUHDW WKLQJ It’s probably the greatest thing that we have around here,” said Faylor, who lives in Chinook, :DVKLQJWRQ³:HGRQ¶WKDYHD bus that can get us there, and a lot of us are getting old. Hell, I’m 86 years old; I don’t want to be driving that (distance).” Joshua Bessex/The Daily Astorian The Disabled American Veterans van sits outside the Vet- erans Affairs Medical Center. Another issue is that many veterans have trouble getting to the pickup points for the $VWRULD'$9YDQKHVDLG³2U ²HYHQPRUHGLI¿FXOWWRVZDO- low — is if we have a veteran in Svensen (on Highway 30) µ'RLQJP\GXW\¶ So far, the Astoria DAV van that wants to ride the van, and driver shortage hasn’t created we have a veteran in Elsie (on interruptions in rides, but such Highway 26) that needs to ride a scenario is not inconceivable. the van on the same day; we ³7KHVH JX\V DUH MXVW VR can’t do both.” Drivers volunteering for JUHDW WKH\¶OO ¿OO LQ´ /DQJ VDLG ³%XW , FDQ¶W OHW WKDW JR the Sunset Empire Transporta- on for very long. I’m going tion District can pick up veter- to start losing drivers from fa- ans in outlying areas and bring tigue, and they’ll get sick from them to the Astoria DAV van, to Camp Rilea or to meet with doing it too much.” 7ULDOµ,WLVQRWDTXLFNWXUQDURXQG¶ &RQWLQXHGIURP3DJH$ &RQWLQXHGIURP3DJH$ right to the land beneath the water where the proposed The government agen- terminal would be built. But cy has held the easement the statute of limitations to since 1957 but hasn’t used bring that claim under fed- the site to deposit dredging eral law had long expired, so the company shifted em- spoils since 1992. phasis to the new claim that the Corps abandoned inter- 1HZ¿OLQJ Oregon LNG states that est in the easement proper- WKHQHZ¿OLQJLV³UHVSRQVLYH ty. WR WKH ¿QGLQJV DQG UHFRP- mendations” by Magistrate µ%L]DUUH¶ Judge John V. Acosta, who The Army Corps could ruled against Oregon LNG not immediately be reached last month in a lawsuit the for comment, but Colum- FRPSDQ\ ¿OHG DJDLQVW WKH bia Riverkeeper — a Hood Army Corps. The compa- River-based environmen- ny sought to prove that the tal group opposing Oregon Corps had effectively aban- LNG’s $6 billion terminal doned the easement prop- and pipeline project — was erty, which covers land Or- taken aback by the compa- egon LNG has leased from ny’s decision to relitigate the Port of Astoria since the case. 2004. Miles Johnson, a clean Acosta wrote that Ore- water attorney for the en- JRQ /1* ³GLG QRW FOHDUO\ vironmental group, said the manifest its intent to aban- company’s arguments in don its interest in the sub- WKH QHZ ¿OLQJ DUH ³DOPRVW ject property,” and that the exactly the arguments that supporting documentation Oregon LNG tried to make did not come from a person in the previous case which of appropriate authority, a Judge Acosta dismissed as criteria that the company ‘substantively futile.’” ³,GRQ¶WNQRZTXLWHZKDW QRZFODLPVLWKDVVDWLV¿HG Before Acosta’s deci- Oregon LNG is driving at,” sion could be signed by a he said. Dan Serres, the group’s federal district court judge, director, Oregon LNG nixed the conservation case, which Acosta dis- called the company’s be- PLVVHG³ZLWKRXWSUHMXGLFH´ KDYLRU³EL]DUUH´ ³, PHDQ WKH\¶YH UH- — a judgment that allowed Oregon LNG to take an- ceived two negative opin- RWKHUVKRWDWWKH³DEDQGRQ- ions from a magistrate judge, and one from (a fed- ment” approach. In August, Acosta dis- eral district court) judge, PLVVHG WKH FRPSDQ\¶V ¿UVW and they’re still pushing complaint against the Corps this dead-end issue,” Serres — a complaint based on the VDLG ³,W GRHVQ¶W PDNH DQ\ claim that the Corps had no sense.” WKHLUYHWHUDQVHUYLFHRI¿FHU ³,I \RX GRQ¶W WDNH FDUH RI your veterans you’re not going to get good volunteers. That simple,” Lang said. Ken Lehman, the Asto- ria DAV’s most senior driver, has been shuttling veterans to and from the Portland area for eight years. During the Kore- DQ :DU /HKPDQ ZDV IRXQG ³SK\VLFDOO\XQ¿W´IRUGXW\ ³6R ,¶P GRLQJ P\ GXW\ now,” he said. For information on becom- ing a driver, contact Lang at AstoriaDAVvan@charter.net or at 503-298-8757. Joshua Bessex/The Daily Astorian Jessica Smith, left, appears for a hearing alongside her attorneys Lynne Morgan, cen- ter, and William Falls, right, at the Clatsop County Courthouse on Thursday. Smith is charged with aggravated murder and attempted aggravated murder in the death of her 2-year-old and cutting the throat of her teenage daughter in Cannon Beach. Joshua Bessex/The Daily Astorian Prosecuting attorney Josh Marquis speaks during a hearing for Jessica Smith on Thursday. Morgan claims Smith does not appear to have a rational understanding of the proceed- ings against her. Her mental disability prevents her from ra- tionally comprehending the ev- idence against her and impairs her ability to make a reasoned choice among the possible al- ternatives presented in the case. ³,Q RXU YLHZ 0V 6PLWK is not competent to proceed,” Morgan said. Smith, an inmate in Tillamook County Jail, has met with the defense’s psychia- trist on multiple occasions. In her meeting with the state’s psychologist last month, District Attorney Josh Mar- TXLVVDLGWKHSV\FKRORJLVWVDZ nothing during the interaction that would indicate Smith is unable to either understand the proceedings or unable to assist her attorneys. ³7KHRQO\UHDOPHQWDOGH¿- cit she discussed was her claim that she had little or no memory of the events of July 31, 2014,” 0DUTXLVZURWH Smith is charged with ag- gravated murder and attempted aggravated murder for alleged- ly drugging and murdering her daughter, Isabella Smith, 2, and attempting to kill her older daughter, Alana Smith, then 13, in a Cannon Beach hotel July 31, 2014. Alana Smith is living her ZLWKIDWKHULQ:DVKLQJWRQVWDWH If the court agrees that Smith needs to be evaluated, Matyas said, sending her to the Oregon State Hospital could take 60 days, delaying the criminal case. ³,W LV QRW D TXLFN WXUQ- around,” she said. Matyas would prefer to have Smith evaluated by a psychi- atrist or psychologist already involved in the case, or agreed upon by both parties. She also mentioned having Smith eval- uated locally, if resources are available in the county. $SDUWPHQWV School district, Krueger would together on walking paths &RQWLQXHGIURP3DJH$ Krueger would work collab- oratively on walking paths ³,I LW¶V DIIRUGDEOH KRXVLQJ between the apartments and for people to live here, I think the school, which is located to it’s great,” said Astoria Super- the south of the proposed com- intendent Craig Hoppes, not- plex. Krueger said he started ing the district’s falling enroll- looking this winter into the ment over the years. The school district and property, which was the site of a proposed 36-lot subdivision preliminarily approved in July by the Planning Commission. Jennifer Bunch, a senior planner with Clatsop County, VDLG VKH FRXOGQ¶W WDON VSHFL¿- cally about Krueger’s current project, as she has not yet re- ceived an application. She said WKHSURSHUW\LVFXUUHQWO\]RQHG single-family residential and LQQHHGRID]RQLQJFKDQJH ³, OLNH WR SUHVHQW WKH JHQ- eral public with an afford- able, clean place to stay,” said Krueger, who also built the Edgewater at Mill Pond apartments in Uppertown and the Yacht Club Apartments at the northern end of the Old Youngs Bay Bridge. Krueger ran into opposition from neighbors while looking into apartments on the two city blocks of the former Central School in Astoria, but said there is still the possibility he could build something there. City planners in Astoria KDYH LGHQWL¿HG D VKRUWDJH RI both affordable rentals and homes for sale. Rents and sales prices for units that are on the market are often out of reach for low and middle-income families.
