THE DAILY ASTORIAN • FRIDAY, MAY 6, 2016
FRIDAY EXCHANGE
Kudos to shelter
pen letter to the Clatsop
County Animal Shelter:
Thank you for all for all the
time and effort and love that
you guys give to the animals
you take in. It really does take
a special person to donate as
much time as you guys do.
I am very excited to have
the opportunity to volunteer
and help the animals at the shel-
ter. I absolutely love the fact
that our shelter is such a low
kill one, even with how small it
is. It is awesome that you take
the extra time to help the dis-
abled animals, knowing that
they might ind a special place
in someone’s heart. I cant wait
to volunteer more, and get to
know what you do even more.
Thank you for that opportunity.
HEATHER BALLARD
Astoria
O
Singled out
ow sad and ironic that the
tradition of the Warren-
ton Warriors mascot, which has
been part of the school since
around the 1920s to the pres-
ent day, may possibly be gone
forever.
When I saw the newspa-
per clipping of the helmet with
the spear and feather running
through the W, my irst thought
was, “what a well done, artistic
rendition of the logo” (“War-
rior mascot changes, but not
enough for some,” The Daily
Astorian, April 13).
There is nothing offen-
sive about it as far as I’m con-
cerned, even if someone thinks
it’s not accurate. It’s called
artistic license to do a rendition
of the logo, which some might
not consider as being politically
correct. Which to me, now, is
way overdone, and I ask: What
has happened to common sense
in this country?
What makes anyone think
Native Americans are not being
honored by the imagery on
the district’s Warriors mascot?
When I heard about all the con-
troversy, I inquired if there were
protests or petitions to change
anything by the local Native
American people regarding the
warrior name and mascot, and
was told there were none.
I question what was the rea-
son given by the state board
of education to enact a ban on
Native American mascots in
2012. Why single out one mas-
cot group?
I understand all this con-
troversy was started by a high
school student in another dis-
trict in the state, for a senior
project, objecting to Native
American depictions in schools
as being objectionable to him.
Why have the views of one stu-
dent become more important
than the voices of many people
who have made their viewpoint
known at meetings?
VIRGINIA E.
(WOFFORD) HOLDENER
Warrenton High School
Class of 1954
Vacaville, California
H
Honor his memory
n May 22, it will have been
36 years since James D.
Shepherd, a sergeant with the
Oregon State Police, assigned
to the Astoria station, was
ambushed on a lonely dirt road
in 1980 by Michael E. Sture.
He was shot and left to die.
In 2006, the Marine Corps
League, Detachment 1228 in
Astoria was formed. The mem-
bership, looking for projects
and programs that might help
beneit our community and our
local law enforcement within
C!atsop County, decided to rec-
ognize those in law enforce-
ment that we felt were both
outstanding in their perfor-
mance of duties and commu-
nity policing.
Chosen by the member-
ship as coordinator for the
Law Enforcement Oficer of
the Year awards within Clat-
sop County, I, as a life mem-
ber in the league, and the staff
of Detachment 1228, chose
to honor Sgt. Shepherd and to
name the award in his name.
The Law Enforcement Ofi-
cer of the Year was awarded to:
in 2007, Kenneth McCoy, Clat-
sop County Sheriff’s Ofice; in
2008, Kenneth Hansen, Asto-
ria Police Department; in 2009,
James Pierce, OSP; in 2010,
Michael Nelsen, Sheriff’s
Ofice; in 2011, Eric Halver-
son, APD; in 2012, Matt Bee-
son, OSP; and in 2013, Tom
Guest, Sheriff’s Ofice.
Additional awards were
given for runner-up, superior
and outstanding achievement,
O
Thanks volunteers for a memorable job fair
L
ast month, the second annual Clat-
sop County High Schools Career
and Job Fair was held at the Clatsop
County Fairgrounds.
The focus of the career & job fair
was threefold: 1) Employers from
throughout Clatsop County hiring for
positions for immediate employment,
and summer jobs. 2) Sharing voca-
tional and career technical careers
available that provide family wage
jobs, including a pathway through
Clatsop Community College and 3)
Sharing with our students going away
to four year colleges and universities
that they can come home after gradua-
tion and ind a fulilling career in Clat-
sop County.
More than 700 students from Asto-
ria, Jewell, Knappa, Seaside & War-
renton High Schools attended.
special and reserve, to the Sea-
side, Gearhart, Warrenton and
Astoria police departments, the
U.S. Coast Guard and the Sher-
iff’s Ofice.
After I left the position
of coordinator, and trans-
fered from Detachment 1228
to at-large, the Marine Corps
League decided not to continue
sponsoring the awards.
As the 36th anniversary of
the passing of James Shepherd
nears, I ask that all who knew
Jim will remember who he
was, what he did for his fam-
ily and community. We send
our prayers and blessing to his
widow, Virginia Shepherd, who
still resides in Clatsop County.
We honored Jim through
Virginia, who was our special
guest each year at our awards
event. She is and always will be
very special to my wife, Betsy,
and I.
MEL JASMIN
Warrenton
Thanks, teachers
pen letter to Knappa High
School teachers: Thank
you for making me feel like I
mattered. My name is Andrea
Burnard, and I’m a student at
Knappa High School. I wanted
to do my best in your classes
to impress you. Skipping your
class or not doing your home-
work wasn’t an option because
I didn’t want to let you down.
I would work really hard on
assignments for your class, and
I would be extra excited know-
ing your class was coming up
sometime in the day.
You transformed a class
I had to go to into a little spot
of sunshine in my day, as I
couldn’t wait to be in your pres-
ence for an entire 50 minutes.
You fed me your knowledge,
and taught me life lessons.
Overall, you made my high
school experience really spe-
cial, and you have truly helped
me prepare for college.
Teachers like you are under-
valued, but to the students, you
mean everything.
ANDREA BURNARD
Astoria
O
Fewer nursing beds
he recent article “Clatsop
Care Center to relocate
some residents” (The Daily
Astorian, April 25) did a good
job of explaining the decision
to reduce bed capacity due to
T
Sixty-eight businesses participated,
more than last year. Many companies
hired students on the spot!
Business evaluations were very
positive, and said the kids were very
wellorganized this year. The student
responses continually stated they
were unaware of all the job and career
options we have in Clatsop County,
and were excited of the potential
Clatsop Economic Development
Resources (CEDR) partnered with
the Oregon Employment Department
(WorkSource Northwest Oregon and
Paciic NW Works) to organize and
facilitate this event, but we could
have not done it without the over 20
community volunteers who came to
twice monthly planning meetings for
months, and of course the schools
who invested their time with us to
stafing issues. What it did not
address is the changes made at
the state level that have seri-
ous impacts to providing long-
term nursing home care in this
community.
In 2013, the state passed
HB 2216, which mandated a
reduction of nursing home beds
across the state. Rural com-
munities are held to the same
reductions as the metropoli-
tan areas, even though com-
munities like ours only have
one nursing home facility
that serves a large geographic
region that includes southwest
Washington.
Only 309 the initial tar-
get of reducing 1,500 nursing
home beds by Dec. 31 were
achieved. This now means that
the state will cut the amount
of reimbursement we would
have received for care by the
percentage that they did not
achieve.
Closure of nursing home
beds shifts care to communi-
ty-based care, which is consid-
erably less expensive. Commu-
nity-based care means a care
setting that does not exist pri-
marily for the purpose of pro-
viding nursing/medical care,
but where nursing care is inci-
dental to the setting.
This community is fortunate
to have Clatsop Care Health
District and the tax revenues,
approximately $500,000 per
year, to offset the decline we
receive from the state. Cur-
rently, over 70 percent of our
long-term care population at
Clatsop Care Center receives
Medicaid assistance. Without
this tax money, we would not
be able to serve such a high
level of Medicaid residents.
However, the amount of
subsidy we now need to oper-
ate beds at the Care Center, and
our other facilities in the dis-
trict, has exceeded the total tax
revenues received and limits
the district on providing wage
increases needed to compete
with other health facilities in
the area.
The state has been success-
ful in their efforts to reduce
nursing home beds in the state.
Since 2013, they have taken a
total of 309 beds ofline. This is
ine in regions such as Portland,
where there are more choices
for placement opportunities for
those who need these services.
In our community, we continue
to be the only choice for nurs-
ing home beds, and as a district,
make this experience for our kids so
memorable
Everyone worked collaboratively
to ensure success of this countywide
event for our students, and inspired all
involved!
Take a look at www.clatsopjobfair.
com for more information. This is the
new “go to” website, created by Jim
Servino from the Astoria-Warrenton
Chamber of Commerce.
We are already starting planning
for next year, but I could not let the ile
close on this year without acknowl-
edging our volunteers.
KEVIN LEAHY
executive director,
Clatsop Economic Development
Resources (CEDR) and Clatsop
Community College Small
Business Development Center
we stay committed to provid-
ing these services despite the
efforts from the state to close
facilities.
NICOLE WILLIAMS
CEO, Clatsop Care Health
District
Goldthorpe is right
would like to voice my
endorsement for David
Goldthorpe for Circuit Court
judge. Serving a career in law
enforcement in Clatsop County
taught me that it is imperative
that the right person be placed
into a judicial seat who will do
the right thing with those who
will appear in court. He will
apply the law in the correct way
and be fair to all, whether guilty
or not. He will also be fair
towards the law enforcement
oficers as they work with the
courts to do the jobs that need
to be done.
I worked my early years
with the Seaside Police Depart-
ment and Warrenton Police
Department before joining the
Oregon State Police. I served a
full career with the State Police
and for the past 20 years of it,
I was responsible for or super-
vised the handling of all fatal
trafic collisions that occurred
in Clatsop County.
Many of those collisions
involved individuals who were
impaired or distracted in their
driving. Most of those cases
were prosecuted by the Clat-
sop County District Attor-
ney’s Ofice for charges that
would include criminal negli-
gent homicide to manslaughter.
David Goldthorpe had a hand
in cases that were successfully
prosecuted near the end of my
State Police career.
I have seen many judges
come and go in the many coun-
ties that I have worked in. Some
of these judges were all talk and
no action, while others were
very good at their jobs. Believe
me, David Goldthorpe under-
stands the needs of the people
and of law enforcement, and
will serve the citizens of Clat-
sop County very well.
When you think about all
that it takes to be a Circuit Court
judge, there is really no way
not to place David Goldthorpe
to the front of the voter’s mind.
I give him my full endorse-
ment for the position of Clatsop
County Circuit Court judge.
JAMES PIERCE
Warrenton
I
Care needed
here are challenges to treat-
ing mental illnesses in Clat-
sop County. Columbia Memo-
rial Hospital is not certiied to
have custody of the mentally
ill. The patients have to ind a
psychiatric hospital somewhere
else in the state, and sometimes
it is hard and expensive to ind a
hospital somewhere else.
It would be nice if CMH
could get certiied to have cus-
tody of the mentally ill, to make
it easier for the patients to get
the care they need.
HANNAH OLSON
Astoria
T
Thanks for the help
he families and friends
of the Warrenton Grade
School Library are awesome.
Fifteen 15 years ago this spring,
our library faced a tight econ-
omy with little or no district
funds for new books. In talking
with teacher friends from the
Portland area, we decided to
try a fundraiser: selling frozen
cookie dough.
Oh my. It was an amaz-
ing success. And, even as eco-
nomic times improved, and
with renewed support by the
district for books and materi-
als, we continued the fundraiser
all these years with proceeds
now also going to support vis-
its by authors, illustrators, and/
or storytellers.
In looking at our spread-
sheets for these past 15 years,
I am amazed at the support
shown by our Warrenton com-
munity: As of this year’s sale,
our Warrenton Grade School
Library has received over
$63,800 since we began this
fundraiser. Wow!
On behalf of the students
and teachers of Warrenton
Grade School, I send our fami-
lies my heartfelt thanks for such
generosity.
KATHI MERRITT
Media specialist,
Warrenton Grade School
Library
T
One of a kind
was not compatible and
sustainable
economic
development for Oregon’s
North Coast. Thoughtful Clat-
sop County citizens are in
favor of sustainable economic
development which is compat-
ible with the heritage, culture
L
5A
and resources here. Oregon
LNG did not it any of those
categories.
Respected local, regional
and national organizations
charged with looking at the long
term consequences of indus-
try to the health and well-being
of the Columbia River Estu-
ary, salmon and wildlife knew
this, as did local citizens, who
spent countless hours doing
the research and showing up at
meetings to testify.
Twenty-seven percent of
the jobs in Clatsop County are
tourism related. Travel dollars
coming into Clatsop County
in 2002 were $ 300 million;
in 2014, it was $516.7 mil-
lion. Oregon LNG would have
threatened our growing tourism
economy.
While it might have pro-
vided some short-term jobs,
there would have been long-
term economic pain. These
short-term jobs, when over,
could have resulted in folks
going on unemployment. It
was a fallacy that LNG would
have provided sustainable jobs
for locals. Oregon LNG would
have cost jobs and cost us the
environment.
This place belongs to the
world because of the rich his-
tory of Lewis & Clark and the
vision of John Jacob Astor. It
has had an important place on
the world stage for over two
centuries, and it has a vital and
important place now. Today the
communities of Astoria and
Warrenton are international
tourism destinations because
of their heritage, culture and
beauty.
Heavy and dangerous indus-
try would have changed the
Columbia Paciic region’s char-
acter forever and undermined
our thriving visitor economy,
which is booming now and can
continue to grow, provided we
are considered a beautiful and
safe destination. The North
Coast has a responsibility to
preserve the Lewis & Clark
legacy, our important American
history and our unique national
story which exists here, in
this one-of-a-kind geographic
location.
Oregon LNG would have
destroyed over 100 acres of crit-
ical endangered salmon habitat
in the Columbia River estuary,
done great harm to our water
quality, negatively impacted a
healthy commercial and recre-
ational ishing industry, threat-
ened public safety — the list of
reasons why this was a bad idea
is long.
Oregon LNG — with their
expensive lawyers and com-
promised scientists, smoke and
mirrors public relations cam-
paigns and questionable ind-
ings — shimmered alluringly
with promises it would not
have been able to keep. Thank
you to Columbia Riverkeeper
and Oregonians everywhere for
protecting what is, in essence,
a World Heritage Site. Astoria,
which helped deine the west-
ern boundary of the U.S., is a
rare jewel which belongs to
everyone.
DONNA QUINN
Astoria
Very grateful
T
his is for all low-kill ani-
mal shelters, including
our local Clatsop Country
Shelter: You are truly amazing
for donating the time to give
the animals a second chance
at a better life. I know many
shelters believe that once
they have hit capacity, some-
one has to go. I’m very grate-
ful that you don’t think that
way. If you did, I would have
missed out on the best dog,
who has spent 12 years will
me, and still counting. My
hope is that some day all shel-
ters have the heart to stop kill-
ing, just because they don’t
have room.
BAILEY CORDER
Astoria
Always a Warrior
I
am writing about the debate
to change the Warren-
ton High School mascot. Our
family has proudly graduated
“Warrior” alumni for nearly
a century. The WHS logo has
always been about school pride
in a positive context. If th high
school is forced to change their
six-generation logo, it will be
the perfect example of political
correctness gone amuck.
JOY (WHEATLEY)
MAZEIKAS
Warrenton High School
Class of 1967
Salem