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THE DAILY ASTORIAN • TUESDAY, SEPTEMBER 20, 2016
Oregon orders woman
spoon-fed despite
advance directive
Husband claims
state is ignoring
wife’s wishes
Associated Press
ASHLAND — Oregon
oficials are requiring a nurs-
ing facility to spoon-feed a
woman despite her making
clear that measures should not
be taken to prolong her life.
When former librarian
Nora Harris was diagnosed
with early onset Alzheimer’s
disease in 2009, she and her
husband hired an attorney to
create an advance directive, a
legal document used to guide
medical care in case some-
one becomes incapacitated.
Harris’ advance directive spe-
ciically addressed “tube” or
intravenous feeding.
She is now unable to com-
municate, and a judge says the
facility must help her eat.
Her husband says the state
is ignoring his wife’s wishes,
the Mail Tribune reported. He
went to court after he found
out Fern Gardens, a mem-
ory care facility designed for
patients with Alzheimer’s, had
been spoon-feeding his wife.
Jackson County Circuit
Judge Patricia Crain said
she could not order the nurs-
ing home to stop spoon-feed-
ing Nora because the state
ombudsman’s ofice said not
helping her eat would vio-
late state law. An attorney
who represented the ofice
noted that Oregon law does
not allow guardians to give
directions to withhold food
— only artiicial nutrition and
hydration.
“It’s not a happy decision
for me,” Crain told Bill Har-
ris and his daughter during a
court hearing. “From what you
describe of your wife and your
mom, she would hate this.”
Bill Harris lost July 13
but declined to challenge
the judge’s decision. Harris
doesn’t think his wife will live
the 18 months to three years
the court battle could take.
Oregon was the irst U.S.
state to allow doctors to help
terminally ill patients end
their lives. But people with
dementia or Alzheimer’s dis-
ease are ineligible to request
medication to end their lives
because the illnesses impair
decision-making.
Eric Foster, an attorney
appointed by the court to
represent Nora Harris, said
in court documents that the
advanced directive did not
explicitly say she did not want
help eating.
“The best evidence of
whether Mrs. Harris should be
provided with food assistance
is her current desire to eat,”
Foster wrote.
Nonproit appeals Cannon
Beach dune-grading permit
Public hearing
will be Thursday
By LYRA FONTAINE
The Daily Astorian
CANNON BEACH —
Cannon Beach was “sloppy”
and “vague” when it issued
a dune-grading permit to the
Breakers Point Homeowners
Association, according to Ore-
gon Coast Alliance director
Cameron La Follette.
In August, the alliance iled
an administrative appeal to the
city’s decision to issue the per-
mit, which was designed to
remove windblown sand.
A public hearing on the
appeal will be heard Thurs-
day before the Planning
Commission.
In July, the city approved
an application for remedial
dune grading to remove sand
building up on lawns and the
irrigation system.
In iling her appeal to the
city’s approval, La Follette
said she would like the Plan-
ning Commission to “get
answers from the city and
direct the city to make the per-
mit more speciic.”
“Because the shoreline is
always moving, changing and
is utterly dynamic, it’s import-
ant that permits be speciic and
The Daily Astorian/File Photo
A dune-grading permit issued to Breakers Point is being challenged.
sensitive to community val-
ues,” La Follette said.
Though Oregon Coast Alli-
ance does not oppose remedial
dune grading, the group is con-
cerned that the sand removal
permit could be construed as
an “open-ended permit allow-
ing for a great deal of sand
removal.”
The nonproit stated that
the application did not include
a time frame, proof of sand
inundation as required by zon-
ing ordinance, an estimate of
amounts to be graded and the
project’s potential impact on
the Ecola Creek estuary.
“It is incumbent on the appli-
cant to be direct and speciic,
and incumbent on city adminis-
tration to be speciic,” La Fol-
lette said. “It is not appropriate
for Cannon Beach or any other
city to issue a permit that is
vague in so many ways.”
According to the permit
approval, the sand will be dis-
posed on an eroding section of
the Ecola Creek shoreline near
the southwest corner of the
property. Conditions include
that all areas left bare of vege-
tation should be stabilized and
revegetated. The proposal is not
expected to negatively affect
adjacent properties.
Remedial dune grading is
Astoria has emergency plan to protect water line
Temporary
step until
larger project
approved
By DERRICK
DePLEDGE
The Daily Astorian
The city will stockpile rip-
rap near the main water line off
Pipeline Road as an emergency
precaution against damage
from another winter storm that
could threaten the water supply.
A washout happened near
the water line during win-
ter storms last December. The
severe weather prompted Gov.
Kate Brown to declare a state
of emergency in several coun-
ties and President Barack
Obama to issue a federal disas-
ter declaration.
Federal and state money
will inance a bank stabilization
project off Pipeline Road near
the water line that moves drink-
ing water from the Bear Creek
reservoir to Astoria.
The U.S. Army Corps of
Engineers did not sign off on
the design for the project, how-
ever, citing concerns from the
National Marine Fisheries Ser-
vice about protecting habitat at
a creek.
The city is working with
federal authorities on alter-
natives, but the project will
not be completed for several
months, potentially leaving the
water line vulnerable during the
winter.
The city will stockpile rip-
rap off Pipeline Road and
permitted to clear sand inundat-
ing houses, commercial build-
ings and associated improve-
ments. Sand may be graded
up to 35 feet from the build-
ing’s foundation, subject to
conditions.
Earlier this month, the City
Council approved a separate
conditional use dune-grading
permit for Breakers Point. The
association’s permit allows for
grading 1.42 acres of about
13,700 cubic yards of sand
from dunes west of the condo-
miniums. Before grading starts,
the permit must be approved by
the Oregon Parks and Recre-
ation Department.
T HE F AMILY OF
H UGH J. M ASON S R .
monitor the water line after
heavy rains to determine if
emergency repairs are neces-
sary. Any riprap placed at the
creek in an emergency would
be removed during the inal
project.
Jeff Harrington, the city
engineer, said the stockpile
would allow crews to “be pre-
pared to save our water line.”
The City Council voted
3-0 Monday night to award a
$44,837 contract to Big River
Construction to handle the
work.
wishes to express their heart-felt
gratitude for all of the love and support
received during Hugh’s brief illness
and subsequent passing.
We very much appreciate how CMH
medical professionals, friends, and
extended family coordinated to honor
Hugh’s fi nal wishes. The celebration of life
was such a beautiful tribute to him and
each of you a blessing to all of us.
God Bless ,
Bonnie Mason and Family
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