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About The daily Astorian. (Astoria, Or.) 1961-current | View Entire Issue (Oct. 10, 2016)
3A THE DAILY ASTORIAN • MONDAY, OCTOBER 10, 2016 Class certiication raises stakes in forest lawsuit Clatsop County among plaintiffs in the lawsuit By MATEUSZ PERKOWSKI Capital Bureau It’s unlikely any county will opt out of the recently cer- tiied $1.4 billion class action lawsuit over Oregon’s for- est management practices, according to the attorney lead- ing the case. The decision by Linn County Circuit Court Judge Daniel Murphy to certify the lawsuit as a class action means that 15 Oregon counties — including Clatsop County — and roughly 130 taxing dis- tricts automatically become plaintiffs in the case unless they ask to be excluded. John DiLorenzo, attorney for lead plaintiff Linn County, EO Media Group File A Linn County judge has certified class action status to a lawsuit challenging the state’s management of state forest land. The certification allows 15 Oregon counties and rough- ly 130 taxing districts to pursue the case jointly, alleging they are owed $1.4 billion in damages. said that he’d be surprised if any of the potential plaintiffs opt out, given their inancial constraints. “Why would any of the districts want to turn down money?” he said. “I am pre- dicting there will be zero opt outs.” Linn County iled the law- suit earlier this year, argu- ing that Oregon was obligated to maximize timber harvests from 650,000 acres of forest- land that counties turned over to state ownership in the early 20th century. Since 1998, however, the state government has empha- sized environmental protec- tion and recreational oppor- tunities in managing the forests for their “greatest per- manent value,” according to the lawsuit. Last month, the case crossed a signiicant hurdle when Mur- phy refused a request by Ore- gon’s attorneys to dismiss the lawsuit. The class certiication doesn’t come as a surprise because the judge said he was inclined to grant that request in the previous decision, but it nonetheless raises the stakes for Oregon — particularly given the prospect of trying the case before a Linn County jury. Even if some of the coun- ties or tax districts don’t oppose the state government’s forest management philoso- phy, it’s not probable they feel strongly enough to miss out on a portion of the potential $1.4 billion in damages, said DiLorenzo. Likewise, it’s unlikely that the counties or tax districts will opt out to pursue a similar law- suit on their own, he said. Oregon’s attorneys have until May to ile “disposi- tive motions” to get the case thrown out based on matters of law, but it’s unclear what argu- ments they could make since the lawsuit is “going to be very fact-speciic,” DiLorenzo said. Attorneys representing the state were unavailable for comment late Friday. The Capital Bureau is a collaboration between EO Media Group and Pamplin Media Group. Man gets three Council candidate Horning ‘occupies years for possessing bridge’ in Seaside to broadcast message irearms, child porn Candidate By KYLE SPURR The Daily Astorian The 77-year-old Asto- ria man arrested last year for illegally possessing irearms, body armor and child pornog- raphy was sentenced to three years in prison. William James Dixon Jr. pleaded guilty Friday in Cir- cuit Court to four counts of irst-degree encouraging child sexual abuse and felon in pos- session of a irearm. Astoria Police assisted the Oregon Department of Jus- tice Internet Crimes Against Children Task Force in Sep- tember 2015 related to a child pornography investigation at Dixon’s residence at 101 Madison Ave. During a search of the res- idence, inves- tigators found a 9 mm pis- tol, a .22-cali- ber pistol and ballistic body armor that Dixon was William prohibited James from possess- Dixon Jr. ing. Investi- gators also found books on how to be a better criminal and disguises such as a fake mustache and wig. As part of his sentence, Dixon must register as a sex offender. Dixon was convicted for mail fraud in 1989, escape in 1990 and bank robbery in 1991 in Portland. He served more than three years in prison. Man with knife robs Astoria Dairy Queen The Daily Astorian Police are seeking details about a robbery of the Astoria Dairy Queen Sunday night. Astoria Police received a report just before 8 p.m. Sunday that an unknown man armed with a knife took an undis- closed amount of cash from the register. Nobody was injured. Oficers from Astoria, War- renton, the Clatsop County Sheriff’s Ofice and the Ore- gon State Police responded. A K-9 unit from the Sher- issues challenge to councilors By R.J. MARX The Daily Astorian SEASIDE — Seaside City Council candidate Tom Horn- ing “occupied” the Avenue G bridge, at least for 30 windy, rain-swept minutes Saturday morning. As supporters stood by in rain slickers holding banners, Horning, a geologist and environmental consultant, shared his message of tsunami safety. Horning chose the Avenue G bridge because of its vulner- ability in the case of tsunami. “The height of the bridge is about 16 feet above verti- cal level,” Horning said. “The water would rise about 45 feet, 30 feet over the top of the bridge.” According to Horning, the bridge shifts as much as 16 inches either way and in an earthquake would fall off its iff’s Ofice was used to track the suspect but unsuccess- ful. Police did ind evidence a short distance from the Dairy Queen that is being sent to the state crime lab for testing. The suspect was described as average height with a mus- cular build, red and black pants and a dark-colored jacket. He was wearing a yellow mask and had blond eyebrows. The police ask anyone with information to contact Detec- tive Ken Hansen at 503-325- 4411 or khansen@astoria.or.us Protesters demonstrate against Jordan Cove project Associated Press KLAMATH FALLS — Protesters are calling for unity and action against a proposed liqueied natural gas pipeline in Klamath Falls. The Herald and News reported that opponents of the Jordan Cove Energy Project near Coos Bay demonstrated against the pipeline, chanting “water is life” and “you can’t drink oil.” Renee Frye organized the protest and says the pipeline poses a signiicant pollution threat because it will cross an estimated 400 waterways and 700 private properties Featured protest speaker Walking Eagle Thom, chief and medicine man of the Karuk Tribe, says the action against the Jordan Cove project was inspired by ongoing protests against the Dakota Access Pipeline in North Dakota. incumbent City Council Pres- ident Don Johnson in Ward 3. “Seaside, the most at-risk community, has to be the leader,” Horning said. “Sea- side has the most to lose. Models estimate we’ll lose 92 percent of the buildings in Seaside, and that’s including the ones on the hill — those are the only ones that will survive.” To ix all the bridges and put in two pedestrian bridges would cost about $30 million, Horning said. Costs could be paid by room tax fees or bond measures. “I think he’s correct,” said Mike Annes, a Seaside resi- dent who attended the rally. “It makes total sense. There needs to be a prioritized process. It needs to be igured out.” 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 Associated Press COOS BAY — Three earthquakes with magnitudes ranging from 4.1 to 4.8 occurred several hundred miles off the Oregon Coast on Sunday, but none triggered tsunami warnings. The U.S. Geological Survey says the 4.8 quake was recorded last and occurred at about noon about 260 miles west-northwest of Coos Bay. NEWS TALK FOR THE COAST The most valuable and respected source of local news, advertising and information for our communities. Pro viding live a nd lo ca l new s co vera ge every da y Y ou could see it ton igh t, rea d a bout it tom orrow or h ea r it live N O W ! www.eomediagroup.com Judge-elect Dawn McIntosh has rejoined Campbell & Popkin to work closely with Chris Palmer, in whom she has great conidence. Dawn and Chris are both well-known for skillfully representing clients in di- vorce, seperation, custody and other family law mat- ters. Campbell & Popkin also provides services in business law, litigation, real estate, estate planning and probate. Dawn and Chris are both taking new clients. www.campbellpopkin.com piling caps and into the river. The bridge and four oth- ers in the city, plus two essen- tial proposed pedestrian foot- bridges, need to be replaced or built before the next earth- quake strikes, Horning said. “There’s no guarantee these things will hold together,” he said. “In fact, there’s every guarantee they’ll fall apart.” Horning is running against Three earthquakes recorded off the Oregon Coast Dawn McIntosh rejoins Campbell & Popkin Dawn McIntosh R.J. Marx/The Daily Astorian City Council candidate Tom Horning rallies supporters on the Avenue G bridge in Seaside. Chris Palmer 503-738-8400 • 1580 N. Roosevelt Drive, Seaside 333333 3 3 33 33333 333333333 3 33 3 33333333343 334333 3333333333 333 3 333333333 343 3333333 3 3 3333333 33 33333 3 3433333333 333333
