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About The daily Astorian. (Astoria, Or.) 1961-current | View Entire Issue (Oct. 13, 2016)
DailyAstorian.com // THURSDAY, OCTOBER 13, 2016 144TH YEAR, NO. 75 ONE DOLLAR COMING FRIDAY: THE DAILY ASTORIAN ENDORSEMENTS ALL THINGS CRANBERRY CRANBERRIAN FAIR CELEBRATES THE ‘CRADLE’ OF THE TASTY BERRY Get set for big thwack Winds, rain will rival some historic storms By NATALIE ST. JOHN EO Media Group LONG BEACH, Wash. — Meteorolo- gists are warning that this weekend could bring a series of unusually severe, poten- tially destructive storms, and emergency planning experts are urging residents who live in the path of the storms to start pre- MORE paring now. Though it’s always possi- INSIDE ble that the storms Power, internet could lose power outages blanket or change course, North Coast. weather experts seem Page 4A genuinely concerned — especially about the tail-end of Typhoon Songda, which is expected to make landfall on the coast Sat- urday. The National Weather Service has issued high-wind warnings and storm warn- ings for much of Oregon and western Wash- ington , as well as gale warnings for near- shore areas. See STORMS, Page 4A Luke Whittaker/EO Media Group Self-guided tours of cranberry harvesting at the Pacific Coast Cranberry Research Foundation allowed attendees to see the fruit harvest first hand. By LUKE WHITTAKER EO Media Group L ONG BEACH, Wash. — Most came out of curiosity about the cranberry industry, others simply wanted a piece of the famous pie. In total, more than 600 people attended the 91st annual Cranberrian Fair during a drippy weekend on the Measure 97 might get makeover By PARIS ACHEN Capital Bureau coast. “People are fascinated with how cranberries are grown and produced,” executive director of the Columbia Pacifi c Heritage Museum Betsy Millard said. “And we’re the cradle of it.” A cele- bration of all things cranberry, the festival featured bog tours, live demonstrations, presentations and craft vendors during the two-day event. See FAIR, Page 4A Luke Whittaker/EO Media Group Luke Whittaker/EO Media Group Blacksmith Gary Lewis hands a freshly forged nail to an attendee following a demonstration Saturday during the Cranberrian Fair at the Columbia Pacific Heritage Museum in Ilwaco, Wash. Janet Herring, 85, of Ocean Park, Wash., has been weaving with cranberry vines for more than 20 years. Her baskets, wreaths and coasters were among dozens of cranberry-centered crafts offered by vendors. SALEM — Before Oregonians even cast their vote on a $3 billion corporate sales tax proposal on the Nov. 8 ballot, state lawmak- ers are considering ways to redesign the tax in the 2017 legislative session. The “gross receipts” tax, con- tained in Measure 97, requires “C” corpora- tions to pay the state 2.5 percent of their annual Oregon sales exceeding $25 million. If Measure 97 passes, “this will be the dominant issue of 2017,” said Sen. Mark Mark Hass, D-Bea- Hass verton, chairman of the Senate Finance and Revenue Com- mittee. Hass’s committee already has fi led placeholder bills to address the measure after the election. While Gov. Kate Brown released some general goals in June to dampen the nega- tive impact on certain businesses, this is the fi rst time lawmakers have spoken publicly about possible proposals they could offer next session. Lawmakers could make small fi xes to the See TAX, Page 4A County seeks foreclosure on Surf Pines rental Owner has not paid room taxes By DERRICK DePLEDGE The Daily Astorian “Contemporary living in Surf Pines!” teases the Airbnb listing for a four-bed- room house on Sea Breeze Drive with an open fl oor plan, wonderful art work and an awesome view. Jill Storey is renting out her home as a vacation rental for $300 a night, plus a 9.5 percent county room tax. But Storey has not paid a penny in county room taxes since she started listing the property in 2014. The Clatsop County Board of Commissioners, hoping to set an example, took the unprecedented step Wednes- day night of authorizing a foreclosure lawsuit in Cir- cuit Court to collect $7,845 in unpaid taxes. Heather Reynolds, the county counsel, said it is the fi rst time since the county room tax was adopted in 1990 that the county has had to foreclose to obtain payment. Vacation rentals are pop- ping up on the North Coast as homeowners take advantage of the surge in tourism and the ease of tapping into the home-sharing economy. Government is push- ing back, however, because of the potential for vacation rentals to change the char- acter of neighborhoods and drive up rental costs in a region with a lack of hous- ing. Gearhart’s new vacation rental rules have divided the community. Cannon Beach is looking at a possible cap on short-term rentals, while Astoria has discouraged new vacation rentals. Airbnb See RENTAL, Page 4A The owner of a vacation rental in Surf Pines is facing a foreclosure lawsuit over unpaid county room taxes.
