DailyAstorian.com // WEDNESDAY, NOVEMBER 16, 2016
144TH YEAR, NO. 99
ONE DOLLAR
LOGGERS DOMINATE
ALL-LEAGUE TEAM
SPORTS • 10A
PARTISANSHIP
RISES IN OREGON
Probe into
explosion
at pot shop
continues
Owners not willing to
talk to investigators
By EDWARD STRATTON
The Daily Astorian
The investigation into the explosion and
fi re at marijuana processor Higher Level
Concentrates in Astoria continues, without
much cooperation from the owners.
Astoria Fire Chief Ted Ames said fi re
investigators were done at the scene. “The
cause is undetermined, it will probably
remain undetermined,” he said.
An explosion rocked a walkout basement
at the corner of Portway and Industry streets
in Astoria late last month. Jason Oei and Wil-
liam “Chris” West, owners of Higher Level,
were inside with Jacob Alan Magley.
All three escaped. Oei was uninjured.
Magley and West were transported to the
Legacy Oregon Burn Center in Portland in
serious condition. A GoFundMe account has
been started to help pay for Magley’s medi-
cal expenses.
See PROBE, Page 9A
John Horvick, vice president and polit-
ical director at DHM Research, speaks
to an audience about polling specifics
and the outcome of the election during
the Columbia Forum on Tuesday at the
CMH Community Center in Astoria.
Danny Miller/The Daily Astorian
STATE VOTERS’ MOOD A
MICROCOSM OF THE NATION’S
By ERICK BENGEL
The Daily Astorian
O
regon remained solidly blue in the November
election, but the state’s electorate has become
far more partisan in recent years, according to
a polling expert.
Between 2001 and 2008 — under a Republican pres-
ident and Democratic governor — Oregon’s Democrats
and Republicans differed by an average of eight per-
centage points as to whether they felt things in general
were headed in the right direction, with Democrats poll-
ing more positive attitudes than Republicans.
Between 2009 and 2016 — under a Democratic pres-
ident and governor — the gulf increased to 44 percent-
age points.
“When we talk about partisanship in the country, it’s
really important to note: It’s affecting Oregon, as well,”
said John Horvick, vice president and political director
of DHM Research, a Portland-based nonpartisan opin-
ion research fi rm.
On Tuesday, Horvick kicked off the 27th season of
the Columbia Forum lecture series, held in the Colum-
bia Memorial Hospital Community Center, with a statis-
tical analysis of the election, among the most rancorous
in modern times.
“The country has become more partisan. Oregon has
become much more partisan, at least in our attitudes
about how we view the world, how we think of the
state,” Horvick said.
As polls predicted, Democratic presidential candi-
date Hillary Clinton carried the state, winning more than
50 percent of the vote to Republican candidate Donald
Trump’s 39 percent.
Clinton performed above average for a Democrat,
though slightly below President Barack Obama’s two
turns. Trump’s support in Oregon, however, was the
lowest for a Republican presidential candidate since
Bob Dole’s run in 1996.
Port calls on
CREST to
release dam
documents
By EDWARD STRATTON
The Daily Astorian
The Port of Astoria Commission voted
unanimously Tuesday to write a letter calling
on the Columbia River Estuary Study Task-
f orce to release all correspondence regard-
ing a controversial proposal to remove the
Eighth Street Dam in Warrenton.
“The motion is to ask CREST to coop-
erate in public interest with any request to
release correspondence and documents per-
taining to the Eighth Street structure — or
dam — in Warrenton,” said Commissioner
Stephen Fulton, who made the motion.
Commissioner Robert Mushen is the
Port’s representative on the CREST council.
He has often disagreed with commission-
ers Fulton and Bill Hunsinger regarding the
Port’s membership in the group, but offered
to draft a letter and disseminate it among
commissioners for their feedback.
“We have to support our brothers of War-
renton,” Mushen said. “We share a lot of real
estate with Warrenton. But I think we’re put-
ting our nose where it doesn’t belong.”
Commissioner James Campbell said a
letter seemed a bit strong, but that CREST’s
council needed to exert more control over
See FORUM, Page 9A
See DAM, Page 7A
Kayaks, wheelchairs fi gure into parks plan
Cannon Beach
to draft the
master plan
By LYRA FONTAINE
The Daily Astorian
CANNON BEACH — An
improved dory boat launching
in Tolovana, a restroom near
Haystack Rock and safer transit
options for walkers and bikers
are among the proposed proj-
ects that could be part of Can-
non Beach’s fi rst parks and
trails master plan. After gather-
ing input from residents, a cit-
izens advisory group and the
Public Works Department, park
planners will draft the master
plan by the end of December.
After review by the advisory
group, the draft could come to
the City Council in February.
At an open house last week,
residents carefully looked at
maps displaying potential plans
for future parks and trails. They
spoke to park planners and city
employees, marked ideas on
the maps and placed stickers by
proposed projects they consid-
ered important.
“We’ve narrowed things
down,” said Kirk Anderson,
a city public works employee
who is involved in the planning
process. “Prioritizing is one
more big step.”
Otak planner Mandy Flett
said identifying priorities early
on could help the city meet
deadlines and receive funding
for projects. There are no cost
estimates yet.
Trail projects marked as
high priority included a bike
and pedestrian route west of
Hemlock Street along Pacifi c, a
path under the bridge at Ecola
Creek Park and a trail from Elk
Run Park to Hemlock Street.
Possible park projects are
canoe and kayak launches at
Les Shirley Park, Ecola Creek
Park and Oxbow and Second
Street. Other ideas included
NeCus’ Park improvements
that respect the site’s N ative
Lyra Fontaine/The Daily Astorian
See PARKS, Page 7A
Residents considered options at an open house as the
city develops its first parks and trails master plan.