DailyAstorian.com // TUESDAY, DECEMBER 20, 2016
144TH YEAR, NO. 123
Warrenton
spreads
holiday cheer
to children
ONE DOLLAR
Council
says ‘no’
to Astoria
pot shop
Final vote on Pier 39
location is next week
By ERICK BENGEL
The Daily Astorian
The Astoria City Council voted Mon-
day night to reverse a Planning Commission
decision that would have allowed a retail
marijuana shop to operate in a condominium
complex near Pier 39.
Arguing that the Planning Commission
did not properly consider the residential
nature of the site, the City Council approved
an appeal of the commission’s decision.
The dispensary, called West, would have
occupied a roughly 950-square-foot space on
the ground fl oor of the Cannery Lofts con-
dos, Building A, on Abbey Lane. The upper
fl oors are reserved for residents, the ground-
fl oor spaces for mixed use.
See POT SHOP, Page 5A
Edward Stratton/The Daily Astorian
Kendall Allen wraps a present for one of several children adopted
by her family as part of Warrenton-Hammond Healthy Kids Inc.’s toy
drive. Between 40 and 50 volunteers wrapped and bagged presents
for more than 230 kids Saturday at Warrenton Grade School.
Community adopts
youth for Christmas gifts
By EDWARD STRATTON
The Daily Astorian
W
ARRENTON — In
early December last
year, Warrenton resi-
dents learned that kids in their
city weren’t among the recip-
ients of the Astoria Wishing
Tree program, which raises
part of its money from Warren-
ton businesses. Within weeks
of Christmas, community
members adopted more than
130 kids.
With an established toy
drive this year, Warrenton indi-
viduals and businesses have
adopted more than 230 kids for
Christmas.
Rallying for kids
“The
community,
they
really rallied around our
request for help,” said Deb-
bie Morrow, director of the
nonprofi t youth support group
Warrenton-Hammond Healthy
Kids Inc., which organized the
drive.
Morrow said teachers gath-
ered Christmas wish lists for
children from their families .
Others adopted and went shop-
ping for the kids. Most of the
wishes were granted, Mor-
row said, except for the most
extravagant — two who asked
for hoverboards will have to
settle for skateboards.
Between 40 and 50 vol-
unteers gathered Saturday at
Warrenton Grade School to
sort, wrap and bag the pres-
ents, which families picked up
Sunday.
Daniel
Greenfield
Dakota
Weirup
Clarissa
Moore
Duane “DJ”
Jeremiah
Scovill
Conrad
“Gus” Weirup
Offi cers
arrest fi ve
in Knappa
drug raid
‘Heroin Hill’ is known
for drug use, criminality
See WARRENTON, Page 7A
By KATIE FRANKOWICZ
For The Daily Astorian
‘The community, they
really rallied around
our request for help.’
Debbie Morrow
director of the nonprofit youth support group Warrenton-Hammond
Healthy Kids Inc., which organized the drive
Clatsop County Sheriff’s Offi ce deputies
arrested fi ve people, some from a fl op house
known locally in Knappa as “Heroin Hill,”
Sunday in connection with a complex theft
and robbery investigation.
“Heroin Hill,” when deputies executed
two search warrants early in the morning ,
was fi lled with drug paraphernalia. They
found hundreds of used hypodermic needles
as well as methamphetamine, heroin and
other controlled substances.
See RAID, Page 7A
Washington state backs spraying herbicide in bay
Studies show
buffers adequate
By DON JENKINS
EO Media Group
The Washington Depart-
ment of Ecology wants to
allow shellfi sh farmers to con-
tinue spraying an herbicide in
Willapa Bay for at least two
more years to kill non-native
eelgrass that smothers com-
mercial clam beds.
Studies have shown that a
10-meter buffer protects native
eelgrass from the herbicide,
according to the state .
The proposal represents
a victory for shellfi sh grow-
ers in southwestern Washing-
ton. The growers have faced
opposition from environmen-
tal groups over using chemi-
cals in the bay to control Jap-
anese eelgrass, also known as
Zostera japonica.
The grass blocks food from
reaching clams and slows
water fl ows, allowing sedi-
ment to collect on clam beds.
The Department of Ecol-
ogy issued a permit in 2014 to
allow growers to spray ima-
zamox. The permit called for
spraying to end in May 2017,
unless studies showed the her-
bicide would not damage the
environment.
The department’s only con-
cern was whether imazamox
sprayed into the bay would
fl ow off-site and kill native
eelgrass, permit writer Nathan
Lubliner said.
Imazamox is “practically
non-toxic” to fi sh, birds and
honeybees, according to a
U.S. Environmental Protection
Agency fact sheet.
“None of them should be
impacted by the chemical,”
Lubliner said.
University of Washing-
ton researchers studied three
5-acre plots in Willapa B ay.
After reviewing the study, the
National Oceanic and Atmo-
spheric Administration con-
curred with the Department of
See HERBICIDE, Page 5A
Don Jenkins/EO Media Group
Zostera japonica, also known as Japanese eelgrass, cov-
ers clam beds in Willapa Bay in southwestern Washington
in this 2014 photo. The Washington Department of Ecolo-
gy proposes to let shellfish growers continue to spray an
herbicide in the bay to kill the grass.