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About The daily Astorian. (Astoria, Or.) 1961-current | View Entire Issue (May 8, 2017)
TRACK: NORTH COAST ATHLETES DOMINATE BAKER INVITE SPORTS · PAGE 10A DailyAstorian.com // MONDAY, MAY 8, 2017 144TH YEAR, NO. 222 ONE DOLLAR Higher Level duo charged with assault, recklessness Owners of facility that exploded in October By EDWARD STRATTON The Daily Astorian Colin Murphey/The Daily Astorian Clatsop County District Attorney Josh Marquis reads the indictment against Ja- son Oei, in the background on a television monitor, on charges related to an explosion at his cannabis extraction business. William “Chris” West and Jason Oei, the owners of the Astoria marijuana processor that blew up in October, were indicted Friday in Clatsop County Circuit Court on charges of felony assault and misdemeanor reckless endangerment. District Attorney Josh Marquis said in his indictment that West and Oei had “unlawfully and recklessly, under circumstances manifest- ing extreme indifference to the value of human life,” caused serious physical injury to Jacob Magley, a worker at the facility who suffered burns in the explosion, by means of the danger- ous weapon butane. Marquis said the two men also created a sub- stantial risk of serious injury to others. West, 41, and Oei, 44, co-own and operate Higher Level Concentrates, a marijuana proces- sor in the Uniontown neighborhood. An explo- sion in October rocked the basement they rent from Richard Delphia, gutting the facility and damaging a space rented by Sweet Relief Natu- ral Medicine upstairs. Magley was sent to a burn unit in Portland for multiple weeks and is suing the two men in Multnomah County Circuit Court for prem- ises liability and violations of the Oregon Safe See HIGHER LEVEL, Page 7A Colin Murphey/The Daily Astorian William “Chris” West, left in the background on a television monitor, was indicted Friday by Clatsop County District Attorney Josh Marquis on charges related to an explosion at a business West owned in Astoria in October. Erosion, storms cause slides at Ecola State Park Colin Murphey/The Daily Astorian Ecola State Park Ranger Bo Ensign surveys damage caused to parts of the park from landslides due to unusually heavy rainfall earlier in the year. By KATIE FRANKOWICZ The Daily Astorian C ANNON BEACH — Erosion, winter storms and landslides have shut down Ecola State Park multiple times and cut a pop- ular trail in two in the past year and a half. Now, more than 40 years after a 1975 park master plan highlighted these same problem areas, the Ore- gon Parks and Recreation Depart- ment is examining some of the same solutions proposed back then. “The problems at the park date back decades,” said Chris Havel, associate director for the parks department, “and the solutions are really rather difficult if we’re going to stick with the current entrance. And that’s where things get sticky.” To reroute the washed-out trail between Ecola Point and Indian Beach is one thing. It will be labor intensive and require funds the park hadn’t budgeted for, but at least with trail-building park management is on familiar territory. A long-term fix for the road leading into the park is another dilemma entirely. Since 2015, the department has spent over $30,000 on various sections of Ecola Park Road. See LANDSLIDES, Page 7A ‘The problems at the park date back decades.’ Chris Havel associate director for the parks department Colin Murphey/The Daily Astorian Heavy construction equipment was brought to Ecola State Park last week to repair damage from a series of landslides that occurred in multiple locations in the park. Coffee to French: ‘Simple food done well’ Funky French cuisine takes over coffee spot ANNON BEACH — At Harding Trading Co., every part of the restaurant is for consumption. No, it’s not all edible. But as long as it has a price tag, a customer can buy one of the many vintage items that line the walls and adorn the tables of the new French rus- tic-style restaurant — even some of the tables and chairs themselves. Whether it be the color- ful, antique cookware and C Warrenton ponders mayor appointment Balensifer and Newton vie for top position glass chandeliers, the cuisine or a space lighted exclusively by candlelight, every aspect of the restaurant is import- ant together, co-partner Jane Harding said. “You are coming for more than just dinner. You are com- ing for an experience,” she said. The restaurant on Bea- ver Street transitioned from Brenna Visser/The Daily Astorian See HARDING, Page 7A Jane Harding, co-partner of Harding Trading Co. By KATIE FRANKOWICZ The Daily Astorian WARRENTON — The Warrenton City Commission is expected to select a new mayor Tuesday night. The commission will cast votes for two of its own mem- bers — Henry Balensifer and Rick Newton. Henry Balensifer Rick Newton “We’ll see what the vote is,” said Balensifer, who has been serving as acting mayor since former Mayor Mark Kujala resigned in March. “It is my hope that we can fill See WARRENTON, Page 7A