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About The daily Astorian. (Astoria, Or.) 1961-current | View Entire Issue (Aug. 18, 2017)
NORTH COAST CHORALE SINGS SONGS OF PEACE IN SPAIN WEEKEND BREAK • 1C 145TH YEAR, NO. 35 ONE DOLLAR WEEKEND EDITION // FRIDAY, AUGUST 18, 2017 Pot processors guilty of felony assault Blast in Uniontown caused serious injuries Clatsop County District Attorney Josh Marquis addresses the judge during a sentencing hearing this morning at the courthouse in Astoria for a case involving an explosion at a marijuana processor in October . The defendants, William “Chris” West, on the left, and Jason Oei, on the right, pleaded guilty to felony assault and were both sentenced to probation. By JACK HEFFERNAN The Daily Astorian William “Chris” West and Jason Alexander Oei, co-owners of the Astoria marijuana processor that exploded in October, pleaded Colin Murphey/The Daily Astorian guilty today to felony assault in the third degree and misdemeanor reckless endangerment . The case marks the fi rst crim- inal prosecution in Oregon of a licensed butane hash oil facility involved in an explosion, Clat- TOTAL SOLAR ECLIPSE DAYS OF PREPARATION, MINUTES IN THE SKY sop County District Attorney Josh Marquis said. West and Oei originally faced felony assault in the second degree, a Measure 11 crime that See GUILTY, Page 7A Hopefuls emerge for Port vacancy Interviews on Tuesday By EDWARD STRATTON The Daily Astorian No one is sure what to expect in the county during the eclipse By KATIE FRANKOWICZ The Daily Astorian O regon State Police stopped a motorcyclist from New Zea- land this week who was pass- ing people on the shoulder in Clatsop County. He was here, he explained, for the eclipse — an event that will be most dramatic for only two minutes and 40 seconds Monday morning. The motorcyclist is just one of about a million people from around the world expected to arrive in Oregon this week- end to view the fi rst total solar eclipse to cross the United States from coast to coast since 1979. Communities in cen- tral Oregon located in the path of total- ity have been bracing for the onslaught for weeks and the state Department of Transportation has called it “the big- gest transportation event that has ever hit Oregon.” Even while authorities are prepar- ing for the worst-case scenario, no one really knows what to expect in Clat- sop County, which is not in the path of totality. On the one hand, most local stores that attempted to carry NASA-approved eclipse viewers sold out days ago. On the other hand, hotels — busy every August with the usual summer tourists and recreational fi shermen — report they still have vacant rooms available for this weekend. Pacifi c Power doesn’t See ECLIPSE, Page 7A Photos by Colin Murphey/The Daily Astorian TOP: The sun should appear as a dim, orange dot as seen through special eye protection being sold to those who wish to observe the eclipse on Monday morning. ABOVE: Protective eyewear to safely observe the eclipse on Monday are in short supply at stores in Astoria. Traffic is expected to also be an issue when the moon passes in between the sun and the earth Monday morning. IF YOU GO A total solar eclipse is set to pass through Oregon on Monday morning, with the most dramatic viewing expected at 10:18 a.m. Do: Don’t: • Wear eclipse glasses • Expect traffic • Gaze directly at the sun with the naked eye • Watch your children and pets • Get impatient in traffic • Look out for nervous birds • Watch while driving • Follow a local livestream online at DailyAstorian.com • Expect doom • Fear for the unborn MORE INSIDE Seven candidates have emerged to fi ll a position on the Port of Astoria Commission left vacant earlier this month after the resig- nation of Robert Mushen for health reasons. The Port will interview each of the can- didates at 4 p.m. Tuesday and appoint one directly after the interviews. During a tense m eeting in April, Mushen, who was the commission’s president, expe- rienced a blood pressure spike and had to leave. He was unable to regularly attend meetings and participate in the governing body after the health scare and chose to step down. John Lansing, who has spent his career in the fi nancial services sector, served on the Port’s budget committee from 2003 until late last year, when he abruptly walked out and subsequently resigned after being called a stooge of Port staff by former Commissioner Stephen Fulton. “I have a proven interest in the P ort and its future and believe I can bring signifi cant benefi ts to the port based upon my unique experiences and qualifi cations,” Lansing wrote in his application. Former Port Commission candidate Pat O’Grady, a longshoreman, farmer and mechanic who lost out to Commission Pres- ident Frank Spence in May’s special district election, said in his application that he can work respectfully with others and just wants to make the Port better for the public. Robert Johnstone, a former McMinn- ville city councilor, Yamhill County com- missioner and advocacy coordinator and grant writer for NorthWest Senior & Disabil- ity Services in Astoria, said that his lengthy history of public leadership could be use- ful during a transitional period on the Port Commission. He also serves on the Clatsop County Charter Review Committee. Robert Stevens, a former U.S. Coast Guard captain and commander of the cut- ter Resolute when the ship was stationed in Astoria, served 34 years in the Coast Guard and U.S. Navy and recently retired from training personnel on offshore drill- ing platforms in emergency management. “I strongly desire the local engagement as an opportunity to contribute to the Port and the local maritime community,” Stevens wrote in his application. Traffic already a headache in central Oregon • Page 2A See PORT, Page 7A Local schools get help to keep students on track Money for dropout prevention, career-technical education By EDWARD STRATTON The Daily Astorian Knappa High School is add- ing a foreign language instruc- tor for the fi rst time in several years. Warrenton High School is planning a new career-tech- nical education center. Asto- ria is starting a robotics pro- gram and expanding college offerings. Clatsop County’s fi ve school districts are all tak- ing advantage of $725,000 in additional funding this com- ing school year provided by the voter-approved Measure 98, meant to help high schools expand college credit options, career-technical programs and dropout prevention services. With research showing that students who are on track by the end of ninth grade are dra- matically more likely to grad- uate high school on time, each school district is investing in outreach . But school dis- tricts are also taking unique approaches to investing the Measure 98 money to expand options for students. Getting creative Knappa Superinten- dent Paulette Johnson said that while counseling was a non-negotiable need from her staff, the school district also has lacked a foreign language See SCHOOLS, Page 7A Danny Miller/The Daily Astorian Astoria High School student Maddie Ank works on a robot- ics lesson during engineering technology class last year at Astoria High School. Astoria and other school districts have some creative plans to use money from Measure 98, the voter-approved initiative on dropout prevention and career-technical education.