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.