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About The daily Astorian. (Astoria, Or.) 1961-current | View Entire Issue (Oct. 27, 2017)
CHOOSING TO LIVE WEEKEND BREAK • INSIDE 145TH YEAR, NO. 85 GIVING BACK A GUIDE TO MAKING A DIFFERENCE • INSIDE ONE DOLLAR WEEKEND EDITION // FRIDAY, OCTOBER 27, 2017 JUSTICE REINVESTMENT County uses new tools for pretrial release Data-driven screening of defendants By DERRICK DePLEDGE The Daily Astorian On another day, Kyle Long would have probably stayed in jail. The 24-year-old faced an escape charge for allegedly running from Warrenton police in May. His score on a new risk assessment tool to help judges decide whether defendants should be released before trial was 95 out of 100. Long could not keep a job because of his drug abuse and had been living on the streets of Portland. But a pretrial release specialist rec- ommended Long be freed — over the objection of District Attorney Josh Marquis — since his mother told his probation officer her son could live with her in Seaside before his next date in Circuit Court. “Tell me why I should let you out of jail,” Judge Dawn McIntosh asked Long at a hearing in early October. “Are you going to go live with your mom if I let you out?” “Yes, ma’am,” Long said. “I also … I know this isn’t … it’s not a ‘poor me’ story, but …” “I don’t want you to talk about anything that could be used against you related to this crime,” the judge said. “All I want to know is, if I let you out will you go live with your mother? “Yes, ma’am,” Long said. ‘Presumed innocent’ Clatsop County’s 60-bed jail in Astoria is chronically overcrowded. KMUN HUMS A NEW TUNE While the county explores whether to renovate the former North Coast Youth Correctional Facility in War- renton into an expanded jail, the jail commander and the courts have tried to make more effective use of space. Seventy percent of inmates at the jail are awaiting trial, a figure criminal justice experts consider too high. See COUNTY, Page 7A Sea lions battle bacterial disease At least eight cases confirmed on the coast By KATIE FRANKOWICZ The Daily Astorian Photos by Colin Murphey/The Daily Astorian Graham Nystrom makes some adjustments to equipment in one of the studios at Coast Community Radio in Astoria. He is getting ready to assume new duties as general manager. Rideout heads to news; Nystrom takes reins By JACK HEFFERNAN The Daily Astorian C oast Community Radio General Manager Joanne Rideout is leav- ing her position, but listeners will begin to notice her deeper influence on news content. Seven years after taking over the orga- nization and steering it out of choppy financial waters, Rideout will become the news director, a part-time position, begin- ning in November. Operations Manager Graham Nystrom, a veteran technician who has been with the station for 2 1/2 years, will take her place. Kate Brewster, the former news director, resigned over the summer because of family issues. “This is a big change for us,” Rideout said. “I’m kind of worn out, but I still really enjoy being part of the station.” See KMUN, Page 6A A bacteria that can sicken dogs, livestock, wildlife and people is showing up in sea lions on beaches in Clatsop, Tillamook and Lin- coln counties and elsewhere along the Ore- gon Coast. At least eight cases of leptospirosis have been confirmed by Oregon State Universi- ty’s Diagnostic Laboratory since the outbreak began in late September. The disease shows up sporadically in marine mammals and was last seen in Oregon in 2010. That was a significant outbreak and coincided with a time of warmer waters and changes in the food supply in California that pushed both healthy and sick sea lions north to Oregon in search of prey, said Julia Burco, a veterinarian with the Oregon Department of Fish and Wildlife. “So far with this outbreak, it looks like we’re having lower numbers than in 2010,” Burco said, adding that the disease, when it does occur in sea lions, usually peaks in the fall. See SEA LIONS, Page 7A Joanne Rideout works the airwaves at Coast Community Radio in Astoria. She will become the news director at the radio station beginning in November. Oregon State University A sea lion lays on the beach, sick with leptospirosis. City may lose parking spots Intersection setbacks governed by state rules By KATIE FRANKOWICZ The Daily Astorian Downtown Astoria could lose 142 park- ing spaces if the city finds it needs to comply with a state law that requires setbacks at all intersections. City Engineer Jeff Harrington estimates com- plying with an Oregon law that requires 20 feet between a parking space and an intersection would eliminate roughly 10 percent of parking spots downtown. Some intersections already have a setback where fire hydrants are placed to allow for fire engine access. However, few cities in Oregon, including Salem, the state capital, appear to fol- low the law, he said. Parking is already a contentious issue down- town, where spots are limited and become even more scarce in the summer when tourist traffic swells. “We already face parking complaints on a very regular basis,” said Sarah Lu Heath, execu- tive director for the Astoria Downtown Historic District Association. Parking on some streets and parking lots needs to be addressed, she added. Several build- ings — empty or underutilized for many years — on the west side of downtown are about to house businesses again, and there is ongoing development of the downtown core that will increase the demand for parking. “We cannot afford to lose those park- ing spaces,” she said. “There isn’t anybody in See PARKING, Page 7A Danny Miller/The Daily Astorian Parking can be a challenge in downtown Astoria. A state law requiring setbacks at intersections could cost the city parking spaces.
