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About The daily Astorian. (Astoria, Or.) 1961-current | View Entire Issue (Dec. 27, 2017)
4A THE DAILY ASTORIAN • WEDNESDAY, DECEMBER 27, 2017 editor@dailyastorian.com KARI BORGEN Publisher Founded in 1873 JIM VAN NOSTRAND Editor JEREMY FELDMAN Circulation Manager DEBRA BLOOM Business Manager JOHN D. BRUIJN Production Manager CARL EARL Systems Manager Water under the bridge Compiled by Bob Duke From the pages of Astoria’s daily newspapers 10 years ago this week — 2007 More than 340 million board feet of lumber were knocked down in Clatsop County by the Dec. 2-3 storm. Of that, 100 million board feet is considered unmarketable because of damage. And estimates have reached 25 to 30 million board feet of lumber down in the Clatsop State Forest alone. The December 2006 storm knocked down 20 million board feet. The timber revenue is significant to local governments because of the revenue derived from harvesting, as well as the implications for jobs and local economy. Devastated by the December storm, leaders in Tillamook County are looking at options to dig themselves out of a giant mess caused when the rail- road line was ripped up by hurricane-force winds. Several hundred jobs are tied to the line, which hauls grain to Tillamook and lumber to Portland. One solution could involve Astoria, although Ron Larsen, executive director at the Port of Astoria, considers it is a long shot. Gov. Ted Kulongoski met last week with ship- pers and others interested in the line. Kelly Taylor, administrator of the Oregon Department of Trans- portation’s rail division, said the governor asked for a task force to consider the most reliable, affordable options. LONG BEACH, Wash. - The Nature Conservancy and the Friends of the Willapa National Wildlife Refuge praised Con- gress for including $990,000 for spartina eradication in the federal spending bill that Congress passed last week. “Spartina eradication is an important effort that has involved the federal government, state agencies, local oys- ter growers, as well as landowners around Willapa Bay, and it’s been very successful,” said Kelly Rupp, a member of the board of trustees for the Friends of the Willapa National Wild- life Refuge. “Both the environmental and economic interests of people who depend upon the bay are united in this effort.” H&H Wood Recyclers works to clear away wood debris piled in Gearhart. ing. The well-lighted structure is modern in every detail. Washington Hall was first postmaster in Old Chinookville near Fort Columbia before Washington became a state, then Roger Ducheney and John McClure. The office was termi- nated in 1860. At the present site of Chinook, Matt Friedinberg was appointed in 1892. Then Charles Davis operated the post office in his home for six years. During this time W.R. Williams delivered mail between Ilwaco and Chinook by horse and buggy. Later Tony Gavin added passenger service. In those days postmasters were much like the old coun- try doctors, performing many services beyond the line of duty. 50 years ago — 1967 A storm front that brought snow and hazardous driving to much of Oregon including Clatsop County was moving into Nevada Monday after snarling traf- fic on the Wilson River highway and causing numer- ous autos to skid on the Sunset highway. Chinook’s new post office is a big improvement over the one vacated in November after completion of the new build- 75 years ago — 1942 Astoria stood on the threshold of a major hous- ing crisis this week as plans were prepared to obtain federal attention to a need for some tem- porary housing facilities in accommodating an immediately expected influx of construction labor. It is estimated that within three months a min- imum of 800 to 1000 workmen will be attracted to the Astoria-Warrenton region from the out- side. The demand is arriving from developments at the Clatsop airport, the Columbia River Pack- ers shipyard, the Astoria-Warrenton shipyard and the Astoria Marina. Launching of the first of a series of eight 136-foot mine- sweepers now under construction at the Astoria Marine Construction company plant is scheduled for Saturday afternoon, December 26, at 4 o’clock. A plea for typewriters was forwarded by rationing headquarters here today for industrial firms in this region faced with a shortage of the machines and unable to buy new or used ones during the period that typewriters are frozen. A particular need has been expressed by ship- yards in this territory. Rationing officials asked that persons with a typewriter in reasonably good condition or not too ancient make them avail- able through the rationing office for private com- panies — on loan, for rent or for sale. They said there is a very great need and calling for immedi- ate action. It used to be coffee and doughnuts. Then came the coffee shortage. Now it’s no doughnuts. Portland wholesalers who supply many sections of Ore- gon said today they had notified customers they will stop shipments outside the local area in an attempt to supply the bulk of home needs. The producers said the shortage of cottonseed oil, a vital ingredient of ammunition, had left bakers with insuf- ficient shortening to cook their product. LETTERS TO THE EDITOR Don’t shoot songbirds in my yard ear Neighbors: I don’t feed all those songbirds in my yard so that your three young children can shoot them with a pellet gun. I am hoping you didn’t give them more guns for Christmas. REBA OWEN Warrenton D May the blessedness of Christmas be with you got to thinking about Christmas, and how even the greatest minds couldn’t compre- hend the greatness and the magnitude of our creator. So what did our creator do? Send a great, big massive king? No, he sent a little child, the Lord Jesus Christ, someone even the simplest mind could grasp. An example of a living, loving, car- ing lord whom we could make a part of our everyday lives, enabling us to be more than conquerors, even in the toughest of life situa- tions we may be facing, or will be facing. May the blessedness of Christmas be with you. JIM BERNARD Warrenton I No benefit to wider roads in Warrenton he Warrenton City Commission recently passed a new ordinance mandating that roads to be built into new large development projects will need to be 36 feet wide, curb edge to curb edge, which is the maximum width that the Warrenton city code allows. The state of Oregon fire code requires a minimum street width of 32 feet wide to accommodate parking on both sides of the street at the same time, plus enough extra width to allow fire trucks to operate on these streets. The extra 4 feet of width Warrenton requires is approximately 11 percent more than normally required to meet Oregon code requirements. The extra 4 feet extended over the full dis- tance of all of the roads in a new development T would be contributing a very large amount of hard road surface to accumulate rainfall run- off, in addition to presenting drivers with a temptation to drive faster than the normal residential street speed limit because of the much larger road width. Speed bumps would have been a good idea to help manage traffic speeds in residen- tial areas. It’s very difficult to provide War- renton Commission members with ideas before they make final votes. I see no benefit to the extra width now required in Warrenton for future roads. SCOTT WIDDICOMBE Warrenton Old Youngs Bay Bridge is obsolete, hazardous ooray! After years of inconvenience and millions of dollars spent, the Old Youngs Bay Bridge is once again open. It’s obsolete. It’s inadequate. It’s hazard- ous. But by gosh, it’s historic. MICHAEL FRECH Astoria H Without Jesus there would be no Christmas hristmas is a wonderful time of year. Stores and streets and many homes are decorated with beautiful lights, ornaments, decorations and messages indicating this to be a very special season. The air and airways are filled with sweet sounds of carols and hymns. Friends, neighbors, co-workers and even strangers greet one another with smiles and “Merry Christmas!” Children line up to sit in the lap of Santa and present pleas for bikes, dolls and what- ever the latest toy might be. And of course, they all confess to having been good the past year. We send cards and receive cards from friends, family, loved ones, and sometimes nearly forgotten acquaintances. The cards are beautiful, often showing appropriate scenes of snow, sleights, Santa, wise men, shepherds, angels, and baby Jesus in manger, etc., with wishes of peace, joy, and good will to all. C It is also a very enjoyable season for fam- ilies to gather and share a feast of good food and express and display love of one another. Christmas is in many ways the most enjoyable season of the year, but let us not forget, it all points back to Jesus, the Son of God. Without Jesus there would be no Christmas. Enjoy Christmas, but help someone less fortunate, and pray for our military men and women who are serving and protecting our freedoms and way of life. Attend a church service and give thanks for Jesus our Lord. But resolve to let him be your Lord all the time, not just during this brief season. KEN TIPPS Astoria Church of Christ Oregon is governed much better than Alabama he Daily Astorian editorial on Dec. 15 — “Oregon, Alabama suffer from one- party rule” — tried to compare a state that is deeply scarred by poverty, crime and poor education (Alabama), with a state that is one of the most forward-looking, environmental and yet business-friendly in the country (Ore- gon). The editor erred when trying to make an equal-but-opposite argument, stating that T Oregon’s Democratic majority is similar to Alabama’s Republican majority, which led to politicians like Roy Moore. But to compare Oregon and Alabama’s legislatures, you have to compare the results, not just make generalizations. It would be naïve to think that Oregon isn’t without its problems, but the Democratically controlled legislature in Oregon has done a lot over the years to promote the rights, health, jobs and living conditions of Oregonians. Forward-thinking gun legislation and the “Motor-voter” Act have helped make Ore- gon a safer and fairer state. Conversely, the one-sided conservatism of Alabama has made it a state that is consistently on the bottom of the heap in terms of poverty, livability and education. Using state Sen. Betsy Johnson to bolster the argument didn’t help, either. She is hardly a Democrat. In her last election, she was listed as both Democrat and Republican in the Voter Pamphlet, she often votes with the Republicans, and her support of gun rights (including machine guns) is legendary. It is often tempting to make equivalencies where none exist. While both Oregon and Alabama are governed by one party, Oregon is governed much better. DON ANDERSON Astoria