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About The daily Astorian. (Astoria, Or.) 1961-current | View Entire Issue (Jan. 18, 2018)
COAST WEEKEND: PHOTOGRAPHER CAPTURES LOCALS AND THEIR STORIES 145TH YEAR, NO. 143 ONE DOLLAR DailyAstorian.com // Neighbors cope with Uppertown fires Three houses, a garage and a truck have been damaged By JACK HEFFERNAN The Daily Astorian An orange post at the top of a steep, dead- end section of Harrison Avenue in Uppertown featured two notes with distinct messages Wednesday. One was a line of yellow caution tape that read, “FIRE LINE DO NOT CROSS.” The other — a white placard atop a short wooden post — read, “Be a good neighbor. Please pick up the poop.” Views from residents on or near 38th Street and Harrison Avenue on Wednes- day were similarly mixed. They expressed their fears and offered uneasy laughs as they reflected on a series of recent fires in the neighborhood and thought about how to pre- vent more incidents. Since Jan. 6, small blazes have left burn marks on three houses, one of which was burned twice. Fires destroyed a pickup truck and scorched a garage with a Suzuki motor- cycle, four recycling bins and a lawnmower inside. Multiple police agencies, Astoria fire, the U.S. Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco Fire- arms and Explosives, the Clatsop County Erik Burgher See FIRES, Page 7A IDENTITY CRISIS CANNON BEACH ACADEMY STILL BUILDING A BRAND Fires have unsettled an Uppertown neighborhood. California sea lion population rebounds Success story tempered by conflicts with fish By KATIE FRANKOWICZ The Daily Astorian Photos by Colin Murphey/The Daily Astorian Students at the Cannon Beach Academy take time away from the classroom for recess on the playground. By BRENNA VISSER The Daily Astorian C ANNON BEACH — Nearly halfway through the first school year, the Cannon Beach Acad- emy is still a mystery to many in the community. “Half think we are an elite school where you pay tuition. The other half think we are only for Span- ish-speaking students. Neither are true,” said Amy Moore, the bilingual charter school’s executive direc- tor. “We have people who still don’t know what grades we are.” The academy, which serves kindergarten through second grade, is trying to overcome the sense of con- fusion and enroll more students for next school year. In order to keep a charter with Seaside School Dis- trict, the academy has to eventually grow to serve up to fifth grade. See ACADEMY, Page 7A California sea lions are doing just fine. Thanks for asking. More than fine, actually. The sea lions have fully rebounded with an estimated population of more than 250,000 in 2014, according to a recent study by scientists with the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration. In 1975, the population was estimated at less than 90,000. The study reconstructed the population’s triumphs and trials over the past 40 years. “The population has basically come into balance with its environment,” co-au- thor Sharon Melin, a research biologist at the Alaska Fisheries Science Center, said in a statement. “The marine environment is always changing, and their population is at a point where it responds very quickly to changes in the environment.” The rebound is a victory for the federal Marine Mammal Protection Act of 1972 that makes it illegal to kill or harass sea lions. But as in other instances of animal popula- tions beating the odds — wolves, for exam- ple — it’s a success story that comes with challenges. As the California sea lion population has grown, the animals have expanded their range, bringing them into conflict with humans and endangered fish. ‘Where you sit’ In Astoria, male California sea lions have taken over an entire stretch of docks at the Port of Astoria’s East Mooring Basin. Port employees have attempted numerous deter- rent tactics over the years, everything from fluttering wind dancers to a fake killer whale. Nothing has really worked. Theresa Dennis teaches a class at the Cannon Beach Academy. See SEA LIONS, Page 7A Upward Bound helps students reach college Program funded by federal grant By EDWARD STRATTON The Daily Astorian Warrenton freshman Mar- lie Annat knows she’s inter- ested in music, but not how she would make a living. Seaside freshman Jude Gomez knows he wants to be a lawyer, but needs help figuring out where to go for his under- graduate degree. Annat and Gomez were among 27 students inducted this fall into Upward Bound, a student support program to help low-income and first-gen- eration college hopefuls finish high school and beyond. Upward Bound is funded by a five-year, $313,000 fed- eral grant and administered through Clatsop Community College. The program takes up to 73 high schoolers at a time from Astoria, Warrenton and Seaside. Students receive in-depth academic support in high school and assistance applying for college and finan- cial aid, including weekly meetings with an adviser. “I’m a customizable high school counselor,” said Matt Bisek, a college and career adviser who meets with 50 stu- dents each week in Seaside and Warrenton. “If you get into this program, I’m working for you.” Each summer, Upward Bound students spend six weeks in an academy tak- ing English, math and foreign language courses at the col- lege. They do field projects with local community groups and go on field trips around the state, including visits to several university and college campuses. Gomez has always been a good student, with reading and math instilled early by his See PROGRAM, Page 7A Edward Stratton/The Daily Astorian Several students were inducted Wednesday into the Up- ward Bound student support program at Clatsop Com- munity College, including, from left to right, Seaside High School junior Dalton Smith, Seaside freshmen Josh Brown and Jude Gomez and Warrenton High School freshman Marlie Annat.