CANNON BEACH AUTHOR HONORS FORGOTTEN FISHING FLEET
COAST WEEKEND
INSIDE
DailyAstorian.com // THURSDAY, JANUARY 25, 2018
145TH YEAR, NO. 148
ONE DOLLAR
Astoria,
Seaside
graduation
rates dip
HEALING
AT HOME
CANCER SURVIVORS RECRUITED FOR STUDY
Warrenton on the rise
By EDWARD STRATTON
The Daily Astorian
Graduation rates in Astoria and Seaside slumped
by about 10 percent last year in figures released by
the state Department of Education.
The state defines on-time graduation as finish-
ing in four years. Statewide, 76.7 percent of seniors
finished with a diploma in four years, a nearly 2
percent increase from 2016 but still among the
worst graduation rates in the nation. The national
graduation rate in 2016 was 84 percent, according
to the National Center for Education Statistics.
Astoria and Seaside, Clatsop County’s two larg-
est school districts, each averaged more than 74
percent in 2016. But Astoria slipped to 63.3 percent
last year, and Seaside to 66.7 percent.
Astoria High School Principal Lynn Jackson
disputes the accuracy of the state’s graduation rate
for his district.
See GRAD RATES, Page 7A
MORE INSIDE
See a chart detailing graduation rates at
five school districts across Clatsop County
compared to the Oregon state average for the
last five years.
Page 7A
Photos by Edward Stratton/The Daily Astorian
TOP: Rosetta Hurley, a breast cancer survivor, was one of nine participants in a cancer survivorship pilot study
through Columbia Memorial Hospital. ABOVE: Hurley walks her dog, Chuchi, up and down the hills of Astoria as
part of a daily exercise regimen to stay healthy after treatment.
By EDWARD STRATTON
The Daily Astorian
reast cancer survivor Rosetta Hurley went through
chemotherapy to shrink her tumors, a double mastec-
tomy to remove them and six weeks of radiation in
Longview, Washington.
After having lymph nodes removed to prevent the spread
of cancer, she developed lymphedema in her right arm and
had to learn massage and other exercises to help drain the
excess fluids building up near her armpit.
All the treatments and complications left Hurley feeling
exhausted and overwhelmed. She was contacted by Colum-
bia Memorial Hospital and recruited into a pilot study with
several other breast cancer survivors from Clatsop, Tillamook
and Columbia counties. She was provided weekly visits with
a dietitian and physical therapist, learning good eating habits
B
and exercises to improve her strength and range of motion. A
lymphedema specialist helped her learn exercises to manage
the condition.
“When you finish treatment, I think without a program like
this, you can feel really at sea,” Hurley said.
The post-treatment support for Hurley and oth-
ers is being expanded by the hospital this spring through
Healing at Home, a program to provide rural cancer
survivors with a comprehensive care plan. The program
is supported by nearly $50,000 in startup grant funding
and technical expertise from Oregon Health & Science
University’s Knight Cancer Center. OHSU partnered with
the hospital to open the Knight Cancer Collaborative in
Astoria last year, providing chemotherapy and radiation
treatment.
See HEALING, Page 7A
“I THINK THE PROGRAM IS VERY HELPFUL IN
GIVING A SENSE OF CONTROL THAT YOU CAN HELP
YOURSELF. I THINK FOR MANY OF US BREAST
CANCER SURVIVORS, IT’S ALWAYS IN THE BACK OF
OUR MINDS, THE POSSIBILITY OF RECURRENCE.”
Rosetta Hurley | a breast cancer survivor who was one of nine participants in the cancer survivorship pilot study
County adopts
vacation rental
regulations
New rules take effect in July
By JACK HEFFERNAN
The Daily Astorian
Clatsop County commissioners voted unan-
imously Wednesday night to impose new regula-
tions on vacation rentals, the latest check on the
North Coast’s burgeoning tourism industry.
The county ordinance includes a lodging tax,
quiet hours between 10 p.m. and 7 a.m., rules for
owners’ transparency with neighbors, requirements
for safety such as fire extinguishers, smoke detec-
tors and adequate septic systems, and occupancy
limits of three people per sleeping area plus two
more guests.
The regulations take effect in July, and vacation
rental owners will have 90 days after to apply for
a permit. Owners could lose their permit perma-
nently if three violations are found or temporarily
if a serious safety risk is discovered.
The state does not regulate vacation rentals
to ensure health and safety as it does with hotels,
motels and bed-and-breakfasts. The county ordi-
nance passed despite concerns from commissioners
about specific features and the impact it will have
on the North Coast housing discussion.
See RENTALS, Page 7A
Astoria Co-op clears zoning hurdle
Grocery wants to
expand in Mill Pond
By KATIE FRANKOWICZ
The Daily Astorian
The Astoria Co-op cleared a major hurdle
Wednesday night when the Planning Commis-
sion approved a request to rezone a portion of
the land in Mill Pond where the grocery hopes
to relocate and expand.
But the organic and natural food store has
several more jumps to land before it can break
ground.
The commission voted 5-1 in favor of rezon-
ing a slice of property off Marine Drive and
23rd Street, just over an acre in size, from mixed
use — where retail is permitted as a conditional
use — to local service, where retail is permitted
outright and buildings can be larger. In addition
to changing the zoning, the commission also
approved an amendment to remove certain uses
from the local service zone that could be consid-
ered incompatible with a residential area, a nod
to the Mill Pond development next door.
Commissioner Daryl Moore was the sole
“no” vote, saying rezoning one part of the prop-
erty and amending the code would complicate
“the development code unnecessarily.”
He also was concerned that by allowing
retail outright under the new zoning, the com-
mission was taking away the ability of people
who live nearby to choose what kind of busi-
nesses and what kind of impacts move in next.
Other commissioners pointed out that under
the mixed-use zoning, three to four smaller
businesses could have been built on the prop-
erty already. They argued this could have been
a negative and much bigger impact to the Mill
Astoria Co-op Grocery
See CO-OP, Page 7A
Astoria Co-op Grocery hopes to relocate and expand in
the Mill Pond neighborhood.