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About The daily Astorian. (Astoria, Or.) 1961-current | View Entire Issue (Feb. 5, 2018)
7A THE DAILY ASTORIAN • MONDAY, FEBRUARY 5, 2018 Orr: This is his first attempt at elected office Continued from Page 1A Orr ran a family law and criminal defense prac- tice in Astoria for about 25 years, also serving at times as a Municipal Court judge, before leaving to pursue art and recycling. He is project develop- ment manager for Trails End Recovery in Warrenton, provides the company legal counsel and plays in several local bands. This is Orr’s first attempt at elected office. He has served in appointed posi- tions on a public safety coor- dinating council, a commit- tee to site the North Coast Youth Correctional Facil- ity in Warrenton, an afford- able housing board in Can- non Beach and with the Surf Pines Homeowners Associ- ation. He was president of the North Coast Land Con- servancy from 1996 to 2002. “I think my skill set is uniquely suited to the demands of working in the state Legislature,” Orr said, describing himself as a fis- cal conservative and social progressive. “It looks like the Legislature needs help to address its funding issues and the problems the state is facing, both in terms of education, housing, sustain- able wages and family wage jobs.” Orr would also like to see Oregon better utilize its nat- ural resources, particularly biomass energy. He has lived in Clatsop County about 28 years and Oregon for 32 years. He is from Kalamazoo, Michi- gan, and originally moved to Portland to attend law school at Lewis & Clark College. Candidates have until March 6 to file for the May primary. Roscoe: ‘I hope to bring a more moderate voice to the table’ Continued from Page 1A Roscoe opened Fulio’s Pastaria in Astoria in 2003 and sold it last year to his longtime manager. He served on the Astoria City Council from 2005 until 2013, when he was replaced by Drew Herzig. “In researching my deci- sion to file for this position, it came to my attention that there are a wide range of opportunities that we have not been exploring as a com- munity,” he said in announc- ing his candidacy. “We seem to get stuck on the same issues and let them become political footballs. I hope to bring a more moderate voice to the table that will allow us to move forward past these decisions and allow us to grow as a region and let us come together as a group.” Roscoe has been a mem- ber of the Columbia-Pacific Economic Development Dis- trict, the Oregon Restaurant & Lodging Association and the Columbia River Com- mercial Fishing Advisory Group. Three of the positions on the county commission are up for re-election in May. Jewell resident Susana Glad- win has filed for District 5, held by Commissioner Lianne Thompson. Medical data analyst Andrew Davis has said he will run for Dis- trict 1 to replace Scott Lee, the commission’s chairman, who announced last year he would not seek another term. Baby Box: ‘I feel like it’s something for our community that bridges gaps’ Continued from Page 1A “Finland has the low- est infant mortality among developed countries,” Lin- thakhan said. “In Amer- ica, our infant mortality is alarming.” Long has contacted area social services agencies and foster parent groups to spread the word about the program. Parents qualify to receive a free box by registering with the Baby Box organization and watching educational videos online at www.baby- boxuniversity.com. After completing that task, they are issued with a certificate to print out to take into the store at 786 State Route 101 to pick up a free box. It comes with various products, like diapers, wipes, laundry detergent, baby wash, personal hygiene prod- ucts and diaper rash cream. The kit provided by the box company includes some of these items and Long some- times adds a few others based on the family’s needs. “I feel like it’s some- thing for our community that bridges gaps,” Long said. “It works, especially in our economy. It allows new moms to have resources that otherwise would not be accessible. I am really excited.” Camden Courier-Post Philadelphia Eagles fans climb a gate outside City Hall as fans celebrate the team’s victory in the NFL Super Bowl 52 football game between the Eagles and the New England Patriots, in downtown Philadelphia Sunday. Philadelphia cleaning up after some celebrations turn unruly Eagles down Patriots in Super Bowl By DAVE ZEITLIN and KRISTEN DE GROOT Associated Press PHILADELPHIA — Phila- delphia was cleaning up today after pockets of Super Bowl victory celebrations turned unruly overnight, with rowdy Eagles fans smashing depart- ment store windows, looting a gas station convenience store and toppling a number of the city’s famously greased light poles. The vast majority of revel- ers celebrated peacefully, and police made only three arrests, said Ajeenah Amir, a spokes- woman for Mayor Jim Kenney. “Tens of thousands came out and celebrated this amaz- ing victory, and but for a hand- ful of bad actors, the celebra- tion was peaceful and jubilant,” Amir said. She lauded police for “their assistance in getting the crowds dispersed and peo- ple home safely.” The victory parade is set for Thursday, and along the parade route, revelers can expect free Bud Light at 25 bars, thanks to a bet the beer maker made with Eagles offensive tackle Lane Johnson. Just as Nick Foles and the Eagles clinched a surprising 41-33 victory over the New England Patriots in Minneap- olis for the team’s first Super Bowl title Sunday night, the scene more than 1,000 miles away in Philly was jubilation and pandemonium. As time expired, crowds spilled into the streets to cel- ebrate the Eagles’ first NFL championship since 1960. Revelers shot off fireworks, drivers beeped their horns and Philadelphians young and old descended on Broad Street, the main thoroughfare that last hosted a major championship Joe Lamberti/Camden Courier-Post Julia Kauterman, right, and Michael Banes of Berlin, N.J., kiss on Broad Street as Eagles fans celebrate a Super Bowl win against the New England Patriots. parade in 2008 for the Phillies’ World Series win. “The city deserved it,” said 66-year-old Lou Potel, who threw a party at his home just off Broad before joining a much bigger party outside. “It’s a great city, and now we have a Super Bowl to go along with it.” The team was expected to arrive at Philadelphia Interna- tional Airport this afternoon. Some of the pockets of unruly fans clambered atop the awning at the swanky Ritz Carlton Hotel near City Hall, jumping off into the crowd in what one Twitter post called “Ritz Carlton Skydiving.” The awning later collapsed with a large group of people on top of it. It’s not clear if anyone was injured. Nearby, windows were smashed at a Macy’s depart- ment store and at an Old Navy clothing store. And apparently no amount of grease in the world can keep some drunken Eagles fans from climbing poles in celebration. A few managed to shimmy up traf- fic lights and street sign poles. Amir said there were reports of some injuries from falls near light poles but no exact num- bers were available. Vandals were seen having an apparent food fight inside a gas station’s convenience store, yelling “Everything is free!” and overturning a car outside a hotel. After 1 a.m., the only people allowed inside the 24-hour Wawa convenience store near City Hall were police officers. Disorderly fans weren’t only found in the Philadelphia area. Mourning the Patriots’ loss, fights broke out at UMass-Am- herst and a crowd threw objects and set off smoke bombs and firecrackers, campus police said. Police used pepper balls to disperse the crowd. Officials in the western Massachusetts town said those transported to hospitals suf- fered from head injuries, lacer- ations and alcohol intoxication. Police say those arrested face criminal charges, and students would face punishment under the student code of conduct. In Boston, fans inside the Banshee Bar came to terms with a rare loss for Tom Brady. Some, however, took it in stride. “I’ve got nothing to com- plain about,” Boston resident Bill Crowley said. “It’s the greatest dynasty in NFL history and this loss tonight doesn’t change that. “They’ll be back,” Conor Hobert added. “One hundred percent, they’ll be back.” Sam Murphy, 40, actually made the trip from Boston to Philadelphia, flying in Sunday morning. The longtime Eagles fan and Boston resident joked he couldn’t be within 100 miles of his home, instead decid- ing to watch the game with his old University of Pennsylvania roommate. “This is Philly at its best,” said Murphy, as he, his former roommate Rob Ballenger, and hundreds of other new friends paraded down South Street to get to the party on Broad. “This team is what Philly is all about.” Associated Press writer Mark Pratt and Ignacio Laguarda contributed to this report from Boston. New report details misuse of antipsychotics in nursing homes By DAVID CRARY Associated Press NEW YORK — U.S. nursing homes have signifi- cantly reduced the use of powerful antipsychotic drugs among their elderly residents, responding to pressure from many directions. Yet advocacy groups insist that overmedi- cation remains a major prob- lem, and want the pressure to intensify. According to the latest data from the federal Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Ser- vices, known as CMS, the per- centage of long-term nursing home residents being given antipsychotic drugs dropped from about 24 percent in late 2011 to under 16 percent last year. Decreases were reported in all 50 states, with the big- gest in Tennessee, California and Arkansas. Dr. Jerry Gurwitz, chief of geriatric medicine at the Uni- versity of Massachusetts Med- ical School, depicts the overall decrease as “one of the most dramatic changes I’ve seen in my career.” He wonders, how- ever, if some nursing homes might be finding other medica- tions that sedate their patients into passivity without drawing the same level of scrutiny as antipsychotics. Advocacy groups — including the Washing- ton-based Center for Medicare Advocacy and AARP Foun- dation Litigation — say even the lower rate of antipsychotic usage is excessive, given fed- eral warnings that elderly peo- ple with dementia face a higher risk of death when treated with such drugs. “Given the dire conse- quences, it should be zero,” said attorney Kelly Bagby of the AARP foundation, which has engaged in several court cases challenging nursing home medication practices. Bagby contends that the drugs are frequently used for their sedative effect, not because they have any benefit to the recipients. The advocacy groups’ long-running campaign was reinforced Monday with the release of a detailed report by Human Rights Watch urging federal and state authorities to take tougher measures against improper use of antipsychotic drugs. “On paper, nursing home residents have strong legal protections of their rights, but in practice, enforcement is often lacking,” said the report, based on interviews with more than 300 people and visits to 109 nursing homes in six states. Ten years ago, according to the Department of Health and Human Services, roughly 270,000 nursing home resi- dents suffering from dementia were receiving antipsychotic drugs even though such med- ications are not approved to treat that condition. The pow- erful class of drugs is intended, instead, to treat serious mental illnesses such as schizophrenia and bipolar disorder. Analyzing the latest gov- ernment data, Human Rights Watch estimates there are now about 179,000 people in nurs- ing homes who get antipsy- chotics every week without having a diagnosis for which the drugs are approved. “Antipsychotic drugs alter consciousness and can adversely affect an individ- ual’s ability to interact with others,” the new report says. “They can also make it eas- ier for understaffed facilities, with direct care workers inad- equately trained in demen- tia care, to manage the people who live there.” The report also says that nursing homes, in violation of government regulations, often administer antipsychotic drugs without obtaining consent from residents or the relatives who represent them. Hannah Flamm, the report’s lead author, said the recent data showing a decline in anti- psychotic usage demonstrated how extensive the overmedi- cation problem had been. In an interview, she said the lower numbers don’t impress her. “Would you want to go into nursing home if there’s a one in six chance you’d be given a drug that robs you of your ability to communicate?” she asked. “It’s hard for me to applaud the reduction when it’s inexcusable to ever misuse these drugs.” The American Health Care Association, which represents more than 13,000 U.S. nurs- ing homes, was active in the national partnership formed by CMS in 2012 that worked to reduce unnecessary use of antipsychotics. The association’s senior vice president for quality and regulatory affairs, Dr. David Gifford, said a majority of the organization’s members reduced usage by more than 30 percent, while some oth- ers failed to fully embrace the initiative. The biggest challenge, Gif- ford said, is to change a mind- set among some nursing home staff and some residents’ families that behavior aris- ing from dementia is “abnor- mal” and warrants the use of antipsychotics.
