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About The daily Astorian. (Astoria, Or.) 1961-current | View Entire Issue (March 21, 2018)
OUR COAST M A G A Z I N E OUR ANNUAL DIVE INTO COASTAL LIVING FEATURES STORIES ON U.S. HIGHWAY 101, THE GARDEN OF SURGING WAVES, VINYL RECORDS AND ART FROM NOEL THOMAS • INSIDE 145TH YEAR, NO. 187 FLOOD CONTROL Residents grumble about demands ONE DOLLAR DailyAstorian.com // Farms to salmon swamps By JACK HEFFERNAN The Daily Astorian Clatsop County may make alterations to land use rules this year that would affect several hundred property owners in flood- prone areas, citing new federal insurance requirements. The county has participated in the National Flood Insurance Program since the 1970s. For residents to remain eligi- ble for the 50-year-old program that guards against flood losses, the Federal Emergency See FLOOD CONTROL, Page 4A College to propose $3 tuition hike Colin Murphey/The Daily Astorian Scott Thompson, owner of Blackberry Bog Farm near Svensen, looks out over his property near the habitat restoration project. Project to bring back 60 acres of habitat Enrollment and fee revenue is down By EDWARD STRATTON The Daily Astorian S By EDWARD STRATTON The Daily Astorian SEASIDE — The Clatsop Community MORE College Board, fac- INSIDE ing lackluster enroll- ment and funding, College to go tobacco-free will consider a $3-per- by fall credit tuition hike next month. Page 3A “None of us feel like increasing tuition is something that we want to do,” College President Christopher Breitmeyer said Tues- day. “We’d rather not do it. But we think at this time it’s necessary, given where we are Edward Stratton/The Daily Astorian The Columbia River Estuary Study Taskforce is planning to restore several ar- eas of wetlands near Svensen, including two parcels along either side of Bear Creek, which runs north from Svensen Slough. VENSEN — The southern banks along Svensen Slough, a side chan- nel of the Columbia River, have transformed over time from historic spruce swamp into fields diked off by European settlers for farming. Clatsop County and three private property owners along Bear, Mary’s and Ferris creeks, all tributaries of the slough, have partnered with the Columbia River Estuary Study Taskforce and Bonneville Power Administration to bring more than 60 acres of the swamp back for salmon and wildlife habitat. Nearly 80 percent of estuarine habi- tat along the Lower Columbia has been See HABITAT, Page 7A See COLLEGE, Page 3A Knappa looks at ways to curb school shootings Forum comes three weeks after threat at school By JACK HEFFERNAN The Daily Astorian Jack Heffernan/The Daily Astorian Superintendent Paulette Johnson speaks during a forum Tuesday on school safety. KNAPPA — During a Knappa School District safety forum Tues- day, Wendy Montgomery, a sixth- grade teacher at Hilda Lahti Ele- mentary, explained to the crowd of concerned parents some of the com- plexities of school shootings. For instance, the shooter would likely target classroom windows rather than entering front doors, forcing teachers to be creative. Despite extensive training, nothing is foolproof. “Please remember teachers are human and yes, we want to guar- antee your child’s safety. But I’m scared standing here. You can see my voice fluttering,” Montgomery said. “So when a shooter is there, I’m going to do my darnedest to get your kid to safety, but please don’t hold us 100 percent accountable if we make a mistake or, you know, we jump in front of a bullet and your child is shot anyway.” The forum at the Knappa High School gymnasium came three weeks after a student at the school threatened to grab a gun, return to campus and shoot himself. It also took place about a month after 17 people were killed in a Florida high school shooting. Hours before the forum, a student shot two class- mates at a Maryland high school before eventually being killed by a school resource officer. Recent arguments about how to avoid more school shootings have ranged from limiting access to guns to arming teachers. Superintendent Paulette John- son began the forum by explaining school training, policies about com- municating with the public, safety and security resources and partner- ships with local police. In addition to leading safety drills, for instance, faculty are assigned certain tasks See KNAPPA, Page 3A