DailyAstorian.com // TUESDAY, JUNE 12, 2018
145TH YEAR, NO. 246
ONE DOLLAR
AP Photo/Patrick Sison
Clatsop County has
joined a lawsuit against
opioid manufacturers.
‘GOOD
FIRST
STEP’
Support builds for
Clatsop County’s
role in drug fight
By JACK HEFFERNAN
The Daily Astorian
It’s not yet clear how a national
lawsuit against pharmaceutical man-
ufacturers and distributors will affect
Clatsop County, but locals involved
with the issue say the fight to curb opi-
oid addiction will extend well beyond
the courtroom.
Clatsop County joined a handful of
Oregon counties in a lawsuit that, for
now, is being heard by a federal judge
in Ohio and involves scores of other
communities across the country.
The suit claims a number of drug
manufacturers and distributors —
through misleading information about
addiction potential and inadequate
record keeping — should bear much
of the responsibility for spikes in opi-
oid addiction the past two decades.
“What I hope would come from
this would be a major airing of the
whole, miserable event,” said Dr.
Thomas Duncan, the county’s public
health officer. “A lot of people cashed
in on the gullibility of patients.”
More than 27 percent of Clatsop
County residents were prescribed opi-
oids in 2015, according to the Oregon
Health Authority. Curry County’s rate,
by comparison, was 35 percent — the
74th largest figure of any county in the
country.
Heroin and mixed prescription
drugs led to 12 overdose deaths from
2014 to 2016, according to Clatsop
County Medical Examiner JoAnn
Giuliani.
“Most of what we would be alleg-
ing would be characterized as bad
acts by the distributor,” said Michael
Rose of D’Amore Law Group, which
is representing the Oregon counties in
the suit. “Generally, in discussions, the
counties aren’t concerned with mak-
ing a lot of money. There’s a concern
about the harm they see every day.”
Distributors say they do not man-
ufacture or prescribe the drugs, and
the U.S. Drug Enforcement Admin-
istration is responsible for limiting
production.
“Given our role, the idea that dis-
tributors are responsible for the num-
ber of opioid prescriptions writ-
ten defies common sense and lacks
understanding of how the pharma-
ceutical supply chain actually works
Photos by Colin Murphey/The Daily Astorian
Walmart General Manager Kimberly Smith stands outside the Warrenton location set to open on Wednesday.
WALMART ERA BEGINS
ON THE NORTH COAST
By EDWARD STRATTON
The Daily Astorian
ARRENTON — After years of lawsuits,
settling on a location and building a store-
front, the North Coast’s new Walmart
opens at 8 a.m. Wednesday on the corner of Ensign
Lane and U.S. Highway 101.
The national retailer has been filling its new
supercenter and training staff in preparation for the
grand opening. General Manager Kimberly Smith
said the store has hired more than 250 people.
W
GRAND
OPENING
The North Coast’s
new Walmart is lo-
cated on the corner
of Ensign Lane and
U.S. Highway 101. It’s
scheduled to open at
8 a.m. Wednesday.
“I want to say 95, 98 percent of our associates
are local,” Smith said, adding that while the store
has enough people to open, it will continue to hire.
The 150,000-square-foot supercenter includes
groceries, electronics, clothing, home accesso-
ries, sporting goods, a pharmacy, auto and out-
doors, along with a Subway restaurant and ATM.
The store has made nods to local hobbies, such as
clam guns, crab pots and a do-it-yourself baiting
area, Smith said.
See WALMART, Page 5A
See OPIOIDS, Page 5A
Walmart employees at the new store in Warrenton prepare for the grand opening.
Local family takes over
Custard King in Astoria
More seafood planned
By EDWARD STRATTON
The Daily Astorian
The Daily Astorian
A local family is taking over operation of Custard King.
A local family is reopening the Custard King
in Astoria.
Tara Gerlitz, her partner, Jeromy Connor,
and her mother, Jamie Gerlitz, have leased the
small walk-up on Marine Drive and are prepar-
ing to open later this month.
Custard King had initially closed in Decem-
ber for the winter season before the owners,
who had difficulty managing it from a distance,
decided to move on.
The family had been discussing a food cart
or brick-and-mortar restaurant for the past sev-
eral years but were waiting for the right loca-
tion, said Jamie Gerlitz. When the family spot-
ted the Custard King lease, they decided to take
the plunge.
Connor is a commercial fisherman, while
the Gerlitzes have experience in the restaurant
industry. Jamie Gerlitz previously managed the
Old Oregon Smokehouse in Tillamook, while
Tara Gerlitz made custom cakes from home.
This is the family’s first time as business owners.
The original plan was to replace Custard
King with a new restaurant. But over time, the
See CUSTARD KING, Page 5A