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About The daily Astorian. (Astoria, Or.) 1961-current | View Entire Issue (July 31, 2018)
THE NORTH COAST’S BUSINESS GUIDE 146TH YEAR, NO. 22 INSIDE ONE DOLLAR DailyAstorian.com // TUESDAY, JULY 31, 2018 WORST COULD BE OVER FOR RAZOR CLAMS States keep close eye on a popular draw By KATIE FRANKOWICZ The Daily Astorian I t’s a mix of good news and bad news for razor clam populations in Oregon and Washington state this summer. Fishery managers say after sev- eral years of strange ocean conditions and harmful algae blooms, there’s a feeling that the worst is behind them for now. But Oregon Fish and Wildlife Com- missioner Bruce Buckmaster fielded con- cerns from original members of a shell- fish task force earlier this year and will be asking his fellow commissioners to re-examine how the fishery operates in Oregon. Near the end of June, staff with the Oregon Department of Fish and Wildlife saw numerous small razor clams being dug up and either left behind on purpose or inadvertently discarded as people dug down in pursuit of larger clams. Under state rules, diggers must take the first 15 clams they dig no matter the size. Buck- master was asked if a seasonal closure on Clatsop beaches could occur earlier, in June rather than in July, to give small clams more time to grow. While Washington state opens por- tions of the coast to clam diggers on a case-by-case basis from October through May, Oregon’s beaches are, for the most part, open year-round — barring emer- gency closures due to the presence of marine toxins like domoic acid. A sea- sonal closure also occurs on 18 miles of beach north of Tillamook Head in Clat- sop County from mid-July through Sep- tember to give young clams a chance to grow. This area receives the brunt of the state’s digging activity and accounts for 95 percent of the clams harvested in Oregon. SEASIDE Details released in fatal police shooting Man allegedly refused to drop guns Photos by Colin Murphey/The Daily Astorian Valerie Miranda holds a razor clam dug up from the sand in order to study the species. Valerie Miranda and Micah Rodgers with the Oregon Department of Fish and Wildlife search for razor clams on the beaches near Fort Stevens State Park. By JACK HEFFERNAN and BRENNA VISSER The Daily Astorian SEASIDE — The Seaside man who was shot and killed by police last week allegedly refused an order to drop two black powder pistols and appeared to be concealing one of the guns behind his back, authorities said today. In the first detailed account of the July 24 shooting, Clatsop County Chief Deputy Dis- trict Attorney Ron Brown said police first responded to the Seasider RV Park after a man was mauled by a dog and suffered seri- ous injuries. Officers left the scene but came back after a report from a neighbor that Cashus Dean Case, 44, armed himself and was seen wav- ing the pistols. Case, who had helped the man who was attacked by dogs, allegedly threatened to kill the dogs. See SHOOTING, Page 3A Astoria backs new co-op design “We just have to look at it.” Bruce Buckmaster See CLAMS, Page 3A Oregon Fish and Wildlife Commissioner City Council rejects appeal from neighbors By EDWARD STRATTON The Daily Astorian Staff with the Oregon Department of Fish and Wildlife collect razor clams near Fort Stevens State Park. The Astoria City Council tentatively approved plans for the Astoria Co-op Gro- cery’s new store in Mill Pond after a three- hour public hearing Monday night about the building’s configuration and traffic impacts. City Councilors Tom Brownson, Cindy Price and Bruce Jones voted to deny an appeal by Mill Pond residents, who have taken issue with vehicle access to the store from Steam Whistle Way next to their prop- erties. Mayor Arline LaMear supported the appeal. Councilor Zetty Nemlowill, the co-op’s marketing director, recused herself. The appeal packet, including voluminous testimony for and against the co-op proj- ect, was more than 300 pages. City Manager Brett Estes said there would be a revised set of city findings based on the additional testimony. See CO-OP, Page 3A Crisis respite center still evaluating secure beds An elusive promise made under pressure By DERRICK DePLEDGE The Daily Astorian WARRENTON — Two years after promis- ing secure beds to keep potentially dangerous mental health patients from walking away, the crisis respite center is still evaluating whether the option is needed and worth the cost. The respite center found financial footing in residential mental health treatment and cri- sis care, a voluntary place for people after they leave the hospital or county jail but are not ready to go home. The promise to have four of the 16 beds secure, made under political pressure before the respite center opened in July 2016, was put off as the financial model evolved. Amy Baker, the executive director of Clat- sop Behavioral Healthcare, which operates the respite center, is not convinced secure beds are necessary. The respite center was not designed for secure beds and the conversation at the time the promise was made did not draw out all of the obstacles. “It’s never going to be what people wanted. It’s not going to be a police drop-off, and it’s not going to be a psychiatric hospital that basically removes people from the community,” Baker said. People must be medically cleared by a hospi- tal before they go to the respite center, a screen- ing process that can help determine whether drug and alcohol abuse or physical ailments are fueling a mental health breakdown. With secure beds — a Class 2 designation from the Oregon Health Authority — mental health patients could be locked at the respite center, but staff could not use seclusion, restraint See CENTER, Page 4A Colin Murphey/The Daily Astorian The North Coast Crisis Respite Center in Warrenton has stabilized financially as a residential treatment center for mental health, but does not have secure beds.
