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About The daily Astorian. (Astoria, Or.) 1961-current | View Entire Issue (Sept. 25, 2018)
COLUMBIA-PACIFIC ARTISAN & GOURMET MICROBREWS INSIDE 146TH YEAR, NO. 61 ONE DOLLAR DailyAstorian.com // COURSING THROUGH Athletes head out onto the course during the 3-Course Challenge. See the muddy photos on 10A. Colin Murphey/The Daily Astorian County seeks help to ID dead body Man could be in his 60s By JACK HEFFERNAN The Daily Astorian In a rare move, Clatsop County officials are seeking the public’s help identifying the body of a man recovered Friday from the Columbia River near the Astoria Bridge. No missing persons reports match the body, and none of the man’s personal effects or identification were found on him, Clatsop County Medical Examiner JoAnn Giuliani said. The medical exam- iner said this is the first time in her 16 years work- ing for the county that she hasn’t been able to iden- tify a body within three days. “It’s very, very, very rare,” Giuliani said. Several tests revealed no signs of overt trauma, and he appeared to have been in the water for several weeks, Giuliani said. It’s likely the man was last on the Washing- ton side of the river in Wahkia- kum County or west. Colin Murphey/The Daily Astorian See BODY, Page 7A A body was found Friday in the Columbia River near the Astoria Bridge. BODY FOUND • No scars, tattoos or jewelry Authorities are asking for help in identifying the body of a man found in the Columbia River. • Good condition CLOTHING: DESCRIPTION: • Patagonia dark blue or purple fleece pullover • Approximately 60-year-old male, unknown ethnicity • Great Northwest Clothing Co. women’s petite blue fleece vest • About 5 feet, 7 inches tall; 160 pounds • Medium Kirkland orange T-shirt and tie-dye T-shirt • Dark hair, 5 inches in length in the back, may have frontal balding • Key work jeans • Brown eyes • Brown belt with silver metal and a black “lighter leash” attached • No upper teeth, may have worn a plate • Salt-and pepper-colored beard, 6 inches in length and curly • Denali brown hiking boots, size 7 Anyone with information about the man can call the sheriff’s office at 503-325-8635. Judge dismisses flood plain suit Astoria Co-op, Warrenton had joined the complaint By EDWARD STRATTON The Daily Astorian A federal judge has dis- missed a lawsuit brought by developers against the federal government over proposed flood plain rules. Oregonians for Floodplain Protection, a development coa- lition including building trade groups, Realtors, farmers, landowners and local govern- ments, sued the U.S. Depart- ment of Commerce, National Marine Fisheries Service and Federal Emergency Manage- ment Agency last year. War- renton, which is contend- ing with flood-control issues, joined the lawsuit. Lawyers for the coalition argued that flood plain rules proposed by the agencies are based on inadequate analysis, would restrict development and have bypassed the public rule-making process. Federal officials argued the lawsuit was premature, lacking jurisdiction and should be dis- missed because they have not implemented the rules. U.S. District Judge Rich- ard Leon sided with the fed- eral agencies’ argument that no agency action had been taken regarding the alternative flood plain rules aside from sending notice letters to communities served by the flood insurance program. “The bottom line is thus clear: plaintiffs have not alleged to date any ongoing, concrete injury arising from FEMA’s implementation of the” alternative flood plain rules, Leon wrote in his ruling. A report finding no signif- icant impact from the alterna- tives would need to be issued to constitute final action by FEMA and is not expected until next year, Leon wrote. “I know that we are very disappointed by the court’s rul- ing and believe that the court misunderstood key compo- nents of our arguments,” said Molly Lawrence, a lawyer for the coalition. “That said, we were relieved by the court’s conclusion that FEMA has not yet taken any action to imple- ment any of the substantive provisions” of the flood plain rules. See LAWSUIT, Page 7A Port faces big legal bill over the Riverwalk Inn A six-figure loss on attorney fees By EDWARD STRATTON The Daily Astorian The Port of Astoria faces more than $158,000 in attor- ney fees related to a law- suit brought by Param Hotel Corp. over the operation of the Astoria Riverwalk Inn. Clatsop County Circuit Court Judge Dawn McIn- tosh cut more than $54,000 from the original amount sought by Param’s attorney, Colin Hunter, but still left the Port with a six-figure payment. “The time and labor required were significant, as were the novelty and dif- ficulty of the questions involved,” McIntosh wrote in her decision. “The amounts in controversy were sub- stantial and the per hour fees reasonable considering the experience, reputation and ability of the lawyers.” neighbors reach compromise New store in Mill Pond By KATIE FRANKOWICZ The Daily Astorian The Astoria Co-op Gro- cery could break ground on a new store as early as Janu- ary after reaching a compro- mise with neighbors. The City Council was scheduled to hear argu- ments from both sides ear- lier this month after three property owners appealed a city board’s approval of the co-op’s plans to expand from downtown to property in the Mill Pond neighborhood. The natural and organic food store planned to use Steam Whistle Way, a nar- row road that runs between the co-op’s land and the Mill Pond properties, as the new store’s access road — a move that could have cre- ated traffic snarls and safety issues in the neighborhood, the property owners argued. But instead of refut- ing their claims, developer Don Vallaster, represent- ing the co-op, announced he had new designs to submit. Under the new plans, access See CO-OP, Page 7A The Port’s legal defense has so far been paid for by the Special Districts Asso- ciation of Oregon, which provides insurance, legal representation and other ser- vices to public agencies. Luke Reese, the Port’s attor- ney through the association, declined to comment on the case but said that Param’s attorney fees would not be covered by the association’s insurance. Astoria Co-op Grocery See PORT, Page 7A The Astoria Co-op Grocery plans to build a new store in the Mill Pond neighborhood.