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About The daily Astorian. (Astoria, Or.) 1961-current | View Entire Issue (Oct. 5, 2018)
146TH YEAR, NO. 70 ONE DOLLAR WEEKEND EDITION // FRIDAY, OCTOBER 5, 2018 After new state law, felony drug convictions plummet 63 BY THE NUMBERS A new Oregon law reduced the penalty for drug possession from a felony to a misdemeanor for first-time offenders. Possession a misdemeanor for first-time offenders By DERRICK DePLEDGE The Daily Astorian Felony drug convictions in Clat- sop County dropped by more than 40 percent in the year since a new state law reduced the penalty for drug pos- session to a misdemeanor for first- time offenders. The stark decline was part of a trend across Oregon, as prosecutors adjusted to a law meant to soften the consequences of being caught with small amounts of heroin, metham- phetamine and other illegal drugs. Drug offenders often face jail, probation and treatment, but a felony conviction can also make it harder to find a job or housing, eroding the sta- bility that can help people overcome drug abuse. The Oregon Criminal Justice Commission, in a report to the state Legislature in September, said the law has already had a profound impact on the criminal justice system. Statewide, the number of felony drug convictions fell from 5,145 in the fis- cal year before the law to 2,889 over the past year, or 44 percent. In Clat- the number of felony drug convictions in Clatsop County in the fiscal year before the law took effect. 37 41% felony drug convictions in the county in the year since the law. the difference in felony convictions. *Source: Oregon Criminal Justice Commission sop County, felony drug convictions tumbled from 63 to 37, or 41 percent. The report also found that racial disparities in felony drug convictions, a significant issue in Portland and other urban areas, have narrowed. Ship-repair company set to close in 2019 State Attorney General Ellen Rosenblum told state lawmak- ers the law reflects the belief that “addiction cannot be addressed See CONVICTIONS, Page 7A Photos by Colin Murphey The Daily Astorian Diana Gulley examines part of the basement underneath her Astoria butcher shop. Astoria Marine negotiated with state By EDWARD STRATTON The Daily Astorian Astoria Marine Construction Co. will likely close sometime next year as the state Department of Environmental Quality final- izes a proposed $3 million cleanup sched- uled to begin next summer. The Lewis and Clark River shipyard, which repairs and refits much of the region’s fishing fleet, has been negotiating with the state and its insur- ers on a final plan to clean up his- PUBLIC contami- COMMENT torical nation from when The state is taking the company built comments on the wooden mine- proposed cleanup sweepers for through October. the Navy during Submit comments World War II and to Project Manager the Korean War. Erin McDonnell at The proposed 700 N.E. Mult- cleanup would nomah St., Suite 600, Portland, excavate and OR., 97232 or remove the most mcdonnell.erin@ contaminated soil deq.state.or.us. For and sediment in more information, the river. Remain- visit tinyurl.com/ ing contami- ycdvsjmu nated soil will be capped in place to prevent movement and exposure, while con- taminated sediment would be covered with a layer of clean sand. Laura Gleim, a spokes- woman for the state, said the cleanup should take two to three months. Tim Fastabend, owner of Astoria Marine Construction Co., referred comments to his attorney, Carson Bowler. Astoria Marine’s “going to go out of business, which is disappointing,” Bowler said. “But … the DEQ followed the cleanup laws, and AMCCO will comply with them.” The company has provided a $3.8 mil- lion escrow account via its insurer to fund the cleanup, with the remainder going to the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency, Gleim said. The company will also pay $100,000 to the state for oversight costs, while the state will wave $40,000 worth of past and future oversight. After the cleanup, the company will be released from further liability. ‘Kind of creepy’ ‘Ghost Adventures’ TV show features Astoria By ERICK BENGEL The Daily Astorian A Diana Gulley sees something on a wall in the basement she said was not there during a previous tour. WHEN TO WATCH ‘Graveyard of the Pacific,’ four episodes of ‘Ghost Adventures,’ debuts at 6 p.m. Saturday on the Travel Channel. storia, a port town where the history feels haunted and spooky sites abound, gets a starring role in the Travel Channel series “Ghost Adventures.” Four episodes airing Saturday titled “Graveyard of the Pacific” investigate the landmarks and hidden corners that locals know well — the rusted bones of the Peter Iredale at Fort Stevens State Park, Cape Disappointment’s North Head Lighthouse, and Astoria’s Nor- blad Hotel and cavernous underground tunnels. When The Daily Astorian spoke with the crew last spring, they said the research team had homed in on the Columbia-Pacific as a place practically vibrating with paranor- mal possibilities — a ghostly, fog-en- shrouded region with a dangerous river bar, a long catalogue of shipwrecks, unidentified bodies washing ashore, well-preserved old structures and mari- time mysteries. See TV SHOW, Page 7A See COMPANY, Page 7A Neighbors consider Goonies house parking options Discussion at a lively town hall By JACK HEFFERNAN The Daily Astorian Jack Heffernan/The Daily Astorian Astoria Police Chief Geoff Spalding appeared at a town hall on issues related to the Goonies house. Between creating a neigh- borhood watch association and suing Steven Spielberg, ideas about how to curb parking near the Goonies house ranged from serious to lighthearted Thursday. Astoria officials hosted a discussion at Alderbrook Hall about the nagging issues for residents who live near the famous — or infamous — house in Uppertown. About 20 people attended what largely became an informal brain- storming session. Astoria Public Works Direc- tor Jeff Harrington explained the city code and zoning laws that apply in the neighborhood. That spurred a conversation about the driveway leading up to the 38th Street home perched atop a hill. While the shared dirt drive- way is a public right of way, it is privately maintained. The pub- lic can legally go up that hill even though unofficial signs discourage it. Walkers some- times trespass on nearby prop- erties, and drivers damage the road, forcing property owners to constantly maintain it. “They do whatever they want once they get up there,” said Catherine Fuller, who lives next to the house. “They are brazen.” The driveway is a candidate to be vacated as a public right of way, Harrington said. If that happens, some suggested plac- ing a gate or fence to prevent people from entering. “If we did that, there wouldn’t be any reason to be up there at all, and all these prob- lems would go away,” Fuller said. But that would require each of the surrounding neighbors, who may prefer the driveway to access their property, to sign on. See PARKING, Page 7A