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About The daily Astorian. (Astoria, Or.) 1961-current | View Entire Issue (Nov. 22, 2018)
1A THE DAILY ASTORIAN • THURSDAY, NOVEMBER 22, 2018 146TH YEAR, NO. 104 DailyAstorian.com // THURSDAY, NOVEMBER 22, 2018 ONE DOLLAR Log exports on hold due to trade war Impending tariffs causing layoffs and slowdowns By EDWARD STRATTON The Daily Astorian Longshoremen are load- ing the bulk carrier Tunsin at the Port of Astoria’s Pier 1 with at least 5.5 million board feet of timber from Astoria Forest Products leaving Fri- day for China. The Tunsin, the last ship scheduled for this year, could be the last log export indef- initely for the Port until the deepening trade war between the U.S. and China is resolved. Chad Niedermeyer, the yard manager for Astoria Forest Products, said log ship contracts for next year have been put on hold because of impending tariffs. President Trump recently announced 10 percent tariffs on $200 billion worth of Chinese goods, with an increase to 25 percent next year. The Chinese currently charge 5 percent tariffs on Douglas fir and hemlock, along with 10 percent on white woods such as spruce and grand fir, Niedermeyer said. But if Trump’s tariff increases take effect, Chi- nese customers are indicat- ing there will be 25 percent tariffs on all U.S. imports, he added. The slowdown in log exports, the Port’s largest sin- gle source of revenue, has caused the agency to consider budget cutbacks and look for alternate sources of revenue. Astoria Forest Products recently began a partnership barging logs from Pier 1 to Southport Lumber Co., a mill near Coos Bay. Southport has a contract with the state of Oregon for about 3 million board feet of timber over the next year, and with private buyers will likely acquire a total of 5 to 8 million board feet, Niedermeyer said. Ginger Nealon A juvenile bobcat is examined at the Wildlife Center of the North Coast. See EXPORTS, Page 7A Young bobcat returned to the wild Oregon pot tax revenue grows as consumption booms By CLAIRE WITHYCOMBE Capital Bureau SALEM — Oregonians are buying more legal pot than expected. That means they are also poised to pay more taxes on it — about $12.5 million more in the current budget than state economists pro- jected several months ago. The average price of a gram of cannabis on the retail market has dropped from about $10 in late 2016 to just above $4 in mid-2018, according to state figures. But tax collections con- tinue to grow. Altogether, Oregon con- sumers are projected to pay $176 million in state mari- juana taxes during the cur- rent budget cycle, which ends in mid-2019. “Since Oregon lev- ies its recreational mari- juana tax based on the price of the product, the fact that actual tax collections have exceeded expectations is all the more impressive given the ongoing drop in prices,” state economists said in a revenue forecast report last week. “For every ounce sold, or every edible purchased, Oregon is receiving less tax revenue per item due to the price decline.” Wholesale prices have also decreased in that period, but less dramatically. Consumers are turning away from other sources, like the black market and medical marijuana, and toward rec- reational retail, state econo- mists say. And more Oregonians are using cannabis, according to the forecast. By BRENNA VISSER The Daily Astorian A Photos by Beth Wise ABOVE: The bobcat was rescued by after it was found in a backyard off High- way 202. BELOW: Experts determined the young animal to be in good health. See POT, Page 7A young male bobcat was released back into the wild Sunday after being found in a family’s fenced-in backyard off Highway 202. The family, after seeing their dogs cor- ner the bobcat under an oil tank about a week ago, decided to call the Wildlife Center of the North Coast about a possi- ble rescue. Receiving a bobcat is rare, said Joshua Saranpaa, executive director of the wild- life center. This is only the fourth report in 10 years. “We don’t get a lot of calls about them. They’re pretty reclusive, so they generally stay away from people,” Saranpaa said. “They’re also nocturnal, so they are just not out and about when we’re out about.” As a precaution, Saranpaa and rehabil- itation coordinator Pauline Baker decided to capture the cat and bring him in to a veterinarian for a thorough exam to make sure there were no injuries or illnesses. After giving him a series of vaccinations and running him through a test to make sure he could catch live prey, staff con- firmed that he was a “healthy little bob- cat,” and decided to release him on the wildlife center grounds. A small group of community members gave him a proper goodbye as he bounded out of his kennel and into the brush sur- rounding the center. Seaside School District to sell old elementary Former school building has sat vacant since 2013 By BRENNA VISSER The Daily Astorian Colin Murphey/The Daily Astorian The gymnasium at the Cannon Beach Elementary School. CANNON BEACH — The Sea- side School District is seriously con- sidering selling the former Cannon Beach Elementary School property to the Cannon Beach Museum and His- torical Society. Though other offers have been made in the past, this is the first time the dis- trict has publicly expressed intention to commit to a sale. Superintendent Sheila Roley said the board has shown inter- est in supporting the sale, and will likely vote to approve it in the next month or so. “It’s a good offer,” Roley said. “We look forward to working out the details of the sale with the historical society.” The building, which has sat vacant at the north end of town since the school was closed in 2013, has long been an object of desire for the city, which has discussed buying it as some form of event or community center on and off for years. The Clatsop-Nehalem Confeder- ated Tribes and other nonprofits have also shown interest in preserving the unique building as a cultural landmark. It is one of four buildings the district is See SCHOOL, Page 7A