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About The daily Astorian. (Astoria, Or.) 1961-current | View Entire Issue (March 1, 2019)
A3 THE DAILY ASTORIAN • FRIDAY, MARCH 1, 2019 Marijuana store knocks former landlord over safety features By EDWARD STRATTON The Daily Astorian Sweet Relief, which is being sued by the owner of a building it subleased that was gutted after a butane hash oil explosion and fi re in 2016, is blaming its former landlord for not installing proper safety equipment. Hudson Specialty Insur- ance Co., the insurer for Rich- ard Delphia’s building at the corner of Portway and Indus- try streets, sued Jason Oei and Chris West — the main ten- ants of the building through marijuana concentrates com- pany Higher Level Concen- trates — last year for neg- ligence. Oei and West were allegedly making butane hash oil in an open-ended system while smoking when the blast occurred. Sweet Relief, a marijuana store, subleased an upstairs The Daily Astorian Richard Delphia is suing his former tenants over a butane hash oil explosion in 2016 that gutted his building at Portway and Industry streets. suite of the building for a second Astoria location. The company was named a co-de- fendant, along with investor John Harper, for its knowl- edge of the operation. Oei and West, who both fi led for bankruptcy protec- tion, were removed from the Delphia lawsuit. Grant Stockton, a lawyer for Sweet Relief, knocked Delphia for failing to equip the building with automatic sprinklers, proper venting, adequate fi re control and for not preventing Higher Level’s illegal activity. Any losses sustained by Delphia and his insurer are the result of acts or omissions beyond Sweet Relief’s con- trol, Stockton wrote. Delphia’s lawsuit comes after another claim brought by Jacob Magley, a worker for Higher Level who was badly burned in the fi re, was settled for an undisclosed amount. Delphia’s lawsuit, fi led on the two-year anniversary of the explosion and fi re, seeks $351,000 for damages to the building, which is still a vacant, burned-out shell. The lawsuit claims the unlawful use of a hazardous substance such as butane gas in an open-ended system was a violation of Oei and West’s lease, and that Sweet Relief and Harper were negligent for their knowledge of the operation. Warrenton teenager reportedly robbed in Astoria alley By BRENNA VISSER The Daily Astorian Astoria police are looking for a man who allegedly assaulted and robbed an 18-year- old Warrenton man in the 13th Street A lley between Duane and Commercial s treets on Wednesday evening. The teenager was skateboarding through the alley around 6 p.m. when he was approached by a group of six peo- ple, police said. One of them, a white man dressed in a yellow shirt and white pants, report- edly demanded money for a bus ticket. When the teenager said he wouldn’t pro- vide money, he was “sucker punched” and knocked out, Deputy Police Chief Eric Halv- erson said. The victim’s brother rounded the cor- ner shortly after and allegedly saw people taking items, includ- ing a cellphone and cash, out of the teenag- er’s pocket. The group of people left when the brother began approach- ing them. About four hours later, the brothers reported the incident to the police. Anyone with infor- mation about the inci- dent is urged to con- tact the Astoria Police Department. Protections for Devil’s Staircase, other areas sent to Trump for signature By JES BURNS Oregon Public Broadcasting The U.S. House of Rep- resentatives passed legisla- tion this week that will pro- vide greater protections to many of the Northwest’s natural wonders — includ- ing Washington’s Methow Valley; the Devil’s Staircase in the Oregon Coast Range; and the Rogue, Chetco and Umpqua river watersheds in southwestern Oregon. The Natural Resource Management Act easily cleared the House on a vote of 363-62. All fi ve Ore- gon House members voted “yes.” It now goes to Pres- ident Donald Trump for his signature, having already passed the Senate. Many of these protec- tions have been kicking around Congress for more than a decade. U.S. Rep. Kurt Schrader, an Oregon Democrat , said on the House fl oor his effort to protect the Molalla River has been ongoing for 12 years. “This legislation would designate over 21 miles of the Molalla River as wild and scenic, a federal des- Chandra LeGue/Oregon Wild The Devil’s Staircase, a series of cataracts on Wassen Creek in southwest Oregon. ignation that will perma- nently ensure its protection and preservation as one of Oregon’s many natural state treasures,” he said . The massive Natural Resource Management Act includes a little of every- thing — bits and pieces meant to satisfy public land interests all over the country. The land conservation measures have received a lot of attention. But there are other provisions in the bill concerning the Pacifi c Northwest, among them wildfi re risk, research and air quality resources, hunt- ing on public lands, water management for the Yakima Valley — which is one of the Northwest’s premier farm- ing regions — and volcano emergency alert systems. For hunters in the Pacifi c Northwest, the bill guaran- tees something sportsmen’s groups have been advocat- ing for for years: public land access. Generally, hunting and fi shing is allowed on federal public lands, unless a specifi c closure has been put in place by local land managers. “What this legislation does is take it a step further in codifying and prioritizing those uses and establishing some parameters for how future closures need to occur with greater public input,” said John Gale, conservation director for the advocacy group Backcountry Hunters and Anglers. Gale said this would trig- ger when land managers make smaller, more local- ized decisions to limit access to public lands. Gale’s group also applauded the provision that permanently reautho- rizes the Land and Water Conservation Fund. It ear- marks money from offshore oil and gas drilling royalties for conservation projects. In particular, at least $15 mil- lion from the fund would now be designated each year for projects that improve recreational access to fed- eral public lands. Gale said it is not uncom- mon to have federal land surrounded by private or state land, meaning it can be diffi cult or impossible to legally access. The funds would be used to negotiate easements, purchase or other legal methods of giving the public access. “There’s often some obvious way to get in there, Volunteer Pick of the Week Rayne WANTED 9yr old Calico Female Alder and Maple Saw Logs & Standing Timber Northwest Hardwoods • Longview, WA Beautiful, warm & welcoming by design, this is an artisanal cat! Contact: John Anderson • 360-269-2500 EMERALD HEIGHTS APARTMENTS Read about Sylvia on Petfinder.com C LATSOP C OUNTY A NIMAL S HELTER Sponsored By 1315 SE 19 th Street, Warrenton • 861 - PETS Astoria, OR www.dogsncats.org Small and Large Unfurnished 2 Bedroom Units Now Available! Ch ec k th e L a b e l P LEASE , NO EARLY DROP - OFFS Items must have the 10 cent, OR redemption label in order to benefit the band programs for more information call 503-325-8221 Monday - Friday 9-5 • NO APPOINTMENT NECESSARY AN AFFORDABLE PLACE TO CALL HOME EQUAL HOUSING OPPORTUNITY Email: emeraldheights@charter.net or visit our website: emeraldheightsapartments.com CAN & BOTTLE DRIVE 1 P.M.- 3 P.M. • SUNDAY, MARCH 3 RD AT ASTORIA HIGH SCHOOL NEWLY REMODELED NEW APPLIANCES, NEW LIGHTS NEW CARPET/VINYL FLOOR NEW BATHROOM VANITIES & MIRRORS 2-BEDROOM APARTMENTS All Rents Include: Electricity · Garbage · Water A bright, creative gentbewoman with a zest for bife and a knack for friendship. She is sadby missed by her famiby and many friends. Noon to 4pm, Tues-Sat Astoria Band Boosters ! Anne Spbane Phillips 10/21/1925 - 03/01/2018 and lots of potential options to explore. This gives us the tools we need to have those conversations,” Gale said. Another provision in the Natural Resource Manage- ment Act aims to shore up the nationwide response to volcanic emergencies — something with which the Pacifi c Northwest has had fi rsthand experience with the eruption of Mount St. Helens in 1980. The legislation provides $55 million to the establish- ment of a National Volcano Early Warning and Monitor- ing System and “organize, modernize, standardize, and stabilize the monitoring sys- tems of the volcano observa- tories in the United States.” The Band Boosters are the primary source of funds to keep Astoria’s school band programs functioning. Please help by dropping off your empties or making a donation. Call (503) 791-8134 or email i_want_to_help@astoriabands.org for more information.
