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About The daily Astorian. (Astoria, Or.) 1961-current | View Entire Issue (May 16, 2019)
A2 THE ASTORIAN • THURSDAY, MAY 16, 2019 Seaside student threatens school shooting IN BRIEF By EDWARD STRATTON The Astorian Warrenton to conduct smoke test of sewer lines Warrenton will smoke test sewer lines later this month. The tests are scheduled for May 29 through May 31 and will be conducted by Civil West Engineering Services. According to the city, smoke testing is an effi - cient and cost-effective way to identify leaks in the system, as well as locations where unwanted storm- water is entering sewer lines. Workers above ground can spot any smoke escaping through the holes in the system. During testing, people in Warrenton may see smoke escaping from their eaves and yard drains. Smoke may also enter houses through faulty or improper traps and drains. The city recommends pour- ing water into all drains, including fl oor drains, prior to testing to minimize smoke entering a home. The smoke is nontoxic, nonfl ammable and harmless to people, animals and plants. Smoke should exit through the vent stacks of houses and possibly escape through manholes. However, any other observed smoke in a house can indicate that dan- gerous and toxic gases are also able to enter the home. If this is the case, city staff suggest contacting a pro- fessional plumber. People who notice smoke in their house or on their property should report it immediately to the personnel conducting the smoke tests or call the Warrenton Pub- lic Works Department at 503-861-0912. — The Astorian Health offi cials report new measles cases in Washington SEATTLE — Four new measles cases have been diagnosed in western Washington involving people who spent time at the Seattle-Tacoma International Airport, authorities said. The Washington State Department of Health said Wednesday that two of the cases were in King County, which is home to Seattle, with one each in Pierce and Snohomish counties. In a statement, the health department said the exact exposure information wasn’t known but all of those infected spent time in the airport. The new cases come after a Pierce County man was diagnosed with measles over the weekend. Public health offi cials in late April declared a Pacifi c Northwest measles outbreak that sickened more than 70 people was over after six weeks passed without a new infection in southwest Washington state, said Dr. Alan Melnick, head of the Clark County public health department. — Associated Press DEATHS May 15, 2019 PEELER, Rev. Lance V., 49, of Astoria, pas- tor of Grace Episcopal Church, died in Asto- ria. Ocean View Funeral & Cremation Service of Astoria is in charge of the arrangements. May, 5, 2019 CHESSER, Clark D., 79, of Warrenton, died in Astoria. Ocean View Funeral & Cre- mation Service of Asto- ria is in charge of the arrangements. MEMORIAL Saturday, May 18 MARANGON, Vittorio “Vitto” — Celebration of life and potluck from 1 to 4 p.m., Clatsop Post 12 American Legion, 1132 Exchange St. Bring a dish and a favorite funny story. ON THE RECORD DUII • Vanessa Ahl, 40, of Astoria, was arrested by Astoria p olice on Tues- day for driving under the infl uence of intoxi- cants. A report came into the Oregon State Police around 6 p.m. Tues- day about a Jeep Wran- gler driving westbound in the wrong lane on U.S. Highway 30 near Svensen. Ahl allegedly drove to Astoria, where she was contacted by police in the Safeway gas station and registered a blood alcohol content of 0.23%. PUBLIC MEETINGS THURSDAY Cannon Beach Parks and Community Services Commit- tee, 9 a.m., City Hall, 163 E. Gower St. Seaside Transportation Advisory Commission, 6 p.m., City Hall, 989 Broadway. Cannon Beach Design Review Board, 6 p.m., City Hall, 163 E. Gower St. SEASIDE — A Seaside High School student was sus- pended Tuesday after threat- ening a school shooting. The student sent an email to several classmates warn- ing them not to come to school Wednesday because there would be a school shooting, according to Sea- side police. Police contacted the student, who admitted to sending the email. “The juvenile denied that they had intended to carry out the treat and that the threat was made because they were frustrated over an unknown reason,” the police said in a news release. “The early investigation did not discover any known access to fi rearms, nor was there any indication that other students were involved as a potential co-conspirator.” The Seaside School Dis- trict decided to hold classes Wednesday, with an increased police presence, after deter- mining there was no threat to students or staff. The stu- dent was not taken into cus- tody by police, but faces an administrative inquiry and possible expulsion. Possible criminal charges will be forwarded for review to the Clatsop County Juve- nile Department and the d is- trict a ttorney’s o ffi ce after investigation. The threat comes after two students at the high school were arrested in February for bringing an unloaded gun to campus in an attempt to intimidate another student. “Thank you to the cou- rageous students who made us aware in a timely man- ner,” the school district said in a message Tuesday to stu- dents and parents. “Our big- gest deterrent to violent acts against our school commu- nity is our student body who choose (to) say something when they see something.” Police ask anyone with information about the threat to contact Detective Guy Knight with the Sea- side Police Department at 503-738-6311. Summer, fall fi shing seasons set for Columbia River The Astorian Chinook salmon returns to the Columbia River will be the lowest in almost a decade this summer. As Oregon and Washing- ton state fi shery managers set seasons for the summer and fall, they had to bal- ance below-average projec- tions for a number of salmon stocks with what is expected to be a better run of coho. Fall and summer fi sh- eries will operate under another year of reduced sea- sons and bag limits and, in some cases, closures, state fi shery managers announced Tuesday. On the Columbia River, the summer fi shing season will be limited to steelhead Center for Whale Research Chinook salmon returns are expected to be low. and coho retention. Anglers will not be able to keep steel- head — hatchery or wild — from Aug. 1 through Aug. 31. They will not be able to keep any Chinook or sock- eye salmon during the sum- mer fi sheries. Only 35,900 summer Chinook are forecast to return to the river, the low- est return since 2000 and, according to fi shery manag- ers, too small to allow har- vest by non treaty fi sheries. Sockeye salmon retention is also off limits due to pro- jected low escapement of fi sh to spawn. The fall season, which starts on Aug. 1, is based around a projected return of 349,700 fall Chinook, higher than last year’s actual return of 293,400. Upriver bright Chinook are also predicted to return in numbers higher than last year. But the allowed harvest rate on this stock is reduced, which means a shorter reten- tion season for anglers hop- ing to bag fall Chinook. “The reduced harvest rate for upriver bright fall Chinook has made it chal- lenging to design fall recre- ational fi sheries the last two years,” said John North, fi sh- eries manager for the Ore- gon Department of Fish and Wildlife’s Columbia River p rogram. “Working with the public in the recent sea- son-setting process, we tried to balance opportunity with management constraints for fall Chinook and steelhead.” Oregon offi cials support federal wolf delisting Commission vote set for June By GEORGE PLAVEN Capital Press SALEM — Oregon wild- life offi cials are backing a proposal by the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service to lift endangered species protec- tions for gray wolves in the Lower 48 states. Curt Melcher, director of the Oregon Department of Fish and Wildlife, submitted a letter in May in support of federal delisting. While the Oregon wolf population con- tinues to grow, the depart- ment is “currently situated to become the primary wildlife agency responsible for wolf conservation and manage- ment statewide,” he wrote. Wolves are already del- isted in Eastern Oregon, but remain federally endangered west of highways 395, 78 and 95. Since returning to Oregon in 1999, wolves are gradu- ally but steadily expanding in numbers. According to the latest population estimate, the state counted at least 137 known wolves in 2018, a 10% increase over the previ- ous year. Most packs remain con- centrated in northeast Ore- gon, though several groups are now documented in the Cascade Range — includ- ing the Rogue pack near Cra- ter Lake, White River pack south of Mount Hood and U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service The Oregon Department of Fish and Wildlife has written a letter in support of removing wolves from the federal Endangered Species List. Indigo group in the Umpqua National Forest. “We fully expect this expansion to continue regardless of listing sta- tus as we have documented increasing numbers, packs and breeding pairs where they are not currently listed in the eastern third of Ore- gon,” Melcher wrote. Environmental groups oppose delisting wolves, arguing the species exists today at just 1% of its former numbers and less than 10% of its former range. The Fish and Wildlife Service has so far received 74,562 com- ments about its proposal. In a previous interview, Jason Rylander, senior attor- ney at Defenders of Wildlife in Washington, D.C., said the Trump administration is fail- ing to consider the entirety of wolf range, including the Pacifi c Northwest. “They seem to have this idea that historic range of the wolf does not matter,” Rylander said. The Department of Fish and Wildlife manages wolves under the state’s Wolf Conservation and Management Plan, which Melcher said requires the agency to diligently monitor threats to wolves — such as poaching, diseases and habi- tat destruction. “Based on empirical data and a viability analysis, these threats are not having a sig- nifi cant impact on the Ore- gon population,” he said. The Oregon wolf plan also regulates when wolves can be killed after repeat- edly preying on livestock. As it stands, wolves cannot be killed in w estern Oregon except in defense of human life. But if the species is del- isted, it would be subject to so-called “chronic depreda- tion” guidelines. Wolves in w estern Ore- gon would fall under Phase I of the wolf plan, which, Melcher said, would “pro- vide protections similar to what would occur under the Oregon ESA.” Phase I defi nes chronic depredation as four confi rmed attacks on livestock in six months, with strict rules for ranch- ers implementing non lethal deterrents. Eastern Oregon is now in Phase III of the w olf p lan, which allows for ranchers to request killing wolves after just two confi rmed attacks on livestock over any period of time. The state is nearly fi nished with a long-overdue update of the w olf p lan, which was supposed to be completed in 2015. If passed, the defi ni- tion of chronic depredation in Phase III would change to two confi rmed attacks on livestock in nine months. A draft of the revised plan was released in April, and the Oregon Fish and Wildlife Commission is scheduled to vote at its meeting June 7 in Salem. Clatsop Post 12 Friday, May 17th Baked Chicken Dinner $8.00 • 4pm ‘til gone “Karaoke Dave” at 6PM Saturday, May 18th Established July 1, 1873 (USPS 035-000) Published Tuesday, Thursday and Saturday by EO Media Group, 949 Exchange St., PO Box 210, Astoria, OR 97103 Telephone 503-325-3211, 800-781-3211 or Fax 503-325-6573. POSTMASTER: Send address changes to The Astorian, PO Box 210, Astoria, OR 97103-0210 DailyAstorian.com Circulation phone number: 503-325-3211 Periodicals postage paid at Astoria, OR ADVERTISING OWNERSHIP All advertising copy and illustrations prepared by The Astorian become the property of The Astorian and may not be reproduced for any use without explicit prior approval. COPYRIGHT © Entire contents © Copyright, 2019 by The Astorian. MEMBER OF THE ASSOCIATED PRESS MEMBER CERTIFIED AUDIT OF CIRCULATIONS, INC. 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