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About The daily Astorian. (Astoria, Or.) 1961-current | View Entire Issue (Aug. 6, 2019)
A2 THE ASTORIAN • TuESdAy, AuguST 6, 2019 IN BRIEF Filling Empty Bellies drops one lunch day for August An Astoria nonprofit that has served lunch to the homeless and others in need since 2015 is cutting down on the number of meals it provides each week due to a shortage of volunteers. Filling Empty Bellies will continue to serve lunch Monday through Thursday and on Saturdays through- out August at Peoples Park off Marine Drive, according to director Erin Carlsen. Last week, the group thought it would have to cut down to serving lunch only three days a week rather than the usual six, but has since had several more vol- unteers step up. Carlsen sees the change in lunch service as an oppor- tunity to tighten up the list of volunteers and ensure that the lunches are predictably provided and staffed. In July, some lunches were canceled or delayed, either because of a lack of volunteers or because someone had to drop out unexpectedly. Carlsen said that, in general, “Summertime is really hard because people’s schedules change a lot.” In a Facebook post Friday, Carlsen emphasized that Filling Empty Bellies is a nonprofit. Though the group receives regular food donations from Columbia Memo- rial Hospital and pizzas from Sahara Pizza, funding for meals often comes out of volunteers own pockets, she wrote. “Most of us are working full-time jobs and squeez- ing this outreach work into our free time and days off,” she wrote. “Why do we continue to do it? I think it’s because we share a common belief that humans, no matter who they are or what they’ve done, deserve to eat and drink water in order to stay alive. Pretty simple.” “The reality is that most of the volunteers are people who are barely making ends meet themselves and that’s why they’re doing it, because they know what it means to be hungry,” Carlsen told The Astorian. Filling Empty Bellies also organizes laundry days at the Mini Mart on the east side to give people a chance to wash clothes. — The Astorian DEATH Aug. 3, 2019 FOWLER, Linda, 76, of Seaside, died in Seaside. Caldwell’s Luce-Layton Mortuary of Astoria is in charge of the arrangements. ON THE RECORD DUII • Anthony S. Evans, 22, of Astoria, was arrested Sunday in Warrenton for driving under the influ- ence of intoxicants. • Jason Wesley Sicken, 39, of Astoria, was arrested Sunday on the 300 block of Olney Ave- nue for DUII and resist- ing arrest. He was also cited for refusing a breath test. • Maria Cruz-Reyes, 38, of Tillamook, was arrested Saturday on U.S. Highway 101 and Broad- way Street in Seaside for DUII. Criminal trespass • Steven Michael Wolf, 42, was arrested Sunday on the 100 block of Alternate U.S. High- way 101 for violation of a restraining order and criminal trespass in the second degree. Assault • Joseph W. Taylor, 22, of Warrenton, was arrested Sunday on the 400 block of N. Main Avenue in Warrenton for assault in the second degree, disorderly con- duct in the second degree and harassment. • Deresia Artui, 51, of Astoria, was charged Friday with assault in the fourth degree. A man was taken to Columbia Memorial Hospital after she allegedly threw a tool used for shrimp process- ing at a seafood plant and lacerated the left side of his face. Burglary • David William Nich- ols Jr., 30, of Astoria, was arrested Monday on T T Larson Road in Astoria for burglary in the first degree and ex-convict in possession of a weapon. PUBLIC MEETINGS TUESDAY Seaside Community Center Commission, 10:30 a.m., Bob Chisholm Center, 1225 Avenue A. Port of Astoria Commis- sion, 4 p.m., Port offices, 10 Pier 1 Suite 209. Seaside Library Board, 4:30 p.m., Seaside Library, 1131 Broadway. Clatsop Care Health District Board, 5 p.m., Clatsop Care Health and Rehabilitation, 646 16th St. Astoria Planning Commis- sion, 6 p.m., City Hall, 1095 Duane St. Miles Crossing Sanitary Sewer District Board, 6 p.m., 34583 U.S. Highway 101 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 Business. Seaside Planning Commis- sion, 7 p.m., City Hall, 989 Broadway. WEDNESDAY Seaside Improvement Commission, 6 p.m., City Hall, 989 Broadway. Gearhart City Council, 7 p.m., City Hall, 698 Pacific Way. THURSDAY Astoria City Council, 1 p.m., work session, City Hall, 1095 Duane St. Seaside Convention Center Commission, 5 p.m., Seaside Civic and Convention Center, 415 First Ave. Cannon Beach Academy, 5:30 p.m., 3781 S. Hemlock St. 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. Printed on recycled paper Subscription rates Effective May 1, 2019 MAIL (IN COUNTY) EZpay (per month) ...............................................................................................................$11.25 13 weeks in advance ...........................................................................................................$37.00 26 weeks in advance ...........................................................................................................$71.00 52 weeks in advance ........................................................................................................ $135.00 Out of County Rates available at 800-781-3214 DIGITAL EZpay (per month) .................................................................................................................$8.00 Hailey Hoffman/The Astorian TROLLEY RETURNS The Old 300 rolled along the Astoria Riverwalk over the weekend. For the first time this summer, the Astoria Riverfront Trolley was able to run its entire route along the downtown waterfront over the weekend. A project to replace short bridges that connect the base of downtown streets to overwater piers hit several snags — to the frustration of businesses that rely on foot traffic down 11th Street and along the Astoria Riverwalk. The city originally hoped the first three bridges at Seventh, Ninth and 11th streets would be fully replaced and reopened by the end of May. But contractors have only just finished paving the streets. While the trolley tracks are open, the street ends are still blocked off by fencing. According to a recent update from city engineering staff, however, the streets will be open to pedestrian and vehicle traffic on weekends. Contractors will begin on the next set of bridges at Sixth, Eighth and Tenth streets this fall. Columbia Memorial readies clinic in Seaside By R.J. MARX The Astorian SEASIDE — Work is underway on a new Colum- bia Memorial Hospital pri- mary care and urgent care clinic at the former sites of Dress Barn and Toys R Us at the Seaside Outlet Mall. Erik Thorsen, the hospi- tal’s CEO, said in a state- ment that the last commu- nity health needs assessment showed a need to do more to meet the demand for pri- mary care services. With patients in Seaside, Cannon Beach and farther south, he said it “just makes sense to the board to build a clinic in Seaside.” The future Columbia Memorial Hospital clinic at the Seaside Outlet Mall. The hospital opened its first primary care clinic in the Warrenton Highlands shopping center in 2013 and added another clinic in Asto- ria’s Park Medical Building last year. The Knight Cancer Col- laborative, a partnership with Oregon Health & Sci- ence University for chemo- therapy and radiation ther- apy, opened in 2017 next to the hospital’s main campus in Astoria. The new clinic in Seaside will follow the model of the hospital’s Warrenton clinic, offering primary care, urgent care and some diagnostics, such as X-rays and labs, according to Felicia Struve, the hospital’s marketing and communications director. A Democratic defection killed cap and trade Monnes Anderson was influenced by Boeing’s concerns By AUBREY WIEBER Oregon Capital Bureau A state Senate Demo- crat, not fleeing Republi- cans, doomed Gov. Kate Brown’s keystone environ- mental policy that had been in the works for more than a decade, according to inter- views and public records. When Senate President Peter Courtney announced in June that his chamber didn’t have the votes to pass cap-and-trade legislation, the credit for its failure fell to a walkout by 11 Repub- lican senators and a boister- ous Capitol rally by the tim- ber industry. But Sen. Laurie Monnes Anderson, a Gresham Dem- ocrat, had already quietly told Courtney she wasn’t the expected “yes” vote sup- porters had counted on. Her defection meant Courtney couldn’t field enough Dem- ocratic votes to pass the ambitious legislation. Her little-known role reveals the power of the lobby and the nitty-gritty of state politics that often turns on one-on-one dealings more than public statements and committee hearings. Monnes Anderson is a 73-year-old retired nurse who won a House seat in 2000, then moved to the Senate in 2004. She’s long been a reliable vote for Democrats, though lobbyists say she also has a reputation for being easily swayed. That reputation made her a political target as the cap- and-trade plan appeared headed for legislative approval. “Boeing came to me,” Monnes Anderson said. “People think I am easily swayed. I think I am objec- tive and open-minded about the pros and cons about important legislation.” Democrats had been pursuing cap and trade for years, acting out of concern that Oregon play a role in laws over the Republican minority. Critical vote That didn’t mean House Bill 2020 was easy going. An interim committee spent months working up the pro- posal. During the session, legislators conducted 23 hearings and considered 116 amendments. In June , the House passed the measure 36-24 after a floor debate that exceeded six hours. Its passage in the Senate was considered inevitable by even some of the bill’s most vigilant foes. Courtney needed 16 sen- edged in an interview that she didn’t have a great understanding of the dense policy, but was given pause when Boeing approached her with concerns. Boeing’s Gresham fac- tory employs 1,600 work- ers. The facility gets its elec- tricity from a wholesale supplier rather than a pub- lic utility. Public utilities got free allowances in HB 2020, in part because of a state mandate forcing them to move from coal power and also because the state has oversight of them. The state has no way to see how pri- vate suppliers rely on clean ‘BOEINg CAME TO ME. PEOPLE THINK I AM EASILy SWAyEd. I THINK I AM OBJECTIVE ANd OPEN-MINdEd ABOuT THE PROS ANd CONS ABOuT IMPORTANT LEgISLATION.’ Sen. Laurie Monnes Anderson | a Gresham Democrat reducing greenhouse emis- sions and finance environ- mental innovation. Legisla- tion encapsulating the idea had failed in one legislative session after another, but this year offered hope the plan would finally become law. Brown won reelection in part based on promis- ing to pursue the program and Democrats won enough seats in the House and Sen- ate to push through new WANTED Alder and Maple Saw Logs & Standing Timber Northwest Hardwoods • Longview, WA Contact: John Anderson • 360-269-2500 ators to say “yes.” He had 18 Democrats to work with. Two Democrats already publicly declared they would vote “no” — Sen. Betsy Johnson, of Scappoose, and Sen. Arnie Roblan, of Coos Bay. That left Courtney the 16 Democrats he needed to move ahead, but Monnes Anderson in May started voicing concerns, triggering an intense lobbying effort by industry, environmen- talists and the governor’s staff. Monnes Anderson was emerging as the critical vote. Her concern was focused: She didn’t want the legisla- tion to hurt a major employer in her urban district, Boeing. Monnes Anderson acknowl- or dirty energy production, or ensure free allowances would go toward stabilizing energy rates rather than prof- iting shareholders. Boeing produced an anal- ysis that determined HB 2020 would increase the Gresham factory’s energy costs by $1 million per year. But text messages acquired by the Oregon Capital Bureau show when the gov- ernor’s staff asked for that analysis in an attempt to address the matter, company officials declined, saying it was proprietary information. Emails between Brown’s chief of staff, Nik Blosser, and Boeing representatives See Cap and trade, Page A3