The daily Astorian., September 14, 2019, WEEKEND EDITION, Image 1

WEEK 2 OF HIGH SCHOOL FOOTBALL • SPORTS EXTRA • INSIDE
147TH YEAR, NO. 33
WEEKEND EDITION // SATuRdAY, SEpTEmbER 14, 2019
$1.50
County
could
license
tobacco
retailers
Ordinance would also
ban flavored products
By NICOLE BALES
The Astorian
Clatsop County is moving to license
and inspect retail tobacco sellers, as well
as ban flavored tobacco, which is favored
by teenagers.
County commissioners held the first
public hearing on the proposed ordinance
Wednesday night and could approve it on
Sept. 25.
The license would cost retailers $350
a year. The inspections would help ensure
retailers are following Tobacco 21 rules.
In 2018, Oregon joined the national cam-
paign to raise the minimum age to pur-
chase tobacco to 21 years old.
Oregon is one of nine states that does
not have tobacco retail
licensing.
Astoria, Warren-
MORE
ton and Seaside sup-
INSIDE
port the county’s
• pot
ordinance.
retailers
“Access is a major
begin
contributor to the teen
pulling
epidemic of vaping,”
vape
Michael
McNickle,
brands
the county’s public
health director, said in
• Lung
an email. “If we can
doctors
reduce access to vap-
explain
ing products to those
how
under 21 by enforcing
Oregon
Tobacco 21 rules about
vaping
advertising and access
victim
and so forth — then it
died
will be less likely that
Page A5
teens under 21 can.”
The federal Cen-
ters for Disease Con-
trol and Prevention has warned people
about vaping after several deaths linked to
a lung disease associated with e-cigarettes,
including one in Oregon.
The Trump administration is preparing
a ban on flavored e-cigarettes. The Ore-
gon Health Authority released a statement
Thursday in support of a federal ban, call-
ing flavors a “key component of youth use
and initiation of tobacco products.”
“E-cigarettes are the most popular
tobacco products used among Oregon
youth, with 21% of Oregon 11th grad-
ers reporting e-cigarette use in 2018,” the
statement said.
And they are available in “thousands of
flavors with kid-friendly names and can-
dy-like packaging.”
In Clatsop County, public health offi-
cials believe a ban on flavored tobacco
products, which is included in the new
ordinance, may discourage teenagers from
using tobacco.
photos by Hailey Hoffman/The Astorian
Xia Qin reviews Mandarin with her third grade class at Naselle-Grays River Valley Schools.
In Naselle, students see world
cultures through Mandarin
Program evolved from
immersion grant
By LUCY KLEINER
The Astorian
N
ASELLE, Wash. — At the
foot of the door in a Naselle-
Grays River Valley classroom
lies a white piece of paper taped to
the speckled tile floor. The teacher
calls this her Chinese mat. Printed on
the mat are three Chinese characters.
They translate to “Speak Chinese.”
And that’s exactly what the stu-
dents in the classroom do.
“That’s my rule from the first
day,” Xia Qin, the school’s Manda-
rin teacher, said. “When they pass the
mat, they have to say Mandarin in my
class all the time.”
This school year, 73 students,
ranging from kindergarten to sev-
enth grade, will spend part of their
day learning from Xia Qin, who was
born and raised in China. During
their world cultures class, 90% of the
curriculum is presented in Mandarin,
and students learn to speak, read and
write in the language.
On some days, this looks like a
game of Pictionary, as Xia Qin uses
photos, videos and body language to
help students understand her lessons
and retain new vocabulary.
“You cannot just tell them the
meaning and ask them to repeat it,”
she said. “That doesn’t mean any-
thing to them.”
On other days, the classroom —
flanked with Chinese characters on
bright, colored posters — looks more
like a kitchen, where students learn
ABOVE: Following a demonstration
video, students dance with bright-
red Chinese hand fans at the end of
Mandarin class. LEFT: Students play
a game of rock-paper-scissors in a
competition that involved pronouncing
Mandarin vowels correctly.
‘YOU CANNOT JUST
TELL THEM THE
MEANING AND ASK
THEM TO REPEAT IT.
THAT DOESN’T MEAN
ANYTHING TO THEM.’
Xia Qin | Naselle-Grays River Valley’s
Mandarin teacher
See Mandarin, Page A6
See Tobacco, Page A6
Proposed housing code changes irk Warrenton planners
Ideas stemmed from
housing needs study
By EDWARD STRATTON
The Astorian
WARRENTON — City plan-
ning commissioners balked Thurs-
day at some of the housing code
changes proposed by city staff and
a state consultant to increase hous-
ing density and options.
Kevin Cronin, the city’s com-
munity development director, pre-
sented a list of recommended
changes stemming from a hous-
ing needs assessment completed in
June. They included lower lot size
requirements, higher densities and
more diverse housing types.
The recommendations first tack-
led accessory dwelling units, where
Cronin said the city is in violation
of state law by not allowing owners
to offer them on the rental market.
City code requires that attached
housing units be owner-occupied.
The owner may act as a resident
caretaker of a main house while liv-
ing in the accessory unit or appoint
a family member to perform such
duties.
“This just needs to be deleted,”
Cronin said.
Planning Commissioner Chris-
tine Bridgens took umbrage at
The Astorian
Warrenton is considering proposals to increase housing density.
the proposed deletion, arguing
that market rentals of accessory
units would change the character
of Warrenton. She also took issue
with other recommendations to
lower lot size and increase density
requirements.
“I would not want to have a
rental unit in my backyard,” she
said. “I’m looking out my kitchen
at someone who’s renting an acces-
sory dwelling unit. I think it would
lower our property values.”
Commissioner Chris Hay-
ward, pointing out potential den-
sity issues, said he could fit an attic
unit and several tiny homes on his
property.
“I’ve got a real narrow street,”
he said. “Pretty soon, I could have
quite a backup.”
The city allows one accessory
dwelling unit outright, Cronin said,
after which he’d need enough land
to add additional tiny homes. He
See Warrenton, Page A6