The daily Astorian. (Astoria, Or.) 1961-current, December 31, 2019, Image 2

The daily Astorian., December 31, 2019, Page 2, Image 2

Image provided by: University of Oregon Libraries; Eugene, OR

About The daily Astorian. (Astoria, Or.) 1961-current | View Entire Issue (Dec. 31, 2019)

Prev Page of 27 Next Prev Issue Next Text PDF JP2 (1.4 MB) Clip/Print Image

Return to Top

Prev Page of 27 Next Prev Issue Next

Newspaper Page TextA2 THE ASTORIAN • TUESDAY, DECEMBER 31, 2019 Fog and big waves impact Whale Watch Week IN BRIEF Two men arrested after pulling knife on homeless group An Astoria man allegedly pulled a knife on a group of homeless people early Monday morning in front of the American Legion in Astoria. Greyson Ryder Saunders, 28, of Astoria, was arrested for menacing. Jacob Martin Kitzman, 28, who was with Saunders, was arrested for interfering with a police ofﬁ cer and resisting arrest. According to police, Saunders said he thought the group was coming to steal from him so he started swinging a knife around. No injuries were reported. Coastal hazard message for the North Coast A coastal hazard message is in effect for the North Coast through Tuesday evening. There is an increased risk of being caught in a sneaker wave, which can suddenly knock people off their feet and pull them into the ocean. Ofﬁ cials advise people to keep children and pets away from the surf and to stay off of jetties, rocks and logs near the surf. — The Astorian SALEM — A plan that would require purchasing a permit before entering three of Oregon’s most pop- ular wilderness areas has received a largely negative response. The Statesman Journal reported that more than 13,700 comments were submitted on a proposal to charge $4 to $11 per day to enter the Three Sisters, Mount Jefferson and Mount Washington wilderness areas beginning in 2020. The comments, which came from across the coun- try, echo the idea that while action is needed to com- bat overcrowding and garbage on wilderness trails, the proposal is too costly and restrictive. “There is something amiss when an American cit- izen has to pay a fee to hike on their lands, which are really our birthright, not a commodity to be ‘sold,’” said George Nickus, executive director of Wilderness Watch. The Montana-based advocacy group marshaled more than 10,000 comments opposing the proposal by having people submit a prewritten form letter. U.S. Forest Service ofﬁ cials said they’ll use all the comments to shape a ﬁ nal decision. They pointed out that public comments already played a role in limit- ing the scope of the plan. “I wouldn’t say the response was surprising — fees are rarely popular,” said Matt Peterson, who led the project for the Forest Service. “We appreciate everyone that sent in suggestions. Public comments have been important to this entire process.” — Associated Press DEATHS Hughes-Ransom Mor- tuary is in charge of the arrangements. WEAVER, Rhea Kathryn, 69, of Seaside, died in Seaside. Cald- well’s Funeral & Crema- tion Arrangement Center in Seaside is in charge of the arrangements. MEMORIAL Saturday, Jan. 4 DUNN, Muriel Cleota — Celebration of life at 11 a.m., Warrenton Grade School, 820 S.W. Cedar Ave. in Warrenton, with a reception to follow. ON THE RECORD Assault • Francine Annette Leach, 49, of Warren- ton, was arrested Friday on N. Wahanna Road in Seaside for assault in the third degree. Disorderly conduct • Benjamin Knell, 51, of Seaside, was arrested Saturday on S. Columbia Street in Seaside for dis- orderly conduct. • Michael Crost, 59, was arrested Saturday on S. Columbia Street in Seaside for disorderly conduct. PUBLIC MEETINGS THURSDAY Astoria Design Review Commission, 5:30 p.m., City Hall, 1095 Duane St. 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 Seaside Parks Advisory Committee, 7 p.m., work session, City Hall, 989 Broadway. 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. Oregon Whale Watch Week has begun as thou- sands of gray whales make their way down past the West Coast toward the warmer waters of Baja, Mexico. Over the next few weeks, about 25,000 whales will swim along the Oregon C oast. That migration peaks between Christmas and N ew Y ear’s Day, when up to 30 whales can pass each hour. People with binoculars can whale watch anywhere along the coast. Or people can head to one of Oregon State Parks’ 24 whale-spotting sites, which are staffed by volun- teers throughout the week. The Depoe Bay Whale Watching Center is one of National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration A gray whale breaching in the Paciﬁ c Ocean. the state’s most popular whale watching locations along the seabank on U.S. Highway 101. Volunteers there say fog and massive waves have made it a slow start for spectators. But there will be plenty more chances; whales usually continue to move through the area until mid-January. Oregon State Parks will keep a livestream through the week. Seaside settles claim with Shilo Inn over back taxes Wilderness fee plan gets negative comments Dec. 28, 2019 ASLAKSON, Roger, 78, of Astoria, died in Astoria at the age of 78. Hughes-Ransom Mor- tuary is in charge of the arrangements. WALSH, Jose- phine, 95, of Sea- side, died in Seaside. By REBECCA ELLIS Oregon Public Broadcasting Printed on recycled paper Subscription rates Eﬀ ective 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 By R.J. MARX The Astorian SEASIDE — The city has dropped a lawsuit against the Shilo Inn over unpaid lodg- ing taxes after the hotel chain agreed to pay. Earlier this month , the city ﬁ led suit against the Shilo Inn in Clatsop County Cir- cuit Court seeking almost $150,000 in unpaid lodging taxes for the quarter ending in September, with an addi- tional 25% penalty of more than $37,000. Last week , City Attorney Dan Van Thiel ﬁ led a motion to dismiss the case . A total of $187,000 in third quarter lodging taxes and the penalty will be paid by R.J. Marx/The Astorian Seaside sought back taxes from the Shilo Inn. Shilo Inn in two installments, according to Van Thiel, with half due Tuesday and the remaining balance due Jan. 31. “We will be getting the full amount,” Van Thiel said . In addition, Shilo Inn will pay taxes due for the fourth quarter of 2019 by the end of January , with a report deliv- ered Jan. 15. “We don’t know what that will be until we receive the report,” Van Thiel said. On Thursday, Judge Dawn McIntosh dismissed the case without additional costs to either party beyond the taxes and penalty. “Because the penalties are so high, I’m not going to quibble over attorney’s fees,” Van Thiel said. In June, the city sued Shilo Inn for more than $45,000 in lodging taxes for the period ending in April. With penalties and interest, the total sought was more than $58,000. That suit was closed in October after Shilo Inn paid the taxes and the penalty. New law to upgrade tribal living conditions By MOLLY HARBARGER The Oregonian Eighteen of the 31 tribal ﬁ shing sites along the Columbia River have an urgent need for upgrades. Some currently don’t have water safe enough for drinking. And after three years of debating, the federal gov- ernment is now authorized to ﬁ nally provide much- needed maintenance and sanitation services. On Dec. 20, President Donald Trump signed the ﬁ rst law bearing the name of the Columbia River tribal ﬁ shing sites where hun- dreds of Northwest tribal members live at least six months out of the year. The law makes it possible to allocate money to ﬁ x up the sites, which have fallen into squalid conditions because the federal government underestimated how many people would use them. The issue has gotten national, bipartisan atten- tion since The Oregonian reported on conditions at the sites. It has been spearheaded by Oregon lawmakers, but U.S. Rep. Deb Haa- land, a New Mexico Demo- crat and one of the ﬁ rst two Native American women to be elected to Congress, successfully called for the bill to be voted on without debate in the House. The 31 sites were cre- ated for members of the Umatilla, Nez Perce, Warm Springs and Yakama tribes after the federal govern- ment ﬂ ooded their tradi- tional ﬁ shing sites and vil- lages by building three dams, starting with Bonne- ville in Cascade Locks. Nearly all fell into disre- pair after a $6.3 million pot of money allocated for their maintenance for the next 50 years was nearly depleted in less than two decades due to a high volume of use and inadequate facilities. At the most used site, Lone Pine, at least 35 fam- ilies live year-round. They share a single restroom with four shower stalls and four toilets, which at the time of an investigation Thomas Boyd Lone Pine, located at the base of The Dalles Dam, is ﬁ lled with the ramshackle housing of tribal members who make their living along the Columbia River. Many lived there before the dam was built. by The Oregonian had no doors. The toilets occasion- ally back up onto the ﬂ oor of the bathroom, sending the smell of waste wafting through the camp. With so many families living there, the sanitation truck almost never arrives soon enough. The U.S. Army Corps of Engineers was supposed to replace the housing lost when the Bonneville, Dalles and John Day dams were built. That never hap- pened. The federal govern- ment also underestimated how many people would use the sites because the dams depleted salmon runs so drastically that ofﬁ cials assumed that tribal mem- bers would largely give up ﬁ shing. However, members of the four tribes have ﬁ shed the river for economic, social and religious reasons from time immemorial. When the promised houses were never built after the dams were constructed, tribal members moved on to the ﬁ shing sites to maintain that way of life. U.S. Sen. Jeff Merkley and Rep. Earl Blumenauer, both Oregon Democrats, visited Lone Pine in 2016 after an investigation by The Oregonian found that the federal government had ignored its promises to the four tribes that live along the river for 80 years. That year, former Presi- dent Barack Obama signed a law that directed the Army Corps to replace the ﬂ ooded housing. That work was temporarily stopped by the Trump administration, but now continues. Getting money to ﬁ x up the existing sites for peo- ple who live there and use them now has been a longer journey. The Bureau of Indian Affairs was put in charge of maintenance at the ﬁ shing sites after they were built. The agency didn’t follow through and so the Colum- bia River Inter-Tribal Fish Commission currently maintains and operates the ﬁ shing sites. Even with weekly visits from tribal maintenance and cleaning crews, the sites were never meant to accom- modate so many people liv- ing there for so long. Charles Hudson, inter- governmental affairs direc- tor for the ﬁ sh commission, said that the tribal agency has already started to inven- tory needed upgrades and repairs. Many sites need adequate sewage septic sys- tems, new wells for drink- ing water, electrical lines and more. The Bureau of Indian Affairs is in charge of assessing the sites on its own to create a list of needed repairs. The law includes an estimate that $11 million over ﬁ ve years is needed, but that could change once the assessments are done. Hudson is conﬁ dent that the funding will come through. “I think that’s a signal from Congress that they know these safety and san- itation issues will cost money to remedy,” Hudson said. Merkley said he plans to use his position on the Sen- ate Appropriations Com- mittee to allocate funding to make improvements. He has the backing of a bipar- tisan coalition of Oregon and Washington state law- makers and now appears to have buy-in from the White House. “These improvements are an urgent ﬁ rst step that we must take while we work towards the lon- ger-term goal of replac- ing housing and communi- ties that were destroyed by the dam creation process,” Merkley said in a statement. “I’ve seen ﬁ rsthand that this unacceptable reality is nothing short of a crisis.”