The daily Astorian. (Astoria, Or.) 1961-current, July 11, 2020, WEEKEND EDITION, Image 2

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The daily Astorian., July 11, 2020, WEEKEND EDITION, Page 2, Image 2

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Newspaper Page TextA2 THE ASTORIAN • SATURDAY, JULY 11, 2020 Port lays off several maintenance, marina staff IN BRIEF Astoria man dies in motorcycle crash An Astoria man died after a crash Wednesday on Lewis and Clark Road. Ofﬁ cials say Christopher Dunn, 49, was driving a motorcycle when he left the roadway. There are no known witnesses of the crash and police are unclear about what time it occurred. After the crash was reported, emergency crews found Dunn dead upon arrival. Manzanita man dies after crash on Highway 101 A Manzanita man died after a crash Wednesday on U.S. Highway 101 in Gearhart. Ofﬁ cials say Matthew Elinsky, 53, was driving a Honda motorcycle when he crashed into the back of a Jeep Cherokee that stopped due to trafﬁ c up ahead. Emergency responders arrived on scene after 7 p.m. The driver of the Jeep Cherokee was not injured. County to distribute more free masks to help against virus Clatsop County will distribute more free face masks to the public at multiple locations on Wednesday and Thursday. More than 22,000 KN95 masks were given away at distribution events in June. The Lower Columbia Hispanic Council will host two Spanish-language distribution events from 4 to 6:30 p.m. on Wednesday at CMH Field on Williamsport Road in Astoria and at Seaside High School. Drive-thru handout events will be held between 4 and 7 p.m. on Thursday at Elsie-Vinemaple Fire Station, Sea- side Fire Station, Gearhart Fire Station, Warrenton Fire Station, Lewis & Clark Fire Station, Astoria Aquatic Center, Cannon Beach City Hall, Knappa Fire Station and Westport Community Church. County extends coronavirus emergency declaration The Clatsop County Board of Commissioners voted Wednesday night to extend the county’s coronavirus emergency declaration through at least Sept. 4. The county’s extension coincides with Gov. Kate Brown’s emergency orders. The main purpose of the local emergency declaration is to give the board ﬂ exibility to declare other emergency orders. It also makes the county eligible for reimburse- ments for virus-related expenditures. Cannon Beach Farmers Market closed for season over virus CANNON BEACH — The Cannon Beach Farmers Market is closed for the season over the coronavirus. The farmers market was expected to open on July 21, but in light of new virus cases and the threat of additional spread, the farmers market committee decided to cancel the season. “We look forward to safely restoring it to its tradi- tional cheerful hustle and bustle — next year,” the city said in a statement. Merkley to hold virtual town hall for Clatsop County U.S. Sen. Jeff Merkley will hold a virtual and tele- phone town hall for Clatsop County constituents Tuesday. “Hearing from Oregonians across the state is critical to doing my job,” the Oregon Democrat said in a news release. “In these uncertain times, it’s more important than ever to hear directly from folks, but it’s also import- ant to respect the health and safety of every member of our communities while there is still a very real risk of spreading COVID-19 through in-person gatherings.” Merkley has held an annual town hall in each of Ore- gon’s 36 counties since joining the Senate in 2009. This will be his 426th. He will answer questions and give updates on his work in Washington. The town hall will start at 5 p.m. Tuesday. It can be accessed on a computer, smartphone or tablet by going to tinyurl.com/merkleytownhall; or on the phone by calling 415-527-5035 and entering access code 199-922-7385. — The Astorian DEATH By EDWARD STRATTON The Daily Astorian The Port of Astoria has laid off three maintenance workers and one marina staffer amid a massive loss in revenue because of the coro- navirus pandemic. The Port passed a $15.7 million budget last month, including a $75,000 reduction in contracted security ofﬁ cers because of fewer ships com- ing in, but no staff layoffs. Will Isom, the Port’s exec- utive director , said he had remained optimistic that by being frugal, the agency could avoid laying people off. The Port has gone from the equivalent of more than 36 full-time employees to less than 30 over the p ast few years. He had assigned main- tenance staff special projects, such as deconstructing the former Seafare Restaurant at the West Mooring Basin. “When you’re running tight on funds and you don’t have a lot of revenue com- ing in, you also don’t have the money to do some of those projects,” Isom said. “We tried to keep them on for as long as we could, and we did a lot of work in terms of cleanup, like with the restaurant tear- down … but we just got to the Hailey Hoﬀ man/The Astorian The Port of Astoria laid of several maintenance workers and a marina staﬀ er because of losses in revenue during the coronavirus pandemic. point where we couldn’t con- tinue to operate at the payroll level we had been, with the amount of revenue loss we’re experiencing.” The Port has projected more than $1 million in oper- ational losses in the coming year, including $450,000 on the docks from a log export business felled by a trade war between the U.S. and China and a cruise ship sea- son mostly wiped out by the coronavirus. Staff projected another $450,000 in losses from lease revenue, in part from the Astoria Riverwalk Inn being emptied by travel and lodging New bake shop and market opens in Astoria restrictions meant to curb the spread of the virus. Another $126,000 in losses was pro- jected in fuel sales at the West Mooring Basin because of travel restrictions and a weak recreational ﬁ shing season. Business Oregon, the state’s economic develop- ment agency and a major lender to the Port, provided some relief, freezing loan payments and interest for a year. The freeze is projected to save the Port more than $1 million. The Port will save about $400,000 in salary and ben- eﬁ ts from cutting the four employees, Isom said, and its Rep. Bonamici announces new climate action plan By MORGAN GRINDY The Astorian By KATIE FRANKOWICZ The Astorian Gathered Bakes hop and Market has opened in Asto- ria , offering a variety of gro- ceries, locally based pro- duce and a selection of baked goods. After a soft opening last week , owners Sarah Woods and Andy Eddy ofﬁ cially opened the market at 12th and Exchange streets on Wednesday. They have hopes of doing a grand opening cel- ebration sometime in the fall. The store’s shelves are stocked with essential gro- cery items, along with some hand-picked favorites, like their tea selection. Their pro- duce items come from Spring Up Farm, Kingﬁ sher Farms and Lana’s Conscious Farm. Downtown needed a new grocery store after the Asto- ria Co+ op moved to the Mill Pond neighborhood , the own- ers said. They began building the store in late January, hop- ing for a mid-May opening, but their timeline was pushed back because of the coronavi- rus pandemic . Previously a baker in Bell- ingham, Washington, Woods offers a menu of cakes, des- sert bars and pastries made from organic and locally sourced ingredients. Many of the sweets are decorated with edible ﬂ owers from 46 North Neither the coronavi- rus pandemic nor a national discussion of racism and inequality can stop climate change. On Wednesday, U.S. Rep. Suzanne Bonamici held a virtual kick off to introduce a proposed con- gressional action plan to address climate change. T he goal is to reduce net green- house gas emissions in the United States by 37% below 2010 levels in 2030 and 88% below 2010 levels by 2050. “This is not an easy time to discuss forward-looking policy,” Bonamici acknowl- edged. “We’re experiencing an unprecedented moment in our nation’s history.” But, the Oregon Dem- ocrat added, “even in this moment in history when our communities are struggling and inequalities seem more apparent than ever, the cli- mate crisis continues. It’s not taking a break.” The new action plan out- lines a number of policies, some more ambitious than others, to address issues like public health, clean tech- nologies and economic resiliency and to invest in communities that are dispro- portionally affected by cli- mate change. The congresswoman Morgan Grindy/The Astorian Owners Sarah Woods and Andy Eddy of Gathered Bakeshop in Astoria. Farm . Half of the baked goods are gluten free, with some vegan options available. The ﬂ our in Woods’ mac- arons is made from organic hazelnuts grown in Mult- nomah C ounty, rather than almond ﬂ our, which is tradi- tionally used for macarons. For customers with dietary requirements other than glu- ten free or dairy free, they offer personalized orders for items such as cakes. T he store is open Wednes- day through Sunday. Seat- ing inside is very limited because of virus restrictions and precautions. maintenance staff has gone from six to three. He couldn’t guarantee there wouldn’t be more layoffs and said the Port is trying to forecast how much revenue it might bring in over the coming months. “You can never say never through this stuff, I guess,” Isom said. “The hope would be that we can remain steady where we’re at, and then as things start to improve, start increasing that count again.” The Port has looked at all manner of potential revenue, from bringing in new ten- ants like a seafood shop and storing things on its piers to trying to lay up idled cruise ships. After an outbreak of the virus at Bornstein Seafoods, local ofﬁ cials nixed a plan by the Port to bring in two mostly empty cruise ships that needed storage. Isom had said the opportunity could have made the agency about $15,000 a day. “My goal through all this, as we get through this pan- demic, is just to hold our ground as much as we can and not take too many steps backward, so that when we get to the back end, we’re in a position to really start to move things forward,” he said. “Really, that’s the best you can hope for at this point.” called the plan a “road map” for Congress that included more speciﬁ c actions than the proposed Green New Deal, which also outlines plans for tackling climate change. Bonamici is the only member of the House Select Committee on the Cli- mate Crisis from the Paciﬁ c Northwest. Climate change is already impacting the region, she said. “Confronting the climate crises requires action across sectors and at all levels of government,” the action plan concludes, adding, “The climate crises is inex- tricably linked to the social, economic and environmen- tal challenges that afﬂ ict the nation and world today.” The Paciﬁ c Northwest in particular is already feeling the effects of climate change, noted George Waldbusser, a marine ecologist with Ore- gon State University, who joined Bonamici on the call. The fallout of shift- ing climate is evident in recent marine heatwaves that reduce food sources for some marine animals and have contributed to harm- ful algal blooms off the West Coast, which in turn impact commercial and recreational ﬁ shing and crabbing. “The cost of inaction will almost certainly be more expensive than the cost of action,” Waldbusser said. July 9, 2020 In COLE, Brief Gary Allan, 77, of Astoria, died in Asto- ria. Caldwell’s Luce-Layton Mortuary of Astoria is in Tractor Supply to open in Warrenton in late July charge of the arrangements. Death The Astorian PUBLIC MEETINGS MONDAY Astoria School District Board of Directors, 5:30 p.m., special meeting on superintendent’s contract, (electronic meeting). Cannon Beach Rural Fire Department Board, 6 p.m., Fire-Rescue Main Station, 188 Sunset Ave. Youngs River Lewis & Clark Water District Board, 6 p.m., 34583 U.S. Highway 101 Business. Seaside City Council, 7 p.m., City Hall, 989 Broadway. PUBLIC MEETINGS 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, 2020 by The Astorian. MEMBER OF THE ASSOCIATED PRESS MEMBER CERTIFIED AUDIT OF CIRCULATIONS, INC. 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 WARRENTON — Tractor Supply Co. will open a Warren- ton store July 27. The rural lifestyle retail chain, founded in 1938 and based in Tennessee, does not sell tractors, but rather prod- ucts to maintain farms, ranches, homes and animals. The com- pany is publicly traded on the stock exchange and has more than 1,700 locations throughout the U.S. In 2018, the company announced plans to open a store in Warrenton near the intersec- tion of U.S. Highway 101 Busi- ness and King Avenue on land owned by Warrenton Fiber . After getting approval from the Warrenton Planning Com- mission, developer Keith Corp. built the site out and is leasing it to Tractor Supply . “At Tractor Supply, we understand the value of provid- ing essential needs like pet food, animal feed and home supplies to our customers in the Warren- ton community,” Jeremy Gor- don, manager of the Warren- ton store, said in a news release. “Our team members live the same lifestyle as our custom- ers, and we’re excited to sup- ply them with the tools, infor- mation and resources they need to live life on their own terms.” Tractor S upply touted its safety measures during the coronavirus pandemic, includ- ing increased cleaning, ﬂ oor decals to promote social dis- tancing, a larger supply of essential products, hiring more WANTED Please ADOPT A PET! AGGIE employees to promote safety in stores, adding greeters to pro- mote social distancing, adding a dedicated shopping hour at 8 a.m. on Wednesdays for cus- tomers older than 60, no-con- tact payment options and curb- side pickup. The company is supporting local animal shelters, 4-H clubs and Future Farmers of America chapters. During the pandemic, the Warrenton store will open from 8 a.m. to 9 p.m. Alder and Maple Saw Logs & Standing Timber Northwest Hardwoods • Longview, WA Contact: John Anderson • 360-269-2500 Senior American Shorthair There is nothing like staying at home for comfort, especially with a special kitty for company. See more on Petfinder.com CLATSOP COUNTY ANIMAL SHELTER • 861-PETS 1315 SE 19th St. • Warrenton | Tues-Sat 12-4pm www.dogsncats.org THIS SPACE SPONSORED BY BAY BREEZE BOARDING Fre e Est Fast ima tes Call me ti Any Jeff Hale Painting • • • • Residential Commercial Cedar Roof Treatments Exterior Repaint Specialist Over 25 years local experience 503-440-2169 Jeff Hale, Contractor LICENSED BONDED INSURED CCB#179131