A2
THE ASTORIAN • THURSDAY, JANUARY 7, 2021
IN BRIEF
STRATEGIC
SHOTS
Pacifi c County reports
three new virus deaths
LONG BEACH, Wash. — The coronavirus pandemic
continues to take its toll locally, as Pacifi c County’s death
count nearly doubled just a few days into the new year.
The Pacifi c County Health and Human Services
Department announced Monday that three more county
residents have died due to complications of COVID-19,
raising the overall count to seven deaths attributed to the
county since the pandemic began.
“Our deepest sympathies go out to the family and
friends of these individuals during this time of loss. Our
thoughts and prayers are with them,” Pacifi c County
Health Offi cer Dr. Steven Krager said in a statement.
— Chinook Observer
Oregon struggles with vaccine rollout
State health care offi cials acknowledged on Tuesday
that Oregon’s COVID-19 vaccination rollout has been
plagued with problems — something the state is scram-
bling to fi x.
The vaccine rollout proved to be more complex than
past fl u vaccination and mass vaccination events, said
Oregon Health Authority Chief Medical Offi cer Dana
Hargunani.
This rollout “imposes operational complexities that
we are continuing to address,” Hargunani said.
The announcement came a day after Gov. Kate Brown
asked the agency to ramp up capacity. By the end of two
weeks, she wants 12,000 people a day to be vaccinated
against the coronavirus in Oregon.
The health authority planned to vaccinate 100,000
health care workers by the end of 2020. Six days into the
new year, it’s just halfway to that goal.
— Oregon Public Broadcasting
New county commissioners
and sheriff sworn in
Photos by Hailey Hoff man/
The Astorian
Courtney Bangs and John Toyooka were sworn in
Tuesday as Clatsop County commissioners.
Bangs, a Knappa preschool teacher, represents Dis-
trict 4, which covers eastern Astoria to Westport. She
defeated Kathleen Sullivan in the May election.
Toyooka, a manager at Lum’s Auto Center, represents
District 2, which includes Gearhart, Clatsop Plains and
portions of Seaside and Warrenton. He defeated Sarah
Nebeker in May.
Sheriff Matt Phillips was sworn in on Monday at the
Clatsop County Courthouse.
Phillips has served as interim sheriff since January
2020. He was unopposed for election.
County seeking applications for
comprehensive plan committees
Clatsop County is seeking applications for compre-
hensive plan update advisory committees.
The county is looking for representatives from Lewis
and Clark Olney Wallooskee, Elsie-Jewell, Seaside
Rural, Northeast, Southwest Coastal and Clatsop Plains
planning areas to provide recommendations to staff
updating the county’s six community plans and the com-
prehensive plan.
The comprehensive plan is a long-term land use vision
for the unincorporated areas of the county and sets plan-
ning policies that guide the county’s actions.
This is the fi rst update since the county adopted its
comprehensive plan in 1979.
The six Planning Area Citizen Advisory Committees
will meet monthly until the county Board of Commis-
sioners adopt the plan in 2023.
People can apply on the county’s website or at the
county manager’s offi ce at 800 Exchange St., Suite 410
in Astoria. The deadline to apply is 4 p.m. on Feb. 12.
— The Astorian
DEATHS
Jan. 2, 2021
In TYMKOWICZ,
Brief
Jana
Lynn, 36, of Warrenton,
died in Astoria. Caldwell’s
Deaths
Luce-Layton Mortuary of
Astoria is in charge of the
arrangements.
Dec. 31, 2020
DANKS,
Jeffrey
Mason, 61, of Warrenton,
died in Warrenton. Cald-
well’s Luce-Layton Mor-
tuary of Astoria is in charge
of the arrangements.
ON THE RECORD
Theft
Warrenton for theft in the
On
the
Record
• Jacob
Wieckow-
second degree.
ski, 36, of Seaside, was
arrested
Tuesday
at
Walmart in Warrenton for
theft in the second degree.
• Lacey Meneguzzi, 25,
of Astoria, was arrested
Monday at Walmart in
Criminal trespass
• John Marshall Lan-
caster, 60, of Astoria, was
arrested Monday on W.
Marine Drive in Astoria
for criminal trespass in the
second degree.
THURSDAY
Astoria Design Review Commission, 5:30 p.m., City Hall,
1095 Duane St.
Cannon Beach City Council, 5:30 p.m., work session,
(electronic meeting).
PUBLIC MEETINGS
(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
Schools vary in return to classrooms
By KATIE
FRANKOWICZ
The Astorian
Clatsop County school
districts have gone in several
different directions since
Gov. Kate Brown eased
state restrictions on when
and how students return to
classrooms.
Ahead of schools’ win-
ter break, the governor
announced state guidelines
for returning to school —
such as the local number of
positive coronavirus cases
— would be “advisory rather
than mandatory,” leaving the
decision up to individual dis-
tricts and schools.
Like many counties
across Oregon, Clatsop
County has been classifi ed
as either high risk or extreme
risk since the end of Novem-
ber due to the number and
rate of positive cases. While
some school districts have
begun to shift their opera-
tions to take advantage of the
new fl exibility offered by the
state, most are still consider-
ing what they will do.
District
administrators
said they had expected a
shift in how schools would
be allowed to reopen to
students, but the timing
of Brown’s decision right
before winter break caught
many off guard.
The Astoria School Dis-
trict, which has started to
plan for a gradual reopening
later this month and in Feb-
ruary, expects to discuss the
shift in guidelines at a board
meeting this month. For
now, the district is continu-
ing with nearly all students
in online classrooms.
The Seaside School Dis-
Schools hope to return to in-person classes.
trict’s board had voted ahead
of Brown’s announcement to
continue with distance learn-
ing across all grades until
Feb. 1.
“At that time, our lead-
ership team will review
the case counts in Clatsop
County in hopes of seeing
a trend in declining cases,”
Superintendent Susan Pen-
rod said in an email to
The Astorian at the end of
December. “At this time we
are still following this plan. ”
In the the Knappa School
District, some students
returned to classrooms for
the fi rst time this school year
following winter break.
In a letter to the com-
munity posted on the dis-
trict’s website, however, Bill
Fritz, the superintendent ,
announced that four employ-
ees were in quarantine over
the virus.
Three had been exposed
to the virus over the break
but were showing no symp-
toms. One non teaching staff
member had tested positive
and had symptoms but was
“faring OK ,” according to
Fritz.
“We are able to operate
with these people on leave,”
he wrote.
He noted that county met-
rics showed an increase in
positive cases over the prior
week. But for now, the dis-
trict has opted to allow the
youngest grades in class-
rooms fi ve days a week.
Fourth-through-eighth grad-
ers are in class for less time
and are still operating with
distance learning. Higher
grades are under a hybrid
instruction model.
The
Warrenton-Ham-
mond
School
District
allowed some of its students
to return at least on a limited
basis to classrooms ahead of
the governor’s announce-
ment, but now hopes to
begin expanding in-class-
room options beginning next
week for some lower grade
levels.
In a video posted to the
grade school’s Facebook
page, p rincipal Rod Heyen
announced the school would
be adding an extra day of
in-person instruction for
k indergarten-through-third
grade students. These stu-
dents will now attend school
fi ve days a week.
The district hopes to
phase in grades four through
fi ve under a hybrid model
that combines online and
in-person classes beginning
next week. Many of these
students were already going
to classrooms on a very lim-
ited basis. What a return to
school will look like for the
higher grades is not clear
yet, Superintendent Tom
Rogozinski said.
The Jewell School Dis-
trict is one of the few in the
county that because of its
size and location was able to
open fully to students at the
start of the school year. Now,
despite the easing of restric-
tions by the state, it is operat-
ing entirely under a distance
learning model.
A middle school student
tested positive for the coro-
navirus in early December.
The district announced some
cohorts in two grade lev-
els would pivot to distance
learning as a precaution.
But after attendance
dropped dramatically fol-
lowing the announcement,
the school, in consultation
with the state and local pub-
lic health offi cials, decided
to move all students into dis-
tance learning.
Ahead of the New Year’s
holiday, Jon Wood, the
principal at Jewell School,
announced that the school
would continue with dis-
tance learning through Jan.
18.
Highway 30 restricted to one lane after slide
PUBLIC MEETINGS
Established July 1, 1873
TOP: Astoria Fire Chief Dan
Crutchfi eld receives the vaccine
to prevent the coronavirus at
the Astoria Armory on Tuesday.
RIGHT: Pharmacist Ben Ren
gives Astoria Police Chief Geoff
Spalding the vaccine to prevent
the coronavirus.
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,
2021 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
By NICOLE BALES
The Astorian
U.S. Highway 30 was
restricted to one lane east
of Astoria after a land-
slide closed the highway on
Monday.
Lou Torres, a spokes-
man for Oregon Depart-
ment of Transportation, said
there is no estimate on when
both lanes will reopen . He
said crews could be work-
ing on the slide for most of
the week.
“We appreciate every-
one’s patience as we work
to make that area safer for
travelers,” Torres said in an
email.
The landslide occurred at
about 3:30 a.m. on Monday
a few miles east of the city.
Torres said crews were
able to do an initial cleanup
just enough to open the road
after about an hour .
DeWayne Harkless Sr.
Crews worked to clean up a rockslide.
“But when daylight came
and we continued to work
on the slide, we noticed that
there was an area on the
steep slope above that con-
cerned us,” he said. “So, we
brought in ODOT geologists
to assess the situation and
determine what to do next.
We were concerned for the
safety of the crew, and as
well as travelers. We want
to make sure it is as safe as
possible when we open the
road.”
The Knappa Fire Dis-
trict responded to the slide
area at about 7:30 a.m. after
a pickup truck was stuck by
debris. One person was in
the vehicle and was taken to
a hospital by ambulance.
Oregon Department of
Transportation crews doing
mitigation efforts and clean-
ing debris discovered that
more extensive repairs were
required and shut down the
highway indefi nitely by late
morning.
Torres said the main con-
tributing factor of the slide
was heavy rain combined
with the steep hillside.
“There was some logging
that was done in the area a
number of years ago but it is
always diffi cult to say how
much that contributed,” Tor-
res said. “The weather and
geography are usually the
main contributing factors to
slides on the coast and in the
Coast Range.”