Image provided by: University of Oregon Libraries; Eugene, OR
About The daily Astorian. (Astoria, Or.) 1961-current | View Entire Issue (Jan. 23, 2021)
A3 THE ASTORIAN • SATURDAY, JANUARY 23, 2021 Graduation rates trend up on North Coast By KATIE FRANKOWICZ The Astorian Graduation rates at nearly all Clatsop County high schools went up last school year, refl ecting a statewide trend. The statewide graduation rate for the class of 2019-20 hit 82.6%, an increase over the prior year and the high- est graduation rate recorded in Oregon, according to data released by the Oregon Department of Education. Astoria, Seaside and Knappa all saw multiple per- centage point increases to their graduation rates. At the small and rural Jewell School District, where the graduating class was only 13 students, the graduation rate has held steady at 100%. Only Warrenton High School in the Warren- ton-Hammond School Dis- trict showed a dip in the rate of graduating students, drop- ping from a graduation rate of around 80% in the 2018-19 school year to 73% this past year. Students who gradu- ated last year did so after a strangely curtailed end to the school year. Schools closed across Oregon in March as the coronavirus spread through communities. In Astoria, the gradua- tion ceremony was held out- side with a drive-in ceremony at CMH Field. Students who still had course work to com- plete in order to graduate fi n- ished online. The C lass of 2020 “ended their high school careers in a way no one wanted or expected,” Colt Gill, the director of the Oregon Department of Education, said in a statement. But, he added, “the grad- uation rate shows how much work they put in over the last 13 years with the support of their teachers and families.” Newspaper carrier saves man stuck in bathtub Hotel: City has 120 By BECCA ROBBINS Herald and News Stephani Bastian couldn’t get in touch with her 81-year- old father, Kenneth Plank, who lived alone in Klam- ath Falls. Although it’s not unusual for him to miss occa- sional calls from his daughter who now lives in Roseburg, Bastian said she had a feeling that something was wrong. Mike Smith delivers the Herald and News to subscrib- ers, including to Plank, his downstairs neighbor in the apartments. He, too, felt like something was wrong on Dec. 23 when he delivered Plank’s paper. Smith noticed the U.S. Navy veteran had several papers stacked up, so he went to get help. After alerting the building maintenance manager, the two men discovered Plank had fallen in the bathtub and had been stuck there for several days. Plank couldn’t reach his phone or his emergency alert necklace, and he had become confused and weakened. After his rescuers got him out of the tub and into a chair, Smith and the building man- ager called 911. After a short stint at Sky Lakes Medical Center, Plank is now recover- ing from the fall and the rehab at Marquis Plum Ridge. Bastian received a text the day after Christmas from her father’s best friend, notify- ing her that her father was in the hospital and that his doc- tor was trying to reach her. Bastian learned her father, still Kymberly Bastian, left, and her grandfather, Kenneth Plank. confused, had given the hospi- tal her old phone number. She rushed to Klam- ath Falls the next day. When she learned her dad’s news- paper carrier was the one to alert someone for help for her father, which may have saved his life, Bastian gave Smith a big hug to express her grat- itude. They both burst into tears, Smith said. “Be thankful for your newspaper man because he might be the only one who knows something’s wrong,” she said. Although Bastian was quick to call Smith a hero, Smith said he feels he doesn’t deserve the accolade. Still, he knows that if that was his loved one, he’d feel the same way Bastian does. “I’m ecstatic that I chose to break the mold and say we need to check on this guy,” Smith said. Smith knew something was wrong when he noticed the two untouched newspa- pers outside Plank’s door. Smith said Plank was “reg- ular as clockwork” with his routine, which Smith recog- nized as a habit from the mil- itary. As a veteran with medi- cal conditions himself, Smith said he’s been cognizant of his health, and the health of oth- ers, during the coronavirus pandemic. Smith also lives above Plank and could hear the TV on below him for more than a day, which Smith said was unusual. Plank doesn’t know how long he had been in the bath- tub before help arrived. He told the Herald and News he remembers reaching a paper cup from the sink and fi lling it up from the tub to drink from. He said he wasn’t of sound mind for the entire stretch he was stuck. Plank said he believes he was hallucinat- ing because he recalls getting up out of the tub and walking around the apartment. Plank is doing rehab three times a day at Marquis Plum Ridge to recover from inju- ries, which include a bruised hip and shoulder as well as a laceration across his back. Plank has lived in Klamath Falls since 1979, when Bas- tian began attending Klam- ath Union High School and Plank took classes at Oregon Institute of Technology for a welding certifi cate. Plank later worked at Oregon Tech for over 18 years, Bastian said. Bastian’s daughter, Kym- berly, now attends Ore- gon Tech, but hasn’t been in the area because she’s been completing an externship in Tigard. Plank is getting mobil- ity back, and Bastian said the nurses assure her that he’s doing fi ne. For now, she said that he’s working hard but is exhausted after his rehab sessions. Bastian reminds people to check on the senior citizens in your life, especially those who live alone. “You never know,” she said. Smith likes to interact with his newspaper clients when he can. He recalled a sub- scriber on his route who is going through chemother- apy treatments for cancer. Although with COVID-19 he leaves most of the newspa- pers outside buildings on his routes, for her, he takes the paper inside to her door so that she doesn’t have to climb the stairs. “If you don’t care about what you’re doing, then why do it?” he said. Plank has three more weeks of rehab at Plum Ridge ahead of him. In the mean- time, Smith hopes his act of kindness will encourage peo- ple to take better care of those around them. “We need to push through all of this and realize we are our brother’s keeper,” Smith said. days from the appeals board decision to conduct a new review Continued from Page A1 Hollander, of Belling- ham, Washington, based Hollander Hospitality, had applied in April for a one- year extension of the permits. He argued that poor eco- nomic conditions amid the pandemic made fi nancing impossible. City s taff denied his request , and the City Council upheld the decision on appeal. Hollander then appealed to the state. The city contended that Hollander had 18 months before the pandemic to begin his project. Holland- er’s attorney, Steven Hult- berg, argued that only eco- nomic conditions when Hollander applied in April should matter when decid- ing whether to grant him an extension . City staff cited other hotel projects still mov- ing forward, including the Bowline Hotel near Buoy Beer Co. and a Hil- ton Home2 Suites in the planning stages near the New Youngs Bay Bridge, as examples that economic conditions were still viable . Hollander argued that the other hotels were not com- parable to his project. The Land Use Board of A ppeals sided with Hol- lander. But rather than order the city to extend the per- mits, the appeals board directed the city to review the issue. “At a minimum, the City Council was required to explain why it chose not to rely on petitioner’s evi- dence of poor market con- ditions and instead chose to rely on evidence of other hotels that petitioner explained are not similarly situated and may or may not have received fi nanc- ing,” the appeals board said. The appeals board also agreed with Hultberg’s argument that the city exer- cised too much discretion in denying Hollander’s permit extensions because of new, more restrictive building rules along the riverfront enacted after his hotel’s approval. Hollander would have to signifi cantly shrink the hotel to preserve views if he cannot get the building permits extended. Astoria has 120 days from the appeals board’s decision to conduct a new review of Hollander’s application. City Manager Brett Estes said city staff and City Attorney Blair Henningsgaard are review- ing the ruling to determine the next steps. DEL’S O.K. TIRE SUB-BIDS REQUESTED Warrenton School District Improvements Skanska is requesting Subcontractor bids for the Warrenton Grade School Siding, Flashing and Weather Barrier replacement located at: Warrenton Grade School 820 SW Cedar Ave. Warrenton, OR 97146 Scopes of Work currently bidding include: Work Category #01 Siding, Weather Barrier, Sheet Metal Flashing and Trim Replacement Work Category #02 Painting All bids are due no later than January 29th at 2PM There will be a non-mandatory pre-bid meeting held at the Warrenton Grade School on Monday January 18th at 10am. Contact Derek Bourque for additional details. All bids are to be submitted to Skanska via Building Connected. For bid documents and details contact Derek Bourque, derek.bourque@skanska.com Oregon CCB: 153980 We are an equal opportunity employer and request sub bids from minority, women, disadvantaged and emerging small business enterprises. Del Thompson, former owner of OK Rubber Welders. Klyde Thompson, owner of Del’s OK Tire Point S Tire and Auto Service, uses Nokian All-Weather Tires on his personal vehicles. Nokian tires offer superb handling on wet or dry summer roads and superior grip in wintry conditions. Get the best of both roads with Nokian All-Weather Tires for safety and carefree driving comfort. YOUR #1 SOURCE FOR TIRES CUSTOM WHEELS AUTOMOTIVE SERVICES Over 72 years of the Thompson family putting you first! (503) 325-2861 35359 Business 101, Astoria MON - FRI 8:00 AM - 6:00 PM SAT 8:00 AM - 4:00 PM pointstire.com/astoria
