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About The daily Astorian. (Astoria, Or.) 1961-current | View Entire Issue (April 1, 2021)
A2 THE ASTORIAN • THURSDAY, APRIL 1, 2021 Survey shows rural-urban divide in Oregon over remote working IN BRIEF County unemployment was 8.1% in February After a slight downturn during winter, employment in Clatsop County has stabilized heading into spring. The county’s seasonally adjusted unemployment rate was at 8.1% in February, according to the latest state fi gures, compared to 3.3% a year ago before the coro- navirus pandemic. The county went from more than 24% unemployment in April down to 6.1% in Novem- ber, slightly lower than the state’s unemployment rate. Unemployment crept up to 8.2% in January before lev- eling off . The statewide unemployment rate in Febru- ary was 6.1%. The county added 30 jobs in February, instead of the 220 expected by state economists heading into spring. Total nonfarm employment was at 17,490, down 1,610 from the year prior. Leisure and hospitality accounted for more than 1,000 of the job losses, with around 23% of jobs in lodg- ings, restaurants and bars cut over the past year. Local government employment also dropped by 230 over the past year, with parks and other services curtailed by the virus. Erik Knoder, a regional economist with the Oregon Employment Department, said employers are adding jobs back but struggling to fi nd employees because of several potential factors related to the virus, including lack of child care, high housing costs and low wages. But he expects things to look better in March’s employ- ment fi gures being released April 20. “What we’ve been hearing is that employers are looking for employees,” he said. “They are starting to hire. So I have expectations that March will certainly show some growth. I don’t think it will be explosive.” Park district election forum planned SEASIDE — The Seaside Signal and the American Association of University Women Seaside Chapter will present a forum for candidates for the Sunset Empire Park and Recreation District’s board. The forum will be held at 7 p.m. on April 29. Candi- dates will participate with social distancing from the Bob Chisholm Community Center. The event will be broadcast via livestream with links at sunsetempire.com and seasidesignal.com. — The Astorian Ocean Beach School District explores year-round school LONG BEACH, Wash. — COVID-19 has disrupted the past two school years at Ocean Beach School Dis- trict, but the pandemic’s most signifi cant and longest lasting impact on local schooling may be yet to come. At its monthly meeting in late March, school board members expressed a willingness for the district to explore a potential shift from the traditional school cal- endar — when school begins in September and lets out for summer break in mid-June — to what Superinten- dent Amy Huntley calls a “balanced” calendar. Under balanced calendars, Huntley said, school years are typically broken up into nine-week terms, with a couple of weeks off in between each term. The calendar includes a longer break in the sum- mer, before the start of the next school year in the fall — although it would be noticeably shorter than the two- and-a-half months off that students and staff are used to. “There’s many pros, there’s many cons, so this is just a chance for us to start chatting about whether, and how much, we want to explore this, and how soon we want to think about pitching this and throwing it out to the com- munity,” Huntley told board members. — Chinook Observer Wastewater testing reveals coronavirus variant in Grants Pass and McMinnville Researchers in Oregon have detected the B.1.1.7 variant of the virus that causes COVID-19 in Grants Pass and McMinnville. The variant, which was fi rst detected in the United Kingdom, is about 50% more contagious and likely causes more severe illness than the coronavirus that ini- tially triggered the pandemic. When people have COVID-19, they “shed” corona- virus when they go to the bathroom. This waste ends up in sewer systems where it can be collected and used to determine if there’s coronavirus in the community. The samples can also be analyzed to determine which vari- ants are present. For several months now, researchers at Oregon State University have been sequencing coronavirus collected in wastewater samples from cities around the state. — Oregon Public Broadcasting DEATH March 29, 2021 Death TETLOW, William “Bill” Edward, 93, of Astoria, died in Astoria. Caldwell’s Luce-Layton Mortuary of Astoria is in charge of the arrangements. PUBLIC MEETINGS THURSDAY Astoria Design Review Commission, 5:30 p.m., City Hall, 1095 Duane St. 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: 800-781-3214 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 January 12, 2021 MAIL EZpay (per month) ...............................................................................................................$10.75 13 weeks in advance ...........................................................................................................$37.00 26 weeks in advance ...........................................................................................................$71.00 52 weeks in advance ........................................................................................................ $135.00 DIGITAL EZpay (per month) .................................................................................................................$8.25 By SUZANNE ROIG The Bulletin BEND — Residents of rural areas think working from home is temporary and as soon as the threat of the pandemic ends, everyone will return to the offi ce. What’s more likely to occur is increased fl ex time, where work is split between the offi ce and home, said Dan McCarthy, High Lakes Health Care regional adminis- trator. Post pandemic, McCa- rthy said, the company that employs about 350 people throughout c entral Oregon will still have remote workers. “We found that a hybrid approach that balances work from home with offi ce hours is something that will be here to stay,” McCarthy said. “I believe there is something lost when working virtually 100% of the time.” Working from home misses checking in with each other, developing a sense of community and the dynamic interaction of problem-solv- ing, he said. Virtual platforms just don’t cut it. McCarthy’s views mirror about 601 people who were surveyed March 5 to March 10 as part of the Oregon Val- ues and Voices project, a non- partisan charitable organi- zation that partnered with Pamplin Media Group, EO Media Group and the Oregon Values and Beliefs Center. EO Media Group owns news- papers in Oregon and Wash- ington state, including The Bulletin and The Astorian. The survey consisted of 49 questions sent to a ran- dom sample about changes caused by COVID-19 that will become permanent in Oregon. This is the second such survey orchestrated by Antonio Perez/Chicago Tribune Near-empty offi ces have been common during the coronavirus pandemic. the group on the eff ects of COVID-19. In one question, 47% of the people who live in rural Oregon say they felt work- ing from home was only tem- porary, compared to 37% in the Willamette Valley and t ri- county area around Portland who said it’s temporary. Since workers in urban and suburban communities are more likely aff ected by con- gestion, their commute times are longer, making working from home more attractive, said Adam Davis, the Ore- gon Values and Beliefs Cen- ter co-founder. “As a result of the corona- virus and how it has aff ected life at home and employment, a strong majority of Orego- nians feel more of us in the future will work from home,” Davis said. “This feeling is shared across all popula- tion subgroups with many feeling the change will be permanent.” Cheri Rosenberg, the CEO of the Pendleton Chamber of Commerce , said the small- town feel has created a tight bond between employee and employer. “Because we tend to have a more personal relationship between our employers and employees, it’s a conversa- tion we are able to have,” Rosenberg said in an email. “For those who are able and prefer to work from home, those steps are being taken. For those who are ready to get back into the offi ce, those steps are being taken there as well. “We’re able to have the best of both worlds due to the ability to be very open and candid with one another.” In the survey, 33% of those ages 45 to 64 said the ability to work from home was tem- porary, compared to 53% in the same age group that thought working from home was permanent. And 64% of those who earned more than $100,000 a year said they believed working from home would become perma- nent, compared 28%, earning the same amount, who said it would be temporary. The survey’s margin of error, for the full sample, ranges from 2.4 to 4 per- centage points depending on how the response category percentages are split for any given question, according to the survey authors. Katy Brooks, the CEO of the Bend Chamber of Com- merce, said she’s seen the data play out during this past year. But Bend is a city with a high percentage of remote workers given that Bend has a low inventory and employees appear to like the fl exibility of working from home. “There are plain savings in offi ce space, utilities if they function well with a hybrid or remote format,” Brooks said. “I’ve spoke to dozens of com- panies in Bend who are con- sidering a permanent hybrid model for these reasons.” Bend Blockbuster booming after Netfl ix documentary goes viral By KYLE SPURR The Bulletin BEND — The Block- buster video rental store in Bend was already popular when it became the last loca- tion on Earth. It drew visi- tors from across the United States and as far as Taiwan and London. But in the past two weeks, the store off N.E. Third Street has been fl ooded with even more vis- itors and online orders after Netfl ix boosted its visibil- ity. It was featured in “The Last Blockbuster,” a docu- mentary about the store that started trending in the top 10 most watched movies on Netfl ix. People have sent fl ow- ers and called the store just to say “thank you” for stay- ing open. Those visiting the store wear masks and keep their distance due to the COVID-19 pandemic, but are not deterred from fi nd- ing a movie to rent. In the backroom, staff members have been busy packaging thousands of online orders for Block- buster T-shirts, hats and face masks, which are all made by Bend businesses. “It’s a little bit crazy, but it’s a very good thing,” said Sandi Harding, the store’s manager. “We’ll take a little crazy if it means keeping the store open.” Harding is the star of the movie, which peaked as high as the No. 4 movie in the United States since it appeared on Netfl ix on March 15. People have stopped Harding in the grocery store to take pictures with her and one boy visited the Bend Blockbuster and was in awe of seeing Harding, she said. “It’s good for the store. It’s good for the commu- nity,” Harding said. “And I can learn to live with my newfound fame as long as it doesn’t mess with what we are doing every day.” Dean Guernsey/The Bulletin Milt McConnell, of Bend, takes a picture of Mark Style, of Philadelphia, and Illene Style, of Bend, in front of Bend Blockbuster on Monday. ‘IT’S A LITTLE BIT CRAZY, BUT IT’S A VERY GOOD THING. WE’LL TAKE A LITTLE CRAZY IF IT MEANS KEEPING THE STORE OPEN.’ Sandi Harding | the store’s manager The two Bend fi lmmak- ers behind the documentary, Taylor Morden and Zeke Kamm, had no idea if the store would stay open when they started fi lming in 2017. The movie focuses on Hard- ing’s day-to-day eff ort to run the store, which became the last in the world when the Blockbuster in Perth, Aus- tralia, closed in March 2019. Morden said he’s heard from people who call Hard- ing a national treasure and say the store must remain open at all costs. He’s pleased to know the fi lm’s attention on Netfl ix may be what keeps the store open. “For us to have some small part in helping the store stay open is amaz- ing,” Morden said. “Not a lot of documentaries actu- ally accomplish the goal of their story.” The Bend Blockbuster has no plans to close. It has a steady lease agreement with the building’s property owner. The owners of the local Blockbuster, Ken and Debbie Tisher, have leased the property since 1992, when it was a Pacifi c Video store. The store was fran- chised in 2000 and became a Blockbuster. In its heyday, Block- buster had 9,000 stores. The documentary reminds peo- ple about those years when Blockbuster was the leader in home entertainment. Morden said many view- ers enjoy the irony of watch- ing the documentary on Net- fl ix, the streaming service credited with changing the way people watch movies at home and leading to the demise of Blockbuster. The fi lm has also brought viewers to tears, especially those who have fond mem- ories of working at a Block- buster in their childhood, Morden said. “The best part is the peo- ple who message us and say they worked at Blockbuster and were crying watching the movie,” Morden said. “It brought back so many great memories.” Morden and Kamm are still amazed their movie has gone viral on Netfl ix . Kamm said he’s heard from old high school classmates and a childhood crush, who all enjoyed the fi lm. “It’s aff ected people emotionally,” Kamm said. “I think it reminded peo- ple that we had this thing that was such an important part of our lives. Hopefully, it reminds people to appre- ciate the things they have now.” Both fi lmmakers feel connected with the Bend Blockbuster, even though they are done fi lming their movie. They contact Hard- ing regularly to fi nd out if she needs more DVDs of their movies or movie post- ers to sell at the store. “I’m sure I’ll be involved with the folks at the last Blockbuster until they ever close,” Morden said. “There is no way we are not going to be connected.”