A2
THE ASTORIAN • THURSDAY, MAY 6, 2021
County to remain at high risk
IN BRIEF
Overnight RVs draw health,
safety concerns in Seaside
Others move back
from extreme risk
SEASIDE — The city is “well aware” of the issue
of RVs abandoned or left overnight — sometimes for
weeks or months at a time — along roadways.
Necanicum between First and 12th, residents say, has
become a long-term parking area and a safety and health
hazard for residents.
“We’re concerned about the waste and the garbage,”
Dave Eilenberger said at a City Council meeting in late
April. “And these vehicles not moving.”
“I would reiterate: all the garbage, the sewage, the
blocking of the streets,” resident Karl Schorr said.
“What we’re wondering is why the city chooses not to
enforce the code? ... We are getting fed up. And if we’re
going to open up a free RV park, then let’s advertise it
to the city of Portland.”
In the days before City Council meeting, accord-
ing to police reports, an abandoned camp trailer, two
abandoned motor homes and an abandoned truck were
marked for tow by police.
“Just let me say the city is very well aware of this
issue,” Mayor Jay Barber said. “We are working on it.
And we’re going to deal with it in a way that will deal
with the challenge.
“It takes some time to be able to do the posting, and
all the other things that are required that we are very
much aware of it,” the mayor said. “I’ve been driving
there every day. I’ve seen it with my own eyes. I know.”
Woman falls from cliff at Hug Point
A woman fell about 100 feet from a cliff Sunday eve-
ning at Hug Point State Park.
Offi cials say the 20-year-old was conscious and able
to communicate with offi cers, but was in a lot of pain.
A U.S. Coast Guard aircrew hoisted the woman and
fl ew her to Nehalem Bay State Airport. From there, she
was fl own to a Portland-area hospital.
The woman reportedly fell from a trail in the same
location as another person who fell in early March.
Place Matters virtual
conference to focus on health equity
The Clatsop Health Advocacy Resource Team and
Clatsop County Public Health Department will host a vir-
tual conference, Place Matters Clatsop County 2021, in
May.
Place Matters Clatsop County is part of a nationwide
initiative to improve health outcomes. The goals are to
support health equity and an optimal quality of life.
The free conference will feature panel discussions with
local and statewide experts. There will be a webinar at noon
on May 20 , at 4 p.m. on May 25 and at noon on May 27 .
For information on how to register and attend, visit
clatsopchart.org or contact Julia Hesse at jhesse@co.
clatsop.or.us or 503-338-3756.
— The Astorian
Gray whale washes ashore
along Klipsan Beach
A long-dead adult gray whale washed ashore near
Klipsan Beach in late April.
The 40-foot whale was fi rst reported April 27 about a
quarter-mile north of the beach approach by beachgoers.
On April 29, Portland State University Research
Assistant Dalin D’Alessandro conducted a brief exam
and collected samples to help determine a cause of death.
“The whale was very decomposed,” D’Alessandro
said. “The fi ndings of the limited examination included
signs of blunt force trauma.”
The gray whale was the fourth to be stranded on
Washington state beaches so far this year.
— Chinook Observer
DEATHS
May 4, 2021
In LOUIS,
Brief
Suzanne Mar-
garet, 75, of Seaside,
died in Seaside. Cald-
Deaths
well’s Funeral & Crema-
tion Arrangement Center
of Seaside is in charge of
the arrangements.
SPRING,
Michael
Paul, 78, of Warrenton,
died in Warrenton. Cald-
well’s Luce-Layton Mor-
tuary of Astoria is in charge
of the arrangements.
ON THE RECORD
Strangulation
37, of Astoria, was arrested
On
the Lawrence
Record
• Ronald
Monday on Harrison Ave-
Dean, 26, of Seaside, was
arraigned Monday on
charges of strangulation,
attempted strangulation and
assault in the fourth degree.
DUII
• Jesse Hayes Bateman,
nue in Astoria for driv-
ing under the infl uence of
intoxicants and hit and run.
• John Reed, 46, of War-
renton, was arrested Sunday
on N.E. Skipanon Drive in
Warrenton for DUII.
PUBLIC MEETINGS
THURSDAY
Gearhart Budget Committee, 5 p.m., (electronic meeting).
Astoria Design Review Commission, 5:30 p.m., City Hall,
1095 Duane St.
Seaside Parks Advisory Committee, 6 p.m., 989 Broad-
way 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
By NICOLE BALES
The Astorian
Clatsop County will
remain at high risk for the
coronavirus on Friday as
virus case counts steady.
Gov.
Kate
Brown
announced Tuesday that
while virus cases and hos-
pitalizations are still high
across Oregon , the state hos-
pitalization metric has been
met, allowing counties at
extreme risk to return to
high risk.
“From the beginning,
I have said that returning
counties to the e xtreme r isk
level was about preserving
hospital capacity and saving
lives,” Brown said in a state-
ment. “With our statewide
hospitalization rate stabi-
lizing, our hospitals should
have the capacity to con-
tinue treating patients with
severe cases of COVID-
19 and other serious medi-
cal conditions in the coming
weeks.
“With Oregonians con-
tinuing to get vaccinated
each week, my expectation
is that we will not return to
e xtreme r isk again for the
duration of this pandemic,”
the governor said. “I know
this will bring relief to many
across the state. However,
the lifting of e xtreme r isk
health and safety measures
comes with great personal
responsibility for us all. If
Oregonians continue to keep
up their guard, follow h igh
r isk health and safety mea-
sures, and get vaccinated as
fast as possible, we should
see our COVID-19 case and
hospitalization rates decline.
“Vaccinations are still
our best path to protecting
our loved ones, and stay-
ing on track to fully reopen
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
The Astorian
Hailey Hoff man/The Astorian
Steve Siler prepares a syringe of Moderna vaccine at the
Clatsop County Fairgrounds.
our economy by the end of
June.”
Clatsop County is one
of 24 counties that will be
at high risk through May
13. Four counties will be at
moderate risk and eight will
be at lower risk.
Counties with a popu-
lation of 30,000 or more
are evaluated for risk based
on virus cases per 100,000
over two weeks and the test
positivity rate for the same
period.
Counties at high risk have
a case rate between 100 and
200 per 100,000 people, and
may have a test positivity
between 8% and 10%.
As of Saturday, Clatsop
County had 155 cases per
100,000 over a two-week
period. Test positivity was
6.3%.
Restaurants and bars can
continue indoor dining at
25% of capacity — or up to
50 people — with an 11 p.m.
closing time. Up to 75 peo-
ple can dine outdoors, with a
limit of six people per table
from two households.
Gyms, indoor pools,
museums, theaters and other
entertainment venues can
operate at 25% of capacity,
or up to 50 people, which-
ever is smaller.
Grocery stores, pharma-
By ZANE SPARLING
Oregon Capital Bureau
Faith in democracy has
dimmed.
After years of tumult,
riots, economic uncertainty
and low-blow politics — not
to mention a global pandemic
— nearly 7 out of every 10
Oregonians believe democ-
racy has weakened across the
United States over the past
four years.
Residents describe a
slightly more fortifi ed state of
aff airs closer to home, with
roughly 6 out of 10 statewide
saying democracy in Oregon
has diminished over the last
four years.
The Oregon Values and
Beliefs Center, a nonprofi t
created by DHM Research
founder Adam Davis, com-
piled those results after
surveying 600 residents,
selected to be statistically
representative of the state, in
early March. The margin of
error is 4%.
• More than two thirds
(69%) say American democ-
racy has weakened in the past
four years, compared with
22% who say it is stronger
and 9% who were unsure.
Seniors (77%) and self-iden-
tifi ed liberals (78%) are more
likely to see an attenuation of
democratic strength, while
conservatives (30%) and
rural residents (33%) have a
larger share who see Amer-
ican democracy as stronger
now than before.
• Oregon democracy gets
slightly higher marks, with
one quarter of the population
(25%) saying it has beefed
up in the past four years,
61% saying it has weakened
and 14% unsure. White peo-
ple (63%) are signifi cantly
more likely to believe Ore-
gon’s representative govern-
ment has weakened com-
pared to non-white people
(48%). Democrats (37%) and
college grads (35%) are more
likely to see the system as
bulking up.
DIGITAL
EZpay (per month) .................................................................................................................$8.25
outbreaks.
“This is the new nor-
mal until we continue to
increase our vaccination
rate and more and more peo-
ple develop passive immu-
nity, which comes from
actually being infected,”
Lalich said during a county
Board of Commissioners
work session Tuesday. “Ide-
ally, of course, we want as
many people vaccinated as
possible.
“We continue to receive
support on our case inves-
tigation and contact tracing
from OHA (Oregon Health
Authority). They partner
with us seven days a week
and it’s been a tremendous
amount of help and support
as well.”
Despite their belief in a
faltering form of govern-
ment, Oregonians are essen-
tially split 50-50 when asked
to rate their satisfaction with
the way democracy actually
performs, on Capitol Hill and
in Salem.
• Nearly half (45%)
are satisfi ed with Ameri-
can democracy, compared
to 51% who aren’t and 4%
who are unsure. Portland
metro area (49%) and Demo-
crats (57%) are more likely to
be satisfi ed, compared with
more than half of suburban-
ites (56%) and Republicans
(55%) who said they aren’t
satisfi ed.
• Once again, Oregon
scores a tad higher than
America as a whole, with
49% satisfi ed with Oregon
democracy and 46% unsated
and 4% unsure. Urban dwell-
ers (59%) are statistically
more likely to be satisfi ed
than rural residents (34%).
The Oregon Values and
Beliefs Center also asked poll
respondents to describe why
they believe Oregon democ-
racy has strengthened — or
weakened — over the past
four years.
It has strengthened:
• “Because we have Dem-
ocratic leadership. States
with the GOP are severely
hurting us.”
• “More acceptance of
people of color.”
• “People in Oregon care
about what is going on and
take action.”
• “Because of our gover-
nor, Kate Brown.”
It has weakened:
• “One party rule. GOP
has become more irrelevant
and radical. No real counter
to Democrats.”
• “We don’t seem to care
much that our governor’s
‘emergency COVID powers’
have gone on for a year.”
• “Liberals ... they want
larger government, more
controls and higher taxes.”
• “An uptick in violence in
the larger cities.”
Lawsuit: ‘This is an eff ort to get the clarity that we need’
“Concerned Friends had
exhausted themselves trying
to locate where these funds
are going and what these tax
dollars have been spent on,”
he said. “And there’s been no
consistent answer from the
county as to whether or how
that money can be spent. So
this is an eff ort to get the clar-
ity that we need to make sure
that the taxpayers’ tax money
is being properly handled.”
Neighbors in Lewis and
Clark formed Concerned
Friends for Clatsop County
last summer in response to
the county’s Resiliency Proj-
ect, which involved plans to
move the public works facil-
ity on Olney Avenue in Asto-
ria and establish alterna-
tive routes to prepare for a
disaster.
The county identifi ed the
50-acre Warrenton Fiber sort
yard for the relocation, and
the nearby Lewis and Clark
Mainline, a private logging
road that runs parallel to U.S.
Highway 101 and Lewis and
Clark Road, as an alternative
route.
Neighbors who chal-
lenged the project believe the
construction of an alterna-
tive route would fundamen-
tally change the landscape of
the rural area and invite new
development.
Last fall, the county
decided not to pursue the
northern portion of the Lewis
and Clark Mainline — a por-
tion residents use for recre-
ation — but residents contin-
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
cies, retail shops and shop-
ping malls can operate at
50% of capacity.
Churches can operate
at 25% of capacity or 150
people indoors, whichever
is smaller, and 200 people
outdoors.
Indoor social gatherings
must be limited to six peo-
ple from two households in
counties at high risk. Out-
door gatherings can have
eight people.
Businesses should urge
employees to work remotely
if able.
Visits are allowed at
long-term care facilities.
The county has recorded
955 cases since the start of
the pandemic. According to
the county, 24 were hospital-
ized and eight have died.
As of Friday, 12,513 peo-
ple were fully vaccinated.
The county’s goal to reach
herd immunity against the
virus is vaccinating 27,533
people.
The Oregon Health
Authority has reported
188,417 cases and 2,509
deaths from the virus state-
wide as of Wednesday.
Margo Lalich, the coun-
ty’s interim public health
director, said many of the
county’s new cases are tied
to workplace and household
Clatsop County
on
Wednesday
reported three new
coronavirus cases.
The
cases
include a woman in
her 60s living in the
southern part of the
county. The others
live in the northern
part of the county
and involve a man
in his 40s and a
man in his 60s.
All three were
recovering at home.
The county has
recorded 955 cases
since the start of the
pandemic. Accord-
ing to the county,
24 were hospital-
ized and eight have
died.
Poll: Faith in democracy eroding across state
Continued from Page A1
PUBLIC MEETINGS
COUNTY
REPORTS
THREE NEW
VIRUS CASES
WANTED
Alder and Maple Saw Logs & Standing Timber
Northwest Hardwoods • Longview, WA
Contact: John Anderson • 360-269-2500
ued to challenge the project.
Earlier this year, the
county scaled the project
back to focus on relocat-
ing the public works facil-
ity without the alternative
routes.
The county reset the
project in January, hiring
a consultant, Mackenzie,
to conduct a facility needs
assessment and help iden-
tify the best place to relo-
cate the public works facility.
Mackenzie evaluated the sort
yard, as well as other poten-
tial sites, including those the
county had previously con-
sidered but ruled out.
The county expects to
review the fi ndings during a
public meeting in June.
Please vote for the current Board
of Directors at the Sunset Parks
and Recreation District.
Susan, Celeste, Michael,
Erika and Katherine.
We put our money where our
mouth is. We paid for this ad
and donated to the board.
We voted for the full current board.
We think it’s the right thing to do.
Seaside residents Ron Graham and Pam Bierly