WEEKEND EDITION // SATURDAY, JUNE 12, 2021
148TH YEAR, NO. 149
$1.50
CORONAVIRUS
Weber requests
federal funds for
local projects
Library, resilience among her priorities
By EMILY LINDBLOM
The Astorian
S tate Rep. Suzanne
Weber has recommended
several local projects,
including two in Clatsop
County, to be considered for
funding through the Ameri-
can Rescue Plan.
State lawmakers divided
up $240 million of the fed-
eral pandemic relief money
among their districts. While
each senator got to suggest
how they would want to
spend $4 million, each rep-
resentative got $2 million.
The requests are under
consideration in Salem
as the Legislature moves
toward the end of session.
While not set in stone, they
do speak to the lawmakers’
priorities.
Weber requested four
capital projects, meaning
they had to do with building,
repairing or renovating. She
asked for $360,000 for Can-
non Beach to use on resil-
iency projects, $420,000 for
Astoria to use on the Asto-
ria
Library renovation,
$400,000 for the Ander-
son Creek raw water trans-
mission main for Nehalem
and $820,000 for well and
wastewater treatment resil-
iency for Bay City.
Weber said the projects
align with her priorities of
buoying water, sewer and
earthquake and tsunami
resilience .
The Tillamook Republi-
can said $2 million spread
across House D istrict 32 is
not a lot of money, but she
worked with Sen. Betsy
Johnson and Rep. Brad Witt
to look through all the proj-
ects submitted and to make
sure most of the regions in
their districts were covered.
“Some smaller areas
were chosen because they
don’t have a lot of oppor-
tunities to be able to lever-
age any kind of dollars at
the present time,” Weber
said. “I asked all the munic-
ipalities and diff erent orga-
nizations in my area what
was extremely important to
them.”
Hailey Hoff man/The Astorian
Lisa Parks sits at a table in her new parklet outside of Brut Wine Bar in Astoria.
In Astoria, parklets
emerge as an option
See Weber, Page A8
The pilot program could change post-pandemic
Knappa health
curriculum now
under review
Parents raised concerns about content
By KATIE
FRANKOWICZ
The Astorian
The Knappa School
District has suspended the
bulk of a state-created mid-
dle school health curricu-
lum that includes a basic
sex education component
after parents asked for a
review of the course.
Besides lessons about
human reproduction, the
“My Future-My Choice”
curriculum, intended for
sixth grade students, cov-
ers information about
puberty, bullying, mar-
ginalized groups, healthy
and unhealthy relation-
ships and issues of general
and sexual consent, among
other topics. It has been
used in Knappa for nearly
a decade.
But supplemental work-
sheets provided by teach-
ers that touched on ques-
tions and discussion about
biological gender and gen-
Oregon Department of Education
Knappa School District has
suspended the use of a
state middle school sexual
health course after parents
demanded a review.
der identity raised con-
cerns among parents.
Other parents said they
did not receive the opt-
out forms the school sends
home with students ahead
of the course and were sur-
prised when they found out
their children were going
through the curriculum.
By KATIE FRANKOWICZ
The Astorian
The lenient parklet policies, as well as relaxed
rules on sidewalk seating, were intended to help
businesses weather an unprecedented, tough eco-
nomic situation, said Megan Leatherman, Asto-
ria’s community development director.
Even as things open up and tourists fl ood the
city on sunny days and weekends, “there’s still an
economic hardship,” she said, “and I don’t see that
going away this summer.”
If Lisa Parks charted it out, it would immedi-
ately be obvious when she installed the parklet out-
side Brut Wine Bar on 10th Street.
By-the-glass and bottle sales shot up and con-
tinue to climb. Most days she’s open, old and new
customers fl ock to the tables she’s arranged in the
semi enclosed outdoor seating area. Others, drawn
Details could change
by the activity outside, seem more inclined to turn
The details about what might be allowed in par-
down the usually sleepy street and venture inside
klets could change post-pandemic. Under program
Parks’ shop to select a bottle for their home or
guidelines, coverings are supposed to go away
hotel room.
when the city ends its emer-
The chairs in the parklet
gency declaration, Leather-
might slant with the street
‘ WOULD I LIKE TO
man noted.
and sometimes there’s a light
MAKE IT NICER?
At that time, the entire
drizzle falling — Astoria
pilot program also goes back
in the spring — but no one
YOU BETCHA.
to the City Council for eval-
seems to mind.
uation “and to determine if
“It’s like being in Europe,”
BUT I NEED SOME
parklets should continue in
customers tell her.
CONFIDENCE THAT
downtown Astoria,” accord-
Astoria loosened require-
ing to city documents.
ments for parklets last year
IT’S SOMETHING
Both Parks and Michael
as coronavirus pandemic
Angiletta, the primary
restrictions cut into the abil-
WE’LL BE ABLE TO
owner of Blaylock’s Whis-
ity of downtown bars and
CONTINUE TO DO
key Bar, where another par-
restaurants to serve custom-
klet is located, are waiting
ers and turn a profi t.
IN A SUSTAINABLE
for fi rmer guidelines before
The parklet program
they invest more heavily in
has stayed a pilot program
FASHION.’
their parklets.
since the City Council fi rst
Michael Angiletta | primary owner
The components of the
launched it in 2015. T he
of Blaylock’s Whiskey Bar
Blaylock’s parklet are inten-
business owners who have
tionally sparse for now.
taken advantage of “parklets:
“Would I like to make
the pandemic edition” have
it nicer? You betcha,” Angiletta said, “but I need
invested sparingly —some barrels as tables here,
some confi dence that it’s something we’ll be able
basic seating there. They aren’t sure what will be
to continue to do in a sustainable fashion.”
allowed when the pandemic ends and city leader-
In other words: That the city isn’t going to come
ship reviews — and possibly reconsiders — the
by later and say something isn’t allowed.
program.
But for the summer, at least, the looser rules and
See Parklets, Page A8
the parklets are here to stay.
See Review, Page A8
New magic shop opens in Astoria
Magician off ers
tricks of the trade
By EMILY LINDBLOM
The Astorian
Emily Lindblom/The Astorian
Seth Howard cuts the ribbon during the grand opening of The Magic Shop & More.
With trick cards, gag gifts,
wands and a professional magi-
cian, The Magic Shop & More
opened on Commercial Street in
Astoria in time for Memorial Day
weekend.
Seth Howard, the owner, has
been fascinated by magic tricks
since the seventh grade, when his
science teacher held a card to his
forehead and read his mind. How-
ard was so inspired that he watched
David Copperfi eld and “T he Bozo
Show,” and checked out all the
books about magic from his school
library.
He begged his teacher to show
him how the card trick worked,
and when he was told it was a trick
deck of cards, he bought his own.
“The love of magic has stayed
with me ever since,” Howard said.
After moving to Oregon in 1999
from Kansas, Howard went on to
work at the magic shop in Lloyd
Center in Portland and began per-
forming in his own magic shows.
He moved to the North Coast
and performed in the Festival of
Dark Arts at Fort George Brew-
ery in Astoria, among other local
shows.
“I always wanted to open my
own magic shop,” Howard said.
See Magic shop, Page A8