149TH YEAR, NO. 15
DailyAstorian.com // TuEsdAY, AugusT 3, 2021
$1.50
VIRUS SURVEY
Conservatives
more likely to
decline vaccines
Vaccination has
become politically
polarized in US
By SUZANNE ROIG
The Bulletin
COVID-19 vaccination
rates drop significantly out-
side of the Portland metro
area, according to results
of an Oregon Values and
Beliefs Center survey.
The online survey of
residents showed the three
counties making up the
Portland metro area had
a 77% vaccination rate.
Among people living out-
side the metro area and the
Willamette Valley, 42% of
those surveyed said they
had not received a COVID-
19 vaccine.
The survey results mir-
ror those from Decem-
ber that gauged how likely
someone would be to get
vaccinated.
The
results
were
released as Gov. Kate
Brown announced the state
would follow the federal
Centers for Disease Con-
trol and Prevention indoor
masking guidelines after
a surge of new virus cases
statewide.
Over the past few days,
the Oregon Health Author-
ity said there were 2,056
new virus cases statewide,
including 39 in Clatsop
County.
People who identified as
socially conservative were
four times as likely to say
they would not receive a
vaccine than those who said
they were liberal. Nearly
all those surveyed who said
they were college educated
reported having received
at least one dose of the
COVID-19 vaccine.
“In Oregon, as in most
other states, vaccination has
become a politically polar-
ized issue,” said Amaury
Vogel, the associate execu-
tive director of the Oregon
Values and Beliefs Center.
“Political ideology, when
it comes to social issues,
is a strong predictor of
whether or not a person has
received at least one dose of
a COVID-19 vaccine.”
The reasons for vaccine
hesitancy have ranged from
doubts about the severity of
See Survey, Page A8
A swap meet
for collectors
Comic books,
vinyl records, toys
and memorabilia
By ETHAN MYERS
The Astorian
Calling all collectors.
Twenty vendors from
across Oregon and Wash-
ington state are coming to
Astoria for a comics and col-
lectibles swap meet on Sat-
urday. Fans of comic books,
vinyl records, toys, mem-
orabilia and other kinds of
collectibles will be able to
buy, trade and sell items.
Funds will go toward
repairs at the Masonic
Lodge on Franklin Avenue,
where the event is being
held.
Quinn Allan, the orga-
nizer of the event, said vis-
itors can expect a wide
range of unique collectibles,
including vintage clothing,
Disney memorabilia and
several independent comic
books.
“If you are into high-end
collectibles, there should be
some of that,” Allan said.
“But if you are a kid and
want a cool Hot Wheel or an
old Star Wars toy or some-
thing for five bucks, there is
going to be that as well.
“But if they are into
something completely dif-
ferent that is not toys or
comics, there will be a lot of
other people selling differ-
ent kinds of things.”
While a ticket costs $3,
the event will also offer a
$5 early bird rate for “those
really savvy and avid collec-
tors that really want to get in
there first and try to snatch
all the good stuff before it’s
gone,” Allan said.
Since the swap meet is
a brand new event, Allan
said he has no idea what to
expect.
See Swap meet, Page A8
Photos by Hailey Hoffman/The Astorian
South Bay Wild owner Tiffani Seitz tops off a plate of Dungeness crab fry bread.
Factors converge to make crab scarce
Pandemic, labor shortages and supply chain issues disrupt market
By KATIE FRANKOWICZ
The Astorian
t’s one of the most popular sea-
food items on the North Coast
and a valuable local fishery, but
Dungeness crab has never been
harder to find, or more expensive.
At restaurants, portions may be
smaller, prices are steep and crab
may be off the menu completely this
summer.
Seafood distributors, sellers and
processors point to a number of fac-
tors that converged to create a per-
fect storm: the coronavirus pan-
demic, labor shortages, product
shortages, supply chain issues and
market demands. All have contrib-
uted to drive prices up from the usual
$25 or so per pound to as much as
$52.
“There’s a lot of theories and a lot
of possibilities and a lot of reasons
for things and it’s kind of, ‘Take your
pick,’” said Tim Novotny, a spokes-
man for the Oregon Dungeness Crab
Commission.
Oregon’s commercial Dunge-
ness crab season traditionally opens
in December and doesn’t end until
Aug. 14. Most of the crab are landed
within the first eight weeks of the
season opener.
This season was difficult for
many in the industry. It opened
late and yielded a mere 12 million
pounds to date — compared to last
year’s 20 million. On average, com-
mercial crabbers land around 16 mil-
lion pounds in Oregon, though the
fishery can be cyclical, with boom
and bust periods.
Demand in the live crab market
played a role in driving up prices
this year. Fishermen were getting —
and could command — high value.
Demand came, as usual, from China,
but also from California, where
low catch numbers and a shortened
I
Malcolm Cotte owns FishStix Seafood Market in Warrenton.
With rising prices, FishStix Seafood
Market is selling crab meat at $48
per pound.
season pushed nontraditional live
markets.
Then there was the pandemic’s
impact on restaurants. Shut down on
and off for much of last year or cur-
tailed by various regulations, restau-
rants began to open more this spring
and summer. Seafood orders that had
slowed last year suddenly ramped
up, said Jim Matlock, general man-
ager for Ocean Beauty, a seafood
distributor in Astoria.
Not all processors were well-
stocked on crab when demand from
this sector arrived. A labor shortage
has meant that even if new product
arrives or is available in freezers,
there may not be enough employees
to quickly and consistently prepare it
for sale.
Jeff Grannum, the sales director
for the Washington-state based pro-
cessor South Bend Products, has
been in the fish business for most
of his life, accustomed to its ebbs
and flows, the peaks and valleys of
employment. But he has never seen
such a struggle to bring in workers.
“I’d say this is definitely
uncharted territory,” he said.
See Crab, Page A8
Transportation director helps drive student success
Kirby recognized
with state award
By GRIFFIN REILLY
The Astorian
ARRENTON — Along
with each of Cindy Kirby’s
emails is a message in bright pur-
ple: School bus drivers keep edu-
cation moving.
That’s just what she did this past
school year.
Kirby, a Warrenton native and the
transportation director of the War-
renton-Hammond School District,
was named transportation supervi-
sor of the year by the Oregon Pupil
Transportation Association.
She was nominated for the award
after bus drivers in Kirby’s district
spoke out on her behalf to the dis-
W
Franki Fischer
Cindy Kirby was featured in
Warrenton’s Fourth of July parade.
trict superintendent.
“Any time anybody needs any-
thing, she’s there,” said Leanna
Glover, a bus driver and trainer who
advocated for Kirby.
The award, Glover said, is typi-
cally given to a representative of a
larger school district with a higher
level of exposure.
Initially, they were worried that
dealing with the coronavirus would
be especially hard for Warrenton.
“We felt very isolated. It was very
hard on the children,” said Glover.
“We’re very little out here.”
But Kirby’s work in going the
extra mile for students throughout
the pandemic — a job she attributes
equally to her co-workers — earned
her this year’s title.
“We’re a team here. We do this as
a team,” Kirby said. “To be recog-
nized, as a small district, means the
world to me.”
When the pandemic hit, Kirby
didn’t flinch. “Right away,” Glover
said, “she came up with ideas and
made it happen.”
In addition to regularly sanitizing
the buses — something Kirby said
has always been a practice of her
team — they worked to help stu-
dents beyond transportation.
After quickly assembling a skele-
ton crew of bus drivers, lunch ladies
and more, Kirby organized a way
for school buses to help distribute
food to children in the community.
It wasn’t the first time Kirby had
thought of an idea to aid local stu-
dents, either. In 2019, she helped
start a fundraiser for the Warrenton
High School football team by sell-
ing old jerseys and football gear as
memorabilia. The event raised over
$900, all of which was given back to
the team and other sports programs
— specifically children who needed
money for food while the teams
traveled.
“People loved it,” Kirby said. “I
wanted it to go to kids who maybe
would’ve had a hard time eating or
getting food on away games.”
Kirby takes pride in how she and
her team are able to make a differ-
ence. She strives to never let trans-
portation be a barrier to education.
“We pushed through. We perse-
vered,” she said. “I never wanted
kids to not be in school because of
transportation.”