A2
THE ASTORIAN • TUESDAY, AUGUST 17, 2021
IN BRIEF
Dozens of virus cases reported
in county over the weekend
The Oregon Health Authority reported 73 new
cases over the weekend in Clatsop County. Since the
pandemic began, the county has recorded 1,548 virus
cases and 11 deaths. The health authority has reported
242,843 cases and 2,949 deaths statewide.
— The Astorian
DEATHS
Aug. 14, 2021
VAN OSDOL, Don-
ald Wayne, 68, of Knappa,
died in Knappa. Caldwell’s
Luce-Layton Mortuary of
Astoria is in charge of the
arrangements.
Aug. 13, 2021
ARNOLD,
Joseph,
91, of Seaside, died in
Astoria. Hughes-Ransom
Mortuary is in charge of
the arrangements.
MUNSON, Pamela,
72, of Astoria, died in
Astoria. Hughes-Ransom
Mortuary is in charge of
the arrangements.
Aug. 12, 2021
WEBER, James, 63,
of Astoria, died in Asto-
ria. Hughes-Ransom Mor-
tuary is in charge of the
arrangements.
Aug. 10, 2021
WARD, John Doug-
las, 83, of Cannon Beach,
died in Seaside. Ocean
View Funeral & Cre-
mation Service of Asto-
ria is in charge of the
arrangements.
SPIKE
MEMORIALS
Jeff TerHar
Saturday, Aug. 21
Memorials
OLSON, Gordon —
Celebration of life at
11 a.m., Maritime Memo-
Deaths
rial Park, 10 Bay St.
PEDERSEN,
Gary
— Celebration of life at
2 p.m., First Presbyterian
Church of Astoria, 1103
Grand Ave.
SPRING, Michael P.
— Potluck celebration
of life 2 p.m., Warrenton
Community Center, 170
S.W. Third St.
THOMAS, Arlene Rae
(Jones) — Funeral ser-
vice at 11 a.m., Church of
Jesus Christ of Latter-Day
Saints, 350 Niagara Ave.
Thomas, 84, of St. George,
Utah, formerly of Astoria,
died Thursday, Aug. 12,
2021, in Rosburg, Wash-
ington. She was the for-
mer owner of the Astoria
Beauty College. Caldwell’s
Luce-Layton Mortuary of
Astoria is in charge of the
arrangements. An online
guest book may be signed
at caldwellsmortuary.com
Sunday, Aug. 22
CARTER, Annette —
Celebration of life and pot-
luck at 5 p.m., Warrenton
Community Center, 170
S.W. Third St.
Evan Cory serves up some beach volleyball action in the men’s open fi nal Saturday night during the Seaside Beach Volleyball
tournament. He and teammate Logan Webber topped the team of Travis Mewhirter and Adam Roberts for the championship.
The women’s open title went to Megan Nash and Brittany Tiegs, who defeated Emily Hartong and Macy Jerger. This year marked
the tournament’s 39th year after being canceled because of the pandemic last year. More than a thousand teams from across
the U.S. participated in the event.
ON THE RECORD
Theft
Attempted assault
On
• Danielle C. McMahon,
• Seth the
Timothy Record
Mor-
gan, 26, of Astoria, was 24, of Astoria, was arrested
indicted Thursday for Saturday at Walmart in
coercion, menacing that Warrenton for theft in the
constituted domestic vio- second degree.
• David G. Kirschbaum,
lence, attempted assault in
the fourth degree consti- 21, and Meghan Elizabeth
tuting domestic violence Wahl, 21, both of Hood
River, were cited Thursday
and harassment.
for theft in the second degree
Weapons charges
• Keith Donald Julius and criminal mischief at
Schaefer, 38, of Lafayette, Walmart in Warrenton.
DUII
was indicted Thursday for
• Stefan B. Whitehead,
unlawful use of a weapon,
assault in the fourth degree 29, of Warrenton, was
arrested on Aug. 9 at S.E.
and harassment.
12th Place in Warrenton for
Criminal mischief
• Timothy T. Good- driving under the infl uence
man, 63, of Kennewick, of intoxicants. He was also
Washington, was arrested cited for driving uninsured.
• Melvin Ernest Gruelle,
Aug. 9 at the Desdemona
Club in Astoria for crim- 74, of Petersburg, Alaska,
inal mischief in the third was arrested Wednesday
degree and off ensive pub- afternoon on state Highway
53 for DUII .
lic conduct.
• Jessica M. Ganschow,
• Mark Steven Beatty,
36, of Seaside, was 30, of Astoria, was arrested
arrested Thursday night Thursday night at the Pre-
on Bond Street in Astoria marq Center in Warren-
for harassment and crimi- ton for DUII and reckless
nal mischief in the second driving.
• Joel Lester Wil-
degree.
liams, 36, of Portland, was
Hit-and-run
• Angel Ramirez-Gon- arrested Sunday on U.S.
zalez, 40, of Astoria, was Highway 101 at Avenue S
arrested Saturday for a hit- in Seaside for DUII .
• Levi Clinton Van Cleef,
and-run that occurred Fri-
day. He was charged with 30, of Castle Rock, Wash-
property damage, driv- ington, was arrested Sun-
ing uninsured and driving day at the 10th Street access
PUBLIC
MEETINGS
in Gearhart for DUII.
without
privileges.
PUBLIC MEETINGS
TUESDAY
Union Health District of Clatsop County Board, 9 a.m.,
Bob Chisholm Community Center, 1225 Avenue A, Seaside.
Clatsop Community College Board of Directors, 10 a.m.,
special meeting and retreat, (electronic meeting).
Clatsop Care Health District Board, 2 p.m., (electronic
meeting).
Port of Astoria Commission, 4 p.m., workshop, (electronic
meeting).
Seaside School District Board, 6 p.m., (electronic meeting).
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BAG DROP
Hailey Hoff man/The Astorian
State and local offi cials — including state Sen. Betsy Johnson, left — cut the ribbon and offi cially opened the North Coast’s fi rst
bag drop center for bulk bottle and can redemptions at Fred Meyer in Warrenton on Friday. Customers will now be able to redeem
bottles for cash, get an extra 20% if they spend the money at Fred Meyer or donate to charity. The program is run by BottleDrop.
Hospitals in southern Oregon
buckling under surge of virus
By ANDREW SELSKY
Associated Press
Patients left on beds in
hospital hallways, their mon-
itoring machines beeping
away as too few doctors and
nurses attend to an overload
of emergencies. People diag-
nosed with cancer or heart
disease desperately needing
treatments, but being turned
away.
Hospital staff ers and pub-
lic health managers in south-
ern Oregon say it’s never
been this bad. And it’s apt to
get worse as the delta vari-
ant of COVID-19 spreads
through a region where fewer
than half the residents have
been fully vaccinated against
the coronavirus.
“This is the worst condi-
tion our hospitals have seen,
likely ever. I don’t know that
anyone could recall a time
where we’ve had this much
pressure on our health care
system,” Josephine County
Public Health Manager
Michael Weber told reporters
Thursday.
The health care leaders got
on a Zoom press conference
with reporters to describe
the dire situation, and to beg
people to get vaccinated and
wear masks.
“I implore you to wear a
mask and get vaccinated, not
just for your own protection,
not just for your family, but
for your neighbors and for
the care and support of your
medical teams,” said Leona
O’Keefe, deputy Josephine
County health offi cer.
Doctors, nurses and other
health care workers who are
on the front lines are becom-
ing overwhelmed as the case-
load surpasses even last
year’s peak of COVID-19
hospitalizations.
“It’s heartbreaking. People
are exhausted. You can see it
in their eyes,” said Dr. Jason
Kuhl, chief medical offi cer
for Providence Medical Cen-
ter in Medford. He described
how patients who need care
are forced to wait on gur-
neys in hallways, creating an
obstacle course of beds and a
cacophony of beeping moni-
toring machines.
Amanda Kotler, a regis-
tered nurse who is vice pres-
ident of nursing at Asante
Rogue Regional Medical
Center in Medford, described
seeing nurses who have hit
the wall, emotionally and
physically, as they try to care
for patients, some of whom
are dying.
“Imagine the physical
exhaustion of being in PPE
for 12-, 16-, 20-hour shifts.
It’s hot. You’re caring for
patients. You’re struggling
to keep them alive,” Kotler
said in the joint Zoom news
conference.
The patients can’t have
visitors and family support,
so nurses wind up facilitat-
ing phone conversations with
their loved ones, “often when
they’re saying goodbye,” she
said.
Oregon Health Author-
ity director Pat Allen said
that Oregon’s record-setting
COVID-19 hospitalization rate
is fi lling hospitals statewide.
“Our ICUs are full.
Our doctors and nurses are
exhausted and rightfully frus-
trated because this crisis is
avoidable. It is like watch-
ing a train wreck coming
and knowing that there’s an
opportunity to switch tracks,
yet we feel helpless while
we watch unnecessary loss
of life,” said David Zonies,
associate chief medical offi -
cer at Portland’s Oregon
Health & Science University.
The hospitals are so over-
fl owing in Jackson and Jose-
phine counties, which lie
along the California border,
that health offi cials there have
asked the Oregon Health
Authority and Oregon Emer-
gency Management for a fi eld
hospital and more nurses.
Rudy Owens, a health
authority spokesman, said in
an email that the state agency
is working with federal agen-
cies to try to obtain mobile
hospitals.
This surge is hitting like
a tsunami, and comes after
people thought the worst was
over.
Celebration of Life for
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