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THURSDAY
OCT. 21
2021
EAT,
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AND BE
SCARY
ASTORIA’S
FORGOTTEN
MOVIE STAR
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FILMING COA
ST
ON THE
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IN
CLAMMING
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HALLOWEEN
DailyAstorian.com // THURSDAY, OCTOBER 21, 2021
149TH YEAR, NO. 49
$1.50
VACCINE MANDATE
Most
county
fi refi ghters
vaccinated
Minor staffi ng losses
reported at fi re departments
By ERICK BENGEL
The Astorian
Most fi refi ghters in Clatsop County
were vaccinated against the coronavirus
by Gov. Kate Brown’s deadline on Mon-
day, but minor staffi ng losses could cause
disruption for smaller fi re departments in
rural areas.
Brown ordered health care workers,
teachers and other school staff to get vac-
cinated to help deter
the spread of COVID-
19 and keep busi-
MORE
nesses and schools
INSIDE
open during the pan-
Most
demic. Some state
school staff
and local leaders had
vaccinated
warned the governor’s
• A2
mandate would cause
many fi refi ghters —
who also provide
emergency medical response — to quit and
leave pockets of the state vulnerable.
Keith Walling, Westport’s fi re chief,
who was involved in the department for
almost 21 years, retired this week. “The
mandate was defi nitely a big part of my
decision,” he said .
“I couldn’t reach a place where I could
require people to provide personal health
information that I didn’t agree with them
See Mandate, Page A3
Gary Peterson
Photography
‘I WASN’T AN
ATHLETE BEFORE’
An adaptive surfer has dreams of the Paralympics
By NIKKI DAVIDSON
The Astorian
C
ANNON BEACH — Monique Kelley never expected to become a surfer. The Brookings
native grew up watching from the sand as others caught waves. The murky, cold water
made her uneasy. Then something happened that changed her defi nition of fear forever.
Nikki Davidson/The Astorian
She woke up pinned to the ground,
trapped in her SUV after it slid, hit a
tree and fl ipped on black ice in 2017.
Her then 5 -year-old son miraculously
escaped the vehicle uninjured. He
saved Kelley’s life by waving down
help.
The accident broke her ribs, punc-
tured a lung and caused a burst frac-
ture. Rescuers were able to free
Kelley from the wreckage, but the
accident left her paralyzed from the
waist down.
Determined to get the best recov-
ery care possible so she could even-
tually independently raise her son,
Kelley moved to Portland. She was
fueled, in part, by grief from another
tragedy. Her accident happened just
three weeks after her brother was
killed in a road rage crash on Inter-
state 5 in Medford.
TOP: Monique Kelley uses her upper body to ride a wave in Cannon Beach.
ABOVE: Kelley has dreams of qualifying for the Paralympics.
See Kelley, Page A6
Labor
shortage
squeezes
health care
Lack of housing, pandemic
fatigue among factors
By ABBEY McDONALD
The Astorian
Clatsop Behavioral Healthcare has
moved to a four-day work week . The men-
tal health agency has also raised wages,
provided retention rewards and started
off ering signing bonuses up to $1,000.
They even plan on renting a house to give
new hires a temporary place to live.
The incentives have not been enough
to fi ll open positions during a health
care labor shortage impacting facilities
throughout Clatsop County .
‘I THINK THAT AFTER WHAT I’VE EXPERIENCED I WOULD HAVE
EVERY EXCUSE TO WALLOW IN SELF-PITY, BUT I TOLD MYSELF FROM
THE GET-GO THAT THE SUN RISES AND SETS WITHOUT ME EACH DAY.
SO IT’S UP TO ME TO MAKE THE MOST OF IT. WHAT GOOD WOULD IT
DO ME OR ANYBODY ELSE IF I CHOOSE TO WALLOW WITH THAT?’
Monique Kelley
See Labor, Page A6
City rejects church annex appeal
Some neighbors have
fought the project
By KATIE FRANKOWICZ
The Astorian
Bethany Free Lutheran Church
will proceed with plans to build a
5,000-square-foot annex on a vacant
lot in Uppertown over objections by
some neighbors and one longtime
Astoria family.
At a hearing Monday night, the
City Council upheld the Planning
Commission’s approval for the proj-
ect and rejected an appeal by the
MORE INSIDE
City to appeal state ruling
on hotel project • A2
Tadei family and other neighbors.
The group can appeal the city’s deci-
sion to the state.
The Tadei family argued that the
church annex, planned for a vacant
lot off Lief Erikson Drive across
from Safeway, is too large and will
be incompatible with the historic
neighborhood above.
Church leaders say they plan to
use the annex as a community space
to benefi t more than the congrega-
tion. They also hope to get the annex
designated as an emergency center.
The project highlighted the ten-
sion between property rights and
what others consider quality of life
considerations . After multiple pub-
lic hearings before diff erent city
boards , neighbors expressed frustra-
tion and exhaustion with the process
and the back-and-forth community
discussions .
“This seems like it’s gotten really
out of hand,” said Jason Hall, who
lives adjacent to the church lot, as
he explained his reason for speak-
ing impartially about the project
even though he had signed on to the
appeal against the annex .
His main concern was the dis-
tance between the project and his
property. City consultant Rosemary
Johnson noted the annex was being
built with even more space than the
city requires between the structure
and neighboring properties.
Hailey Hoff man/The Astorian
Bethany Free Lutheran Church wants to develop a 5,000-square-foot annex
on this plot of land in Uppertown.
Under earlier site plans, the annex
would have blocked 89-year-old
Vince Tadei’s view of the Columbia
River. His family home is next to the
church’s property. Bethany Lutheran
opted to reposition the building and
is working with the city to possibly
relocate a sewer easement — and
shoulder the cost — to ease the fam-
ily’s concerns.
Several neighboring homeown-
ers, including Tadei, say they will
lose access to the back of their prop-
erties if the annex is built. They have
relied on access across the church
property over the years, but never
established formal easements to
ensure ongoing access if Bethany
Lutheran decided to develop the lot.
One person who spoke against
the project at Monday’s hearing wor-
ried construction at the base of the
hill may exacerbate landslide issues
above. According to city maps, the
See Church, Page A3