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About The daily Astorian. (Astoria, Or.) 1961-current | View Entire Issue (Oct. 21, 2021)
A2 THE ASTORIAN • THURSDAY, OCTOBER 21, 2021 IN BRIEF Astoria to appeal state ruling on hotel project The Astoria City Council voted unanimously on Wednesday to appeal a state ruling on a permit exten- sion for a riverfront hotel project. The state Land Use Board of Appeals in Septem- ber reversed a decision by the City Council to deny a one-year extension on building permits for a Fair- fi eld Inn and Suites. Hollander Hospitality wants to build the four- story, 66-room hotel at the base of Second Street. The company cited economic conditions during the coronavirus pandemic as the reason for seeking the extension, but the city pointed out that the company had ample time before the pandemic to make progress. “We sought out legal guidance on our case and we continue to believe that the city’s prerogative to inter- pret its own code reasonably ought to be upheld, and so we’ve decided to appeal the LUBA ruling,” Mayor Bruce Jones said after the vote to go to the Oregon Court of Appeals. Seaside woman dies after Highway 26 crash A Seaside woman died in a crash involving two vehicles on U.S. Highway 26 on Sunday afternoon. Lisa Lawson, 68, who was driving a Kia Soul, died at the scene near milepost 48 near Manning. Her passenger, a Seaside resident, was injured and taken to a local hospital. The other vehicle, a GMC Sierra, was travel- ing eastbound, veered into the oncoming lane and slammed into the Lawsons’ westbound vehicle, according to Oregon State Police. The driver and his passenger — two Beaverton residents — also went to a local hospital. The incident closed down the highway for about four hours, police said. County seeks applications for Planning Commission Clatsop County is looking to fi ll a vacancy on the Planning Commission, the body that allows citizens to weigh in on issues related to local land use and development. Right now, the commission does not have anyone from District No. 1 or the Elsie-Jewell and Seaside rural planning areas. Members meet once a month at 10 a.m. on the sec- ond Tuesday. People can pick up application forms at the county manager’s offi ce at 800 Exchange St., Suite 410, in Astoria or fi nd them at https://www.co.clatsop.or.us/ county/page/committee-vacancies Applications are due Nov. 15. The county Board of Commissioners expects to appoint someone early next year. — The Astorian DEATHS In Brief Deaths Oct. 17, 2021 SOLBERG, Ray- mond, 88, of Warren- ton, died in Warrenton. Hughes-Ransom Mor- tuary is in charge of the arrangements. STARR, Karl D., 71, of Grays River, Wash- ington, died in Astoria. Caldwell’s Luce-Lay- ton Mortuary of Asto- ria is in charge of the arrangements. Oct. 16, 2021 ANDERSON, Dan- iel James, 38, of Molalla, died in Seaside. Cald- well’s Funeral & Crema- tion Arrangement Center of Seaside is in charge of the arrangements. Oct. 15, 2021 DEUTSCH, Douglas Patrick, 62, of Seaside, died in Seaside. Cald- well’s Funeral & Crema- tion Arrangement Center of Seaside is in charge of the arrangements. Oct. 11, 2021 NEWTON, Suzanne, 56, of Middletown, Dela- ware, died in Warrenton. Hughes-Ransom Mor- tuary is in charge of the arrangements. Oct. 7, 2021 CAMPBELL, Cath- erine, 77, of Arch Cape, died in Arch Cape. Hughes-Ransom Mor- tuary is in charge of the arrangements. Oct. 4, 2021 McGRATH, Don, 73, of Seaside, died in Port- land. Hughes-Ransom Mortuary is in charge of the arrangements. ON THE RECORD Burglary On the Record • James Lee Ogier, 25, of Astoria, was arrested on Sunday at Grand Avenue and 34th Street for three counts of burglary in the fi rst degree, 10 counts of bur- glary in the second degree, four counts of theft in the fi rst degree, 12 counts of being a felon in possession of a weapon, forgery in the fi rst degree and criminal mis- chief in the second degree. PUBLIC MEETINGS THURSDAY Seaside Transportation Advisory Commission, 6 p.m., City Hall, 989 Broadway. PUBLIC MEETINGS 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 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 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 DIGITAL EZpay (per month) .................................................................................................................$8.25 HEADED TO DRY DOCK TOP: Workers prepare the Lightship Columbia for its journey to Portland for maintenance work. RIGHT: A worker cuts a section of the tugboat to fi t the hull of the ship for the journey. Photos by Lydia Ely/The Astorian The Great ShakeOut shows disaster preparedness goes beyond pandemics By GARY WARNER Oregon Capital Bureau Amid a pandemic that has left over 4.9 million peo- ple dead worldwide, doz- ens of nations are taking time out Thursday to pre- pare for another mass killer: earthquakes. The Great ShakeOut is a global earthquake drill at 10:21 a.m. More than 25 million people — includ- ing 14.1 million Americans — simultaneously practice the fi rst steps of surviving an earthquake: • Drop onto your hands and knees • Cover your head and neck • Crawl to a sturdy desk or table nearby • Hold o n until the shak- ing stops About 500,000 Orego- nians signed up to take part this year, according to the Oregon Offi ce of Emergency Management. “Understanding what to do in the fi rst few moments after a disaster can mean the diff erence between being a survivor and a victim,” Andrew Phelps, the Offi ce of Emergency Management director, said in a statement released before the event. One of the few upsides of the COVID-19 pan- demic is it has made peo- ple around the world more attuned to a proactive culture of preparedness. International organiz- ers say they are aware of the extra challenges of think- ing about and preparing for earthquakes amid the natu- The Great ShakeOut is a reminder to prepare for an earthquake or other natural disaster. ral disaster of coronavirus nearing its two-year mark in December. “While COVID-19 has brought many uncertain- ties and challenges, one thing’s for sure, ShakeOut is still happening,” said an announcement. The drill is a reminder in Oregon of a possible Casca- dia Subduction Zone earth- quake on a 680-mile rift in the Pacifi c Ocean running from British Columbia to Northern California. The 9.0 earthquake c ould kill up to 10,000 people in Oregon — with half of the casualties dying in tsunamis that would inundate the coast, according to state studies. Up to 25,000 could die from Vancouver, Can- ada, to Fort Bragg, Califor- nia, according to t he Cas- cadia Region Earthquake Workgroup, a non profi t that includes governments, busi- nesses, communities and other groups working on a region wide study of disaster recovery. In Oregon, more than 85,000 buildings could be destroyed, the state esti- mates. West of the Cascades, much of the infrastructure of the modern world would collapse: communications, water, sewer and electri- cal systems would fail. Hos- pitals would be wrecked. Roads and airports west of the Cascades would likely be unusable. Even traveling by boat with rescue supplies for the coast would be in danger of debris and being hit by tsunamis. The Cascades mountains would act as a natural fi re- wall against the earthquake, with damage to the east of the peaks light or moderate at worst. Oregon offi cials have des- ignated Bend as the clos- est major population area to organize rescue and recovery eff orts and re establish state government. With its runways likely intact or relatively easy to repair, the Redmond airport would be the site of airlifts of supplies and emergency response crews that would then be fl own by helicopter to help victims to the west. The Cascadia quake would likely leave large areas isolated for weeks, while repairs would last for several years. The offi cial state price tag for repair and recovery is $40 billion. The magnitude of an Ore- gon earthquake threat is a rel- atively recent discovery. Beginning in the 1980s, geological surveys, Native American oral traditions and meticulous Japanese tidal records led to an estimate the last 9.0 earthquake occurred in January 1700. Subsequent studies of the deep rift indicate there have been up to 41 major earthquakes along the zone, spread out at variable inter- vals, but averaging about one every 500 years. With geological time sequences measured in cen- turies and decades instead of hours and minutes, the 321 years since the 1700 earth- quake puts Oregon today within the parameters of the next earthquake. The state is aiming to get every resident to create an emergency plan, including gathering two weeks worth of water, food, medicines and other necessities. Not only will this help in the event of an earthquake, but also storms, fl oods and other nat- ural disasters. The Oregon Capital Bureau is a collaboration between EO Media Group and Pamplin Media Group. Most school staff in county vaccinated by deadline By ETHAN MYERS The Astorian Most school staff in Clat- sop County got vaccinated against the coronavirus by the state deadline. Gov. Kate Brown ordered teachers and other school staff to be vaccinated by Monday in an attempt to keep schools open during the pandemic. At a news conference Wednesday morning, school district superintendents said the losses of staff due to the state mandate were minimal. Astoria Superintendent Craig Hoppes said 94% of his staff got vaccinated. T he school district lost three employees. The remain- ing unvaccinated employees received medical or religious exemptions. THE OREGON HEALTH AUTHORITY REPORTED 12 NEW VIRUS CASES FOR THE COUNTY ON WEDNESDAY, 13 NEW VIRUS CASES ON TUESDAY AND 12 NEW VIRUS CASES OVER THE WEEKEND. “It had no impact on the day-to-day working of kids coming to school and being educated,” Hoppes said. “We were able to plan appropri- ately for that.” Superintendent Tom Rogozinski, of Warrenton, and Superintendent Susan Penrod, of Seaside, said 93% of their staff s got vaccinated, while losing one employee each. The remaining unvac- cinated employees received medical or religious exemp- tions, they said. Knappa Superintendent Bill Fritz said 95% of his staff got vaccinated. One employee was placed on leave, he said, but the school district did not terminate anybody. Jewell Superintendent Steve Phillips said staff in his district reached a vaccination rate just shy of 90% , but they lost just one employee. “It’s no fun, but it didn’t really aff ect kids,” Phillips said . The Oregon Health Authority, meanwhile, reported 12 new virus cases for the county on Wednesday, 13 new virus cases on Tues- day and 12 new virus cases over the weekend. Since the pandemic began, the county had recorded 2,432 virus cases and 27 deaths as of Wednesday. WANTED Alder and Maple Saw Logs & Standing Timber Northwest Hardwoods • Longview, WA Contact: John Anderson • 360-269-2500
