149TH YEAR, NO. 62
WEEKEND EDITION // SATURDAY, NOVEMBER 20, 2021
$1.50
State
economy
drives
revenue
growth
Unemployment rate
also improves
By PETER WONG
Oregon Capital Bureau
Oregon’s state coff ers continue to add
personal and corporate income taxes at a
record pace, state economists told lawmak-
ers, although there are other signs that pace
will slow soon.
Though the state’s two-year budget
cycle has almost 18 more months to go, the
newest projections put the state on track
for a $553 million return of excess per-
sonal income taxes in spring 2024 — in the
form of credits reducing taxes owed — and
a $250 million return of corporate income
taxes into the S tate S chool F und.
“That is still up in the air,” Mark
McMullen, the state economist, told mem-
bers of the state House and Senate revenue
committees on Wednesday . A determina-
tion of whether there are excess taxes will
await the September 2023 forecast, the fi rst
after the budget cycle closes in June 2023.
Still, he said, the state withheld a record
amount of personal income taxes in Octo-
ber — a sign that people are working —
and collected a record in corporate income
taxes. Those two sources account for more
than 90% of the general fund, the most
fl exible support for state services and aid to
public schools. Oregon Lottery sales also
have recovered from pandemic lows.
“All of Oregon’s indicators are outstrip-
ping expectations. The revenue boom con-
tinues unabated,” McMullen said. “Unfor-
tunately, our recent revenue forecasts have
called for tax collections to return back to
earth. They will continue to grow, but come
back to more sustainable levels.”
See Economy, Page A6
MORE INSIDE
Photos by Lydia Ely/The Astorian
Ed Overbay stands in front of one of the windows the students restored and installed in the woodworking shop.
Port, college collaborate
on window restoration
Students work
on building near
Airport Industrial Park
By ETHAN MYERS
The Astorian
W
ARRENTON — T he
Port of Astoria, Clat-
sop Community Col-
lege and Overbay Houseworks
are collaborating to restore win-
dows on a building across from
the Airport Industrial Park.
Ed Overbay and his staff build
cabinets, doors, staircases and
other household products in the
woodworking shop . The build-
ing, which Overbay has occupied
since 1979, is owned by the Port .
While the structure has han-
dled storms and fl ooding for
over four decades and remains in
fairly good condition, one resto-
ration project desperately needed
to be undertaken: the windows.
A restored window is shown
at the Overbay Houseworks
woodworking shop.
The Port is responsible for
taking care of the outside of the
building. “We have been behind
on maintenance out there for
years,” Matt McGrath, the Port’s
deputy director, said.
So Overbay came up with an
idea. H e had a hand in starting
the h istoric p reservation program
at Clatsop Community College,
which teaches students about the
theory and history of restoration,
and gives them hands-on experi-
ence through projects across the
region.
Overbay thought the program
could tackle restoration of his
windows .
“I brainstormed this idea. T his
gives the college program a good
opportunity to do this kind of
restoration,” he said. “The win-
dows are, by and large, accessible
as opposed to a lot of situations
and they’re almost all exactly the
same size so I thought it would be
a good drill for the college pro-
gram … and it would be a good
opportunity for the building.
“ I want to see the building
maintained, I love this building.”
See Windows, Page A6
Oregon’s fuel tax set to rise again • A2
Killer apologizes to family of slain trooper
Prosecutors,
family oppose
Sture’s release
By ERICK BENGEL
The Astorian
A man who murdered an
Oregon State Police offi -
cer in Knappa 41 years ago
argued at a parole hearing
Wednesday that he is ready
for release.
But members of the
Oregon Board of Parole
and Post-Prison Supervi-
sion worry about whether
Michael Edward Sture will
stay sober, and minimize
his risk of violence, if he is
freed.
The hearing, Sture’s fi rst
in 10 years, was an exit inter-
view to determine whether
the board should fi rm up or
defer his projected release
date in May.
Sture shot Sgt. James
D. Shepherd to death in the
Knappa woodlands on May
22, 1980.
The trooper was off duty,
riding a borrowed motorcy-
cle and looking into possible
malfeasance in an area near
his house. Sture shot Shep-
herd three times — fi rst in
the chest while the offi cer
was on his bike, then twice
KNAPPA
Parents condemn
vaccine mandate
Some warn they
will pull students
from school
By ETHAN MYERS
The Astorian
Sgt. James D. Shepherd was a 23-year veteran of the Oregon State Police.
in the head. He used two dif-
ferent guns.
The reasons for the shoot-
ing are still unclear.
Sture, then 23, had
already been in prison for
car theft. He told the parole
board on Wednesday that he
sensed Shepherd was a cop
and feared being taken back
to prison. Although Sture
said years ago that he didn’t
want Shepherd coming
across his marijuana grow
site, Clatsop County Dis-
trict Attorney Ron Brown
said at the hearing that “the
police never found mari-
juana plants.”
When state trooper Brian
Johnson found his col-
league’s body, Sture made
him lie on the ground at gun-
point but didn’t physically
injure him. He took off with
Shepherd’s bike.
A manhunt ensued, but
Sture had left the North
Coast. He was apprehended
days later while hitchhiking
in c entral Oregon.
Sture was eventually sen-
tenced to prison for a period
of his natural life, but the
possibility of release always
hung in the air.
Unlike at his previous
parole hearings, Sture apol-
ogized to the Shepherd
family.
“I’m sorry. I am so heart-
sick about what I done. The
last 40 years, every year that
goes by, it just gets heavier
and heavier,” he said. “And I
just wanted to say that.”
The parole board will
decide Sture’s fate at a later
date. He will receive a writ-
ten decision.
Drug abuse
Much of the parole
board’s discussion with Sture
on Wednesday focused on his
lengthy history of drug abuse,
a habit that ran through his
decades in prison .
See Sture, Page A6
Several parents and
others from the commu-
nity expressed worries to
the Knappa school board
Wednesday evening about
a student vaccine man-
date to help contain the
coronavirus.
Many of the comments
were spirited and echoed
anti-mask and anti-vaccine
sentiments, particularly for
children, urging the school
board to stand up against
any potential state guidance
requiring vaccines.
“Let’s act before vaccine
mandates come down,”
Ashley Meadows, a resi-
dent , said. “We risk a mas-
sive student exodus and we
just passed a huge bond
measure. Let’s be sure
every child gets to benefi t
without prejudice.”
Each comment was fol-
lowed by loud applause
from the nearly two dozen
people who attended the
meeting , many of whom
are associated with the
Knappa Parents Organiza-
tion. The group has spoken
out in the past over a mid-
dle school health curricu-
lum and other topics.
“Our state does it on dif-
ferent topics to the federal
government — you can say
‘no.’ W e can say ‘no,’” Adam
Brown, a resident, said.
A survey conducted
by the Oregon Values and
Beliefs Center in Octo-
ber showed about 57% of
Oregonians support vac-
cine mandates for children
12 and older . Just 45% of
parents support a mandate,
however.
A possible student vac-
cine mandate was added
as a discussion item to the
agenda in Knappa after a
request by school board
member Michelle Finn. She
said board member Christa
Jasper, who was not pres-
ent at the meeting, felt sim-
ilarly and also wanted it on
the agenda.
Finn said s he wanted to
tackle the topic after hear-
ing concerns from the com-
munity . She said she has
heard from some parents
that if a student vaccine
mandate were adopted,
See Mandate, Page A2