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About The daily Astorian. (Astoria, Or.) 1961-current | View Entire Issue (March 8, 2022)
DailyAstorian.com // TUESDAY, MARCH 8, 2022 149TH YEAR, NO. 107 $1.50 Lawmakers sign off on $1.5B in new spending Set aside $400 million for shelters and housing By PETER WONG Oregon Capital Bureau Now that Oregon lawmakers have approved an additional $1.5 billion for spending on priorities such as job train- ing, housing and child care, Gov. Kate Brown said it’s time for state agencies to get that money out to where it is needed . The Democratic chief executive spoke to reporters virtually on Friday after the Legislature wrapped up its 2022 ses- sion and fulfi lled all her major priori- ties. Among them were $200 million for Future Ready Oregon, a new eff ort to train would-be workers for future jobs in key sectors and $400 million for pro- grams to shelter people and build more lower-cost housing. Both the job training plan and the bud- get bill passed by big bipartisan margins, although another bill to end the exemp- tion of farmworkers from overtime pay divided the majority Democrats from the minority Republicans. Only one Demo- cratic senator voted against that bill; no Republicans in either chamber voted for it. See Legislature, Page A6 CANNON BEACH New legal twist in fi ght over beach house Haystack Rock LLC sues couple and city By NICOLE BALES The Astorian CANNON BEACH — The city and a couple seeking to build a controver- sial beach house overlooking Haystack Rock are now being sued by a neighbor- ing property owner. Stanley and Rebecca Roberts submit- ted an application last year to construct a 2,712-square-foot oceanfront home on a steep hillside off of Hemlock Street. The proposal, however, did not advance because it did not meet the city’s ocean- front setback standard, which, if applied, would signifi cantly reduce the possible footprint for any building on the property. The couple was unsuccessful before the state Land Use Board of Appeals and the Oregon Court of Appeals and is now appealing to the Oregon Supreme Court. Meanwhile, the Roberts have applied for a second building permit for a smaller house that would meet the oceanfront setback standard. Photos by Lydia Ely/The Astorian Workers from the Oregon Department of Transportation and the federal Animal and Plant Health Inspection Service stand on the Astoria Bridge waiting for pyrotechnics meant to discourage double-crested cormorant nesting to be set off . State pushes to move birds off bridge Hazing will continue in cormorant nesting season By KATIE FRANKOWICZ KMUN laggers stop traffi c in both direc- tions and the Astoria Bridge falls silent. Until the fi reworks begin. The pyrotechnics go off in lone bursts with long gaps in between, each one leaving a thin trail of smoke that hovers over the Columbia River. Angela Beers-Sey- del, a spokeswoman for the Ore- gon Department of Transportation, leans against the guardrail and looks down. Just north of the bridge’s tall main span, black, angular shapes whirl out from under the bridge and circle over the r iver. “I would say the birds noticed,” F she said . The fl ashes and bangs are an attempt to frighten double-crested cormorants off sections of the bridge ahead of maintenance and construc- tion work this year. After a test run , state and federal crews feel confi dent the birds will respond as desired. Hazing will con- tinue throughout the nesting season, from spring through early fall, and for the next two years. Double-crested cormorants, with their dark feathers and long, distinc- Double-crested cormorants fl ee the Astoria Bridge after pyrotechnics were set off . tive crooked necks, have nested in increasing numbers on the b ridge. Several years ago, they aban- doned one of the largest cormorant colonies in the world at East Sand Island, an island near the mouth of the r iver near the Washington state village of Chinook. Arguing that the birds ate too many threatened and endangered juvenile salmon, the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers shot thousands at East Sand Island , destroyed nests and eggs and reshaped the island’s habitat in an eff ort to reduce the massive colony’s numbers by about half. See Cormorants, Page A6 See Beach house, Page A2 A nurse and herbalist creates personal blends Qaqundah opened Grateful Rain downtown By ERICK BENGEL The Astorian lmost a year ago, Jenny Qaqundah opened Grateful Rain, an apothecary on Commer- cial Street . The front room has shelves upon shelves of natural health products: teas, house-made herbal tinctures and blends, essential oils sold as perfumes, lotions, hand sanitizers and antimicrobial sprays and other aromatherapy products. The store is a sister to Grate- ful Desert, Qaqundah’s longtime venture in Joshua Tree, California. Both businesses are worker-owned A Erick Bengel/The Astorian Jenny Qaqundah is the founder of Grateful Rain apothecary shop downtown. by the same four-person team and sell her private label, Grateful Apothecaries. A registered nurse and herbalist, Qaqundah recommends scents and works one-on-one with customers to create personal blends of herbal tinctures and of essential oils. Once she makes a formula for someone, she never sells it to any- one else, “because then people get to know it’s theirs — their scent,” Qaqundah said. The overwhelming majority of her customers come in seeking help for anxiety, which many experience while dealing with other conditions — such as depression, diabetes and high blood pressure — that can require a general practitioner. Qaqundah comes from a family of doctors and views her treatment as a complement to standard medi- cal interventions. A room in Grateful Rain con- tains Middle Eastern food — Qaqundah’s parents emigrated from Palestine — including dates, tahini, falafel mix, stuff ed grape leaves, various olives, halloumi and feta cheese, olive oil and Arabic spices. See Qaqundah, Page A2
