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About The daily Astorian. (Astoria, Or.) 1961-current | View Entire Issue (April 21, 2022)
»INSIDE THURSDAY APRIL 21 2022 B, ENJOY CRA SEAFOOD E AND WIN FESTI 40 YEAR VAL CELEBRATES S SCULPTING, FULL CIRCLE PAGE 6 EARTH DAY ACTIVITIES PAGE 8 MULDAUR PERFORMS IN NEHALEM PAGE 9 PAGE 4 149TH YEAR, NO. 126 DailyAstorian.com // THURSDAY, APRIL 21, 2022 $1.50 City chooses child care provider A partnership with Bumble Art Studio By NICOLE BALES The Astorian Photos by Lydia Ely/The Astorian Nathan Pinkstaff , a deck mechanic, is the challenger in District 3. Commissioner Pamela Wev Commissioner Mark Kujala, is running for a second term the board’s chairman, is in District 3 representing running unopposed for a Astoria. second term in Warrenton’s District 1. Commissioner Lianne Thompson is running for a third term in South County’s District 5. Steve Dillard, an innkeeper, is the challenger in District 5. CANDIDATES’ FORUM HOUSING, CHILD CARE AMONG TOPICS AT COUNTY COMMISSION FORUM By ERICK BENGEL The Astorian C latsop County commissioners and the challengers looking to unseat them in the May election outlined their strengths and diff erences Tuesday night at a candidates’ forum at Clatsop Community College in Astoria. Two of the region’s defi n- ing issues — housing and child care — came up during a discussion moderated by Chris Breitmeyer, the college president, in the Patriot Hall gymnasium. Breitmeyer asked the candidates what projects they would promote to increase aff ordable housing. The question came after a controver- sial project at Heritage Square in Asto- ria that would have provided work- force and supportive housing was nixed, amid a storm of criticism, after the cost to the city became clear. The Northwest Oregon Housing Authority recently unveiled an aff ordable housing project for seniors and the disabled next to the Owens-Adair Apartments in Astoria. Commissioner Pamela Wev, who is running for a second, four-year term as the District 3 representative for Astoria on the Board of Commissioners, cited her support for two housing projects: Trillium House, a workforce housing project slated to break ground in Warrenton , and the pro- posed expansion at Owens-Adair . Wev is the board’s delegate to the h ousing a uthority, which manages low-income housing in Clatsop, Colum- bia and Tillamook counties. Her challenger, Astoria resident Nathan Pinkstaff , said that in addition to cities and the county, developers should be brought into the conversation. Pinkstaff , a deck mechanic for Tide- water Barge Lines, also said the 2019 c ounty h ousing study should be updated to refl ect the pandemic era. See Commissioners, Page A6 State Senate, House candidates appear at forum A potential preview of November election By ETHAN MYERS The Astorian In a potential preview of the Novem- ber election, candidates for the state Sen- ate and House went behind the micro- phones Tuesday night at a candidates’ forum in Astoria. Betsy Johnson’s decision to launch an independent campaign for governor cre- ated an open seat in state Senate District 16 and a domino eff ect in state House District 32. State Rep. Suzanne Weber, a Tilla- mook Republican, and Melissa Busch, See Candidates, Page A6 Melissa Busch, a nurse in Warren, is the Democratic candidate in state Senate District 16. State Rep. Suzanne Weber is the Republican candidate in state Senate District 16. Cyrus Javadi, a Logan Laity, a community organizer dentist in Tillamook, is a Republican in Tillamook, is candidate in state the Democratic House District 32. candidate in state House District 32. The city will partner with Bumble Art Studio, an Astoria preschool provider, on child care. The new arrangement means 21 chil- dren enrolled at Sprouts Learning Center will continue to have child care without interruption. After the city ends services at Sprouts at the end of June, Bumble Art Studio will take over operations at the Astoria Recre- ation Center on July 1. “I can’t tell you how excited all of us on council are that our program — although it will terminate in its current form — that the facility will still be used for child care under diff erent management with a part- nership with the city, and those kids will continue to be cared for,” Mayor Bruce Jones said during a City Council meeting on Monday night. The city announced plans to close Sprouts Learning Center in February after reaching a critical staffi ng shortage and operating at an unsustainable loss. After See Child care, Page A3 Surf Pines man sentenced for child porn Cazee pleaded guilty to two counts By ERICK BENGEL The Astorian A Surf Pines man received a 17-year sentence in federal prison on Monday for producing child pornography. Kirk Richard Cazee, 60, was convicted in U.S. District Court in Port- land for crimes involv- ing the sexual exploita- tion of two girls younger than 16. He had been indicted by a federal grand jury Kirk Richard Cazee in September 2018 on 10 counts that covered pro- ducing, receiving, possessing and trans- porting child pornography. As part of a plea deal, Cazee pleaded guilty to two counts of producing the pornography. See Cazee, Page A6 Jewell principal resigns Transit district drops mask requirement Wood declined to disclose reason By ETHAN MYERS The Astorian Jon Wood, the principal at Jewell School, has resigned. At Monday night’s school board meeting, Mike Stahly, the board chairman, read a state- ment acknowledging that Wood, who has been in the role for three years, is stepping away at the end of the school year. Wood declined to comment on his resignation or the reason for his departure. School b oard members Stahly and Mike Wammack and acting Superintendent Brian Gardner all thanked Wood for his service . Wood was brought on as prin- cipal in 2019 after serving as the director of programs for the Nyssa School District in Eastern Oregon. “In my experience – again, I got here a month and a half, two months ago – Jon has done everything that I’ve asked him to do,” said Gardner, who was hired by the school district in March on an interim basis. “He’s essen- tially running the operations of the school right now and he’s done a good job. I wish him well in his next endeavors.” M embers of the unions for Jewell’s educators and classi- fi ed employees sent a letter to the school board in March regarding their confi dence in Wood’s abili- ties and leadership. Move follows a federal judge’s ruling By ETHAN MYERS The Astorian The Sunset Empire Transporta- tion District announced that masks to protect against the coronavirus are optional for riders and employ- ees on buses and in facilities. The move comes after a federal judge in Florida struck down the national mask mandate for public transportation on Monday, leav- ing room for agencies to determine their own mask requirements. The decision was based on the judge’s ruling, guidance from the Federal Transit Administration and the U.S. Transportation Security Administration’s announcement to make masks optional, the transit Colin Murphey/The Astorian See Principal, Page A3 Masks are no longer required on local buses. See Masks, Page A6
