A2
THE ASTORIAN • TUESDAY, MAY 10, 2022
IN BRIEF
County gets state grant to fi ght addiction
A state grant of $6.2 million will go toward fi ghting
addiction in Clatsop County.
The Behavioral Health Resource Networks grant
will address the need for housing, harm reduction,
drug and alcohol treatment, overdose prevention,
employment support and other services.
The county’s Public Health Department, Clatsop
Behavioral Healthcare, Clatsop Community Action,
Helping Hands Reentry Outreach Centers and Providence
Seaside Hospital Foundation will receive funds. The orga-
nizations collaborated on the application, the county said.
Monica Steele, the assistant county manager, noted
at a Public Safety Coordinating Council meeting on
Friday that because grant funding is frequently tied
to population, rural communities don’t often receive
funding in amounts that can make a diff erence.
Coast Guard rescues people from
stranded yacht off Washington state
Seven crew members aboard a yacht stranded about
25 miles off Washington state were saved by the U.S.
Coast Guard on Saturday.
A transom door in the yacht’s stern had malfunc-
tioned, and water had started rushing into the 143-foot
vessel, the Coast Guard said. The crew members also
observed smoke, which led them to take fi re suppression
measures that disabled the yacht, the Coast Guard said.
— The Astorian
DEATHS
May 5, 2022
BLAIR, Philip James,
95, of Astoria, died in
Astoria.
Caldwell’s
Luce-Layton Mortuary of
Astoria is in charge of the
arrangements.
HOWELL, Charles
Wesley, 72, of Warren-
ton, died in Portland.
Caldwell’s
Luce-Lay-
ton Mortuary of Asto-
ria is in charge of the
arrangements.
May 4, 2022
SETALA,
Kenneth
William, 84, of Naselle,
Washington, died in
Portland.
Caldwell’s
Luce-Layton Mortuary of
Astoria is in charge of the
arrangements.
MEMORIALS
Friday, May 13
Memorials
OLSON, Anna (Peggy)
— Memorial at 2:30 p.m.,
Bethany Free Lutheran
Deaths
Church, 451 34th St., fol-
lowed by coff ee and pie.
Saturday, May 14
BELLINGHAM,
Marie J. — Celebration of
life service at noon , Birken-
feld Community Church,
11249 Oregon Highway
202 in Birkenfeld, with
Dan Cano offi ciating.
HARROD,
Jeff ery
Len — Celebration of life
from 1 to 4 p.m., Sons of
Norway Lodge, Nidaros
Lodge No. 16, 2790 U.S.
Highway 101 in Gearhart.
Hawaiian attire preferred.
VALDEZ, Mark Den-
nis — Final military salute
and celebration of life at
2 p.m., Shelter C, Coff en-
bury Lake, Fort Stevens
State Park in Hammond.
All are welcome.
ON THE RECORD
Disorderly conduct
ing objects, police said.
On
the Yuryevic
Record
• Alexander
Tribuntsov was also
Tribuntsov, 34, of Dia-
mond Bar, California,
was arrested on Saturday
in Astoria for second-de-
gree disorderly conduct,
second-degree criminal
trespass and violating a
release agreement.
He was refused ser-
vice at Silver Salmon
Grille on Commercial
Street after attempting
to go behind the bar and
was being argumentative
with patrons and throw-
involved in a disturbance
on Thursday at Camp 18,
where he was destroy-
ing bird feeders and other
property. He was put on
a mental health hold and
taken to Providence Sea-
side Hospital, police said.
The next day, he was
arrested in Seaside for
second-degree
crimi-
nal mischief for slashing
someone’s tires at Seaside
Stop & Go on S. Roos-
evelt Drive, police said.
PUBLIC MEETINGS
TUESDAY
Clatsop County Planning Commission, 10 a.m., (elec-
tronic meeting).
Cannon Beach City Council, 6 p.m., work session and
special meeting, City Hall, 163 E. Gower Ave.
Lewis and Clark Fire Department Board, 6 p.m., main fi re
station, 34571 U.S. Highway 101 Business.
Warrenton City Commission, 6 p.m., City Hall, 225 S. Main
Ave.
Clatsop Community College Board, 6:30 p.m., Columbia
219, 1651 Lexington Ave., Astoria.
WEDNESDAY
Clatsop County Board of Commissioners, 6 p.m., (elec-
tronic meeting).
Warrenton-Hammond School District Board, 6 p.m.,
Warrenton High School library, 1700 S. Main Ave.
Astoria School District Board, 7 p.m., (electronic meeting).
THURSDAY
Seaside Civic and Convention Center Commission,
5 p.m., 415 First Ave.
Gearhart Planning Commission, 6 p.m., City Hall, 698
Pacifi c Way.
PUBLIC MEETINGS
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SUNDAY BEST
Man sues hospital
over loss of leg
By ERICK BENGEL
The Astorian
A patient of Columbia
Memorial Hospital in Asto-
ria is suing for alleged neg-
ligence that led to the loss of
his right leg below the knee.
In October 2018, Doug-
las Flesey went to his doctor
with a thorn in his foot and
the beginnings of an infec-
tion, according to the com-
plaint fi led in Circuit Court
in March. The doctor pre-
scribed antibiotics.
Flesey’s foot soon had
a necrotic ulceration. The
doctor removed the dead
tissue and, Flesey alleges,
neglected to clean the
wound beforehand. Flesey
also claims the doctor used
a pad to clean the wound
after placing it on the fl oor
to catch dripping blood.
The doctor wrapped the
foot and advised Flesey to
proceed with antibiotics.
A week later, the doc-
tor removed the ban-
dages, revealing a black-
ened wound, the complaint
claims . More antibiotics
followed.
By early November
2018, the discoloration had
spread to the last two toes.
“A prescription for antibiot-
ics was given once again and
Mr. Flesey was instructed to
return in one month,” the
complaints says.
Six days later, four toes
were black. The wound had
turned gangrenous. A vas-
cular surgeon at Providence
St. Vincent Medical Center
in Portland told Flesey that
his foot had lost most of its
blood fl ow, according to the
complaint.
Flesey’s lower leg was
amputated on Nov. 15, 2018.
Flesey is suing the hos-
pital for the doctor’s alleged
failure to diagnose and the
consequences that followed.
These included a wheel-
chair, a prosthetic leg, mod-
ifi cations in Flesey’s living
space and reduced physical
activity.
Flesey is asking for more
than $2.8 million covering
economic and noneconomic
damages.
Patrick Angel, Flesey’s
Lake Oswego-based attor-
ney, could not be reached for
comment.
Nancee Long, Colum-
bia Memorial’s communica-
tions director, said the hos-
pital does not comment on
pending litigation.
Lissa Brewer/The Astorian
Mary Altieri and ‘Poptart’ the goat made an
appearance as the Astoria Sunday Market
returned downtown on Mother’s Day.
Man sues
hospital, alleging
unnecessary surgery
By ERICK BENGEL
The Astorian
A man who alleges that a doctor at
Columbia Memorial Hospital in Asto-
ria advised him to undergo a traumatic
and unnecessary surgery in May 2020 is
suing for malpractice.
The patient, Sean Osten, claims he
was not given alternative options for the
radical orchiectomy and has suff ered the
loss of a testicle . I n the suit, fi led in Cir-
cuit Court in April, he asks for $1.6 mil-
lion in compensation for medical bills
and the emotional toll.
“Even reasonable doctors and good
doctors make mistakes, and I think that’s
what happened here,” Faith Morse, a
Medford-based attorney representing
Osten, said. “There was an error, and
unfortunately it hurt Sean pretty badly.”
She said Osten’s case is important
because of accountability .
“When we make mistakes, it’s
important that we make them right, and
we fi x the problem that was caused,”
Morse said. “And in this case, unfortu-
nately, Sean has some pretty signifi cant
repercussions.”
Amy Delisa, the hospital’s attorney,
could not be reached for comment.
Nancee Long, Columbia Memori-
al’s communications director, said the
hospital does not comment on pending
litigation.
Kotek and Read diff er on track records
Top contenders in the
Democratic primary
for governor
By HILLARY BORRUD
The Oregonian
Oregon’s open 2022 race for gov-
ernor has been marked with excite-
ment and novelty, from an unusually
high number of candidates to the tur-
bo-funded campaign of an unaffi l-
iated former lawmaker expected to
split the traditional major party vote in
November.
But in the race for the Democratic
Party nomination, insiders were able to
predict the two leading candidates more
than four years in advance: former state
House Speaker Tina Kotek and state
Treasurer Tobias Read. They were the
winner and runner-up in a straw poll
of party faithful at Oregon Democrats’
2017 summit.
Since then, plenty of
speculation swirled about
potential contenders, and
former New York Times col-
umnist Nick Kristof made a
well-funded but short-lived
attempt to get on the ballot.
But with just a week until the May
17 election, Kotek and Read are the only
candidates with the demonstrated voter
support and campaign operations neces-
sary to win.
Paige Richardson, a Democratic
political consultant , said multiple fac-
tors led to the small number of viable
Democratic candidates, compared to the
Republican side, in which 19 people are
running and at least three have a plausi-
Mark Graves and Beth Nakamura/The Oregonian
State Treasurer Tobias Read, left, and
former state House Speaker Tina Kotek,
right, are the leading candidates in the
Democratic primary for governor.
ble path to win the nomination.
Democratic voters generally recog-
nize that the governor “manages the
entire state and the person that goes in
there needs to have a level of experi-
ence and success, measur-
able demonstrative success
coming into that,” she said.
Experience
Read, 46, has said his
executive experience sets
him apart from Kotek. He
pointed out that he has led the Oregon
State Treasury since 2016 and has expe-
rience launching programs passed by
the Legislature, including the retirement
savings plan OregonSaves for workers
who don’t have that option through their
employer.
Of course, Kotek, 55, has nearly
a decade of experience as speaker,
wrangling a majority of the 60 state
House lawmakers to pass a long list of
Democratic priorities, including rais-
ing Oregon’s minimum wage, setting a
statewide rent control policy, abolishing
single-family zoning in the state’s larg-
est cities and creating a new business tax
to fund education while trimming public
employee pensions.
The last Oregon governor to win
election after serving as state treasurer
was Gov. Bob Straub, a Democrat
elected on his third try for governor in
1974. Former Gov. John Kitzhaber, who
came to offi ce in 1995, was the last gov-
ernor elected straight from serving in
the Legislature.
Read and Kotek both had lengthy
careers as lawmakers. They started in
the Legislature at the same time, after
each winning election in 2006.
Both were lawmakers during the
years Oregon sat on more than $80 mil-
lion in federal funding to upgrade its
unemployment system, as was unaf-
fi liated gubernatorial candidate Betsy
Johnson, a former longtime Demo-
cratic state senator. Oregon’s failure to
replace its 1990s technology hamstrung
the state during the pandemic, leading to
long delays in getting jobless benefi ts to
workers including expanded payments
authorized by Congress.
High-profi le failures such as the
delayed jobless benefi ts, which left thou-
sands of unemployed Oregonians wait-
ing for months as their fi nances fell apart
during the pandemic, could be part of
the reason likely Oregon primary vot-
ers listed political leadership as one
of their top three concerns in a recent
poll commissioned by Oregon Public
Broadcasting .
See Primary, Page A3