A2
THE ASTORIAN • TUESDAY, JULY 12, 2022
Wyden urges Congress to act on tech grants
IN BRIEF
Police arrest suspect in Astoria robberies
The man who police say is responsible for two
recent robberies in Astoria has been arrested.
Astoria police said on Sunday that Donald Lee
Sparling, 68, is in custody on charges unrelated to the
robberies.
Sparling allegedly robbed Lewis & Clark Bank on
Commercial Street on June 30 by presenting a note to
a teller. On Friday, he allegedly robbed Wauna Federal
Credit Union on W. Marine Drive in a similar manner.
Police have not disclosed the amount of money sto-
len from either location.
Gould appointed to
Gearhart City Council
GEARHART — Dana Gould, a former sheriff ’s
deputy and emergency responder who has lived in
Gearhart since 2018, was appointed to fi ll a vacancy
on the City Council.
Gould was named to take the position of Kerry
Smith, who became mayor after Paulina Cockrum
resigned in June. Smith was sworn in on Wednesday.
— The Astorian
DEATHS
July 10, 2022
In EASLEY,
Brief
Lucille
Rose, 90, of Happy Val-
ley, formerly of Asto-
Deaths
ria, died in Happy Valley.
Caldwell’s
Luce-Lay-
ton Mortuary of Asto-
ria is in charge of the
arrangements.
July 8, 2022
McVEY,
Bobbie
Eugene, 88, of Warrenton,
died in Seaside. Ocean
View Funeral & Cre-
mation Service of Asto-
ria is in charge of the
arrangements.
SCHEVE,
Velvyn
Joan, 90, of Astoria, died
in Astoria. Ocean View
Funeral & Cremation Ser-
vice of Astoria is in charge
of the arrangements.
July 5, 2022
SMITH, Lillian Dar-
lene, 85, of Hammond,
died in Seaside. Ocean
View Funeral & Cre-
mation Service of Asto-
ria is in charge of the
arrangements.
June 26, 2022
FRISON, Jerry, 80,
of Astoria, died in Asto-
ria. Ocean View Funeral
& Cremation Service of
Astoria is in charge of the
arrangements.
MEMORIALS
Saturday, July 16
GASCOIGNE, Derek
Alan “Derk” — Cele-
bration of life and open
house from 1 to 4 p.m.,
Warrenton Community
Center, 170 S.W. Third
St. in Warrenton. Please
bring stories to share.
HAUKE, Eric A.
“Skip” — Celebration of
life from 1 to 4 p.m., Clat-
sop County Fairgrounds,
92937 Walluski Loop.
Saturday, Aug. 6
MENDENHALL, Joel
Eric — Graveside service
date has been changed
from Saturday to Aug.
6 at 1 p.m., Ocean View
Cemetery, 575 S.W. 18th
St. in Warrenton.
CORRECTION
Incorrect reference — As part of the redevelopment
Correction
of a former elementary school in Cannon Beach, pedes-
trian trails and a foot bridge could connect the site to Ecola
Creek Park and Les Shirley Park. An A1 story on Satur-
day incorrectly referred to Ecola Creek Forest Reserve.
ON THE RECORD
McConnell warns he
may derail package
By PETER WONG
Oregon Capital Bureau
U.S. Sen. Ron Wyden,
fl anked by three high-tech
executives from the region,
gave his pitch for swift con-
gressional action for billions
of dollars to boost the nation’s
semiconductor manufactur-
ing and research.
Some of that federal
money is expected to come
to Oregon, home of the “Sil-
icon Forest” and many tech-
nology businesses, including
chipmaker Intel, which with
22,000 workers is Oregon’s
largest private employer.
Wyden, an Oregon Dem-
ocrat , said Oregonians may
be baffl ed by complex expla-
nations about the diffi cul-
ties of supply chains leading
to infl ation rates not seen in
four decades. But he said they
understand one simple rea-
son for a shortage of cars and
other products — a lack of
semiconductor chips, many
of which are made outside the
United States.
“They are certainly think-
ing about infl ation and
whether they will have access
to products,” he said Satur-
day. “It is clear as today is in
Oregon.
“Computer chips have
been essential to the quality
of life in our state and coun-
try. It is just as clear that sup-
porting domestic chip pro-
duction is a must for lowering
costs for U.S. consumers and
increasing high-wage, high-
skill jobs.”
Wyden also said there is
a national security argument
for boosting domestic pro-
duction of chips, given U.S.
dependence on their manu-
facture in China — a global
economic rival — and other
Asian nations.
Wyden was joined at the
Portland event by execu-
tives from Intel, nLIGHT and
Microchip Technology Inc.
All have their corporate head-
quarters outside Oregon, but
all have manufacturing plants
here — Intel in Hillsboro and
Aloha, nLIGHT in Hillsboro
and Vancouver, Washington ,
and Microchip Technology in
Gresham.
The event was at Stark’s
Vacuum Cleaners on N.E.
Grand Avenue. Wyden said
it was an example of a fami-
ly-owned business — it dates
back 90 years — where the
modern product now relies on
Intel Corp.
Intel Corp. could seek federal grants to establish a regional
technology hub.
semiconductors.
In addition to leading the
Senate Finance Commit-
tee, which writes tax legis-
lation, Wyden is one of the
congressional
negotiators
seeking to resolve diff erences
between Senate and House
versions of legislation aimed
at boosting U.S. economic
competitiveness.
GOP leader’s threat
Wyden spoke two days
after Senate Minority Leader
Mitch McConnell, a Repub-
lican from Kentucky, said in
a tweet he might derail the
legislation in an evenly split
Senate if majority Demo-
crats proceed with unrelated
proposals he objects to in a
pending budget reconciliation
measure. Among them are
increased taxes on high-in-
come earners, pricing limits
on prescription drugs and tax
incentives for clean energy.
“They are separate mat-
ters,” Wyden said. “I will
keep working with anybody
who wants to give Ameri-
can workers and manufac-
turers the help they need now
to strengthen the American
economy. I believe we can
help our country and outcom-
pete China.”
The original Senate ver-
sion of the competitiveness
legislation passed 68 to 32 —
with votes from McConnell
and 18 Republicans — back
in June 2021. U.S. Sen. Ber-
nie Sanders, a Vermont inde-
pendent who normally sides
with Democrats, joined 31
Republicans in opposition. It
is sponsored by three Demo-
crats, including Wyden, and
three Republicans.
The House passed a dif-
ferent version , largely along
party lines, in February .
Among the diff erences
are the proposed spending
amounts. The House pro-
poses $52 billion for grants
for semiconductor manufac-
turers, $45 billion for sup-
ply chain improvements, and
$160 billion for research and
development. The Senate
proposes $50 billion for man-
ufacturing grants, $10 billion
for the U.S. Department of
Commerce to name cities as
regional technology hubs and
$250 billion for research and
development, but in a diff er-
ent way than the House bill.
President Joe Biden, on a
brief stop in April at Portland
International Airport, urged
Congress to get moving on
the legislation.
One of the other congres-
sional negotiators is U.S.
Rep. Suzanne Bonamici, a
Democrat from Beaverton
whose 1st Congressional Dis-
trict includes the Intel plants.
Wyden said he hopes Con-
gress can move on a stand-
alone bill before the summer
recess starts in early August .
Democrats, who have thin
majorities in both chambers,
have other options to advance
it.
Intel executive: Act now
At the event, an Intel
executive said that with-
out the pending legislation,
the United States is likely to
fall behind others that have
increased their incentives
for semiconductor manufac-
turing: the European Union,
India, Japan and South Korea.
This excludes China, which
has loaned billions to its own
manufacturing enterprises.
“The longer Congress
delays in passing the act,
the higher the risk that chip
manufacturers will decide to
invest and expand outside the
United States,” Gabriela Cruz
Thompson, the senior direc-
tor of university research and
collaboration for Intel Labs,
said.
“I f we wish to retain
advanced chipmaking capa-
bilities, time is of the essence.
There is bipartisan recog-
nition that chips are critical
to our nation and economic
security. And there is biparti-
san support for manufactur-
ing here in the United States.”
In
January,
Intel
announced a $20 billion
investment in two new chip-
making plants near Colum-
bus, Ohio — an announce-
ment that drew criticism
about why the plants were
not built in Oregon. In April ,
Intel announced a $3 billion
expansion of its D1X devel-
opment factory, which will
be named in honor of Intel
co-founder Gordon Moore on
a 500-acre campus in Hills-
boro’s Ronler Acres.
Thompson said Intel will
seek federal grants under
the legislation to establish
a regional technology hub
— but also did not rule out
grants for manufacturing out-
side Oregon.
“We are going to be get-
ting funding especially to do
research and development
here in Oregon, the region
and the Northwest — but also
in other places in this coun-
try,” she said.
Scott Keeney started
nLIGHT about two decades
ago in Seattle, but moved the
company south to be closer
to the cluster of businesses
known as the Silicon Forest.
Headquarters is in Camas,
Washington, but nLIGHT —
which makes semiconductor
lasers for consumer, indus-
trial, and military and space
uses — employs about 1,000
people at plants in Hillsboro
and Vancouver.
“We wouldn’t have a
semiconductor industry with-
out government support,”
Keeney said. “Maybe for the
past 20 years, it has been less
vital. But as we have seen the
world change, it is absolutely
vital.”
Dan Malinaric is corporate
vice president of Microchip
Technology Inc., based in
Chandler, Arizona. Its plant in
Gresham employs 750 peo-
ple. Others are in Arizona and
Colorado.
Even with investments in
Gresham that will triple its
production, Malinaric said
his company is hard-pressed
to keep up with demand for
semiconductors that are used
in a wide range of products.
He said demand cannot
be satisfi ed even through an
expansion by TSMC (Taiwan
Semiconductor Manufactur-
ing Company), the world’s
largest. Taiwan is a self-gov-
erning island, but China
asserts that Taiwan belongs
to it — and China has made
no secret that military force is
not off -limits in reunifi cation.
“The best investment we
can make is in our existing
plants,” Malinaric said.
DUII
E. Harbor Drive and S.
On
• Sean the
Michael Record
Burn- Main Avenue in Warren-
side, 38, of Eugene, was
arrested on Friday on Ore-
gon Highway 103 for driv-
ing under the infl uence of
intoxicants and reckless
driving. He was allegedly
involved in a crash.
• Colbey Michael Fair,
22, of Reno, Nevada,
was arrested on July 4 at
ton for DUII. Fair was
allegedly involved in a
crash with a bicyclist.
•
Daniel
Ernest
Charles Bean, 36, of
Portland, was arrested on
June 30 on U.S. Highway
26 near Saddle Mountain
Road for DUII and reck-
less driving.
PUBLIC MEETINGS
TUESDAY
Clatsop Care Health District Board, 5 p.m., Patriot Hall,
Clatsop Community College, 1651 Lexington Ave., Astoria.
Cannon Beach City Council, 6 p.m., work session, 163 E.
Gower Ave.
Lewis & 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., 1651 Lex-
ington Ave., Columbia 219, Astoria.
THURSDAY
Seaside Civic and Convention Center Commission,
5 p.m., 415 First Ave.
Warrenton Planning Commission, 5:30 p.m., City Hall,
225 S. Main Ave.
FRIDAY
Astoria City Council, 9 a.m., work session, City Hall, 1095
Duane St.
PUBLIC MEETINGS
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Hunger remains a constant concern across Oregon
Bonamici hosted
a roundtable
By ELIZABETH
MILLER
Oregon Public Broadcasting
Before the coronavi-
rus pandemic, in 2019, the
number of people seeking
assistance through the Ore-
gon Food Bank system was
863,000.
In 2020, that number was
1.7 million. The next year,
1.2 million.
But now, Oregon Food
Bank CEO Susannah Mor-
gan said that the number is
“going back up.”
“We are back in the worst
level of hunger that this
country has seen since the
1930s,” Morgan said during
a roundtable discussion on
hunger Friday.
U.S.
Rep.
Suzanne
Bonamici hosted the round-
table, asking advocates
from local and state orga-
nizations in Oregon about
the region’s level of hunger
and recent eff orts to address
food insecurity.
Bonamici
acknowl-
edged the recently signed
Keep Kids Fed Act, which
extends fl exibility for meal
programs operating this
summer and next school
year.
“I’m glad that Congress
came together to extend
the child nutrition waivers
that were established at the
beginning of the pandemic
... to make sure that children
are not going hungry,” the
Oregon Democrat said.
Bonamici also men-
Oregon Food Bank
The Oregon Food Bank said it is seeing an increase in demand
for hunger assistance, like food boxes, after need had fallen
from a high during the coronavirus pandemic.
tioned her work on the
2020 reauthorization of the
Older Americans Act, which
includes funds to support
meal costs for seniors, and
she highlighted the upcom-
ing White House Confer-
ence on Hunger, Nutrition,
and Health, the second-ever
conference of its kind and
the fi rst since 1969.
Bonamici said her offi ce
is preparing a report for
the Biden administration
and asked participants to
share their ideas to address
food insecurity. Questions
Bonamici asked the group
to consider include:
• What specifi c actions
should the federal govern-
ment, both Congress and the
executive branch, be tak-
ing to end hunger, improve
nutrition and eliminate
disparities?
• How has your commu-
nity been aff ected by hunger
or diet-related disease?
• What existing federal
programs are eff ective, and
what could be expanded or
improved?
• What federal or state
programs are not working?
• Are there barriers that
could be removed by the
federal government that
would help ease your work
on hunger and nutrition?
Participants mentioned
bringing back the child tax
credit and making perma-
nent the federal waivers that
off ered fl exibility for school
meal programs during the
pandemic.
Whitney Ellersick, the
senior director of nutrition
services at Portland Public
Schools, noted how certain
policy changes could inter-
fere with providing food by
sharing one family’s story.
She said the family fi led
a complaint because their
child was unable to access
free meals. Unlike the past
two summers, grab-and-go
meals for children are not
allowed, and parents are
unable to pick up meals for
their students.
“I just took a civil rights
complaint for a family who
has a student with special
needs, where eating in the
park is not an appropriate
setting for their student,”
Ellersick said. “They tried,
and that was not the right
environment.”
Ellersick said students
and their families shouldn’t
have to fi le paperwork or
complaints to access food.
Though the Keep Kids
Fed Act may off er more fl ex-
ibility for summer meals,
rules are not yet in place to
enforce the new law.
Next school year, there
will be more changes. Fed-
eral fl exibility that allowed
for universal free meals has
ended. Schools will return
to off ering free and reduced-
price lunches based on fam-
ily income, meaning some
students will eat for free,
with others paying. Eller-
sick said she will continue
to advocate for free meals
for any student that wants
one.
“We don’t charge a fam-
ily for library books, right?
Even if they can aff ord it,
we don’t charge them for
library books within the
schools,” Ellersick said.
“We don’t charge them for
certain things, but we do
charge them for food based
on their socioeconomics.”
Other participants in
the roundtable suggested
adjusting the federal pov-
erty limit and ensuring more
opportunities for children
and adults to learn about
nutrition and where their
food comes from.