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About The Columbia press. (Astoria, Or.) 1949-current | View Entire Issue (Oct. 13, 2017)
T he C olumbia P ress October 13, 2017 Chainsaw required to rescue man trapped in thicket The Columbia Press Police officers are unsure how a man got trapped in- side the thicket of thorn bushes, but they know it was extremely difficult getting him out. The dispatch center re- ceived a call about 4 a.m. Oct. 3 from the girlfriend of a man who told her he was lost in the woods somewhere between Fred Meyer and the Columbia River dike trail and couldn’t get out, accord- ing to a police report. When officers arrived, they found the friend near the city water tower off East Harbor Drive. She told them she could hear her friend yelling, but couldn’t pinpoint his lo- cation. Port of Astoria security and Warrenton Fire and Rescue joined in the search. The U.S. Coast Guard was contacted to see if they could send a heli- copter to search the area, but they were unable to respond as they were headed to Puget Sound. Brush was so thick in the area that officers couldn’t reach the trapped man. The fire department brought in a chainsaw and cut a path through the thicket until they found him at 5:45 a.m. “Once we reached his loca- tion, we looked around the area to find out how he got into this thicket and were un- able to come up with a path… as it was completely grown up around us,” an officer wrote in the report. Temperatures had dropped to the 40s and the man was dressed in a T-shirt and shorts. He was checked for hypothermia, but refused to be taken to the hospital. The man, identified as Ja- son T. Regennitter, 24, told officers he had attempted to take a shortcut from Fitness 1440 to Fred Meyer. A few hours later, a vehicle registered to Regennitter was reported abandoned inside Astoria-Warrenton Regional Airport. The driver of the 1994 Nis- san Altima had driven onto a runway and sped head-on into a fence, where airport personnel found it. Medicare open enrollment begins Monday Annual open enrollment for Medicare begins Monday, Oct. 15, and the state’s senior assistance program is avail- able to help. Medicare is health insur- ance for people 65 years or older and those on Social Se- curity Disability Income. Medicare covers many med- ical costs, including doctor visits, prescriptions and pre- ventive care such as mammo- grams and colonoscopies. Any Medicare Advantage or prescription drug plan (Part D) changes must be made be- tween Oct. 15 and Dec. 7 so that coverage begins without interruption on Jan. 1. Those who are late to enroll may face a lifetime of premi- um penalties. “Plans change year to year, as do people’s individual health care needs,” said Lisa Emerson, Senior Health In- surance Benefits Assistance Program manager. “People could potentially save money by shopping for a new plan.” Public Safety Calls Continued from Page 2 no medical issue, 3:12 p.m. Oct. 7, 300 block Lake Drive. • Male cut arm with saw, 5:58 p.m. Oct. 7, 0-100 block Eighth Street. • Male with difficulty breathing, 9:42 p.m. Oct. 7, 800 block Northwest Warrenton Drive. • Female injured wrist in fall, 2:19 a.m. Oct. 8, 2000 block Southeast Azalea Avenue. • Female injured in fall, 9:39 a.m. Oct. 8, 200 block South- west Alder Avenue. • Lift assist for female patient, 9:59 a.m. Oct. 8, 2000 block Southeast Azalea Avenue. • Female with leg edema, 11:13 a.m. Oct. 8, 1000 block North- west Warrenton Drive. • Male with unknown medical condition, 11:33 a.m. Oct. 8, 200 block Southwest Second Street. Her program provides free health insurance counseling to explain how the Medicare program works, additional insurance options that work with Medicare, and help with reducing out-of-pocket costs. Staff members, along with over 200 certified counsel- ors, serve many of Oregon’s 780,000 Medicare beneficia- ries. Free information and help is available by calling 800- 722-4134 or visiting Oregon- SHIBA.gov. SHIBA counselors help ben- eficiaries compare plans and enroll by using the plan find- er tool found online at www. medicare.gov/find-a-plan. Beneficiaries and their fam- ilies can also choose to use this tool to compare plans and enroll on their own. 3 Marijuana tax distributed The first distributions of state marijuana tax reve- nue -- nearly $85 million -- are on their way to several state and local agencies this week. Recipients include the State School Fund; the Mental Health, Alcoholism, and Drug Services Account; the Oregon State Police; the Oregon Health Author- ity; and Oregon’s cities and counties. All distributions were ex- pected to be complete by Oct. 11, according to the De- partment of Revenue. Between Jan. 4, 2016, and August 31, 2017, the Depart- ment of Revenue collected $108.6 million in state and local marijuana taxes, of which $94.55 million was state marijuana taxes eligi- ble for distribution. Local taxes collected by the department on behalf of cities and counties are dis- tributed to them quarterly. Of the revenue eligible for distribution, $9.56 million went to transfers required under Senate Bills 1057 and 1597, repaying the Oregon Liquor Control Commis- sion’s start-up costs, and covering administrative costs for the Department of Revenue. The remaining $85 million was distributed based on the recipients and formulas pro- vided in House Bill 3470: • State School Fund (40 percent): $34 million. • Mental Health, Alcohol- ism, and Drug Services Ac- count (20 percent): $17 mil- lion. • Oregon State Patrol (15 percent): $12.75 million. • Oregon Health Authority (5 percent): $4.25 million. • Cities and counties (10 percent each): $17 million. Distributions to cities and counties are a bit more com- plicated, as there are two formulas for calculating the amounts due to them: one for revenue collected before July 1 and the other for col- lections on or after that date. WARRENTON-HAMMOND SCHOOL DISTRICT SEEKS BUDGET COMMITTEE APPLICANTS Warrenton-Hammond School District is hereby taking applications for Budget Committee members. The budget committee will have the responsibility for reviewing the financial program of the district, reviewing the proposed district budget as presented by the superintendent and recommending an annual or biennial district budget in keeping with the provisions of applicable state laws. • Members are appointed by the Board of Directors • Members must live and be registered to vote in the Warren- ton-Hammond School District • Members must not be an officer, agent or employee of the Warren- ton-Hammond School District • Members normally serve a three-year term, but some positions are completing other terms of office and may be shorter in duration. Position 1 Position 2 Position 4 Position 6 Three year term Three year term Three year term Three year term Applications and additional information are available at the school district office located at: 820 SW Cedar Ave., Warrenton Phone: (503) 861-2281