New Emission Standards For Oregon Customer-Owned Utilities Companies Goes Into Effect November 23, 2011

New rules for emission standards going into effect November 23, 2011
By SARAH ROSSSALEM, Ore. – Oregon Capital News

New rules governing how customer-owned utility companies are supposed to implement Oregon’s greenhouse gas emission standards for power generation went into effect Tuesday.The rules stemmed from a 2009 piece of state legislation requiring the Department of Energy (DOE) to create such rules. Investor-owned utilities will be under similar guidelines being developed by the Oregon Public Utility Commission.Specifically, the rules include an output-based method for calculating greenhouse gas emissions, how electricity with no identified generation source is to be addressed, a process for determining when a utility can be designated as a “low-carbon resource,” and how utilities can meet greenhouse gas standards.The state’s greenhouse gas emission standard, which includes only carbon dioxide emissions, is set at 1,100 pounds of emissions per megawatt-hour of electricity produced by the utility company.If a utility company wishes to become a low-carbon resource company, it must submit a plan to the DOE. That agency then decides if the plan includes enough technical documentation to prove that the company will be a low greenhouse gas producing facility within seven years of opening.

Oregon Governor John Kitzhaber Puts Moratorium On Death Penalty Until The End Of His Term

U.S. NEWS/WALL STREET JOURNAL/ASSOCIATED PRESS
NOVEMBER 22, 2011, 5:34 P.M. ET

SALEM, Ore.—Oregon Gov. John Kitzhaber on Tuesday imposed a moratorium on the
death penalty for the remainder of his term, saying he is morally opposed to
capital punishment and has long regretted allowing two men to be executed in the
1990s.
Mr. Kitzhaber's term ends in January 2015. He has not said whether he would
run for re-election.
The Democratic governor's decision gives a temporary reprieve to a
twice-convicted murderer who was scheduled to die by lethal injection in two
weeks, along with 36 others on death row. It makes Oregon the fifth state to
halt executions since 2007.
Mr. Kitzhaber said he has repeatedly questioned and revisited his decisions
to allow convicted murderers Douglas Wright and Harry Moore to be executed in
1996 and 1997.
"I do not believe that those executions made us safer, and certainly they did
not make us nobler as a society," Mr. Kitzhaber said. "And I simply cannot
participate once again in something I believe to be morally wrong."
Mr. Kitzhaber is a former emergency-room doctor who still retains an active
physician license with the Oregon Medical Board, and his opposition to the death
penalty has been well-known. He was elected last year to an unprecedented third
term as governor after eight years away from public office.
Oregon has a complex history with capital punishment. Voters have outlawed it
twice and legalized it twice, and the state Supreme Court struck it down once.
Voters most recently legalized the death penalty in 1984. Since then, two men
have been executed, both of whom voluntarily gave up their appeals during Mr.
Kitzhaber's first administration.
Prison officials had been preparing for the Dec. 6 execution of Gary Haugen,
who also had waived appeals. Mr. Haugen was serving a life sentence for fatally
bludgeoning his former girlfriend's mother when he was sentenced to death for
the 2003 killing of a fellow inmate, who had 84 stab wounds and a crushed
skull.
Mr. Kitzhaber said he had no sympathy or compassion for murderers but
Oregon's death penalty was "an expensive and unworkable system that fails to
meet basic standards of justice."
Over a three-decade political career, Mr. Kitzhaber has built a reputation
for charting his own course, sometimes to the frustration of fellow Democrats
and others to the chagrin of legislative Republicans.
Mr. Kitzhaber's moratorium means Oregon joins, at least temporarily, four
other states that have halted executions, according to the Death Penalty
Information Center. Illinois this year outlawed the death penalty after the
discovery of wrongful convictions. New Mexico voters abolished it in 2009, two
years after New Jersey's Legislature and governor did the same. A New York
appeals court struck down a portion of the death-penalty statute.

National Weather Service Cautions Strong Pacific Coast Storm Forecast Monday Night

Monday, Nov. 21, 2011

STRONG PACIFIC STORM
FORECAST TO HIT COAST MONDAY NIGHT

A Pacific storm front
is expected to bring high winds and possible flooding to area rivers and streams
this week, according to the National Weather Service.
The agency has issued
a high wind warning and flood watch for the north and central Oregon Coast and
south Washington Coast beginning Monday night. Sustained winds of up to 50 mph
with gusts of up to 80 mph are forecast for beaches and headlands, with winds in
coastal communities of 40 mph-sustained and 70 mph-gusts. High winds are
expected to last through Tuesday night, potentially causing downed trees and
power lines.
The storm is also
forecast to bring several inches of rain to the Oregon Coast Range and Willapa
Hills in Washington between Tuesday morning and Wednesday morning, potentially
causing flooding in creeks and small rivers in Tillamook and Clatsop counties
and southwest Washington counties.
A high surf advisory
is also in effect for early Tuesday morning into Tuesday night.
For updates, go to www.wrh.noaa.gov/pqr. For
information on winter storm preparation, go to http://www.co.clatsop.or.us/.
To receive weather
advisories from the National Weather Service, sign up with the ClatsopALERTS!
emergency notification system at http://www.co.clatsop.or.us/ or (503) 338-3656.

Released
by:
Tom
Bennett
Community Relations
Coordinator
(503) 338-3622

Astoria City Council To Hear Resolution To Amend And Adopt, On Recommendation Of City Staff, Implementaion Of Rules Regarding Government Markers!

At tonight's November 21, 2011 Astoria City Council meeting(7:00 PM at Guy Boyington Building, 857 Commercial St., Astoria), a resolution amending and permitting the use of bronze Government Markers at Ocean View Cemetery as furnished to veterans together with miscellaneous revisions to standards for marker placement and finishing. City Staff recommends that Council adopt to proposed resolution implementing these amendments.

Review Full Agenda

A Look Back - 07/01/2009: A New, More Militant Tom Freel?

The Sky: Will It Fall?
Ask any of the anti-LNG crowd and the answer isn't just "yes" it's a resounding "hell yes".After all, it's very important to keep fear alive when you are battling a big energy company that has the nerve to go through years and years and years of being roasted over a slow fire just to bring in a billion dollar project that will shore up our faltering local economy. The fear factor is vital if you plan to unseat local and state office-holdersThe same people who brought you a Port Commissioner who couldn't even complete her term is positioning itself to take more (apparently temporary) control of local and state politics and the LNG issue. I can't wait for the Peter Hutula campaign for state rep to kick into full swing. I wonder who will be angling for the County Commission?
Posted by Tom Freel at 10:13 AM

GRP:That's some very aggressive language coming from KAST's morning voice and of late, one of the biggest noises supporting NSNG/Bradwood even to the point of suggesting a local restaurant is the headquarters of environmental radicals and sitting quietly by while his loyal audience of anonymous posters discourage doing business with the place.

For Tom's 'Coastwatch Blog' it truly appears the ideal of the saw "Freedom of the press is a wonderful privilege, especially when you own it" is in play here at one of New Northwest Broadcasters broadcasting centers as any challenge to his musings will never see the light of day.

Then, again, it seems, over recent history, that Mr. Freel gets a little more vocal in defense of LNG Speculation in our community when a controversy arises that may threaten its now, even shakier, future in this part of the world and coincidentally we have another Clatsop County Board of Commissioners hearing on a couple of LUBA Issues impacting Bradwood Landing's future coming up so, guess what, a whole lot of noise coming out of NNB Headquarters including another blitz of those Brandwood Landing endorsement/commercials.

Wonder who's going to take the lead at NNB for the Oregon LNG advertising campaign when/if that project gets any traction. Somebody's going to have to do some fine tippy toeing on that one. How's that going to work?

And let's not even get into the discussion that the Western Natural Gas and coalition Pipeline Industries say that the flow of Natural Gas, for many years to come, in the Western Markets will not be impacted in the least by the lack of any LNG Speculation and Development whatosever even from Alaska which has its own overland pipeline slated, with a MidWest terminus and just announced and endorsed by its Governor Sarah Palin.

I'm thinking now the "Fear Mongering" is indeed pointless as a more poignant issue has arisen...the simple need for this LNG Process maybe just isn't there in the first place and our efforts may be better spent attracting cohesive and compatible industry to our community that will put thousands of us to work for years to come.

Minutes For October 17, 2011 Regular Meeting Of Astoria City Council

Read Complete Minutes Packet

Seaside Shooting Incident Warrants Arrest, Jailing And Charges Of Menacing And Unlawful Use Of A Firearm

On 11/11/2011, at 0459hrs, Timothy Schwanke (DOB 09/24/84),
called 911 to report Jason Ames (DOB 2/20/88) was threatening to shoot him.
While Schwanke was on the line with the dispatcher, shots were fired. Schwanke
ran from the area and was uninjured. Deputies immediately responded to the area
with the assistance of a Seaside Police Sergeant. The events occurred on Bear
Rd. near the Elderberry Inn in the Elsie area.

Deputies surrounded the Ames residence until daylight. The
residence was called and Ames surrendered to Sheriff’s Deputies peacefully.
Eight empty .22 caliber shell cases were recovered on Bear Rd. near the Ames
residence. Also seized was the semi-automatic rifle and ammunition used during
the shooting. Ames was lodged in the Clatsop County Jail and charged with
Menacing and Unlawful Use of a Firearm. Additional charges may be filed later.

Any additional details please
call.
Sheriff Bergin
503 791-0072

Janet L. Perschek
Support Division Supervisor
Clatsop County Sheriff’s Office

From Time.Com: Greening This Old House; Saving Money And The Environment By Upgrading Older Homes

Greening This Old House
By Bryan Walsh - Time Magazine

Photo By - Viktor Koen - For Time
Thursday, Apr. 23, 2009

Would Abraham Lincoln have gone green? Frank Milligan thinks so. Milligan is the director of President Lincoln's Cottage, a Gothic Revival mansion on a breezy hill a few miles from the White House, where Lincoln and his family sought relief from the summer heat during the Civil War.

Read Full Article

Clatsop County Board Of Commissioners November 9, 2011 Meeting Highlights

Clatsop County Board of Commissioners
Highlights
Wednesday, Nov. 9, 2011 regular meeting
11-09-2011 Work Session Audio Transcript
11-09-2011 Regular Meeting Audio Transcript
Official minutes available once approved by board

Sirens, generator accepted

The board voted to accept ownership of 20 emergency sirens formerly part of the Chemical Stockpile Emergency Preparedness Program at the Umatilla Chemical Depot in eastern Oregon. The equipment – 19 stationary sirens, one mobile siren plus spare parts – is being provided to the county by the Oregon Military Department free of charge. The county Emergency Management Division plans to install the sirens in coastal communities from Arch Cape to Warrenton, as well as Miles Crossing, to improve early warning capabilities for citizens and visitors in the event of tsunamis, floods and other disasters.

Emergency Management Director Dean Perez noted that while the meeting agenda included a map of proposed siren locations, the county will work with cities, unincorporated communities and the state parks department to select particular sites for each device with the assistance of a siren expert. The county hopes to begin erecting the sirens in April 2012.

The board also accepted a 40-kilowatt diesel generator from the chemical stockpile program. The generator, valued at $20,000, will be donated to the Elsie/Vinemaple Rural Fire Protection District to provide back-up electricity to the station during power outages.



Social gathering ordinance approved

The board approved an ordinance establishing a Social Gathering Permit. The permit will be required of certain events involving more than 1,000 people lasting more than eight hours.

County Manager Duane Cole explained that the new permit was prompted by two events, an outdoor “rave” music festival last year and an annual motorcycle gathering in Jewell. While organizers of both events cooperated with county officials and no problems were experienced with either event, it was decided that the county needed a permit for large events of less than 3,000 people; gatherings larger than that are regulated by state law.

Permit applicants will be required present plans for handling parking, traffic, waste disposal and safety measures, and to make a deposit to cover any county staff time connected with the event. Permit applications will be reviewed and approved by the board of commissioners.

The board also approved amendments to two existing permits. The Park Special Use Permit, which formerly required board approval, can now be handled by the county Park Superintendent. The ordinance for the County Road Event Permit was changed to allow the county to act as the sole permitting agency on behalf of local fire districts for the annual Hood to Coast Relay event.



Business Park CCRs approved

The board approved a set of covenants, conditions and restrictions covering future development at the county-owned North Coast Business Park in Warrenton. The CCRs, which apply to the 190-acre Phase 2 portion of the park, call for the formation of an Owners Association Board of Directors to review plans for construction and alteration of buildings and other improvements, landscaping and stormwater management. The conditions also prohibit certain businesses such as slaughterhouses and asphalt plants, and spell out requirements for preservation of natural areas.



CEDR presentation

During a work session the board heard a report from Clatsop Economic Development Resources (CEDR) director Kevin Leahy. The agency, which promotes economic development with funding from the county, cities, Clatsop Community College, private donors and the federal Small Business Administration, has created 48 jobs and retained another 19, hosted 35 training events and offered 1,090 hours of business counseling to 404 clients.



Non-profit allocations approved

The board approved the disbursement of $30,000 in county funds to local non-profit social service agencies. The allocations were made under a new policy approved by the board in September that gave the Clatsop County Commission on Children and Families the task of choosing the funding recipients. The new process allows the CCF to combine the county dollars with its own funding to better meet the county’s and commission’s goals of supporting vulnerable local populations.

The county funds allocations are:

- Clatsop Court-Appointed Special Advocates - $11,279

- Helping Hands - $11,278

- Clatsop Community Action - $7,443

The CCF’s $57,864 in funding is allocated to:

- Sunset Empire Parks and Recreation District - $4,000

- Clatsop County Juvenile Department youth programs - $25,000

- Hope House/Lutheran Community Services NW - $19,300

- Clatsop County Action - $9,564



Other Business

In other business the board:

-Approved an intergovernmental agreement with the Oregon State Radio Project for funding for the new Emergency Operations Center communications wing at Camp Rilea. The state agency will provide $83,000 of the project’s $500,000 cost; the federal government will cover $250,000 and the county will pay for the remaining $167,000.

-Approved an agreement with the Oregon Department of Fish and Wildlife for a $141,000 grant to fund improvements to the adult fish holding pond at the South Fork Klaskanine Fish Hatchery operated by the county’s Select Area Fisheries Enhancement program.

-Re-appointed Commissioner Patricia Roberts as the county’s representative on the Council of Forest Trust Land Counties. Commissioner Scott Lee was chosen as the alternate.

Tom Bennett
Community Relations Coordinator
(503) 325-1000 ext. 1312

For Clatsop County's 49.39% Voter Turnout, It's Bonamici Versus Cornilles For District One's Seat!

November 8, Special Election Results

City Of Astoria Responds To Clatsop District Attorney's Office DUII Lawsuit By Asking Clatsop Circuit Court To Dismiss.

Citing the Clatsop County District Attorney's Office lacks standing over the State of Oregon, Astoria City Attorney Blair Henningsgaard has filed a motion to dismiss the DUII lawsuit against the city by District Attorney Josh Marquis.

The lawsuit was filed in September by Oregon Attorney General John Kroger on behalf of Marquis, claiming the city needs to turn over the cases to Circuit Court and cease handling misdemeanor DUIIs in Municipal Court.

This is ORS 8.660 that clearly states the position of a County District Attorney. Use This Law in Balance with your reading City of Astoria's "Dismiss Motion" in shaping your thinking

Attending court and prosecuting offenses

(1) The district attorney shall attend the terms of all courts having jurisdiction of public offenses within the district attorney’s county, and, except as otherwise provided in this section, conduct, on behalf of the state, all prosecutions for such offenses therein.

(2) A district attorney shall not conduct prosecutions under this section when:

(a) A city attorney is prosecuting a violation under ORS chapter 153;

or (b) The district attorney is prohibited from appearing in a violation proceeding under the provisions of ORS 153.076 (Conduct of trial). [Amended by 1975 c.451 §170; 1981 c.626 §1; 1981 c.692 §6a; 1999 c.1051 §116]

Click This To Read Complete Astoria City Attorney, Blair Henningsgaard's Motion To Dismiss

Special Election Ballots Due Back Tuesday, November 8, 2011

Friday, Nov. 4, 2011

BALLOTS DUE BACK TUESDAY, NOV. 8 SPECIAL ELECTION

Time is running out to return ballots for the Nov. 8 special primary election.

Ballots for the election must be returned by 8 p.m. Tuesday in order to be counted. To ensure their ballots arrive on time, voters are advised to bring completed ballots to one of the approved drop sites. Ballots placed in the mail before the deadline but not delivered until after will not be counted.

Completed ballots can be dropped at the following sites:

· Clatsop County Clerk’s Office, Public Services Building, 820 Exchange St., Astoria -or- 24-hour drop box in front of office.

· Cannon Beach City Hall, 163 Gower St., Cannon Beach

· Gearhart City Hall, 696 Pacific Way, Gearhart

· Seaside City Hall, 989 Broadway, Seaside

· Warrenton City Hall, 225 S. Main Ave., Warrenton

· Knappa High School, 41535 Old Highway 30, Knappa

· Mist-Birkenfeld Fire Hall, 12525 Oregon Highway 202

· Clatskanie Library, 11 Lillich St., Clatskanie

For more information contact the Clerk and Elections Office at (503) 325-8511 or go to the Clatsop County website, www.co.clatsop.or.us and click on “Nov. 8, 2011 Special Primary Election.”

Released by:
Tom Bennett
Community Relations Coordinator
(503) 338-3622

Clatsop Emergency Services Coordinator, Gene Strong Retires

Thursday, Nov. 3, 2011

GENE STRONG RETIRES FROM CLATSOP COUNTY EMERGENCY PROGRAM

When the next emergency strikes Clatsop County, local officials will be better prepared to respond, thanks in large part to the work of outgoing Emergency Services Coordinator Gene Strong.

Strong is retiring from the position early next year after managing the county’s emergency preparedness efforts for six and a half years. Strong’s last day with the county will be Jan. 31, and the county hopes to have a new emergency services manager hired by that time so the transition is as seamless as possible.

Strong already had one full career behind him when he joined the county in 2004, having retired just the year before after 20 years as Sheriff of Wahkiakum County, Wash. His long experience proved extremely useful for the Clatsop County position.

“When I started I had a vision of taking an agency from the ground up, and I had the opportunity to do that,” Strong said. “It’s been a fun challenge.

When he came on board Clatsop County’s emergency management program was largely inactive and had lost what little state funding it had been receiving. Strong worked to improve communications infrastructure, gain outside funding and in general get the office “back on track.”

Sheriff Tom Bergin said Strong made the Emergency Management office one of the most efficient in the state.

“With Gene’s knowledge and vast amount of contacts he has put us in a state of preparedness well above what most counties will ever hope to achieve. We all owe Gene a huge thank you for making our county a safe place,” he said.

One of Strong’s first priorities was upgrading the county’s aging and inadequate communications network, which often left Sheriff’s Office personnel and other emergency responders in the field unable to talk with dispatchers. The project involved acquiring new radios and repeaters and updated transmission facilities on Wickiup Mountain – a $2 million project almost entirely funded with outside grants.

Strong also spearheaded the planning and fundraising for the county’s new Emergency Operations Center at Camp Rilea. A new wing will be built at the facility’s Warrior Hall to house state-of-the-art communications equipment and provide a permanent, centralized headquarters for coordinating the local response to a variety of disasters. State and federal dollars will cover two-thirds of the $500,000 total cost.

Successfully pursuing these and other projects involved more than just good grant-writing ability, Strong said. They also required coordination with many other agencies, including local fire and police departments.

“In the beginning it could be a challenge to get people together,” he said.

The program has also expanded training opportunities for local officials, and involved volunteer groups like amateur radio operators and the new Community Emergency Response Teams (CERTs) in training and planning.

In 2010 the Emergency Management program was brought under the County Manager’s Office, and Human Resources Director Dean Perez was named Emergency Management Director. The program now has a staff of four full- or part-time personnel and an annual budget of $380,000, half of which is funded through an Emergency Management Program grant from the Federal Emergency Management Agency.

Perez praised Strong’s technical expertise.

“No one in Oregon is more knowledgeable about emergency radio communications systems,” he said, adding that Clatsop County’s upgraded infrastructure is considered a model for other counties.

During the December 2007 gale that struck the North Coast, much of the county’s communications was knocked out.

“We fell silent, but that will not happen again – that was (Strong’s) vision – we can’t go silent again,” Perez said.

PHOTO CAPTIONS:
#1 Gene Strong
#2 The new emergency communications apparatus at Wickiup Mountain. Upgrading the facility was one of Gene Strong’s top priorities as head of Clatsop County’s emergency management program.

Released by:
Tom Bennett
Community Relations Coordinator
(503) 338-3622

November 9, 2011 Clatsop County Board Of Commissioners Meeting Preceeded By Work Session At 5:00 PM

Review Full Agenda Packet

Oregon ODOT May Provide Funding For South Seaside Hwy. 101 Flooding

Tuesday, Nov. 1, 2011

COUNTY, PARTNERS PUSH AHEAD WITH 101 FLOODING PROJECT

The Oregon Department of Transportation may provide money for a proposed solution to the annual flooding problem on U.S. Highway 101 south of Seaside through its wetlands conservation program.

The project, spearheaded by Clatsop County with support from ODOT, the Port of Astoria and local cities, involves the removal of a berm along the nearby Necanicum River near Circle Creek Campground. The work was recommended by a hydrological consultant who says it should substantially reduce the incidence of flooding that occurs nearly every winter when heavy rains combine with high tides to send water over the roadway and cause traffic restrictions.

The project partners are planning the next steps, including drawing up detailed plans and obtaining permits, with the goal of launching the work in summer 2012.

In July Northwest Hydraulic Consultants of Seattle released a study, funded by the project partners and based on months of water-flow data and other information, recommending removal of the berm, at an estimated cost of $500,000. The structure, built in the 1960s along the west bank of the Necanicum, causes water to overtop the nearby highway by keeping high water in the river from spilling out onto the lower ground to the west, according to the study.

ODOT cannot spend money from its highway budget on the berm project because it does not directly involve the roadway itself. But the work may qualify for wetlands funding because the proposed solution will open up hundreds of acres of former pasture land to restoration.

At a meeting of project partners last week in Seaside, representatives from ODOT’s wetlands office explained that the adjacent 364 acres of land, currently owned by the North Coast Land Conservancy, can be added to the agency’s wetlands “bank” program, which maintains wetland areas around the state as mitigation for other wetland sites impacted by highway projects.

ODOT recently submitted a prospectus, a general outline of a Necanicum restoration project, to the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers and Oregon Department of State Lands for their review. A more detailed analysis, including plans for longterm stewardship of the site, will then follow. Both plans will be released for public comment.

In the meantime, Clatsop County plans to ask the consultant to prepare a scope-of-work document for the berm removal. The project partners will meet again in January.

ODOT Area 1 Manager Larry McKinley said the state’s Regional Solutions Team, which coordinates state agency resources in support of local community economic development efforts, could assist in the permitting process. He noted the Highway 101project is a key priority of Gov. John Kitzhaber.

Released by:
Tom Bennett
Community Relations Coordinator
(503) 338-3622

Oregon Secretary Of State, Kate Brown Visits Clatsop County Elections, Tries Out New Voter Service

Tuesday, Nov. 1, 2011

OREGON SECRETARY OF STATE VISITS COUNTY ELECTIONS OFFICE

Oregon Secretary of State Kate Brown paid a visit Tuesday to the Clatsop County Clerk and Elections office to see the department’s ballot-processing for the Nov. 8 special primary election – and to try out a new service for voters with special needs.

Brown visited all five Oregon counties taking part in the election, which will pick a Democratic and Republican candidate for the vacant District 1 Congressional seat. The two winners will face off in a special general election Jan. 31, 2012.

Because the contest involves only five counties, the state has picked the election for a pilot project utilizing iPad portable computers to assist voters with limited visibility or other issues causing them difficulty filling out their mail-in ballots. An election worker brings the device to the voter, who calls up his or her ballot, taps the screen to make a selection, then prints out the ballot on a portable printer. The ballot can then be mailed to or dropped off at the elections office.

Oregon Elections Director Steve Trout, who accompanied Brown on Tuesday’s visit, said multiple attachments and apps, including screen readers, are available to make the devices usable for as many people as possible.

If the service proves successful, the state elections office will make the devices available to all 36 counties.

For more information on voting through the new pilot project, contact the Election Division at (503) 325-8511.

Brown noted that she won her first race for the Oregon House of Representatives by seven votes – “that shows the importance of voting.”

Ballots for the special primary election, which went out only to registered Democrats and Republicans, must be received at the Clatsop County Elections Division by 8 p.m. Tuesday, Nov. 8. For more information go to www.co.clatsop.or.us

PHOTO CAPTION: Oregon Secretary of State Kate Brown (right) tries out the new iPad voting service with Clatsop County Clerk Maeve Kennedy Grimes during a visit Tuesday, Nov. 1.

Released by:
Tom Bennett
Community Relations Coordinator
(503) 338-3622

Update!!!..Astoria Police And Warrenton/Astoria High Schools Investigate Potential Shooting Plot. A 16 Year Old Student Arrested

Tuesday, Nov. 1,
2011

Update!

SUSPECT DENIED
RELEASE IN ALLEGED SOLICITATION TO COMMIT AGGRAVATED MURDER

A 16-year-old male
juvenile was taken into custody Monday, Oct. 31 by the Astoria Police Department
on a charge of Solicitation to Commit Aggravated Murder.
Peter Ancel Williams,
dob 10/13/95, is currently being held in the custody of the Clatsop County
Juvenile Department at the Youngs Bay Juvenile Detention facility in Warrenton.
Williams appeared by telephone at a hearing before Clatsop County Circuit Court
Judge Phil Nelson on Tuesday, Nov. 1. Nelson ordered the suspect to continue to
be held in detention pending a hearing scheduled for Nov. 15 at 1:15
p.m..
At the hearing
Clatsop County District Attorney Josh Marquis said Williams, a student at
Astoria High School, allegedly approached a 15-year-old juvenile regarding a
plan to engage in a mass shooting at Astoria High School.

Released by:
Tom Bennett
Community Relations
Coordinator
(503) 338-3622

Report One!

Astoria Police and Schools Investigate Plot
16 Year Old Student Arrested
On the afternoon of October 31, 2011 Astoria Police were contacted by Astoria High School administrators reporting that they had received information that a 16 year old male student had attempted to get another 15 year old student to join him in a school shooting at Astoria High School. The student solicited to join in the shooting brought printed Facebook messages to school administrators. School administrators immediately reported the matter to police.

Based on the initial investigation into the matter, Astoria Police determined that this was not a single conversation about a fantasy but a series of conversations expressing the desire to shoot people at the Astoria High School and to engage this particular 15 year old boy as a partner in the activity. Police were able to find corroborating evidence of the conversation. A search of the 16 year olds residence did not reveal any firearms. The 16 year old student lives with his mother in Astoria.

The 16 year old student was arrested by School Resource Officer Ken Hansen for Solicitation to Commit Murder. He was lodged by the Clatsop County Juvenile Department. The matter remains under investigation as Astoria Police look for further information about the potential plot. There is no current information that others are involved. Astoria Police will be interviewing witnesses and looking for any additional information.

Deputy Chief Brad Johnston said, “It is good that this 15 year old was able to see the severity of the situation and contact adults that he trusted. Early intervention in situations like this is best for all parties involved. The cooperation of schools and police during a situation like this is outstanding. While our processes run independent of each other they overlap well and we were able to keep in communication throughout the incident. Having a School Resource Officer who is in touch with the kids and knows who is who in the schools was a huge help in this investigation. He had information that would not have been available to most police officers investigating this crime because of his ability to see kids interact and understanding the dynamics at the school.”

"Drug Facts Week' Seeks To Seperate The Myths From The Facts

Monday, Oct. 31,
2011

DRUG FACTS TRIVIA NIGHT IS NOV. 5

Test your knowledge
and win fun prizes while shattering myths about drug use at National Drug Facts
Week Trivia Night, 6 p.m. Saturday, Nov. 5 at Street 14 Coffee, 1410 Commercial
St., Astoria.
This is a
family-friendly event and offers a great opportunity to promote dialogue between
youth and parents about drug use.
The event is
sponsored by the National Institute on Drug Abuse and North Coast Prevention
Works, with prizes provided by Astoria Cooperative, Amazing Stories comics store
and Street 14 Coffee.

Released by:Tom Bennett
Community Relations
Coordinator
(503) 338-3622

Drug Facts Versus Myth Handbook

Astoria And Seaside Join ClatsopAlerts Emergency System

Thursday, Oct. 27, 2011

ASTORIA, SEASIDE JOIN ClatsopALERTS! EMERGENCY SYSTEM

Astoria and Seaside have joined Clatsop County’s new ClatsopALERTS! emergency notification system, enabling both cities to send out warnings and notices aimed at their own citizens.

On Wednesday the county board of commissioners approved intergovernmental agreements with both cities providing them with use of the system at no cost.

ClatsopALERTS! is a web-based communications system allowing local officials to deliver emergency warnings and other messages to citizens via land-line and cell phone, text message and email. Messages can be sent county-wide or to select areas to inform residents and businesses of natural disasters, law enforcement activities, missing persons reports, boil-water orders and other important information.

Clatsop County has operated an emergency notification system, often called “reverse-911,” for several years, but in May switched to a new vendor, Inspiron Logistics. The web-based system enables local officials to send out thousands of pre-recorded voice messages or text messages in minutes.

The new agreements with Astoria and Seaside will allow officials of the two cities to access the system to send out warnings and notices specific to their citizens. Each city will be able to send out up to 20,000 calls through ClatsopALERTS! at no cost through the end of the current service contract in May 2012.

The system will be accessed by the two cities’ 911 dispatch centers.

Citizens throughout the county are urged to register for ClatsopALERTS! The phone numbers of homes and businesses with land-line telephone service through Qwest, CenturyTel and other standard phone companies are automatically entered into the ClatsopALERTS! database. But cell phone numbers, as well as numbers for other land-line carriers, pager numbers and email addresses, must be entered by the user.

To register a phone number or other contact, go to “ClatsopALERTS! Emergency Notification System” on the Clatsop County website, www.co.clatsop.or.us. You will be asked to enter your name, phone number and address, and choose English- or Spanish-language messages. You may enter a phone number, pager number and/or email address, and may choose to receive the alerts by voice or text message.

A “Frequently Asked Questions” page on the county website provides more detailed tips about the service.

For more information go to the ClatsopALERTS! page on the county website, or contact the Emergency Management Division at (503) 338-3656.

Released by:
Tom Bennett
Community Relations Coordinator
(503) 338-3622

"Occupy Astoria" Plans Event Beginning Friday, The 28th At 12:00PM

Friday 11-28-2011, 2:45 PM And Raining

Friday 11-28-2011, 10:20 AM - And..It Begins

Who are we?

- We are individuals from all walks of life and
situations that see the upcoming disasters in our economic systems, legal
systems, and political systems and demand immediate
change.
Why are we doing this?

– The public has fallen
asleep. We are here to wake them up and make them aware of what is really going
on with our money, security, government, and future. We are heading for a
disaster; we have to CHANGE direction NOW!

Go To Site For Details

Warrenton Police Make Arrest In Alleged Warrenton High School Assault Investigation

Friday, Oct. 28, 2011

SUSPECT IN ALLEGED HIGH SCHOOL ASSAULT IN CUSTODY

Following an investigation by the Warrenton Police Department, a 15-year-old female juvenile was taken into custody Thursday, Oct. 27 by Warrenton police on a charge of fourth-degree assault in connection with an assault reported to have occurred at Warrenton High School on Friday, Oct. 21.

The suspect is currently in custody at the Clatsop County juvenile detention facility. She is scheduled to appear at a hearing Friday, Oct. 28 at 1:15 p.m. in Clatsop County Juvenile Court.

Released by:
Tom Bennett
Community Relations Coordinator
(503) 338-3622

Just what Is It U.S. Senate Candidate Elizabeth Warren Said?

Lucy Madison - Campaign 2012

CBS News - Political Hot Sheet

September 22, 2011 9:55 AM

Warren rejects the concept that it is possible for Americans to become
wealthy in isolation.
"You built a factory out there? Good for you," she says. "But I want to be
clear: you moved your goods to market on the roads the rest of us paid for; you
hired workers the rest of us paid to educate; you were safe in your factory
because of police forces and fire forces that the rest of us paid for. You
didn't have to worry that marauding bands would come and seize everything at
your factory, and hire someone to protect against this, because of the work the
rest of us did."
She continues: "Now look, you built a factory and it turned into something
terrific, or a great idea? God bless. Keep a big hunk of it. But part of the
underlying social contract is you take a hunk of that and pay forward for the
next kid who comes along."

Read Full Article

Clatsop County Elections To Test Ballot Counter November 1

Thursday, Oct. 27, 2011

BALLOT-COUNTING TEST
SET FOR NOV. 1

Clatsop County
Elections Division will conduct a public certification test of its
ballot-counting machine on Tuesday, Nov. 1 at 9 a.m. at the Judge Guy Boyington
Building, 857 Commercial St., Astoria in anticipation of the Nov. 8 special
primary election.
A test is routinely
performed prior to a county election and members of the public are invited to
observe the process.

Released by:
Tom Bennett
Community Relations
Coordinator
(503) 338-3622

Highlights And Audio Transcript Of October 26, 2011 Clatsop County Board Of Commissioners Meeting

Thursday, October 27, 2011

BOARD OF COMMISSIONERS OCT. 26, 2011 MEETING HIGHLIGHTS
102611-1 by patrick mcgee
Official minutes available once approved by board

Westport zone change approved

The board approved a zone change for a parcel at the Westport ferry landing site to accommodate construction of a new ferry terminal. The change rezones .86 acre of land and water from Lake and Wetlands to Aquatic Development and changes its comprehensive plan designation from Conservation-Other Resources to Development.

Wahkiakum County, which operates the ferry, has received funding to purchase a new, larger ferry vessel capable of carrying more vehicles that it plans to put in service in 2014. Earlier this year Clatsop County won a federal transportation grant to build a new ferry landing at Westport that will both handle the new vessel as well as eliminate a chronic siltation problem that hampers the existing landing. Construction of the new landing is set for 2012.

Commission Chair Dirk Rohne noted the ferry landing upgrade is one of several projects proposed for Westport through a county-led improvement program.

ClatsopALERTS agreements okayed

The board approved intergovernmental agreements with the cities of Astoria and Seaside allowing the two municipalities to access the county’s new ClatsopALERTS! emergency notification system.

ClatsopALERTS! allows local officials to send out emergency warnings and other notices to the public through land-line and cell phones, text messages and email. The agreements will give Astoria and Seaside officials access to the system to send out messages of specific interest to residents of the two cities. The agreements provide the service to the cities at no cost.



Other Business

In other business the board:

-Approved a contract with Philip Simmons to become the county’s new Veterans’ Service Officer. The former U.S. Marine Corps officer and lawyer will take over the program in November. The veterans’ service officer, funded primarily through the Oregon Department of Veterans’ Affairs, aids local veterans and their spouses and dependents with access to military benefits programs.

-Conducted the first reading of three proposed ordinances: Ord. 11-10 County Road Event; Ord. 11-11 Park Special Event Permit; and Ord. 11-12 Social Gatherings. Public hearings on the three ordinances will be held at the board’s Nov. 9 meeting.

-Approved a $125,000 federal grant through the Oregon Emergency Management Office for the county’s Emergency Management Division. The annual grant provides half the funding for the county program, which directs emergency preparedness and response efforts.

-Appointed Jack Applegate of Warrenton to the Recreational Lands Planning Advisory Committee.

-Appointed Wendy Higgins of Cannon Beach to the Northwest Area Commission on Transportation.

Columbia Riverkeepers: Citizens Guide To Stopping LNG Pipelines On Private Land

Oregon LNG plans to build over 120 miles of high‐pressure natural gas pipeline to connect its
proposed LNG terminal along the Columbia River in Warrenton to an interconnect in Molalla.
An additional pipeline across the Cascade Mountains (similar to Palomar Pipeline) is likely. If
successful, Oregon LNG can use the power of eminent domain to bulldoze private property
and build the pipeline without landowners’ permission.

Columbia RiverKeepers Guide To Landowners

Astoria Police Deceased Person Investigation Autopsy Inconclusive

Astoria Police Deceased Person
Autopsy Inconclusive
On October 24, 2011 an autopsy of the remains located on Saturday October 22, 2011 in the Astoria's urban forest was conducted by the Oregon State Police Medical Examiner's Office. The autopsy was inconclusive. The Medical Examiner's Office will conduct further examinations but no manner or cause of death could be determined.

Since no dental records have been located for White no positive identification can be made through dental records. The dental records of the recovered body will be compared against the National Crime Information Center's Missing Person Records. DNA from the remains will also be compared against Missing Person Records.

November 8th Primary Election Ballots Mailed Out!!!

Monday, Oct. 24, 2011

NOVEMBER PRIMARY ELECTION BALLOTS MAILED OUT

Ballots for the Nov. 8 primary election have begun arriving in mailboxes of Clatsop County voters.

The election includes Democratic and Republican primary races for the vacant District 1 Congressional seat. Only registered Democratic and Republican voters will receive ballots for this election.

Completed ballots can be dropped at the following sites by 8 p.m. on Election Day:

· Clatsop County Clerk’s Office, Public Services Building, 820 Exchange St., Astoria -or- 24-hour drop box in front of office.

· Cannon Beach City Hall, 163 Gower St., Cannon Beach

· Seaside City Hall, 989 Broadway, Seaside

· Warrenton City Hall, 225 S. Main Ave., Warrenton

· Knappa High School, 41535 Old Highway 30, Knappa

· Gearhart City Hall, 698 Pacific Way, Gearhart

· Mist-Birkenfeld Fire Hall, 12525 Oregon Highway 202

· Clatskanie Library, 11 Lillich St., Clatskanie

Ballots that are mailed in must be received by Election Day – postmarks do not count.

For more information contact the Clerk and Elections Office at (503) 325-8511 or go to the Clatsop County website, www.co.clatsop.or.us and click on “Nov. 8, 2011 Primary Election.”

Released by:
Tom Bennett
Community Relations Coordinator
(503) 338-3622

Obama Announces The War In Iraq Is Over, Troops To Be withdrawn By End Of Year!!?

Obama announces total Iraq troop withdrawal
By BEN FELLER - AP White House Correspondent

WASHINGTON (AP) — President Barack Obama on Friday declared an end to the Iraq war, one of the longest and most divisive conflicts in U.S. history, announcing that all American troops would be withdrawn from the country by year's end.

Obama's statement put an end to months of wrangling over whether the U.S. would maintain a force in Iraq beyond 2011. He never mentioned the tense and ultimately fruitless negotiations with Iraq over whether to keep several thousand U.S. forces in Iraq as a training force and a hedge against meddling from Iran or other outside forces.

Read Full Associated Press Article

October 28, 2011 Clatsop County Board Of Commissioners Regular Meeting Agenda

Read Full Agenda Packet

Update!!:October 12, 2011 Clatsop County Board Of Commissioners Regular Meeting Highlights

Clatsop County Board of Commissioners
Highlights
Full Audio Transcript

Wednesday, Oct. 12, 2011 regular meeting
(Official minutes available once approved by board)

Jailing plans funding approved
The board, with Commissioner Patricia Roberts absent, voted unanimously to approve a budget adjustment of up to $100,000 to pay for a detailed schematic plan for a proposed 100-bed expansion of the Clatsop County Jail.

County Manager Duane Cole and Sheriff Tom Bergin told the board that multiple studies, including a 2008 study by Voorhis Associates, have provided the necessary data to show that the existing 69-bed jail is inadequate for the county’s needs. The schematic, for which the county will now seek bids, will provide a detailed plan including specific costs, detailed lay-out, and preliminary design to present to voters, should the board decide to seek a bond measure to fund the project, Cole said. All of this information will be used to develop the final design, bid documents and construction drawings once the project is funded.

The funds will come from the Special Projects budget. The board also approved a resolution allowing for the planning costs to be reimbursed by a future jail bond.



Darigold agreement amended
The board approved an amendment to the sale agreement with Coastal Family Health Center for the former Darigold property. The amendment changes the deadline for the removal of the existing building from Oct. 1 to Dec. 15, and changes the sale closing date from Dec. 31, 2012 to May 31, 2013. The changes are necessary because of delays caused when the original vendor contracted for asbestos removal withdrew from the project.

The board voted in February to sell the property at Ninth and Duane streets to Coastal Family Health, which plans to build a new facility housing its clinic as well as offices for local social service agencies.



Other Business
-Approved a $1-a-year lease agreement between the Oregon Military Department and the county’s Emergency Management Division for the use of a 20-foot-by-80-foot strip of land adjacent to Warrior Hall at Camp Rilea Armed Forces Training Center for construction of the county’s Emergency Operations Center Communications Wing. The new facility, to be built by the county with a $500,000 federal grant, will provide a permanent location for radio, microwave and other communications equipment used in the EOC.

-Approved the annual contract with the Bonneville Power Administration for funding for the county’s Select Area Fisheries Enhancement (SAFE) program. The contract, for $438,398, will fund the rearing and release of 540,000 coho and 1.6 million Chinook salmon in the county’s net-pen fisheries program.

-Approved a contract with a new provider of commissary services for the Clatsop County Jail, Turnkey Corrections. The new computerized system will reduce staff time. The board also approved establishing a new checking account to handle commissary funds.

Services available through the jail commissary system – personal items, video visitation - are provided at inmates’ expense at no cost to the county.

-Conducted the first reading of an ordinance rezoning an .86-acre property at the Westport Ferry Landing from Lakes and Wetlands to Aquatic Development. A public hearing and second reading are scheduled for the board’s Oct. 26 meeting.

-Approved a letter in support of a land-acquisition project in Warrenton of the North Coast Land Conservancy.

-Scheduled its November and December meetings for Nov. 9, Nov. 30 and Dec. 14 to accommodate the holidays. All three meetings are scheduled to begin at 6 p.m. at the Judge Guy Boyington Building, 857 Commercial, Astoria.

Tom Bennett
Community Relations Coordinator
(503) 325-1000 ext. 1312

Clatsop County Law Enforcement Teams Arrest Five For Crimes Related To Family Violence!

Thursday, Oct. 20, 2011

CLATSOP COUNTY LAW ENFORCEMENT TEAMS ARREST FIVE IN FAMILY VIOLENCE DETAIL

Local law enforcement agencies arrested five offenders as part of the ninth annual National Family Violence Apprehension Detail Wednesday, Oct. 19.

Deputies and officers from the Clatsop County Sheriff’s Office and Parole and Probation Division and the Astoria, Seaside and Warrenton police departments, working in teams, served outstanding arrest warrants and probation detainers for crimes related to family violence. The teams attempted to serve 20 warrants and checked on 45 registered sex offenders.

Five people were arrested on outstanding warrants or for failing to register as sex offender. Law enforcement personnel will follow up on several other cases where registered sex offenders appear to be out of compliance.

The National Family Violence Apprehension Detail, launched in 2003, is organized by the Clackamas County Sheriff’s Office Domestic Violence Enhanced Response Team. Last year 190 law enforcement agencies nationwide participated in the detail, resulting in more than 1,000 arrests.

Released by:
Tom Bennett
Community Relations Coordinator
(503) 338-3622

Clatsop Ambulance Service Area Advisory Committee Still Seeking Applicants To Serve

Monday, Oct. 17, 2011

APPLICANTS STILL SOUGHT FOR AMBULANCE SERVICE AREA ADVISORY COMMITTEE

Clatsop County continues to seek applicants for open seats on the Ambulance Service Area Advisory Committee.

The committee provides input to the county Board of Commissioners on the ambulance service plan and ambulance service franchisee. The committee will review the service plan as part of mandated update of the document and recommend possible changes to the board.

The openings are for members who have no association with the emergency medical system. The county board of commissioners will make the appointments.

To apply, obtain an application form and return it to the Clatsop County Manager’s Office at 800 Exchange St., Suite 410, Astoria OR 97103, (503) 325-1000. Forms are available from the County Manager’s Office or can be downloaded from the county website www.co.clatsop.or.us at “Committee application forms” under “Administration/Board of Commissioners.”

Released by:
Tom Bennett
Community Relations Coordinator
(503) 338-3622

Clatsop Sheriff And Rural Law Enforcement District Advisory Committee Host Second Public Meeting October 27

Tuesday, Oct. 18, 2011

SHERIFF, RURAL LAW COMMITTEE HOST SECOND PUBLIC MEETING

The Rural Law Enforcement District Advisory Committee is hosting the second in a series of public meetings Thursday, Oct. 27, 2011 at 6 p.m. at the Jewell School Library, 83874 Hwy 103.

The Sheriff’s Office along with the RLED is seeking public input in developing the Sheriff’s Office Strategic Plan for 2012 through 2017. This is an opportunity for the public to provide input in regards to how the Sheriff’s Office is doing its job now, where they would like to see their Sheriff’s Office in the future and how do we get there. The meeting will include a briefing on how the Sheriff’s Office has performed on the current strategic plan. You can visit the Clatsop County website at www.co.clatsop.or.us and go to the Sheriff’s page to view the current strategic plan.

We will also discuss jail proposals and outline the issues that the county jail faces currently. We will be asking for public input on the various proposals. This will include a briefing that demonstrates some of the challenges the entire criminal justice system faces in the county due to lack of effective jail beds.

If you are unable to make this meeting, there will be more opportunity as the Sheriff’ s Office intends to conduct further meetings in Lewis and Clark, Clatsop Plains/Gearhart and Knappa/Svensen/Westport areas throughout the fall and winter to seek additional input on the strategic plan and jail proposals.

Released by:
Tom Bennett
Community Relations Coordinator
(503) 338-3622

Clatsop County Planning Division Hosts Panel Discussion On County's Ocean Planning Proposal

Tuesday, Oct. 18, 2011

PANEL EXPLORES COUNTY’S OCEAN PLANNING PROPOSAL

A panel discussion Monday in Seaside hosted by the Clatsop County Planning Division explored the county’s proposal to extend its land-use planning authority beyond the ocean shoreline.

Local and state land-use experts and others discussed and took audience questions about the project, in which the county is developing a review code under Statewide Planning Goal 19-Ocean Resources to cover the stretch of ocean 3.45 miles out from shore.

The Goal 19 plan element will allow the county review applications for new ocean uses not envisioned when its land-use code was first adopted in 1980, including wave energy installations, and help ensure those new developments are compatible with fishing, recreation and other uses.

“In coming years new uses will compete for space in the ocean,” County Commissioner and panel moderator Peter Huhtala said. “One emerging ocean industry will create electricity from waves, wind and tidal forces. As we nurture this renewable ocean energy industry we must respect and protect existing ocean users.”

The county planning commission is tentatively scheduled to hold a public hearing on the draft plan in December. The plan will go to the county board of commissioners for its review in early 2012.

Panelist Mark Barnes, a planning consultant who is assisting the county with the Goal 19 project, said the plan element would put in place the same type of land-use review process used in the rest of the county. Only structures would be subject to review, not uses like fishing, navigation and recreation, he said. Barnes compared the ocean code to the county’s jurisdiction in forest lands, where its review authority is limited to structures, and state and federal rules govern uses such as logging, road-building and hunting.

The county’s project is taking place at the same time that the State of Oregon is updating its Territorial Sea Plan, which covers the same 3.45-mile band of ocean. The Ocean Policy Advisory Committee (OPAC) has been tasked with the project, which is aimed at providing opportunities for wave-energy developers while protecting fishing, viewsheds and other resources.

The updated plan is due to go to the state Land Conservation and Development Commission (LCDC) in summer 2012.

Studies found that the Oregon Coast has some of the best wave-energy potential in the United States, but when developers began proposing projects in 2004, concerns were raised that the state had no system in place to ensure the new projects are compatible with existing uses. In 2008 then Governor Ted Kulongoski signed an executive order directing state agencies to create a plan for identifying renewable energy sites.

Tim Josi, Tillamook County Commissioner and LCDC member, noted that Clatsop County and the state disagree whether counties have any land-use jurisdiction offshore, and said the issue will need to be resolved.

Panelist Paul Klarin, Marine Program Coordinator for the state Department of Land Conservation and Development, said Clatsop County’s work on the Goal 19 issue “could lead to something very positive, regardless of where the jurisdictional issue ends up.”

For information on the county’s Goal 19 project, go to “Ocean Planning” under “Land Use Planning” at www.co.clatsop.or.us.

For information on the State of Oregon’s Territorial Sea Plan update, go to www.oregonocean.info.

Released by:
Tom Bennett
Community Relations Coordinator
(503) 338-3622

Got Your Clatsop County Property Tax Bill? Want To Know Where Those Dollars Go?

Monday October 17,
2011

TAX PAYMENTS FUND
VARIETY OF SERVICES

Property tax bills
have arrived in the mail. Where does your tax dollar go?
Clatsop County
collects taxes for all local taxing entities – 66 in all. But only about 12
cents out of every dollar goes to county government – the rest pays for schools,
city services, water and sewer districts, rural fire districts and other public
entities.
Here’s the break-down
of the average tax dollar:
· Schools (including
community college) – 48.41 cents
· Cities (including
urban renewal) – 19.41 cents
· Other (water, sewer,
recreation, transportation) – 17.17 cents
· County – 12.11
cents
· Rural fire districts
– 2.90 cents
To see an illustrated
break-down, as well as information on paying your property tax bill, go to http://www.co.clatsop.or.us/.
Tax payments for 2011
are due on or before Tuesday, Nov. 15. For your convenience, taxes can be paid
at any one of the following ways:
· By mail in the
envelope included with your tax statement.
· Clatsop County
Assessment and Taxation Office, 820 Exchange St., Suite 210, Astoria. Hours are
8:30 a.m. to 5 p.m.
· Local branches of
Bank of Astoria, Clatsop Community Bank or Wauna Federal Credit
Union.
· Online – go to
“Property Records/Taxes” at http://www.co.clatsop.or.us/ for more
information.
If you disagree with
the value of your property as printed on your tax bill or a penalty assessed for
late filing, you can file an appeal with the Clatsop County Board of Property
Tax Appeals. Forms are available from the Clerk and Elections Division, 820
Exchange St. in Astoria and the Clatsop County website http://www.co.clatsop.or.us/. Petitions
must be filed by Jan. 3, 2012.

Released by:
Tom Bennett
Community Relations Coordinator
(503) 325-1000

2012 Republican Presidential Primary Straw Poll Results

Mitt Romney 24 (54%)

John Huntsman 4 (9%)

Rick Perry 3 (6%)

Sarah Palin 1 (2%)

Gary Johnson 0 (0%)

Herman Cain 2 (4%)

Newt Gingrich 0 (0%)

Rick Santorum 0 (0%)

Ron Paul 9 (20%)

Michele Bachmann 1 (2%)

Clatsop County Board Of Commissioners Approve Jail Plan Study Funding

Wednesday, Oct. 12, 2011

COMMISSIONERS APPROVE JAIL PLAN STURDY FUNDING

The Clatsop County Board of Commissioners on Wednesday approved funding for a remodeling plan for the county jail.

The vote is the first step in a proposal to seek voter approval next year for a major expansion of the undersized facility.

The funding will pay for plans including a detailed layout, preliminary design and specific costs for a project that would add up to 100 beds to the existing jail at Seventh and Duane streets in Astoria. The county will seek bids from qualified architectural firms for the project. The plans will be used to develop a final design, bid documents and construction drawings, if and when funding is secured.

The board, with Commissioner Patricia Roberts absent, voted unanimously for the budget adjustment, which will make up to $100,000 available out of the county’s Special Projects budget.


"The campaign for a new jail begins now,” Commissioner Peter Huhtala said. “It’s clearly needed.”

The funding will also pay for an updated cost estimate for construction of an all-new jail facility, for cost-comparison purposes with the remodeling proposal. The board also passed a resolution allowing for the costs to be reimbursed by a jail construction bond.

The board will review the resulting plan and cost estimates and decide whether to seek voter approval for a bond measure to fund the project, likely in either the May or November 2012 elections.

Sheriff Tom Bergin and County Manager Duane Cole told the board that multiple studies of the jail issue, including a comprehensive review completed in 2008 by Voorhis Associates complete with population and crime forecasts, have made clear the need to expand or replace the existing 34-year-old, 69-bed facility.


"They
have done the study to end all studies,” Cole said of the Voorhis report.


In 2006 the Sheriff’s Office contracted with the DLR Group architectural firm to draft a plan for adding 80 dormitory-style beds in the ground floor of the jail building, which currently houses Sheriff’s Office staff. County officials have determined that that plan is not workable, but in a recent meeting with county staff and Sheriff’s Office officials, DLR representatives presented an alternative proposal that adds up to 100 beds on the building’s upper level where the current jail is located.

Most studies say the county needs at least 120 jail beds. The current facility, plus the 15 beds the county rents in Tillamook County, means that many offenders serve only two or three days of much longer sentences before they’re released for lack of space, Bergin said. “There is no truth in sentencing,” he said.

Bergin said he believes voters are more likely to support a project that upgrades, rather than replaces, the existing jail.

“I have been a proponent of trying to utilize this building all along,” Bergin told the board. “But we need to have (these plans) done before we go to voters.”

Clatsop County voters rejected a bond measure for a new jail in 2002. No detailed plans were drawn up for that project, and the possible location had not been selected.

Board Chair Dirk Rohne, who also serves on the board of Clatsop Community College, noted that the college failed several times to gain citizen support for its modernization project until it developed a plan to remodel the existing campus, at approximately half the cost of earlier proposals.

“We need to be able to maintain public safety in our community, and this is one part of doing that,” he said.

Huhtala noted that materials and labor construction costs are low. “The timing is excellent,” he said.

Released by:
Tom Bennett
Community Relations Coordinator
(503) 338-3622

Clatsop County Sheriff's Auction Offers Up Assorted Vehicles And Boats October 22, 2011

Wednesday, Oct. 12, 2011

VEHICLES, BOATS OFFERED AT SHERIFF’S AUCTION OCT. 22

Several vehicles and boats will be up for bid at a public auction hosted by the Clatsop County Sheriff’s Office 9 a.m. to noon Saturday, Oct. 22 at the county Road Department shops, 1100 Olney Ave. in Astoria.

The auction will start with a viewing from 9 a.m., and the bidding will start at 10 a.m. People interested in bidding will need to arrive at 9 a.m. to register and obtain a bidding number. Sales are “as is, where is” and the successful bidders must make payment by cash or check at the close of the auction. All purchased items must be removed from the property no later than Friday, Oct. 28.

Items to be auctioned include: 2004 Dodge pick-up, 1991 Cavalier coupe, 1991 Cavalier station wagon, 1996 Jeep Cherokee, seven Ford Crown Victorias (1997-2006), 1996 Dodge 150 pick-up with canopy, 1991 Ford ambulance and six boats of various makes and models.

Released by:

Tom Bennett

Community Relations Coordinator

(503) 338-3622

728 Foot Bulk Carrier Loses Propulsion 9 Miles Off Cape Disappoinment!

SEATTLE — The U.S. Coast Guard and Wash. Dept. of Ecology are monitoring a 728 foot bulk carrier that lost propulsion nine miles west of Cape Disappointment, Tuesday.

The motor vessel Edfu has anchored and is holding its position in 17 mph winds and 13 foot seas.

The Coast Guard has offered assistance and is waiting for the crew Edfu to assess what repairs will entail. A Coast Guard MH-60 helicopter crew out of Coast Guard Air Station Astoria conducted an over flight Tuesday evening to assess the situation.

Edfu's destination was Kalama, Wash., and the vessel is not carrying any cargo. The cause of the propulsion failure is not know at this time.

Wash. Dept. of Ecology Public Affairs Officer Curt Hart can be contacted at (360) 480-7908.

The Wash. Dept. of Ecology has established a website at the below address.
Click This To Go To WDOE Site

For more information, please contact 13th Coast Guard District Public Affairs, at (206) 217-7237.

Special Election Voter Registration Deadline Set For October 18, 2011

Tuesday, Oct. 11, 2011

SPECIAL ELECTION VOTER REGISTRATION DEADLINE IS OCT. 18

The Clatsop County Clerk and Elections Office reminds local residents that Tuesday, Oct. 18 is the deadline to register to vote in the Nov. 8 special primary election.

Ballots for the election will be mailed out beginning Friday, Oct. 21 for registered Democratic and Republican voters.

Tuesday, Oct. 18 at 5 p.m. is the deadline to hand in or mail a registration form if you are registering to vote for the first time. To be eligible to vote, you must be an Oregon resident, a U.S. citizen, and be at least 18 years old by Election Day.

You must update your registration if you move or change your mailing address, change your name, or wish to change your party affiliation. Those who are updating their registration have until 8 p.m. on Election Day to do so.

People can register online with the Oregon Secretary of State’s Office at www.sos.state.or.us/elections. Voter registration forms can also be downloaded from the “Clerk/Elections” page at www.co.clatsop.or.us.

For more information go to the Clerk/Elections page on the Clatsop County website or call (503) 325-8511.

The special election features primary contests for the vacant District 1 Congressional seat. Only voters registered as Democratic or Republican will receive ballots.

Released by:

Tom Bennett

Community Relations Coordinator

(503) 338-3622

Clatsop County Property Tax Bills Go Into The Mail In The Next Few Days!!!

Tuesday October 11, 2011

PROPERTY TAX BILLS MAILED SOON; PAYMENTS DUE NOV. 15

Property tax bills for the 2011-12 fiscal year will arrive in mailboxes in the next few days.

The tax bill that you will be receiving will show market values in most areas have decreased, but this may not translate into lower taxes. The primary reason can be found in the provisions of Ballot Measure 50, the constitutional amendment approved by voters in 1997.

Under Measure 50, your assessed property value cannot increase by more than 3% annually unless you have made significant improvements to the property. In addition, your assessed value cannot be higher than your real market value.

The real market value (RMV) on your tax statement represents the market value of the property as of Jan. 1, 2011, based on 2010 sales. It is important to understand that your property taxes are based on your assessed value (AV), not market value. In most cases, assessed values are still significantly lower than market values. A decline in the market value does not automatically reduce your Measure 50 assessed value unless your real market value falls below your maximum assessed value (MAV). See the following example:

LAST YEAR’S VALUES
THIS YEAR’S VALUES

RMV
250,000
215,000

MAV
112,000
115,360

AV
112,000
*115,360

*Reflects 3% increase

Another factor that may explain increases on property taxes is voter-approved levies or bonds.

Within Clatsop County, tax rates on individual statements vary because property taxes support 60 local government-taxing districts, most of which have different boundaries. These districts include schools, cities, local fire, water and sewer districts, rural law enforcement, road districts and other special assessment districts.

Tax payments for 2011 are due on or before Tuesday, Nov. 15. For your convenience, taxes can be paid at any one of the following ways:

· By mail in the envelope included with your tax statement.

· Clatsop County Assessment and Taxation Office, 820 Exchange St., Suite 210, Astoria. Hours are 8:30 a.m. to 5 p.m.

· Local branches of Bank of Astoria, Clatsop Community Bank or Wauna Federal Credit Union.

· Online – go to “Property Records/Taxes” at www.co.clatsop.or.us for more information.

If you disagree with the value of your property as printed on your tax bill or a penalty assessed for late filing, you can file an appeal with the Clatsop County Board of Property Tax Appeals. Forms are available from the Clerk and Elections Division, 820 Exchange St. in Astoria and the Clatsop County website www.co.clatsop.or.us. Petitions must be filed by Jan. 3, 2012.

Released by:
Tom Bennett
Community Relations Coordinator
(503) 325-1000

Ringo's Dinghy Is It?......It's Baaaaaaack!!!!

Photo taken right off Old Train Depot site 09-20-2011

View Details