Thank you for your interest in reading The Astorian. Here are a few stories that you might have missed this week:

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The death of a young woman who was hit by a vehicle while trying to cross U.S. Highway 30 in Knappa in November has prompted calls for safety improvements.

Hannah Olson, 25, was killed on the highway at the intersection with Old Highway 30 near milepost 82.

Several residents have pointed to Olson’s death as preventable, stating that increased safety measures for pedestrians are needed at the intersection, which has two yellow flashing lights and a 50 mph speed limit.

The Oregon Department of Transportation is reviewing potential options.

“It’s unfortunate that we have these crashes where you have pedestrians in live traffic — that’s never a good mix, regardless of the situation,” said Bill Jablonski, the area manager for the Department of Transportation on the North Coast.

Read the story by Ethan Myers by clicking here.

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Clatsop Community College has exited from a grant program meant to help disabled students.

Through the U.S. Department of Education’s Disability Innovation Fund, the state’s vocational rehabilitation program was one of eight across the nation to be awarded a grant totaling $18.2 million.

Portland Community College was the lead partner, representing 16 community colleges across the state. Clatsop is the only school to withdraw so far.

Peter Williams, the vice president of academic and student affairs at Clatsop Community College, said his predecessor in the student affairs role applied for the grant.

After doing research and speaking with staff members who work with students with disabilities, Williams said he felt that the college’s involvement in the program was not feasible or necessary.

“To me, it just didn’t really make sense. It was not something I would have pursued,” Williams said. “I really debated over it. I hated turning down money, but money is not just always super helpful.”

Take a look at Ethan Myers’ report by clicking here.

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Scientists are appealing for help for sunflower sea stars.

Experts say a sea star wasting disease epidemic that began in 2013 has decimated about 95% of the population from the Aleutian Islands of Alaska to Baja California, Mexico.

The decline triggered the International Union for Conservation of Nature to classify the species as critically endangered in December 2020. A petition to list the species under the federal Endangered Species Act was filed in August 2021, and a recommendation from National Marine Fisheries Service is expected in the coming weeks.

“It just sort of breaks your heart to see a species decline so rapidly to the point of extinction,” said Steven Rumrill, the shellfish program leader at the Oregon Department of Fish and Wildlife.

See the story by Nicole Bales by clicking here.

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