Astoria, Seaside
split Clatsop Splash
SPORTS • 7A
142nd YEAR, No. 148
Sea stars stage
a comeback
WEEKEND
EDITION
FRIDAY EXTRA • 1C
FRIDAY, JANUARY 23, 2015
ONE DOLLAR
A younger perspective
Smith
trial
pushed
to 2016
By KYLE SPURR
The Daily Astorian
The trial date for Jessica Smith,
the mother accused of drugging and
murdering her 2-year-old daughter
and attempting to kill her 13-year-
old daughter in a Cannon Beach ho-
tel last summer,
was set back
almost a year
during a status
hearing Thurs-
day in Clatsop
County Circuit
Court.
Smith, 41,
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scheduled for a
three-week trial
Jessica Smith
beginning June
28, 2016, rather than the initial date
of July 7, 2015.
Debate over the trial date lasted
months as the defense and prosecu-
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for and against the initial date.
JOSHUA BESSEX — The Daily Astorian
Councilor Zetty Nemlowill stands in the the Astoria Co-op Grocery where she has served as marketing director for the Co-op for two years.
See TRIAL, Page 8A
Zetty Nemlowill balances work, family, public role It’s a wreck
By DERRICK DEPLEDGE
The Daily Astorian
Boards buried under
the sand are from
the keel of a ship
A
fter nine years on the Astoria
Planning Commission, and
through her own experience
nurturing a business, Zetty Nemlow-
ill appreciates the tension between
economic growth and preserving the
city’s authentic character.
The new city councilor, who
represents Ward 1, which cov-
ers the west side of downtown,
Uniontown and the Port of Astoria,
knows how tempting it can be for
entrepreneurs to look to Warrenton
or other places with fewer barriers
to development.
“We’re constrained by land. But
that doesn’t mean we can’t roll up
our sleeves and get creative,” said
Nemlowill, the marketing director
for the Astoria Co-op Grocery who
was behind Coffee Girl at Pier 39
and whose husband, Chris, is the
co-owner of the Fort George Brew-
ery & Public House.
“I think we can create a local
economy that is in harmony with
livability.”
At 36, Nemlowill, the mother of
three young children — Irene, 2;
Hudson, 5; and Amelia, 6 — brings
a different perspective to a City
Council long dominated by older,
more established residents. Many
younger parents, she said, are often
too busy juggling work and family
to pay much attention to what hap-
pens at City Hall.
“Quite frankly, most of the peo-
By ANDREW R. TONRY
For EO Media Group
JOSHUA BESSEX — The Daily Astorian
Councilor Zetty Nemlowill, right, speaks after being sworn in at the City Council meeting Jan. 5.
ple I know that are in my boat re-
ally don’t care about what’s being
talked about at City Hall most of
the time,” she said.
Why?
“Because those issues aren’t re-
ally important to them.”
Nemlowill said she has noticed
that younger families do take ad-
vantage of the Astoria Public Li-
brary and the city’s parks and rec-
reation programs, so she hopes to
engage with them on issues such
as the library’s renovation and fos-
tering recreation through a better
trails system.
“I think making Astoria a desir-
able place to live is something that
can resonate well with local fami-
lies,” she said.
Growth
Nemlowill sees development
potential in partnership with the
Port, but believes there needs to
be more dialogue between the Port
and the city.
“It would be nice if we could
speak proactively about positive
mutual goals for economic devel-
opment in the future,” she said.
“And I think that those goals
could certainly align. But we need
to talk.”
See NEMLOWILL, Page 8A
SEASIDE — What three friends
discovered while metal-detecting in
the dunes last November is indeed a
shipwreck.
Now the question is: which one?
“We have over 2,000 wrecks at
the mouth of the Columbia (Riv-
er),” said Oregon’s State Archae-
RORJLVW'HQQLV*ULI¿Q³6RLW¶VLQ-
WHUHVWLQJ LI ZH FDQ ¿JXUH RXW ZKDW
wreck this is because we don’t have
it on record.”
In hopes of recovering the ship’s
LGHQWLW\ *ULI¿Q WUDYHOHG WR WKH VLWH
near Avenue L Jan. 13 and took two
wood samples from the boat’s 21-
foot keel, then sent them to Eugene
for testing. The results, expected in
a few weeks, will determine the type
of lumber used in construction and,
in turn, narrow the ship’s potential
points of origin.
Hypothetically “Let’s say it’s
'RXJODV ¿U´ *ULI¿Q VDLG ³,I WKDW¶V
what it is, that’s usually used in more
West Coast shipping.”
Should that be the case, lost ships
from abroad — and even the East
Coast — would be crossed off the
list of candidates.
See WRECK, Page 8A
Band supporters freeze in Polar Plunge to raise funds
By DAMIAN MULINIX
EO Media Group
I
LWACO, Wash. — A steady downpour doesn’t
mean much when you’re about to jump into
the ocean. In January. In a swimsuit.
The brave few who ventured to Waikiki
Beach in Ilwaco Saturday morning to take part
in the second annual Ilwaco Music Boosters
Polar Plunge had a very cold experience. As
they stripped down to their swimsuits — or in
one case a morphsuit — their teeth were chat-
tering before their toes even touched the water.
But as the 35 plungers returned one by one af-
ter charging into the choppy water together, it
was clear that it was much colder than they had
imagined.
The event raised just over $500 for local
school music programs.
“(It was) a smaller (turnout) due to the weath-
er, but next year is already in the works,” said
Ilwaco Middle/High School Band Director Ra-
chel Lake. “Almost all that took the plunge last
year (participated) and can’t wait to do it again.
DAMIAN MULINIX — EO Media Group
Tammy McMullen helps her daughter, Tressa, crying in shock from the cold water, back to the beach
Saturday morning after taking the Polar Plunge. More photos at www.dailyastorian.com