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10A THE DAILY ASTORIAN • TUESDAY, FEBRUARY 10, 2015 Job Corps: Center focuses on trades, such as construction, health care Continued from Page 1A President Lawrence Galizio, attended a short ceremony and student assembly Monday. Tita Montero, business com- munity liaison for Tongue Point, said she and a medical-assisting student making the yearly trip to :DVKLQJWRQ '& ZHUH WKH ¿UVW constituents to meet with Bonami- ci after she was sworn in Feb. 7, 2012. Bonamici repaid the favor Monday speaking for the 50th an- niversary and at a graduation. JOSHUA BESSEX — The Daily Astorian Katrina Morrell Gasser, center, a fifth-generation As- toria native with Tongue Point Job Corps Center for the past 10 years, listens to a speech by Tita Montero during Tongue Point’s 50th anniversary celebration. Gasser succeeds Montero as community liaison for Tongue Point Job Corps. Many success stories “What really resonated with me was listening to the individ- ual stories from the graduates,” Bonamici said, touting the in-demand skills in hard trades students are getting. Since it opened, Tongue Point has taken more than 30,000 students, ages 16 to 24, starting out all-male until 1968, all-female until 1972 and coed ever since. Enrollment has HEEHG DQG ÀRZHG ZLWK IHGHU- al funding. Its capacity of up to 550 students has sometimes been cut in half. The enrollment is now more than 470 students. The center focuses on hard trades such as construction, PDLQWHQDQFHKHDOWKFDUHRI¿FH work and welding that Bonami- ci said would allow students the freedom to follow their interests and contribute to the economy. Its seamanship program, in- cluding the former Coast Guard buoy tender Ironwood as a train- ing vessel, is the second-highest paid trade in Job Corps and the agency’s only such program na- tionwide. Tongue Point has taken stu- dents from all around the world, at times a respite from totalitar- ian regimes, war zones, famine and civil strife. It also takes 6 percent of its students from Clat- sop, Columbia and Tillamook counties, including 25-year-old Blanca Diaz from Astoria. “I just knew that it was a good place to come and get an education,” said Diaz. She was studying at CCC when an advis- er told her about Tongue Point. She enrolled in August to train to be an electrician. But Diaz never fully left the college. CCC President Larry Galizio, speaking Monday, re- minded students of the program that lets them earn college cred- its from automotive, welding, business and other technical courses at Tongue Point. The college also stations teachers at Tongue Point for classes, and Tongue Point students often go to the college campus. JOSHUA BESSEX — The Daily Astorian Students give a standing ovation to Tita Montero, community liaison for Tongue Point Job Corps, after Montero announced Monday was her last day with Tongue Point. Dedicated workforce JOSHUA BESSEX — The Daily Astorian U.S. Rep. Suzanne Bonamici gives a speech during Tongue Point’s 50th anniversary celebration. JOSHUA BESSEX — The Daily Astorian Hundreds of students gathered for an assembly celebrat- ing Tongue Point’s 50th anniversary. Diaz is preparing for a work- based learning assignment in the community. Tongue Point stu- dents average 340 work-based assignments a year, helping businesses locally and in their hometowns, in addition to the countless projects they volunteer IRURQEHKDOIRIORFDOQRQSUR¿WV and government agencies. Before leaving, they receive About 150 Management and Training Corporation employ- ees help students train for the future. MTC is operates Tongue Point for the U.S. Department of Labor, making the center the fourth-largest employer in the county. Tongue Point was re- cently named the Astoria-War- renton Area Chamber of Com- merce’s January member of the month. Through wages, student spending, college tuition, local contracts and local purchasing, it infuses about $10.5 million annually into the local economy. “Staff work here because of the students,” said Jennifer Berg, a technical training man- ager who has been with Tongue Point for 25 years. “I’ve had parents come in and say ‘You were my adviser when I was a student.’” Kimberley Zufelt, a group OLIH PDQDJHU ¿UVW FDPH WR Tongue Point as a student from Mullan, Idaho, in 1984 to study landscaping. She got a job after graduation with the Portland Parks Bureau, but returned to Tongue Point in 1989 and has worked for Job Corps ever since. ³'H¿QLWHO\WKHIRFXVRQHP- ployability and job placement, it’s really evolved a lot,” said Zufelt about the changes she’s seen in her years as a student and employee at Job Corps. “And I think there’s a whole lot more accountability for Job Corps to be a successful program, to put a quality student out there.” advising on employment, writ- ing resumes and skills to help ensure they remain employed. In 2011, Tongue Point had a 68.1 percent graduation rate, with recent graduates making on average $11.23 per hour, a near- A rough start ly 90 percent job-placement rate “It started out as a miserable DQG D SHUFHQW WUDGHVSHFL¿F employment rate a year after government experience,” said Chamber Executive Director graduation. Montero: New leader believes in a healthy downtown Continued from Page 1A “It’s been a long his- tory,” Montero said about trying to improve the cen- ter’s reputation. “It hasn’t all been a bed of roses. “Personally I think I’ve done an excellent job in increasing the positive image, and increasing the knowledge that we exist.” The SDDA came to her last year, Montero said, asking her to be its direc- tor, while former director Laurie Mespelt focused on special events coordi- nation. Montero, who has been a SDDA member since 2002 through her fabric store, said her focus is on building the organi- Skip Hauke, of Job Corps’ be- ginnings. Montero said Hauke is a longtime supporter who used to buy advertisements for Job Corps when he ran his grocery store. Hauke spoke out against the discrimination students often experienced in the 1960s, as PDQ\ZHUHSDUWRIWKH¿UVWPDMRU LQÀX[ RI$IULFDQ$PHULFDQV WR Astoria. Before 1974, newspa- per articles estimated the center 70 percent African-American, owing to its strategy of pull- ing students from the East and Southeast. “The kids came from all corners of the nation; they were from different backgrounds; they were from different cul- zational infrastructure of Seaside’s downtown as- sociation, along with its membership. “If you have a healthy downtown, you have a healthy town,” Montero said, who’s also on the Seaside City Council and governing boards of the Seaside Museum & His- torical Society, the Sea- side Chamber of Com- merce, Clatsop Behavioral Healthcare and as a city council liaison to the Sea- side Library Foundation Board and Clatsop Eco- nomic Development Re- sources, based in Seaside. To put it succinctly, she said, “It’s going back to my hometown.” tures; and were just different,” Hauke said. “And it’s not the Job Corps’ fault, it’s the citizens of Astoria. It was their fault.” By 1972, Job Corps focused more on recruiting students from the same regions as its cen- WHUV ÀLSSLQJ WKH GHPRJUDSKLFV of Tongue Point to 70 percent Caucasian. The center has de- veloped a reputation for creating professional students and many skilled local employees. Ever the joker, Hauke compared the development of Tongue Point’s vastly improved reputation and regard local- ly over the last 50 years to the Virginia Slims advertising slo- gan, “You’ve come a long way, baby.” Auction: 95 percent or more of the donations are brand new Media: ‘It’s the public’s business being done’ Continued from Page 1A Continued from Page 1A Hunter, noting that 95 percent or more of the donations are theater room, retired Astoria and brand new. But the auction takes Knappa teacher and foundation antiques, along with a lot of do- member Molly Hunter tries to nated services and gift cards by keep track of it all. local companies. “We have a lot of people Certain notable individu- (who) give their best,” said als chip in each year, including Hunter, showing off handmade state Sen. Betsy Johnson, who mugs, quilts, antler walking buys up 4-H and FFA animals at sticks, wind chimes and shot- auction and donates their butch- gun-shell casings made into ered meat to the auction; local wreaths. timber magnate, Knappa alum- The eclectic abounds at the nus and foundation co-founder Knappa auction, which each Shawn Teevin, who auctions year includes a bit of pink- off a dinner date at his house; themed weaponry, this year a and knife-maker Barry Minkoff, FDOLEHUULÀHDQGDJDXJH ZKRPDNHVDSLHFHVSHFL¿FDOO\ shotgun. It even takes into con- for the auction each year. sideration pets, with treats made The auction, Hunter said, of turkey’s feet, buffalo hooves had a deadline of Friday to turn and a large animal trachea. in donations, but in reality it “It’s not a garage sale,” said takes them up to the last minute. EDWARD STRATTON — The Daily Astorian Knappa senior Shailei Wright finishes her sturgeon amid student paintings that will be framed by woodshop stu- dents and sold off Saturday at the Knappa Schools Foun- dation’s 18th annual dinner and auction. DONATIONS & TICKETS Donations can be picked up by volunteers or dropped off at Knappa High School, located at 41535 Old U.S. Highway 30. For further information or to request dona- tion pickup, call Tanya Olds-Lempea at 503-741-0385 or email knappaschoolsfoundation@gmail.com Tickets to the auction, now $30 a person, can still be purchased at Knappa High School or Teevin Bros. Land and Timber. For more information, contact Knappa High School at 503-458-6166, ext. 101. “The media exposure in this case has already been vast, and at times quite sensation- al and misleading,” Huseby wrote. +XVHE\ VSHFL¿FDOO\ SRLQW- ed to a KATU story following Roden’s Jan. 2 arraignment. Huseby claims the KATU broadcast described the crimes as “unspeakable.” The KATU reporter described Roden’s history as “very violent,” and went on to say Roden had been “linked” to kidnapping, assault and strangulation, Huseby wrote. Court records show Roden got out of prison in January 2014 after being sentenced to 18 months for coercion relat- ed to a domestic violence case against another woman. Roden, a former Georgia resident who quit school af- ter 11th grade, was original- ly indicted on 52 counts of domestic violence and sex abuse against the woman in 2012. Charges included stran- gulation, menacing, attempt to commit murder, unlawful sexual penetration and coer- cion. He pleaded no contest to the coercion charges and was sentenced to 18 months in prison and 60 months of pro- bation. The other charges were dropped as part of the plea deal. “The (KATU) reporter failed to mention that each of the crimes she described above had all been dis- missed,” Huseby wrote. In addition, Huseby noted, excessive media coverage ex- poses Roden to a great deal of hostile sentiment in Clatsop County Jail, putting him at JOSHUA BESSEX — The Daily Astorian Conor Huseby, Randy Lee Roden’s defense attorney, leaves after Roden’s arraign- ment in Clatsop County Circuit Court, Jan. 2. Roden, 26, Seaside, has been accused of killing 2-year-old Evangelina Wing. risk, and disrupting safe jail administration. “This type of media cov- erage gives rise to questions about whether Mr. Roden can be fairly and reliably tried in a capital case in a small com- munity in which this case is a major story,” Huseby wrote. Huseby’s objection makes no mention of The Daily As- torian’s coverage of the case. District Attorney Josh Marquis did not want to speak VSHFL¿FDOO\DERXWWKHFDVHRU speak for the prosecutors han- dling the case, but did say he generally disagrees with the objection. In his early career, Mar- quis remembers cases where DWOHDVW¿YHFDPHUDVZHUHLQ a courtroom causing commo- tion. A common complaint was camera equipment was too noisy, Marquis said. However, current cases in Clatsop County Circuit Court only allow one still photogra- pher and one broadcast cam- era in the courtroom. Each stays in one area of the court- room. In his time in Clatsop County, Marquis said, he has never seen a case turn into a media circus. “Our courtrooms are set up for people to come in and watch in an open seating area. We can house 50 to 200 people depending on which courtroom,” Marquis said. “It’s the public’s business be- ing done.” The decision to uphold or deny the objection is up to Judge Paula Brownhill, who will oversee Roden’s hear- ing at 2:30 p.m. Thursday in courtroom 300. The public is welcome to attend. The Daily Astorian has submitted a request to have a still photographer at the hear- ing. Roden’s girlfriend, Dorothy Wing, 24, is also scheduled to appear at 2:30 p.m. Thursday before Judge Brownhill. Wing will be impacted either way by Brownhill’s ruling on the objection. Wing, who is being rep- resented by defense attorney John Gutbezahl of Lake Os- wego, is charged with mur- der by abuse from neglect DQG PDOWUHDWPHQW ¿UVWGH- gree manslaughter and six counts of criminal mistreat- ment. An autopsy found Wing’s daughter Evangelina Wing was the victim of homicide and apparently died from blunt force trauma.