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About The daily Astorian. (Astoria, Or.) 1961-current | View Entire Issue (April 15, 2015)
Astoria welcomes QHZ¿UH¿JKWHU $VWRULD¶V/DG\)LVK WULXPSKLQRSHQHU NORTH COAST • 3A SPORTS • 4A WEDNESDAY, APRIL 15, 2015 142nd YEAR, No. 206 ONE DOLLAR Desperately seeking child care Smith’s lawyers hint at mental health defense Attorneys ask to cancel Friday hearing because of media focus By KYLE SPURR The Daily Astorian JOSHUA BESSEX — The Daily Astorian Kimberly Libre, a teacher at Mrs. Tami’s Daycare & Preschool, helps kids count to 10 during a math session. County faces shortage in providers, both in-home and at centers By EDWARD STRATTON The Daily Astorian I t’s the Week of the Young Child Sunday through Friday. And child care and preschool providers are having WURXEOH¿QGLQJURRPIRUWKHPDOO As preschools and day care FHQWHUV ¿OO XS PRUH KRPHEDVHG operators are expanding, and the region’s child care referral system is looking for even more people to open their homes and businesses to children. Tara Mestrich coordinates Fam- ily Care Connection, a program through the Oregon State Univer- VLW\ ([WHQVLRQ 6HUYLFH RI¿FH WKDW operates the Child Care Resource & Referral program. “I’m encouraging parents to ¿QGIULHQGVDQGIDPLOLHVIRUFDUH´ Mestrich said, adding she’s encour- aging more home providers to be- come licensed. Providers exempt from licens- ing care for three or fewer children, not including their own. Mestrich said it’s a common option, with family and friends helping take care of each other’s kids. But Mestrich is hoping to get more licensed providers through WKH 2UHJRQ 2I¿FH RI &KLOG &DUH (http://1.usa.gov/1GKsDZc), which regulates multiple levels of child care, from registered and cer- WL¿HG KRPH SURYLGHUV WDNLQJ DQ\- where from four to 16 children to FHUWL¿HGFKLOGFDUHFHQWHUV Mestrich said Clatsop Coun- ty has 26 in-home providers, four MORE INFO For more information on finding child care providers, becoming a provider and fur- ther training as a child care professional, Family Care Connection and the Child Care Resource & Referral program can be reached at 503-325-1220, familycare- connection@oregonstate. edu and at its website, http://bit.ly/1tQZVjW JOSHUA BESSEX — The Daily Astorian Sophee Ernst, Becka Blacksten’s 4 1/2-year-old daughter, raises her hand after winning a game of letter-recognition bingo during class at Soar With Us. of them serving Spanish speakers DQG IRXU FHUWL¿HG FKLOG FDUH FHQ- ters taking infants, but not nearly enough to match the demand from pregnant mothers, who she said are FDOOLQJ DQG WU\LQJ WR ¿QG FDUH IRU once they return to work. Mestrich said the need is even greater out- side the Astoria-Warrenton area, with few options around Knappa and Seaside and existing providers already full. See SMITH, Page 12A Knappa VFKRROVWRS position JRHVHPSW\ $WKRPH Adrienne Hunter said Mestrich got her started in child care, and even sent her daughter to Simply See CHILD CARE, Page 11A The defense lawyers for Jessica Smith, the mother accused of killing one daughter and injuring another, contin- ue to hint at a possible mental health defense. Smith’s law- yers William Falls and Lynne Morgan recently ¿OHGDQRWLFHLQ- tending to pres- Jessica Smith ent evidence that Smith suffered a “disordered mental state,” at the time of the alleged crimes. The defense’s motion states a jury would have to consider whether Smith’s mind was and continues to be “disordered, chaotic and abnormal.” It would be Clatsop County District Attorney Josh Marquis’ burden to es- tablish Smith’s mental state was healthy and rational, rather than disordered and chaotic, the notice states. The evidence of Smith’s mental state may come in the form of expert testi- mony of a mental health professional or from laypersons with knowledge of the defense, Falls and Morgan wrote. Smith, 41, of Goldendale, Wash., is accused of aggravated murder and at- tempted aggravated murder for alleged- ly drugging and murdering her 2-year- old daughter, Isabella Smith, and JOSHUA BESSEX — The Daily Astorian Children play and learn at Mrs. Tami’s Daycare & Preschool. The building, transformed from a truck garage, is divided into different playing and learning areas for a variety of age groups. Razor Clam Society befriends 3DFL¿F&RDVW¶VIDYRULWHELYDOYH The Olympia-based Razor Clam So- ciety is about one week into a 40-day- long fundraising campaign to collect LONG BEACH, Wash. — It’s been the money it needs to get the group off the year of the razor clam. WKH JURXQG ,Q ¿YH GD\V LW KDV UDLVHG The Washington Fish and Wildlife $150, but it hopes to hit $10,000. Department scheduled 15 days for The goal of the society is to “bring recreational digs in April alone, and clammers together and connect our approximately 69 days of digging total community to current marine biology from Dec. 31 to mid-May across vari- research and the governmental depart- ous Washington beaches. ments managing the environment, li- &RDVWDO /HDG 6KHOO¿VK %LRORJLVW FHQVLQJDQG¿VKDQGZLOGOLIH´ Dan Ayres is coming up on 34 years The society says there is an “unmet with WDFW “and we’ve never been demand from razor clam enthusiasts able to offer this many days in almost for a social organization to identify that entire time,” he said in a phone in- with and work on their behalf,” accord- terview April 13. ing to a press release dated April 11. For one group, the timing is pretty “The clamming community has a QHDUSHUIHFWWRVWDUWDQRQSUR¿WDGYRFD- lot to talk about,” a statement on the cy group based around the recreational See RAZOR CLAM, Page 12A KDUYHVWRI3DFL¿FUD]RUFODPV By KATIE WILSON EO Media Group Submitted photo Circa April 1948, Frances (Winn) O’Neil and Cis (Swanson) Bittner are pictured with the Washington governor in Olym- pia while on tour with the famous giant fry pan to promote the annual Razor Clam Festival sponsored by the Cham- ber of Commerce in Long Beach. This year’s event is this weekend. Banks School Board selects Jeff Leo as its next superintendent The Banks School District Board of Directors announced Tuesday the hiring Jeff Leo as its new superinten- dent effective July 1. Leo has been the superintendent of the Knappa School District since 2011. Leo and the board are working on the terms of a tentative agree- ment, which ZLOO EH ¿QDO- ized at a public meeting. The term of Super- intendent Bob Huston expires June 30. Leo ZDV DOVR D ¿- nalist for the Jeff Leo superintendent position in Dallas, Ore., School Dis- trict near Salem. The board in Banks, along with a screening committee of staff and See LEO, Page 12A