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About The daily Astorian. (Astoria, Or.) 1961-current | View Entire Issue (June 2, 2015)
Warrenton High’s Class of 2015 Warrenton’s top graduates PAGE 11A PAGE 4A TUESDAY, JUNE 2, 2015 142nd YEAR, No. 240 ONE DOLLAR Bridge Vista path set Councilors reject attempt to close off development over the river By DERRICK DePLEDGE The Daily Astorian Courtesy of Oregon Department of Fish and Wildlife Tucker Jones counts sturgeon on the Columbia River. CaYiar or dinosaur ¿sh dish" As caviar prices zoom, sturgeon poachers hit 3DFL¿F1: See BRIDGE VISTA, Page 3A Man tries to arrest mayor, police chief By CASSANDRA PROFITA Oregon Public Broadcasting T here’s no good reason for a live, 8-foot sturgeon to be tied by the tail and tethered to the shore of the Columbia River, in WKH3DFL¿F1RUWKZHVW But this is how poachers steal the JLDQW ¿VK 7KH\ NHHS WKH VWXUJHRQ alive and hidden underwater while they look for black-market buyers. :LOGOLIH RI¿FHUV VD\ WKH KLJK value of caviar is driving poachers to these inventive tactics. They’ve DOVRIRXQGVWXUJHRQFDUFDVVHVÀRDW- ing in the river — their bellies slit open after poachers harvested their eggs. Catching the culprits is hard, RI¿FHUVVD\,WRIWHQUHTXLUHVQLJKW patrols and undercover stings. “Sturgeon poaching is not some- thing that’s done in the middle of the day when it’s sunny,” says :DVKLQJWRQ'HSDUWPHQWRI)LVKDQG :LOGOLIH6JW-HII:LFNHUVKDP³,W¶V very hard to detect.” Detecting poachers has become a bigger part of wildlife police ZRUN LQ :DVKLQJWRQ DQG 2UHJRQ Global sturgeon populations are Brushing aside emotional appeals to do more to protect views of the Astoria Bridge and Columbia Riv- er, the Astoria City Council agreed Monday to place new development restrictions in Uniontown but pre- serve the region’s history as a work- ing waterfront. The Bridge Vista phase of the city’s Riverfront Vision Plan would restrict development over the riv- er near the bridge and just west of Second Street, where new buildings could be no higher than the river- bank. But new projects over other portions of the river in Uniontown could feature buildings up to 35 feet high and 150 feet wide with 40-foot corridors in between to preserve views. On shore, build- ings of up to 45 feet high would be allowed with stepbacks to soften the impact. Contributed by Oregon State Police Enforcement officers pose with a sturgeon illegally caught by poachers. The officers’ faces are ob- scured because they were working undercover on a sting that was code-named Operation Broodstock. Contributed by Collin Golden Mitch Hicks patrols the Columbia River above Bonneville Dam. collapsing — most notably in Russia, where caviar is known as black gold. That’s fueling a mar- ket for illegal caviar and driving poachers to the Columbia River. “The hottest commodity from an RYHUVL]H¿VKLVQRWWKHÀHVKWKRXJK that has a market value for sure. It’s the caviar,” says Mike Cenci, dep- uty chief of enforcement for the :'):³:HNQRZDVORQJDVWKDW resource is around, it’s going to at- WUDFWSRDFKHUVDQGWUDI¿FNHUV´ 7R SURWHFW EUHHGLQJ ¿VK ZKLFK DUH IHZ DQG IDU EHWZHHQ ¿VKLQJ rules restrict people from taking sturgeon over 5 feet long. It takes female sturgeon about 20 years to start producing eggs — by which point, they’re about 6 feet long. The eggs are crucial to the species’ future, but they’re also a delicacy, prized as some of the ZRUOG¶V¿QHVWFDYLDU See POACHERS, Page 2A Panhandling creates plight for Seaside police Law enforcement grapples with quandary between freedom, local ordinances By KATHERINE LACAZE EO Media Group R.J. MARX — The Daily Astorrian Edgel, a partially disabled Vietnam vet, seeks assis- tance in Seaside. “I don’t try to get by, I just try to get we need for the week in a day,” he said. “If I get $20, it’ll let us last two or three days. They cut our food stamps from $260 to $202.” SEASIDE — Panhandling. It has a per- sistent presence in Seaside, let alone larg- er metropolitan areas, and it’s an issue that forces law enforcement agencies to try to balance local ordinances with civil rights claims. “It’s been an ongoing thing in every community,” Seaside Police Chief Dave Ham said. In cities across the country, one LVQRWKDUGSUHVVHGWR¿QGLQGLYLGXDOVKROG- ing signs and asking for some form of as- sistance, whether it is money, food, work or other items. In Seaside, panhandlers are most preva- lent near the Safeway entrance on Roosevelt Drive or in the core downtown area, espe- cially during the summer months. The Seaside Police Department could not provide concrete numbers on how many in- cidents of panhandling have been reported or responded to. Ham said they don’t have a code in their system to identify calls or situations per- WDLQLQJVSHFL¿FDOO\WREHJJLQJRUSDQKDQGOLQJ but rather identify them as general code viola- tions, which include other incidents, as well. The department does get numerous calls reporting panhandlers on a regular basis — enough, Ham said, “that it doesn’t surprise me you’re doing a story on it.” ‘Criminals! You’re all criminals!’ By DERRICK DePLEDGE The Daily Astorian A man disrupted an Astoria City Council meeting Monday night and tried to make citizen’s arrests of Mayor Arline LaMear and Police &KLHI %UDG -RKQVWRQ EHIRUH -RKQ- ston was able to wrestle him to the ground. In a bizarre scene at City Hall, Zachary Seidel, 29, who lives in As- toria, refused to stop talking when LaMear informed him he was speak- ing about the wrong agenda item as the City Council opened a public hearing on the Riverfront Vision Plan. Seidel told LaMear she was un- der citizen’s arrest. As he tried to explain why, the mayor interrupted him. ³:RXOG\RXSOHDVHEHTXLHW´6H- idel said. “I will not be quiet,” LaMear said sternly, slamming down her gavel. “You are asked to leave.” See COUNCIL, Page 12A The begging law Begging is listed as an offense against public peace and safety in the city’s General Offenses Ordinance. “No person shall beg or solicit alms or other gratuities upon the streets or in any public place in the city,” the ordinance states. See PANHANDLERS, Page 12A The Daily Astorian Zachary Seidel, 29, was arrest- ed Monday night after disrupt- ing an Astoria City Council meeting.