Shorthanded
Knappa tumbles
Astoria’s
luck runs out
SPORTS • 4A
SPORTS • 4A
143rd YEAR, No. 59
MONDAY, SEPTEMBER 21, 2015
ONE DOLLAR
Serial
burglar
to serve
7+ years
in prison
By KYLE SPURR
The Daily Astorian
Joshua Bessex/The Daily Astorian
A shirtless runner shows off his excitement as he runs through the mud pit at the 3-Course Challenge at Camp Rilea Saturday. More
photos at www.dailyastorian.com
RUNNERS TAKE THE CHALLENGE
103 schools, 2,481
runners splish,
splash and dash in
cross country race
W
By GARY HENLEY
The Daily Astorian
ARRENTON — The 26th annual
3-Course Challenge is in the books,
following another successful run
Saturday at Camp Rilea.
Just a few of the final numbers
from the 2015 Challenge: 85 high schools, 18
middle school or youth teams, 2,481 runners,
and eight races over three different courses.
It all took place over miles and miles of
trails and hills, with runners running over
courses marked with mud pits, sand, thorns and
elk droppings (don’t underestimate some chal-
lenges) on a nice sunny day on the North Coast.
If you’re a cross country runner or a fan of
the sport … what’s not to like?
“It’s just a fun experience for the runners,”
said Warrenton coach Hayley Espelund Rog-
ers, whose team was one of the 85 competing.
“It seems like cross country courses are be-
coming more true cross country. You have all
these mud pits and hills and sand … this meet
definitely incorporates all that.”
High school meets in general, she said,
“are all getting real crazy. The Ultimook (at
Tillamook), this one at Rilea, we have the
(Knappa) Teevin Ranch Run back … it’s the
same thing. There’s four river-crossings in
that one. The meets are all getting cross coun-
try-esque, and they’re getting big. I think it’s
Joshua Bessex/The Daily Astorian
Runners, including Astoria’s Kathy Perez, tries to navigate the mud pit during the 3-Course
Challenge at Camp Rilea Saturday.
because those valley schools and the Portland
schools are just running around their campus-
es. They’re running on pavement, and this
is an opportunity to run a true cross country
course.”
And off the course, all the coaches and vol-
unteers are getting a good handle on how to
run a big meet.
“Twenty-six years, you’d think this guy
knows what he’s doing by now,” said Sea-
side coach Neil Branson, who staged the first
3-Course Challenge, and still plays a big part
in running it every year. “The parking, ODOT,
See CHALLENGE, Page 10A
Joshua Bessex/The Daily Astorian
A running shoe is left behind in the mud
pits during the 3-Course Challenge at Camp
Rilea Saturday.
Legendary Salvage Chief returns to Astoria
By EDWARD STRATTON
The Daily Astorian
The Salvage Chief, one of the most
accomplished salvage vessels in the
world, returned to Astoria Friday.
Salvage Chief LLC, a group head-
ed by Pier 39 owner Floyd Holcom,
recently acquired the Salvage Chief
from Fred Devine Diving & Salvage in
Portland. The vessel was towed from
the Swan Island industrial district in
Portland Friday to a U.S. Army Corps
of Engineers dock at South Tongue
Point, next to where Clatsop Commu-
nity College moors its training boat,
the Forerunner.
In Astoria, Holcom said, the Sal-
vage Chief (LSM 380) Foundation cre-
ated in May hopes to use the vessel as
both a memorial to past crewmen and
as an education tool for future seaman.
“Our hope is that we’ll be able to use
the vessel as training,” Holcom said. “All
Edward Stratton/The Daily Astorian
The Salvage Chief, a famous former marine salvage vessel, sidles up to
the dock Friday evening at South Tongue Point, where it will be used as
a memorial and educational vessel.
of the winches, and all of the cranes and
all of the accessories on the vessel still
work.”
All the regulatory steps need to be
taken, but foundation hopes to work with
Tongue Point Job Corps, the college’s
Marine and Environmental Research and
Training Station and the U.S. Army.
Holcom said he has several fami-
ly members who worked on the Sal-
vage Chief, as do many locals. The
foundation is made up of people who
See VESSEL, Page 4A
A serial burglar who stole from
more than 100 businesses and resi-
dents in Clat-
sop County is
going to prison.
Loren
C.
Ta r a b o c h i a ,
42, of Seaside,
pleaded guilty
Friday in Clat-
sop
County
Circuit Court to
eight counts of
Loren C.
second-degree
Tarabochia
burglary and
one count of at-
tempted second-degree burglary. He
was sentenced to more than seven
years in prison.
See BURGLAR, Page 4A
Astoria
teen dies
in crash
OLNEY — Jade Marie Morgan,
RI$VWRULDGLHGLQDWUDI¿FDFFLGHQW
on Highway 202 Saturday.
At about 11:20 a.m. Saturday, Or-
egon State Police troopers responded
to a report of a two-vehicle crash on
Highway 202, near milepost 7 south of
Astoria.
Preliminary information indicates a
2008 Chrysler PT Cruiser was travel-
ing eastbound on Highway 202 when
it lost control on a corner and crossed
the centerline, according to the state
police. The Chrysler collided with a
westbound 2003 Dodge Pickup reg-
istered to the Oregon Department of
Fish and Wildlife.
Morgan, the driver of the Chrysler ,
was pronounced dead at the scene.
“After she lost control in the corner,
the vehicle slid sideways into the on-
coming lane,” OSP Lt. Andrew Merila
said. “They are dangerous two-lane
highways. It only takes a split second
to cross the centerline.”
The driver of the Dodge, Brooks
R. Van Develder, 36, of Astoria, was
transported to a local hospital where
he was treated and released. Van De-
velder is an employee of the Oregon
Department of Fish and Wildlife.
The roadway was closed for at least
four hours for the investigation which
is continuing.
No cause has been determined yet,
according to OSP.
“We are in the preliminary stag-
es,” Merila said. “She lost control at
the centerline. We are looking at ev-
erything. We just don’t know at this
point.”
Astoria High School, where Mor-
gan was a junior, sent a statement to
the student body Monday. The school’s
library will be set up and open for stu-
dents needing additional support or a
break. Counselors will also be avail-
able to meet with students.
“During times like this it is im-
portant to remember that loss affects
people in many ways and can bring up
many different emotions,” the state-
ment read. “Some people may want to
stick to their daily routine, while others
may prefer to take time for themselves
or talk with others.”
The school will share information
about memorial service arrangements
when they become available. Students
wishing to send a message to Jade’s
family can do so in the counseling of-
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Until further notice, the high school
campus is closed to all visitors.