143rd YEAR, No. 128
MONDAY, DECEMBER 28, 2015
ONE DOLLAR
OUR NEW
NEIGHBORS
HIGHLIGHTING PEOPLE WHO ARE NEW TO THE COMMUNITY
These
2 aim
to get
things
done
Edward Stratton/The Daily Astorian
Jeff and Christine Jacobson pulled their food cart out of storage in August and transformed it into CJ’s Trolley Stop Coffee and Food Cart,
an eatery they plan to open Saturday.
Ding, ding, ding goes the food cart
Downtown lot’s
¿rst food ¿[ture
opens Friday
with samples
By EDWARD STRATTON
The Daily Astorian
M
ore than ¿ve months after
the opening of Riverwalk
FoodCarts and Market-
place, the Bechtolt family has a
permanent food cart at the corner
of Si[th Street and Marine Drive.
CJ’s Trolley Stop Coffee and
Food Cart, a product of Portland
transplants Christine and Jeff Ja-
cobson, will offer free samples Fri-
day and open Saturday.
After raising their ¿ve kids ²
the youngest is ² the Jacob-
sons decided it was time to realize
their dream of living on the coast,
quitting their jobs and moving to
Astoria in February. In August,
the couple pulled out a food cart
they had in storage, and painted it
to appear as if looking out during
a trolley ride along the Columbia
River, which provides the back-
drop to their cart and the Bechtolts’
parking lot.
“We wanted to be Warren’s an-
chor food cart,” Jeff Jacobson said
of the cart pod’s main overseer,
Warren Bechtolt. “Hopefully we
get a few more carts in here.”
After seeing the Riverwalk
FoodCarts sign on the side of
the road, the Jacobsons said they
tracked down Bechtolt and got
him to add electricity and water
for their Class IV food cart, which
includes sinks, ovens, grills ² all
new equipment they installed, e[-
cept for a vintage espresso machine
Jacobson said comes straight from
Italy.
The Jacobsons plan to open
for breakfast and lunch, including
AmeriCorp
volunteers gain
e[perience through
their service
By KYLE SPURR
The Daily Astorian
Two young professionals have
traveled from different parts of the
country to Clatsop County, where
they will spend the ne[t year gaining
e[perience in various areas of public
service.
Bijan Fayyaz, from Fort Lauder-
dale, Florida, and Ian Sisson, of Chi-
cago, came to the 1orth Coast this
fall through Resource Assistance for
Rural Environments (RARE), a di-
vision of AmeriCorps that operates
through the University of Oregon.
The program places about 20 vol-
unteers in cities throughout Oregon.
They come from all over the country
and stay for months.
“It’s a mi[ of people. Some have
master’s degrees, some have work
e[perience and some are just out of
college,” Sisson said. “Everyone that
is in the program is af¿liated with
planning or nonpro¿t management.”
See NEIGHBORS, Page 10A
Edward Stratton/The Daily Astorian
CJ’s Trolley Stop Coffee and Food Cart will offer éclairs and other pastries and candies on site and
through preorders.
muf¿ns, scones, cinnamon rolls,
pies, cookies, éclairs and other
pastries in the morning, along with
tea and Kobos Coffee brewed in
Portland, and a full assortment of
mi[ed drinks and cold brew coffee
and tea. The couple make their own
fry bread, using it for entrées like
breakfast sandwiches, barbecue
pulled pork and Zenner’s Sausage
Co. sausages wrapped into “dough
dogs.” The cart will also offer clam
chowder daily, along with a rotat-
ing daily soup.
“Every day, the goal is to have
something different,” Christine Ja-
cobson said, adding the cart will do
preorders over the phone and even-
tually add bicycle delivery.
The two said they are living off
their savings, trying to make the
food cart their full-time venture
while giving back to the commu-
nity, donating to the Astoria Riv-
erfront Trolley and giving leftover
food to homeless shelters. Jeff Ja-
cobson said he was a chef at Oswe-
go Lake Country Club for nearly
20 years. Christine said she repre-
sented TBS Couriers and brieÀy
worked at Shilo Inn in Seaside until
September.
“It’s e[citing and scary and a
challenge,” she said. “But we’re
anticipating it’s going to be good.”
The year
ahead
Minimum wage,
ta[ ¿ghts top 20
Salem agenda
By HILLARY BORRUD
and PARIS ACHEN
Capital Bureau
Christine Jacobson, co-owner
of CJ’s Trolley Stop Coffee and
Food Cart, said she wants to
have a rotating cast of soups
and entrees, along with daily
staples like barbecue pulled
pork, homemade fry bread and
clam chowder.
Edward Stratton
The Daily Astorian
Foss keeps Brick House hoppin’
‘G
SALEM ² The 1ew <ear will
ring in some pivotal policymaking
and elections in Oregon that could
shape the state’s government, econ-
omy, quality of life and balance of
power.
The Legislature will only meet
for about a month in 20, but law-
makers still plan to tackle high-pro-
¿le issues including the minimum
wage, child welfare and problems
at the Oregon Department of Ener-
gy. It also promises to be a year of
contentious ballot measures, from
a proposed corporate sales ta[ to
a measure aimed at repealing or
weakening the state’s low-carbon
fuel standard.
Minimum Wage
ood evening and WELCOME TO THE BRIIIIICK
HOUSE!!”
It’s about time to start hearing those words again, as the
Astoria basketball season kicks into full gear.
Just as legendary pub-
lic address announcer Don
Essig is the “Voice of the
Ducks” on gameday, Dan
Foss is the “Voice of the
Fishermen.”
And he’s much more
than that. The longtime in-
dustrial arts teacher at Asto-
ria High School has, over the years, coached golf, volleyball
and soccer; and volunteered for much more (timer at swim
meets, driver for Homecoming Parades, etc.).
His career is just now starting to wind down a little.
Foss has already stepped down as the Astoria boys golf
coach, and he’s close to retirement as a teacher.
Daily Astorian/File Photo
Four competing Oregon ballot
initiative proposals would gradually
increase the $9.25 per hour mini-
mum wage to at least $.50, and to
as much as $5.
Some Oregon lawmakers are
trying to head off that contest with
their own proposal during the 5-
day session in February and March.
Sen. Michael Dembrow, D-Port-
land, is spearheading the effort.
His proposal would set three min-
imum wages for the state based on
cost of living and median income.
Lawmakers have yet to agree on
e[act amounts to propose, Dem-
brow said. They are scheduled to
meet after the 1ew <ear to contin-
ue discussions.
See FOSS, Page 5A
Dan Foss, pictured as a volunteer driver for a recent
Astoria Homecoming Parade.
See YEAR AHEAD, Page 10A