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About The daily Astorian. (Astoria, Or.) 1961-current | View Entire Issue (Dec. 29, 2015)
3A THE DAILY ASTORIAN • TUESDAY, DECEMBER 29, 2015 Shooting suspect charged with attempted murder Director says Cannon %HDFK¿UHFKLHI¶V¿ULQJ ‘business, not personal’ Records request delivers ¿UHGLVWULFW minutes tion” between Balzer and ¿UH¿JKWHUV Board members Linda Beck-Sweeney, Mark Meke- nas, Smith and Clyde voted for the dismissal. In voting to maintain Balzer, board member Bob Cerelli said “he has not seen” any problems with By R.J. MARX %DO]HU DQG WKH RWKHU ¿UH- The Daily Astorian ¿JKWHUV Board members asked CANNON BEACH — Balzer to return his keys and Meeting minutes from the WKH¿UHGLVWULFW¶VSKRQHRQFH Cannon Beach Rural Fire he retrieved information he P r o - needed from it. tection The next morning, Balzer District ZDVORFNHGRXWRIKLVRI¿FH Board At the board’s November shed little meeting, members of the light on public took the board to task WKH ¿ULQJ IRU%DO]HU¶V¿ULQJ of Mike Community member Balzer as Erik Meyer said the board ¿UHFKLHI should have placed Balzer Mike Balzer “This on administrative leave for is strict- transparency and given him ly business, not personal,” a chance “to save face.” Director Garry Smith said “He has been a respected at the board’s October meet- PHPEHU RI WKLV ¿UH GHSDUW- ing. ment for more years than After reasons for the any of us can remember,” chief’s dismissal were not community member Alaina immediately released and Giguiere said. “And, truly, the board minutes were for you guys to terminate ZLWKKHOG WKH ¿ULQJ UHVXOWHG him in the manner that you in outrage from those who did is disgusting and disre- felt the announcement was spectful and reprehensible. “in poor taste.” And I think you owe him After the Cannon Beach and all of us a complete Gazette submitted a state apology.” public records request, all Smith said Balzer was 2015 meeting minutes were given the chance to resign delivered last week. or retire. The board gave According to the Oct. Balzer multiple opportuni- 12 meeting minutes, in an- ties and presented him with nouncing the dismissal of a time frame in June, “so he the chief, Smith said, “There wasn’t just suddenly ousted was an expectation that (Bal- RXW RI WKH ¿UH GHSDUWPHQW´ zer) would learn the job and Smith said. improve and follow through Assistant Chief Frank in working with the board as Swedenborg was initially a partner, not a manager.” appointed interim chief, but Members voted 4-1 to Swedenborg, who is ready terminate Balzer’s employ- to retire, stepped aside for ment as of that night, based an outside interim appoin- on his “lack of improved tee, Jim Stearns. performance for his job over Stearns, of Hermiston, the last three years.” spent 31 years — 20 as chief President Sharon Clyde — with Hermiston Fire and said there “has been fric- Emergency Services. By KYLE SPURR The Daily Astorian The man considered “armed and dangerous” earli- er this month after a reported shooting in Rockaway Beach has been charged with at- tempted murder. Nolan Seth Otey, 21, of Eagle Creek, was arraigned in Tillamook County Circuit Court last week on a grand jury indictment. Otey is being charged with TILLAMOOK — A teen is recovering from his injuries after he got stuck on a rock ledge in the ocean near Tilla- mook and was rescued by the Coast Guard. KATU-TV reported that 18-year-old Chris Henley says he and his friends had ¿QLVKHGKLNLQJDW&DSH/RRN- out Saturday when he climbed down near the water and was pulled in by the tide. Henley says he suffered multiple cuts to his legs as he struggled to VWD\DÀRDW The teen was eventually able to grab onto a rock ledge, ZKHUHKHVWD\HGXQWLO¿UH¿JKW- Movies coming soon to PDX Associated Press PORTLAND — A movie theater is expected to open at Portland International Airport by late spring. The Oregonian report- ed that Hollywood Theatre in northeast Portland plans to open a miniature annex at PDX. The theater will seat 18 with standing room for another 10 to 20 people. Hollywood Theater Execu- tive Director Doug Whyte says the PDX location will screen VKRUW¿OPVRIRQHWR¿YHPLQ- utes. It will focus on Portland DUWLVWVDQG¿OPVDERXWWKHFLW\ and the state of Oregon. Whyte has been planning the annex since seeing a news- paper article about a theater in a Tokyo airport two years ago. Major airports in Asia have added movie theaters, but it’s still uncommon in American airports. The Minneapolis-St. Paul International Airport, however, put in a screening room last year. DWWHPSWHG PXUGHU ¿UVWGH- gree robbery, second-degree The Neah-Kah-Nie School District closed schools for the day as a precaution, and res- idents were ordered to shel- ter-in-place until Otey was found. 2I¿FHUV IRXQG DQG DUUHVW- ed Otey about six hours after the incident. He remains in custody in Tillamook County Jail. A release hearing is sched- uled Wednesday, and a pretri- al conference is scheduled in February. 3DFL¿F&RXQW\ZRPDQFKDUJHGLQFKLOGVH[FDVH Dec. 14 arrested Mariah Lee McLaughlin on a warrant. McLaughlin, 28, is charged SOUTH BEND, Wash. — ZLWK ¿UVWGHJUHH FKLOG PR- $ 3DFL¿F &RXQW\ ZRPDQ LV OHVWDWLRQ ¿UVWGHJUHH UDSH accused of allowing a known of a child, and three counts sex offender to have access to of leaving a child with a sex a child. RIIHQGHUDFFRUGLQJWR3DFL¿F $FFRUGLQJ WR D 3DFL¿F County Jail records. &RXQW\ 6KHULII¶V 2I¿FH LQ- County Prosecutor Mark cident report, deputies on 0F&ODLQ FRQ¿UPHG WKDW WKH By NATALIE ST. JOHN EO Media Group allegations stem from an in- vestigation of her brother, Christopher Scott McLaugh- lin, who in June pleaded guilty to sexually abusing a young child, and was recent- ly sentenced to 35 years in prison. McClain said Mariah McLaughlin is suspected of allowing her brother to be alone with the child, even though she allegedly knew that he was a convicted sex offender in Oregon, and al- legedly knew that it was a violation of Washington state law to do so. McClain declined to pro- vide further details about the case, citing the need to pro- tect the victim’s privacy. Washington to issue more retail marijuana licenses Statewide, the number of retail marijuana stores will rise OLYMPIA, Wash. — from the current cap of 334 to Based on an estimate of how a new cap of 556. much medical marijuana is “Our goal was clear; to en- VROG LQ 3DFL¿F &RXQW\ WKH sure medical patients have ac- county will qualify for at least cess to the products they need,” one additional retail marijuana said Board Director Rick Gar- license under new rules an- za. “There will be more store- nounced by the Washington fronts for patients going for- State Liquor and Cannabis ward than are available today. Board. ,Q DGGLWLRQ TXDOL¿HG SDWLHQWV EO Media Group can grow their own or join a four-member cooperative.” State contractor BOTEC Analysis Corp. estimated there were 2,225 “past-month users” LQ3DFL¿F&RXQW\LQZKR spent $400,000 on medical marijuana. Statewide, 610,000 users spent $480 million. Counties and jurisdictions, LQFOXGLQJ 3DFL¿F &RXQW\ QRW in the top 10 for medical sales will receive an increase of the number of licensees by 75 per- cent. There are currently two licenses in the county, so de- pending on whether the state rounds up or down, there will be either one or two new li- censes. The methodology for the cap will be part of emergency rules which will be announced Jan. 6. City will restore hours at Astoria Aquatic Center lifeguards. But the City Coun- cil agreed to a pay raise for lifeguards and higher fees that The pools will again be will help offset the cost of the open on weekday afternoons raises. at the Astoria Aquatic Center Regular weekday opera- after the city solved a life- tional hours will be restored guard shortage. on Friday. The city will also The city had reduced after- switch to monthly passes, in- noon hours in late September stead of quarterly passes, and EHFDXVH RI D ODFN RI FHUWL¿HG raise fees by about 12 percent. By DERRICK DePLEDGE The Daily Astorian Coast Guard rescues injured teen near Tillamook Saturday Associated Press Nolan Seth Otey robbery, second-degree at- tempted assault, strangulation and attempted unauthorized use of a vehicle. The charges stem from Otey allegedly threatening, robbing and injuring another man early in the morning of Dec. 3 in Rockaway Beach. Otey also attempted to steal the man’s 1987 Toyota Tercel, according to the indictment. After the incident, law en- forcement spent the morning searching for Otey. ers used jet skis to reach him. Henley was taken to calm- er water and the Coast Guard hoisted him up to a MH-60 Jayhawk helicopter. The Astoria-based Jay- hawk crew had been in the area for a training exercise. N EW Y E A R S E V E PA R T Y The last fee update was in 2009. The city spent $250,000 this year in capital improve- ment fund money to make the most extensive repairs to the Aquatic Center since the facil- ity opened in 1998. W A NTED Alder and Maple Saw Logs & Standing Timber N orth w es t H a rdw oods • Lon gview , W A Contact: Steve Axtell • 360-430-0885 or John Anderson • 360-269-2500 The Liberty Theater Presents... e T R a la c A kind! ne of a .o .. e ic r ....one p one size THE $99 ART “a la cARTe” SALE A FABULOUS FUNDRAISER FOR THE LIBERTY THEATER . PR IM E R IB D IN N ER a la D a n R e ed & C r ew D ecem ber 31 • 5:00 - 7:00 pm 18 $ SATURDAY, JANUARY 16, 2016: 2 to 3:30pm at the historic Columbia Maritime Barbey Center. 7 PM - N orth C oast C ountry B and PREPAID TICKETS ON SALE @ CLATSOP POST 12 ASTORIA AMERICAN LEGION 1132 Exchange Street • 325-5771 H APPY N EW Y EAR The Daily Astorian will be CLOSED Friday, January 1, 2016 Each original piece is created by local NW artists and from across the country. Participants include well- known artists like N OEL T HOMAS , E RIC W IEGARDT , D ARREN O RANGE , C AROL R ILEY , G IN L AUGHERY , D ON N ISBETT and some yet to be discovered newcomers to the art scene. Astoria Visual Arts, Artist-in-Residence Program , will be participating this year at Art ala cARTe. TICKETS ARE ON SALE NOW FOR $15 AT THE LIBERTY BOX OFFICE , WHICH IS OPEN WEDNESDAY TO SATURDAY FROM 2 TO 5 PM . LAST DAY TO PURCHASE TICKETS IS JANUARY 15, 2016. CLASSIFIED DEADLINES ARE 11am on Thursday, Dec. 31 fo r Friday, Jan. 1 editio n 1 p m on Thursday , Dec. 31 for Monday, January 4 edition Usual delivery of the Newspaper T HE D AILY A STORIAN S PONSORED BY : US B ANK , T HE D AILY A STORIAN , T HE B ANK OF THE P ACIFIC , AND C OLUMBIA B ANK
