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THE DAILY ASTORIAN • TUESDAY, DECEMBER 29, 2015
Shooting suspect charged
with attempted murder
Director says Cannon
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‘business, not personal’
Records
request
delivers
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minutes
tion” between Balzer and
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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
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The Daily Astorian
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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
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Board
At the board’s November
shed little
meeting, members of the
light on
public took the board to task
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of Mike
Community
member
Balzer as
Erik Meyer said the board
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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
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The teen was eventually
able to grab onto a rock ledge,
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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
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utes. It will focus on Portland
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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.
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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.
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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.
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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”
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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
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