143RD YEAR, NO. 177
WEEKEND EDITION //
ONE DOLLAR
FRIDAY, MARCH 11, 2016
THE ELK WHISPERER
REMEMBERING
JOHN FRASER
FRIDAY EXTRA 1C
FRIDAY EXTRA 2C
Seaside
steps up
Seagull boys rule
the Clatsop Clash,
move to Final Four
By GARY HENLEY
The Daily Astorian
HILLSBORO — Back in November,
Astoria head coach Kevin Goin stated, “Sea-
side has to be the clear-cut favorite,” in
Cowapa League boys basketball. In Decem-
ber, Seaside coach Bill Westerholm said,
“I have a feeling we’ll see Astoria in the
championship game of our Tournament (of
Champions).”
Little did either coach know at the time
(both predictions came true, by the way),
that their teams were headed for a Clat-
sop Clash meeting in the state tournament
Tuarter¿ nals.
See CLASH, Page 11A
SEASIDE GIRLS
VS. MAZAMA
PRESS PLAY College
Lady Gulls fall in quarterfinals
See Sports, Page 10A
Gambling addiction on rise in
Clatsop County; few seek treatment
By KYLE SPURR
The Daily Astorian
FREE HELP
llison Jewell’s gam-
bling addiction started as
entertainment.
Never much of a
drinker, Jewell would
play video poker in bars on the nights
she was the designated driver for her
friends. Soon, a compulsion took hold.
She would sneak to play a quick video
poker game on lunch breaks from work
or before picking up her children at day
care.
Before the Astoria woman sought
treatment last spring, she was in crisis.
One spree cost her $600 in 20 minutes.
Her credit card was maxed out. She had
to ¿ le for bankruptcy.
Jewell estimates she lost at least
$20,000.
“The most frustrating part is that it’s
a daily battle,” she said. “Some days are
better and I don’t feel an urge to gam-
ble. Other days, I have to constantly
distract the addict part of my brain.”
Jewell’s experience is rare in Clat-
sop County. Not her problem gam-
bling, which addiction experts believe
is on the rise, but the treatment.
There were 772 problem gamblers
Gambling hotline:
1-877-MY-LIMIT (877-695-4648)
Oregon Lottery:
www.oregonlottery.org/
play-responsibly
in Clatsop County in 2009, according
to the most recent data from the Addic-
tions and Mental Health Division of the
Oregon Health Authority. Only seven
received treatment at that time.
This year, a dozen people are in
treatment, a fraction of the gamblers
who suffer from addiction.
The average debt for gamblers in
treatment is $32,000, but many people
on the lower rungs of the economic lad-
der, who have little disposable income,
also get trapped.
Christina Porter, who is on a ¿ xed
income, has lost about $8,000 gam-
bling. If she had more money to spend,
she said, her debt could be as high as
$50,000.
Porter was already in treatment for
gambling addiction when she moved
from Portland to Seaside four months
ago.
Friends tell her to stay away from
the video poker machines that are
within walking distance from her
home, but the temptation is strong.
“It’s a lot easier said than done,”
Porter said. “It’s an addiction.”
Free treatment
Devonna Edwards, a newly certi-
¿ ed gambling addiction counselor at
Clatsop Behavioral Healthcare, is the
lone provider in the county. She said
people do not realize treatment is free
for those who gamble in Oregon.
The Oregon Lottery diverts a small
percentage of proceeds to fund gam-
bling treatment programs statewide.
Since 1992, the Oregon Lottery gen-
erated more than $81 million for
treatment.
Edwards meets with people individ-
ually and in groups. She gets referrals
from the problem gambling hotline,
1-877-MY-LIMIT .
Jewell and Porter gather with a
few others in a group session every
Wednesday evening in Warrenton.
Edwards talks with the group about
the cycle of gambling, which often
starts with anticipation and planning. It
then moves toward consequences and
See GAMBLING, Page 12A
gets offer
on arts
center
Unnamed buyer wants to
build affordable housing
By EDWARD STRATTON
The Daily Astorian
Clatsop Community College has received
an offer from out-of-town investors to buy
both the Performing Arts Center and adjacent
Josie Peper Building as part of an affordable
housing development.
Gerald Hamilton, the interim president
of the college, said the college board has
not made any decisions on the property.
The offer was unsolicited, and the perform-
ing arts building has not been surplused, a
required move before a sale .
Karen Radditz, the real estate agent repre-
senting the college on the offer, described the
buyers as out-of-town investors but declined
to name them. She said the buyers intend to
create affordable housing, including apart-
ments and short-term living areas for peo-
ple staying at Columbia Memorial Hospital,
while keeping the performing arts building
as a community center.
See COLLEGE, Page 9A
Gearhart tackles short-term rental rules
Septic concerns
play key role in
discussion
By R.J. MARX
The Daily Astorian
GEARHART — Even as the wind
whistled and howled Wednesday night,
a full contingent of Gearhart City Coun-
cil and Planning Commission members
gathered at City Hall to hammer out a
proposed short-term rental ordinance.
They hope to have the policy in place
by summer.
SPRING
FORWARD
“We need to look at the big picture,”
Planning Commission er David Smith
said. “We need to look at where we are
and where we need to go.”
Mayor Dianne Widdop added, “We
don’t want to have a hotel on a resi-
dential street .” .Minimum night stays,
number of guests, registration, licens-
ing and inspection procedures all ¿ gure
in plans to regulate Gearhart’s short-
term rental properties.
It’s about the septic
%ut before of¿ cials attacked those
issues, they received a lesson in septic
See GEARHART, Page 12A
Russ Taggard listens as Mike McNickle gives a presentation on septic
concerns for short-term rental properties.
R.J. Marx/The Daily Astorian
Daylight Saving Time
starts on Sunday at 2 a.m.
when clocks are turned to
3 a.m. Sunrise and sunset
will be about one hour
later than the day before,
which means there will be
more light in the evening.