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About The daily Astorian. (Astoria, Or.) 1961-current | View Entire Issue (March 29, 2016)
143RD YEAR, NO. 189 DailyAstorian.com // TUESDAY, MARCH 29, 2016 ONE DOLLAR LADY FISHERMEN WIN FOURTH STRAIGHT BEAVERS REACH FINAL FOUR PAGE 4A SPORTS • 7A Criminal justice returns to class Program had been victim of budget cuts By EDWARD STRATTON The Daily Astorian Oregon Coast Aquarium A rehab team at the Oregon Coast Aquarium in Newport examines Thunder, an olive ridley sea turtle who washed ashore in Gearhart in December. Thunder, Lightning go to SeaWorld Happy ending for endangered sea turtles See CLASS, Page 12A Divers recover second body By LYRA FONTAINE and R.J. MARX The Daily Astorian S EASIDE — It’s been a rough year for sea turtles, especially for the endangered olive ridleys. But for two turtles rescued after win- ter storms, a happy ending is in sight. After treatment at the Oregon Coast Aquar- ium, Thunder and Lightning are headed to Sea- World in San Diego. They will be escorted by the U.S. Coast Guard and a rehabilitation team Wednesday. Thunder and Lightning were found coma- tose, hypothermic and malnourished follow- ing two large storms that hit the Oregon Coast in December. Lightning was found in Paci¿ c City and Thun- der washed ashore in Gearhart. ”We had a series of strong winter storms and they can strand for a number of reasons,” Lance Beck of the Oregon Coast Aquarium said Mon- day. “But typically when we see them, they’re hypothermic.” As turtles become hypothermic, their metabo- lism slows and they go into a state where they’re alive but would almost appear dead if found, Beck said. “That’s why it’s critical that they get into care as soon as possible.” Beck said it’s a slow process of raising the ani- mal’s temperature no more than 1 to 2 degrees per day. Thunder — the Gearhart turtle — is one of the larger and stronger turtles to come through the Newport aquarium, he said. The U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service and U.S. Coast Guard will À y Thunder and Lightning back After several years on hia- tus, Clatsop Community College’s criminal justice program of¿ cially returned Monday with an intro- ductory course — “Criminal Jus- tice 111” — taught by Mary Jack- son, a veteran of the corrections profession. Jackson said she started class with 15 students, nearly equal parts men and women and ages ranging from teens to mid lifers. There are several students interested in law enforcement, she said, several in corrections and one in white-collar investigations. “If you look at the community that we’re in, and also Paci¿ c County (Washington), there are quite a few agencies that could bene¿ t from hav- ing someone with a criminal justice background,” she said. Oregon Coast Aquarium Thunder recovers in her rehabilitation pool at the Oregon Coast Aquarium in Newport. to warmer waters as part of a training mission. The trip was originally scheduled for earlier this month, but had to be delayed due to aircraft scheduling issues. The mission to San Diego is being included in Coast Guard drills as an opportunity to train for other emergency situations that could involve not only animals in distress, but also passengers requiring critical care. After Thunder and Lightning leave Newport, they will complete their rehabilitation at SeaWorld San Diego, preparing for release later this summer. “Once they’re at good enough health, we like to get them back down south where their native waters are,” Beck said. Beck said he anticipated Thunder and Light- ning would spend three to four months at Sea- World before being ready for release into the sea. Two more turtles, including the renowned “Tucker the Turtle” found in Tolovana and treated at the Seaside Aquarium, are undergoing treat- ment by the Seattle Aquarium and the Vancouver Aquarium in Canada and will also be transported south in the coming weeks. At least six other sea turtles succumbed to the elements and stranded on Oregon, Washington, and northern California beaches this winter. Many sea turtles are considered vulnerable to changing climate and tidal patterns. This year’s El Niño brought many more turtles out of their traditional migration patterns, Laura Todd, Newport ¿ eld supervisor for the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, said in December. “It’s why there’s so much effort,” Beck said Monday. “Because every one of them can still con- tribute to the recovery of that species.” Removal of plane debris planned today By ERICK BENGEL The Daily Astorian Divers have recovered the body of a 63-year-old Washington state woman who died in a plane crash that also claimed the life of the pilot when their antique aircraft plunged into the Columbia River last week, the Clatsop County Sheriff’s Of¿ ce announced Monday. Irene Mustain, of Woodland, Washington, wanted to scatter her husband’s ashes at the coast on Wednesday with the help of 69-year-old John McKibbin, of Vancouver, Washington. See PLANE, Page 12A Ghostly gathering comes to Seaside this weekend Organizer claims town is haunted By EVE MARX For EO Media Group SEASIDE — You don’t have to be a believer in spooks and spirits to enjoy the Oregon Ghost Conference, coming to the Seaside Civic and Convention Center this weekend . 7he event, now in its ¿ fth year, got its start in Oregon City, but grew so large, orga- nizer Rocky Smith, had to secure a bigger venue. It didn’t hurt that Seaside had a rich occult history. GHOST HUNTERS The 2016 Oregon Ghost Conference, presented by PartyLite by Tina Ford, is the Northwest’s largest paranormal convention. For more information , visit oregonghostconference.com. Seaside, Smith allowed, is known to be haunted. “For the past year, I’ve been researching Seaside,” he said. “There are a couple of places people talk about being haunted. I had to weed through the old stories to ¿ nd out what’s accurate. After talking to various business owners and coming back here for research a few times, I’ve learned some new ghostly stories.” There’s a strong connection between Oregon City and Sea- side, through the industrialist and larger-than-life character Ben Holladay, Smith said. Smith is a local historian and paranormal investigator . In 2006, he combined his love of history and knowledge of the paranormal by founding Northwest Ghost Tours offer- ing paranormal tours in Ore- gon City and Portland. Submitted Photo See HAUNTED, Page 12A Conference Director Rocky Smith.
