OPINION
4A
THE DAILY ASTORIAN • WEDNESDAY, JUNE 29, 2016
Founded in 1873
STEPHEN A. FORRESTER, Editor & Publisher
LAURA SELLERS, Managing Editor
BETTY SMITH, Advertising Manager
CARL EARL, Systems Manager
JOHN D. BRUIJN, Production Manager
DEBRA BLOOM, Business Manager
HEATHER RAMSDELL, Circulation Manager
Water
under
the bridge
Compiled by Bob Duke
From the pages of Astoria’s daily newspapers
10 years ago this week — 2006
The Fourth of July in Cannon Beach features a spectacular aerial
show, with colors of black, orange, red, purple and emerald green, all
free for viewing pleasure.
And not a irework in sight. Instead, it’s time for the second annual
Great Cannon Beach Pufin Watch.
The Pufin Watch gives visitors the opportunity to watch nesting
tufted pufins, tens of thousands of common murres and many other vari-
eties of seabirds on or near the landmark Haystack Rock July 1 through
4.
Haystack Rock Awareness Program Coordinator Shelley Parker said
the Pufin Watch is fun because it allows the public to view the diversity
of wildlife in a lovely landscape and to learn about different species and
how they survive.
WARRENTON – City commissioners denied a homeown-
er’s appeal of city-approved plans for a new Home Depot and
approved the irst reading of an ordinance to rezone the land
Tuesday.
Two mumps cases, the irst in 27 years, have been conirmed in Clat-
sop County, and county public health oficials are reminding people that
a complete series of two valid doses of MMR (measles, mumps, rubella)
vaccine is the best protection against the viral illness.
Clatsop County will ask to have a say in the proposed LNG
project planned at Bradwood.
The board of commissioners voted unanimously Wednes-
day to ile as an intervenor in the federal review process for
the liqueied natural gas terminal proposed for the riverfront
site 40 miles east of Astoria.
50 years ago — 1966
“About 125” students attended irst day of classes in Clatsop Coun-
ty’s Operation Head Start program Monday morning, according to How-
ard Egan, director of the program.
Egan described the turnout as “beyond our expectations.”
Operation Head Start is designed to aid preschool children of low
income families.
A story in the June
20 Daily Astorian
reviewing the week-
end activities of the
Coast Guard air sta-
tion’s helicopters gives
some indication of the
value of this agency. It
has been kept busy ever
since its establishment,
and as time goes on, it Eltrich-Del Guzzi company of Port
seems to become even Angeles, Wash., poured the final load
busier.
of concrete at 4:30 p.m. Friday on
The
helicopters the Astoria bridge’s 2464-foot truss
were involved in seven across the Columbia River main ship
search and rescue mis- channel. Workmen here put finishing
sions last weekend.
touches to the last undecked section.
Advent of sum- Last 112 yards of concrete on the
mer, with increase in section were poured Friday, complet-
seashore recreational ing a job that began June 13. Approx-
activities, plus grow- imately 1570 yards of concrete were
ing activity in commer- used in decking the last segment of
cial ishing, has helped the bridge. (Daily Astorian Photo)
build up the work load
of the copter crews.
The air station has two large and two small helicopters. We
may ind soon that these are not enough equipment to handle
all the tasks put upon the air station. Our congressional del-
egation might well take up with Coast Guard authorities the
growing need for air station expansion.
When one considers all that the people of this station do, we
wonder how we ever got along before it was established.
75 years ago — 1941
Without any special ceremonies the 110-foot keel for the irst of several
wooden minesweepers to be erected at the Astoria Marine Construction
company on the Lewis and Clark River will be laid Wednesday afternoon.
Following the pattern laid down by Governor Sprague’s
state Council of Defense, formal organization of the Clatsop
County Defense council was effected Tuesday afternoon at a
meeting of the council members named by the governor, J.C.
Wright, who has acted as chairman of the old council orga-
nized six months ago, was named as permanent chairman of
the new group with Sheriff Paul Kearney as vice-chairman.
Thirty-four selectees, the largest group to be called thus far from Clat-
sop County, will be inducted for military service on July 7. The number
includes four who are taken in for other draft boards.
Several Astoria college students, including one or more, who were
given deferred status by the local draft board to inish their education,
are among those called.
German armed forces — apparently aiming a mechanized
spearhead directly into the heart of Russia toward Moscow
— claimed important but still undisclosed military victories
today while the red army reported it was ighting off huge
Nazi tank thrusts toward Minsk and Kiev.
Race makes intern feel right at home
Comradery from troll
race reminds runner
why he does it
By ELI STILLMAN
The Daily Astorian
I
’ve always loved to run, but
have had problems explaining
why.
The endorphin rush and feeling
of accomplishment that I get after a
workout or race is something I fell in
love with at a very young age.
For the last nine years, I’ve com-
peted on my school’s cross coun-
try and track
teams. But now
that I’ve grad-
uated from the
competitive
program, it’s
been hard to
get motivated
without being
surrounded
by teammates
and coaches.
Eli
Also, after track
Stillman
ended my train-
ing during the last month of college
took a backseat to research papers,
cheap beer and also nerve pain in my
right foot.
Only a few days after I graduated,
I moved up here to take an internship
with The Daily Astorian. It was hectic
packing my life into the back of my
truck and traveling to a town where I
The Daily Astorian
Eli Stillman received this trophy
after winning the 5.75-mile Run-
ning of the Trolls race this year.
The sport of
running is
simple, but
you have to be
a little weird
to enjoy it.
didn’t know anyone.
When I heard there was a race
coming up, I igured it would be a
great way to relax and hopefully run
off my stress. All week, I’d been try-
ing to unpack my belongings and get
familiar with the professional news-
room setting. Finally, this was some-
thing that I knew how to do and didn’t
have to ask questions about.
I raced the 5.75-mile course in the
13th annual Running of the Trolls,
which was part of the Scandinavian
Midsummer Festival.
Turns out, I was able to sustain
some of my itness during my one
month off, as I inished irst on the
out-and-back course. I nearly col-
lapsed at the line, but as other com-
petitors inished, they came up and
shook my hand. We talked about
times, running shoes and different
races in the area. They even told me
about fun trails to go run on and how
to get to them.
This was the part of the sport I
really missed, not just the competi-
tion, but the comradery that comes
with pushing yourself to near exhaus-
tion alongside others.
The sport of running is simple,
but you have to be a little weird to
enjoy it. When you meet others who
share that weirdness, there’s usually a
mutual understanding.
I’ve yet to explore any of these
trails on the coast, but the 10 mile
loops through the woods look appeal-
ing on maps.
I’ll hold off on the long ones until
I have a stronger base, but struggling
up the steep hills in Astoria’s neigh-
borhoods and talking times with
strangers has reminded me just why
I love this torturous pastime.
Eli Stillman is The Daily Astori-
an’s newsroom intern this summer.
He graduated from Southern Oregon
University earlier this month.
GUEST COLUMN
County at critical point on mental health
By AMY BAKER
Special to The Daily Astorian
I
would like to introduce myself
as the new interim director of
Clatsop Behavioral Healthcare
and outline my vision for how
this organization can move for-
ward and continue to serve the
Clatsop County community.
This won’t be my irst experience
improving the functioning of a fal-
tering behavioral health agency. The
ield of behavioral health has been
my passion for decades.
I have over 20 years of experience
in the behavioral health ield through-
out Oregon, including at the Oregon
Health Authority, and have estab-
lished expertise in organizational
management and reorganization.
In 2008, I was hired by Cascadia
Behavioral Healthcare, a major non-
proit healthcare provider based in
Portland, and then was promoted as
the senior director of outpatient ser-
vices. This was a inancially trou-
bled department that needed effec-
tive reorganization to ensure that
services were both accessible and
appropriate. While running this
department, I dramatically improved
Cascadia’s inancial standing, imple-
mented new policies and procedures
to improve patient care, and main-
tained its excellent workforce. Within
a year, Cascadia was able to get back
on track inancially while continuing
to provide high-quality services to its
community.
Here in Clatsop County, we are
To support individuals,
at a critical juncture with
our behavioral health ser-
Clatsop Behavioral Health-
vices, but I am convinced
care anticipates opening a
that a full recovery is
crisis respite center to help
within reach. I appreciate
them discover their aspira-
the county’s leadership in
tions and achieve their full
calling for change within
potential.
our organization. I clearly
Finally, I will be
understand that our success
focused on stabilizing our
is dependent both on our
workforce and improving
internal functioning and on
employee morale. I will
Amy
our relationships with com-
update the community as
Baker
munity partners. I
we move forward
plan to strengthen
with these import-
I can
both in order to
ant objectives.
bring stability to our
At
Clatsop
promise the
organization to ben-
Behavioral Health-
community
eit all.
care, I have been
Any behavioral
gratiied to ind
full
health organization
employees
with
is only as good as
a true passion for
transparency providing ser-
its ability to collab-
orate with partners
as we move vices that promote
and stakeholders on
individuals’ right
forward and to live meaning-
behalf of the com-
munity members it
ful lives in a sup-
make much
serves.
portive
commu-
I can promise
nity.
It
is
incredibly
needed
the community full
encouraging to see
transparency as we
that mental health
changes in
move forward and
and wellness are
the next six topics so near and
make much needed
changes in the next
dear to the ongoing
months.
six months. My
discussion in our
immediate
prior-
community.
ity is to stabilize the organization
Please feel free to contact me with
and ensure the safety of the individ- any questions or concerns. My phone
uals it serves. The organization exists is always on, and I will be happy to
so it can intercede, support and care discuss our plans to stabilize and
for any vulnerable individual facing improve this important community
a mental health crisis. I will be eval- organization.
Amy Baker is in the interim exec-
uating and enhancing our capacity
to perform this core function for the utive director of Clatsop Behavioral
community.
Healthcare.