144TH YEAR, NO. 1
WEEKEND EDITION // FRIDAY, JULY 1, 2016
ONE DOLLAR
AUTHOR GRIEVES OVER
THE LOSS OF HIS HUSKY
COAST RIVER BUSINESS
JOURNAL • INSIDE
FRIDAY EXTRA • 1C
Fritsch
resigns in
Warrenton
City manager was target
of criticism by opponents
of dam removal
By DERRICK DePLEDGE
and ERICK BENGEL
The Daily Astorian
Danny Miller/The Daily Astorian
David Lindstrom, Friends of Old Fort Stevens secretary, talks about the historic gun built in 1899 mounted on Battery Pratt at Fort
Stevens State Park historic area. The Friends of Old Fort Stevens group works to preserve and restore parts of the park.
Old Fort Stevens
survives with
volunteer care
By KYLE SPURR
The Daily Astorian
ARRENTON — Walking
through the historical area of
Fort Stevens State Park trans-
ports visitors back to when the military fort
was active during the Civil War and World
War II.
A restored Civil War earthen fort illus-
trates how the fort was originally built with
dirt and surrounded by a moat with a draw-
bridge. The fort was used to protect against
a possible British attack toward the end of
the Civil War.
A row of artillery gun batteries allows
visitors to envision the fort’s only action in
World War II, when a Japanese submarine
fi red shells near the fort in June 1942.
To help share the local history, the
nonprofi t group Friends of Old Fort Ste-
vens continues to plan renovation projects
around the fort. The group collects funds
by selling fi rewood and items in the mili-
tary museum store.
WARRENTON — City Manager Kurt
Fritsch resigned on Thursday, telling city
commissioners at a special meeting that he
had become a distraction.
Critics who oppose the removal of the
Eighth Street Dam over the Skipanon River
had targeted Fritch and had sought to under-
mine his management with commissioners.
Fritsch said that
sometimes “the man-
ager becomes a dis-
traction. And that can
inhibit your ability to
move forward. And
that’s not a good place
to be. And I don’t want
to be a distraction.”
The City Com-
mission voted 4-0 to
Kurt
authorize Mayor Mark
Fritsch
Kujala to sign a sepa-
ration agreement with
Fritsch. The agreement provides Fritsch with
a severance payment of six months in wages
— an estimated $49,500 — along with vaca-
tion and other benefi t payouts. A non-dispar-
agement clause stipulates that the city will
not disparage Fritsch and that Fritsch will
not publicly criticize the city.
Linda Engbretson, the city recorder, was
named interim city manager.
Fritsch, who has served as the city’s chief
executive since 2011, declined to comment
W
See FRITSCH, Page 10A
Danny Miller/The Daily Astorian
Visitors roam around a flagpole at the Fort Stevens State Park historic area Thursday.
The flagpole is an item the Friends of Old Fort Stevens group is looking to renovate.
‘... I applaud the Friends for all the work
they have done over the years. It’s been
incredibly benefi cial for the park.’
See FRIENDS, Page 10A
John Koch
park ranger
Keep your hands off the seal pups
NOAA reminds
people not to
handle or pick up
the young seals
By PHUONG LE
Associated Press
SEATTLE — As harbor seals are
being born in the Pacifi c Northwest,
marine mammal advocates up and
down the West Coast are urging people
not to touch or pick up pups that come
up on beaches and shorelines to rest.
At least fi ve times this season,
well-meaning people have illegally
picked up seal pups in Oregon and
Washington thinking they were aban-
doned or needed help, but that interfer-
AP Photo/Elaine Thompson
A harbor seal pup rests on seaweed-covered rocks after coming in on
the high tide in the West Seattle neighborhood of Seattle in October 2011.
ence ultimately resulted in two deaths,
said Michael Milstein, a spokesman
with the National Oceanic and Atmo-
spheric Administration Fisheries.
It’s an ongoing issue along the
entire West Coast, from Alaska to
California, when people who think
they’re doing the right thing end up
stressing or harming the animals
instead, offi cials say.
See SEAL PUPS, Page 7A
Two severed
cables caused
phone outages
Emergency dispatch was
down on North Coast
The Daily Astorian
Phone service in Clatsop County and
parts of s outhwest Washington was knocked
out Thursday after two different fi ber-optic
cables were severed.
Service was restored Thursday evening .
The city of Warrenton severed an
unmarked fi ber-optic cable while repairing a
water service line, compromising phone ser-
vice in the region.
There was also another cable severed at
the Lewis and Clark Bridge in Longview,
Washington. Early reports point to possible
vandalism to the cable on the bridge, Asto-
ria Police said.
The outage affected 911, land lines and
some cell phones.
In Warrenton, before repair crews went
to work on U.S. Highway 101 on a railroad
right of way, the city asked Oregon Under-
ground Notifi cation Center to check for com-
munication lines, gas lines and other hidden
service lines.
The agency did not mark the fi ber-op-
tic line, so Warrenton went ahead with the
planned repair and unknowingly cut a phone
line, interim City Manager Linda Engbret-
son said.
Astoria Dispatch opened its new system
allowing texts to 911 during the outage. But
the service is still in the testing and evalu-
ation phase, so the texting portal has been
turned off. It should be available again per-
manently later this summer.
July 2-3
Saturday: 9 am- 5 pm ◆ Sunday: 10 am- 3 pm
Clatsop County Fairgrounds
You Never Know What You’ll Find At
A Collectors West Gun & Knife Show!
92937 Walluski Loop
collectorswest.com
$
7