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About The daily Astorian. (Astoria, Or.) 1961-current | View Entire Issue (July 4, 2016)
HAPPY INDEPENDENCE DAY! DailyAstorian.com // MONDAY, JULY 4, 2016 144TH YEAR, NO. 2 ONE DOLLAR A vacation rental solution for Gearhart? City Council to hear rental rules as opposition mounts By R.J. MARX The Daily Astorian Danny Miller/The Daily Astorian Miss Portland Alexis Mather is crowned Miss Oregon Saturday at the Seaside Civic and Convention Center . A NIGHT TO SHINE Preparation pays off for Astoria’s Mather GEARHART — Fireworks are scheduled on the North Coast today , but Tuesday may have its share in Gearhart if previous pub- lic hearings on short-term rentals are any indication. T he City Council will conduct its fi rst hearing on new rules presented by the Plan- ning Commission, and councilors are lean- ing toward passing the legislation . “So far, with very few changes, they like this,” City Administrator Chad Sweet said. The rules, which would require licens- ing of short-term rental properties and limit their transfer, were hammered out in well-at- tended sessions marked by passionate debate. Vacation rental dwellings would be defi ned as any structure designed for occu- pancy for less than 30 days. In a letter sent to members of the City C ouncil last week, Sweet provided updated information regarding neighborhoods See GEARHART, Page 10A By ELI STILLMAN The Daily Astorian S EASIDE — In it s 70 years of exis- tence, the Miss Oregon competition has brought bright gowns, fl ashing smiles and, for one young woman each year, the most coveted headwear in the state. At the end of Saturday evening, a packed Seaside Civic and Convention Center saw Alexis Mather join the “Miss O Sisterhood.” The Astoria native advanced to the pageant after earning the title of Miss Portland earlier this year. For Mather, the moment of being crowned came after years of preparation, as she has been competing in pageants since 2009. She was fourth runner-up last year as Miss Clat- sop County. “The credit goes to the volunteers of the organization,” Mather said . “I’ve always looked up to Miss Oregon and looked up to all the volunteers for what they do.” Her victory was decided by a score deter- mined from the swimsuit competition, eve- ning wear, on-stage response and talent. Mather drew a large applause from the crowd during the talent section when she belted the opera song, “Nessun Dorma.” Mather will now travel to Atlantic City, New Jersey, where she will compete for the title of Miss America on Sept. 11 . Win or lose, Miss Oregon will have a busy year of traveling, appearances and involvement in charity events. Mather said winning the crown represents a small piece of the entire experience. “The journey is the most important part,” she said . “I’m so thankful G od put me in this position.” Submitted P hoto Gearhart’s Breakaway Lodge, long used as a retreat center, may be exempt from new short-term rental rules. Danny Miller/The Daily Astorian Miss Oregon’s 2015 Outstanding Teen Hailey Kilgore performs during the Miss Ore- gon competition Saturday . Forest group critical of logging company’s grant application Lottery-backed bonds fi nance projects By EDWARD STRATTON The Daily Astorian Ali Wallace, of Portland, who won the title last year, passed her crown to Mather . Danny Miller/The Daily Astorian A local environmental group is raising opposition to a state grant application by a Knappa-based company that exports raw timber, among other commodities, from a private dock in Rainier. The North Coast State Forest Coalition has been emailing activists about an appli- cation by Teevin Bros. Land & Timber Co. Inc. to the state Department of Transporta- tion’s ConnectOregon VI program. The state uses lottery-backed bonds to offer grants for pedestrian, road, rail, air and marine infra- structure projects. Teevin Bros. has asked the state to fund $750,000 of a $1.2 million proj- ect to construct seven mooring dolphins near Rainier for tugs and barges . See MISS OREGON, Page 10A Miss Clatsop Ryen Buys waves to the crowd during the Miss Oregon competition Saturday . See GRANT, Page 10A Changing of the g uard ‘Mama Wolfe’ serves up fun for Warrior baseball n Warrenton circles she is known, quite simply, as “Mama Wolfe.” Because Michelle Wolfe is the ultimate “b aseball m om.” Between all of her daugh- ter’s softball games, her son’s baseball games, and all the many games coached by her husband Lennie, she fi gures her GA (Games Attended) mark is somewhere in the thousands by now. Michelle has been the wife of Warrenton baseball coach Lennie Wolfe since 1983. And while their daughter Katie and son Dan have long since grad- uated, the games continue, as Lennie just wrapped up his 25th season as the Warriors’ coach. I There have been a lot of great seasons and wins (500 at Warrenton), including one state championship — but it’s ‘Alumni Saturday’ that Michelle loves most of all. “I like it, because I get to see all the boys,” she said of Warrenton’s annual baseball alumni day, which took place Saturday at Huddleston Field. “They’re men now, and it’s fun to get to see everybody and the families. “To me, they are my kids. They do call me ‘Mama Wolfe.’” On Saturday, Michelle was given the Terry Christensen Award (named after a former Warrenton assistant coach) for her 25 years of service to War- renton sports. Having spent over 30 years watching baseball at three dif- ferent schools, with games in the spring and the summer, “I can’t tell you how many games I’ve seen,” Michelle said. “When Lennie got his fi rst job as a teacher and a coach (at Colton High School), the s uperintendent said, ‘O ne Submitted Photo See WOLFE, Page 10A Warrenton’s First Family of Baseball, from left to right: Dan, Lennie, Kaitlin Daugherty and daughter, and Michelle Wolfe.
