2A
THE DAILY ASTORIAN • THURSDAY, JULY 7, 2016
Firework revelers race tide to free dozens of stuck cars
Brave, soggy heroes
By NATALIE ST. JOHN
EO Media Group
LONG BEACH, Wash. —
A relatively orderly July 4 cel-
ebration devolved into chaos
when dozens of cars sank
axle-deep in soft sand while
attempting to exit the beach.
As the city-sponsored fi re-
works show came to an end
at about 10:30 p.m., hundreds
of cars began heading south
toward the Bolstad approach,
just as the tide started rolling in.
F arther east on the approach,
a bottleneck formed as drivers
tried to pull out of angled park-
ing spaces into the oncoming
traffi c, and the whole proces-
sion came to a dead halt. Peo-
ple in four-wheel-drive vehi-
cles pulled out of the line of
vehicles at the water’s edge and
charged across the soft sand,
forming still more queues lead-
ing up to the bottleneck.
Natalie St. John/EO Media Group
Members of the Garfias and Gonzalez families worked to-
gether to free numerous cars from the sand and surf as
the tide rolled in around 11 p.m. Monday.
to pass the time by wading into
the incoming tide.
On the approach, rangers
and Long Beach Police tried
to fi nd a balance between help-
ing individuals in distress, and
managing traffi c.
It is not uncommon for cars
to wash into the surf, and it
takes relatively little water to
make it happen. As midnight
approached, many vehicles
started to get swamped. The
increasing potential for real
danger tested the patience of
police and civilians alike.
Time, tide and tempers
By 11 p.m., the waves
began fl owing around the wait-
ing vehicles. Passengers and
bystanders all over the area
north of the approach were
working frantically to free bur-
ied cars. Crowds of intoxicated
bystanders gathered to watch
and make videos on their cell
phones, while others decided
When push
comes to shove
Virginia Painter, a spokes-
person for Washington State
Parks, rode with the rangers
until 2:30 a.m. Tuesday. Painter
said offi cers had to make diffi -
cult calls about how to prior-
itize the multiple issues com-
peting for their attention, and
it became especially challeng-
ing when some people refused
to call tow trucks until the sit-
uation became dire. While rid-
ing between Cranberry and
Sid Snyder Drive, Painter and
the rangers stopped numerous
times to help out, she said.
“There were lots of places
where we all got out and
pushed,” Painter said. Though
a rumor swept through the
crowd that six empty cars had
washed out to sea, Painter said
she was told that three unoccu-
FIVE-DAY FORECAST FOR ASTORIA
TONIGHT
FRIDAY
SATURDAY
66
55
57
Rather cloudy with a
couple of showers
SUNDAY
62
52
Periods of rain and a
thunderstorm
Cloudy with showers
MONDAY
64
54
65
54
Mostly cloudy with a
shower
Low clouds may break,
a shower
Natalie St. John/EO Media Group
After getting their own car unstuck, members of the Gar-
fias and Gonzalez families helped free cars from the surf
as the tide rolled in Monday night.
pied cars had been inundated,
but none washed away.
Towing for fun
(and no profi t)
The heroes of the evening
were several men with large
trucks and tow ropes, including
Jerry Rathman, who along with
his sister Ashley Hiatt, volun-
teered to haul people out.
“I don’t care about fi re-
works,” Hiatt said. “This is
my fun. I like towing people!”
Hiatt said Rathman accepted
tips, but he didn’t charge a fee.
The towing was just something
they like to do every year as a
service to a community where
they have deep ties, she said.
As Rathman raced to free
each car from the sand, Hiatt
dealt with the queue of wait-
ing drivers, and supervised the
onlookers who began pitching
in. Rathman’s huge, white truck
shuddered and dug deep wells
in the sand as it strained against
a dangerously tense tow chain
to pull the cars out.
“He’s going to get stuck
himself ,” a bystander shouted.
Hiatt laughed.
“He’s not gonna get stuck,”
she said. Sure enough, with
chassis-rattling groan, the truck
jumped forward and had the
other car out a moment later.
Port of Coos Bay receives $11
million grant for rail repairs
The Daily Astorian
ALMANAC
Shown is tomorrow's weather. Temperatures are tonight's lows and tomorrow's highs.
ASTORIA
57/66
Tillamook
57/64
July 11
Full
Newport
54/60
July 19
Coos Bay
57/62
New
July 26
Source: Jim Todd, OMSI
TOMORROW'S TIDES
Astoria / Port Docks
Time
11:06 a.m.
11:26 p.m.
Low
-0.6 ft.
2.0 ft.
City
Atlanta
Boston
Chicago
Denver
Des Moines
Detroit
El Paso
Fairbanks
Honolulu
Indianapolis
Kansas City
Las Vegas
Los Angeles
Memphis
Miami
Nashville
New Orleans
New York
Oklahoma City
Philadelphia
St. Louis
Salt Lake City
San Francisco
Seattle
Washington, DC
Lakeview
50/71
Ashland
61/72
REGIONAL CITIES
City
Baker City
Bend
Brookings
Eugene
Ilwaco
Klamath Falls
Medford
Newberg
Newport
North Bend
Hi
84
78
62
75
61
82
87
70
62
66
Today
Lo
53
51
53
57
57
51
62
58
54
57
W
pc
pc
pc
c
sh
s
pc
c
c
sh
Hi
69
67
57
69
63
68
73
68
60
64
Fri.
Lo
51
46
52
53
55
47
59
54
52
54
W
t
c
sh
sh
sh
sh
sh
sh
sh
sh
City
Olympia
Pendleton
Portland
Roseburg
Salem
Seaside
Spokane
Springfi eld
Vancouver
Yakima
Hi
66
83
70
79
72
62
77
75
69
81
Today
Lo
56
59
61
61
59
58
57
58
60
58
W
sh
pc
c
pc
c
sh
pc
c
c
pc
Hi
70
76
69
70
68
64
73
67
68
81
Fri.
Lo
52
56
58
57
56
56
56
54
57
54
W
sh
t
sh
c
sh
sh
t
sh
sh
sh
TIMMONSVILLE, S.C.
— Wearing saggy pants could
get expensive in tiny Tim-
monsville, South Carolina.
A new town ordinance out-
laws wearing sagging pants,
trousers or shorts that inten-
tionally display a person’s
underwear. After initial warn-
ings, third and subsequent
offenses carry a fi ne ranging
from $100 to $600.
Town administrator Mary
Bines says the ordinance,
which also bans nudity, passed
the Town Council 5-1 on Tues-
day night.
The sagging style has been
W
t
t
t
pc
t
pc
t
sh
s
t
t
s
pc
s
s
t
pc
t
s
t
pc
s
pc
sh
t
Hi
94
76
86
91
85
90
100
75
86
87
88
105
79
96
92
95
94
92
94
95
92
98
69
71
95
Fri.
Lo
77
64
64
61
65
66
76
55
73
67
68
80
63
77
79
75
79
75
75
77
72
72
58
56
78
Shown are noon positions of weather systems and precipitation. Temperature bands are highs for the day.
W
t
pc
pc
pc
s
t
s
c
s
t
s
s
pc
pc
pc
pc
t
t
pc
t
pc
pc
pc
sh
t
Weather (W): s-sunny, pc-partly cloudy, c-cloudy,
sh-showers, t-thunderstorms, r-rain, sf-snow fl urries,
sn-snow, i-ice.
CLATSOP
POWER
EQUIPMENT, INC.
SALES • SERVICE • RENTALS
THURSDAY
Seaside Parks Advisory Committee, 7 p.m., City
Hall, 989 Broadway.
FRIDAY
Miles Crossing Sanitary Sewer District Board, 2
p.m., special session, 34583 U.S. Highway 101 Business.
LOTTERIES
OREGON
Wednesday’s Pick 4:
1 p.m.: 5-7-9-5
4 p.m.: 4-8-0-7
7 p.m.: 1-4-5-9
10 p.m.: 1-2-1-6
Wednesday’s Megabucks:
2-4-24-27-32-48
Estimated jackpot: $7.1
million
Wednesday’s Powerball:
2-24-31-57-66, Powerball: 18
Estimated jackpot: $288
million
WASHINGTON
Wednesday’s Daily Game:
5-5-5
Wednesday’s Hit 5: 18-25-
33-35-38
Estimated jackpot: $150,000
Wednesday’s Keno: 06-07-
13-14-16-19-22-27-31-33-
35-45-46-50-53-54-64-68-
74-79
Wednesday’s Lotto: 21-24-
36-39-44-49
Estimated jackpot: $1.9
million
Wednesday’s Match 4: 02-
04-08-24
MONDAY
Cannon Beach Rural Fire Protection District, 6
p.m., Fire-Rescue Main Station, 188 Sunset Ave.
Youngs River Lewis & Clark Water District
Board, 6 p.m., regular meeting and executive ses-
sion, 34583 U.S. Highway 101 Business.
Seaside City Council, 7 p.m., City Hall, 989
Broadway.
ON THE RECORD
Harassment
• At 10:48 a.m. Friday, War-
renton Police arrested Charles
E. Westerlund, 56, Astoria, for
harassment and second-degree
disorderly conduct after wit-
nesses claimed he was inap-
propriately touching a young
girl in Fred Meyer.
DUII arrest
• At 5:49 p.m. Friday, War-
renton Police arrested Thai D.
Clappe, 33, Astoria, for driv-
ing under the infl uence of
intoxicants on the 1600 block
of Harbor Street.
• At 11:39 p.m. Friday, June
24, Warrenton Police arrested
Nicholas J. Spliethof, 33,
Astoria, for DUII at Second
Street and Birch Court.
• At 5:23 p.m. Tuesday,
Oregon State Police arrested
Gary Leonard Goodenough,
51, Gearhart, for driving
under the infl uence of intox-
icants on U.S. Highway 101
and Garden Terrace Road in
Gearhart.
• At 8:53 p.m. Tuesday,
Oregon State Police arrested
Glenn Arthur Crist Jr., 43,
Gearhart, for DUII on U.S.
Highway 101 in Gearhart.
SCOREBOARD
SPORTS SCHEDULE
TODAY
Junior State Baseball — Tilla-
mook at Astoria Ford, 6 p.m.; Clats-
kanie at Warrenton (2), 4 p.m.
FRIDAY
Junior State Baseball — Mad-
ison at Astoria Ford, 5 p.m.; West
Salem at Astoria Ford, 7:30 p.m.
SATURDAY
Junior State Baseball — Madi-
son at Astoria Ford, 10 a.m.; West
Salem at Astoria Ford, 11:30 a.m.;
Madison vs. West Salem, 2 p.m.;
Warrenton at Clatskanie (2), 1
p.m.
GO ONLINE • www.dailyastorian.com
The Daily Astorian
Established July 1, 1873
(USPS 035-000)
Published daily, except Saturday and Sunday, by EO Media Group,
949 Exchange St., PO Box 210, Astoria, OR 97103 Telephone 503-
325-3211, 800-781-3211 or Fax 503-325-6573. POSTMASTER:
Send address changes to The Daily Astorian, PO Box 210, Astoria,
OR 97103-0210
www.dailyastorian.com
MEMBER OF THE ASSOCIATED PRESS
34912 HWY 101 BUS • ASTORIA
503-325-0792 • 1-800-220-0792
popular for years among young
people and hip-hop artists.
The text of the law says the
town about 70 miles east of
Columbia wishes to maintain
decorum on its streets. Coun-
cil members have also said the
ordinance is aimed at help-
ing young people make better
choices.
PUBLIC MEETINGS
TOMORROW'S NATIONAL WEATHER
NATIONAL CITIES
Today
Hi Lo
92 76
77 65
88 72
89 57
86 68
91 72
98 75
72 53
87 73
87 75
92 70
103 79
79 63
96 82
93 79
91 77
95 81
93 78
97 77
95 78
89 78
92 71
67 56
66 59
94 78
The Daily Astorian
Forecasts and graphics provided by AccuWeather, Inc. ©2016
Tonight's Sky: Mercury will be at superior conjunc-
tion.
High
8.1 ft.
7.9 ft.
Burns
51/72
Klamath Falls
51/68
was among 18 selected out of more than 200
applicants nationwide to receive the program’s
funding.
The port’s nine tunnels along the 134-mile
rail line are all around 100 years old. DeFazio’s
offi ce says age and weather conditions have
caused deterioration and drainage issues in the
tunnels and along the rail line, known as the
Coos Bay Rail Link.
The port should receive the award money
within 60 days.
Droopy drawers draw fi nes in S.C.
Ontario
64/86
Roseburg
61/70
Brookings
51/56
Aug 2
Baker
53/69
John Day
59/72
Bend
51/67
Medford
62/73
UNDER THE SKY
Time
4:21 a.m.
5:36 p.m.
Prineville
54/70
Lebanon
58/67
Eugene
57/69
Last
La Grande
58/71
Salem
59/68
SUN AND MOON
Sunset tonight ........................... 9:08 p.m.
Sunrise Friday ............................. 5:33 a.m.
Moonrise today ........................... 9:17 a.m.
Moonset today ......................... 11:10 p.m.
Pendleton
59/76
The Dalles
60/76
Portland
61/69
Precipitation
Wednesday ....................................... Trace
Month to date ................................... 0.07"
Normal month to date ....................... 0.27"
Year to date .................................... 39.29"
Normal year to date ........................ 36.43"
First
EUGENE — The U.S. Department of Trans-
portation has awarded the Port of Coos Bay $11
million to repair nine aging tunnels along its rail
line from Eugene to Coquille.
The Register-Guard reports that U.S. Rep. Peter
DeFazio said Tuesday the federal grant is being pro-
vided through the department’s Nationally Signifi -
cant Freight and Highway Projects program.
The Port of Coos Bay’s grant application
REGIONAL WEATHER
Astoria through Wednesday.
Temperatures
High/low ....................................... 70°/53°
Normal high/low ........................... 67°/52°
Record high ............................ 91° in 1908
Record low ............................. 42° in 1932
After getting their own car
unstuck around 11 p.m., about
10 men from the extended
Garfi as and Gonzalez fami-
lies, a group of relatives from
Portland and Yakima, began
working with Rathman and
Hiatt. Lying on their bellies in
the surf, they dug car after car
out of the wet sand, then raced
around to push the cars as the
truck drivers pulled. At 12:30
a.m., the men freed one of the
fi nal cars — a brand - new yel-
low Kia Soul, just as the car
came close to being swamped.
Its owner, an older man who
had taken his daughter and
young grandson to the beach
at their request, looked visibly
relieved . A half hour before,
the grandson had been stand-
ing by the car, hands clasped
in prayer, as his mother tried
to scoop away the wet said
in front of the tires. A crowd
cheered as the sand-covered
car surged onto the packed
sand and sped away.
“We did it because we
know how it feels,” Eddie
Garfi as said, as he hiked down
the beach approach in his
soaked street clothes. “When
you’re sitting in your car like
that, you get nervous, you get
scared — you have a panic
attack.”
The Associated Press is entitled exclusively to the use for
republication of all the local news printed in this newspaper.
SUBSCRIBER TO THE NEW YORK TIMES NEWS SERVICE
MEMBER CERTIFIED AUDIT OF CIRCULATIONS, INC.
SUBSCRIPTION RATES
Effective July 1, 2015
HOME DELIVERY
MAIL
EZpay (per month) ................$11.25
EZpay (per month) ............... $16.60
13 weeks in advance ........... $36.79
13 weeks in advance ........... $51.98
26 weeks in advance ........... $70.82
26 weeks in advance ......... $102.63
52 weeks in advance ......... $135.05
52 weeks in advance ......... $199.90
Circulation phone number: 503-325-3211
Periodicals postage paid at Astoria, OR
ADVERTISING OWNERSHIP
All advertising copy and illustrations prepared by The Daily Astorian become
the property of The Daily Astorian and may not be reproduced for any use
without explicit prior approval.
COPYRIGHT ©
Entire contents © Copyright, 2016 by The Daily Astorian.
Printed on recycled paper