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About The daily Astorian. (Astoria, Or.) 1961-current | View Entire Issue (July 12, 2016)
10A THE DAILY ASTORIAN • TUESDAY, JULY 12, 2016 Cooper: ‘It’s a fascinating story’ an FBI agent announcing that the bureau is closing the 45-year-old case, without res- olution, to redirect resources toward other investigations. Unless some extraordinary evidence materializes — namely, the money or the parachute — it seems that D.B. Cooper, who- ever he was, got away with it. Colbert said he and his team plan to hold a news conference Wednesday to protest the FBI’s decision. Continued from Page 1A Soon enough, the Astoria townsfolk dis- covered the baron was a fraud. This came as little surprise to Roscoe, then 24, and Soderberg, then 28; both sensed de Winter wasn’t on the level. Van Dusen told investi- gative journalist Tom Colbert that de Winter scammed about 200 people. De Winter reappeared in Corvallis for a spell. Days before the hijacking, he disap- peared again. Roscoe returned from college for Thanksgiving. He was sitting in a Union- town tavern watching TV when he saw news reports of the hijacking and a sketch of the subject. “And I said to the guy I was with, ‘That looks like Norman de Winter,’” he said. A man using the pseudonym “Dan Coo- per” (misreported as “D.B” Cooper), wear- ing a business suit and sunglasses, had used a briefcase bomb to hijack a commercial air- plane lying from Portland to Seattle, extorted cash and several parachutes once the plane landed and the passengers left, demanded the crew ly him to Mexico, then escaped with the money mid-light about 50 miles from Astoria. “I’ve felt that Norman de Winter and D.B. Cooper were the same guy since the moment it started,” Roscoe said. “I’ve never lost that conviction.” Robert Wesley Rackstraw Cooper’s identity became an instant and enduring source of speculation. The Fed- eral Bureau of Investigation has eliminated hundreds of D.B. Cooper suspects over the years. In the History special, Colbert — who pitched the show to the channel — and fel- low journalist Jim Forbes argue the case for Robert Wesley Rackstraw, a Vietnam vet- eran and ex-convict who was a prime Coo- per suspect and now lives in the San Diego area. In one scene, they ambush the evasive Rackstraw. Rackstraw has denied the allegations but has a history of teasing reporters with the possibility. When Roscoe learned of the citizen sleuths’ investigation several years ago, he called them up and told them about de Winter. “One thing led to another, and before you know it, I’m on the History channel,” Roscoe said. Colbert — who, with Forbes, assembled ‘A fascinating story’ AP Photo/Reid Blackburn FBI agents scour the sand of a beach on the Columbia River on Feb. 13, 1980, searching for additional money or clues in the D.B. Cooper skyjack- ing case, in Vancouver, Wash. Several thousand dollars of the hijacking mon- ey was found in the area days earlier. a 36-member “cold case” team that includes a dozen former FBI agents — claims that de Winter, Cooper and Rackstraw are the same person. An undercover investigator pointed out the coincidence of three master criminals, all with extensive piloting experience, living within 100 miles of each other. In Part 2, Roscoe, Soderberg and Van Dusen are shown photographs of Rackstraw taken circa 1971. They and other witnesses, some of whom met de Winter in Corvallis, admit a striking similarity between the former suspect and the “de Winter” character who vanished right before D.B. Cooper entered the scene. “That really, really looks like the guy that I remember,” Roscoe says in the documentary. Few, however, are completely sure. Soderberg’s ex-husband, Dave Palmberg, said his reaction is that it’s not him. Mark Fick — an Astoria resident who, at 19, worked with de Winter at a cannery and kept a letter and Christmas card from him — commented on the documentary’s Rackstraw footage: “Mr. (Rackstraw’s) voice was a little higher than I remember Norman de Winter’s voice,” he wrote in an email, but added: “The photo of Mr. (Rackstraw) with the longer sideburns looked much like Mr. de Winter.” The stewardess who spent the most time with Cooper during the skyjacking, Tina Mucklow, says in the show that Rackstraw was not the hijacker. “D.B. Cooper: Case Closed?” ends with Roscoe, the owner of Fulio’s Pastaria, Tuscan Steak House and Delicatessen, will be named an honorary member of Colbert’s “cold case” team because of his de Winter tip. “This whole story of Norman de Winter essentially involves: Where was D.B. Coo- per before he hijacked the plane? That’s what nobody ever really talks about,” Roscoe said. “Where did he come from? What was he doing?” A former bartender who served de Win- ter during the summer of ’71, Roscoe said almost no one gave his de Winter/Cooper theory credence until Colbert and his team picked up the threads. “Everybody would just tell me, ‘Oh yeah, you just have such a wild imagination. That’s a great story, Peter, but we don’t really believe you, so just never mind,’” he said. Roscoe believes in his gut that de Winter, Rackstraw and Cooper are the same person. The evidence may be circumstantial, but, to him, it is convincing. “Am I 100-percent certain? I can’t go that far yet,” Rosco said. “Only when (Rackstraw) confesses will I be 100 percent sure.” Something else that would seal the deal, he said, would be to ind a lost photograph someone took of de Winter during his sojourn in Astoria. Soderberg, who let de Winter have dinner in the Warrenton home she shared with Palm- berg, said there’s a lot of credibility to the premise that Rackstraw is de Winter. “And if he does indeed turn out to be D.B. Cooper, I don’t doubt for a minute he was scouting out the country” before the jump, she said, adding: “If nothing else, it’s a fasci- nating story.” Colbert has written a book on his ive- year deep-dive into the Cooper case, “The Last Master Outlaw: How He Outfoxed the FBI Six Times But Not a Cold Case Team” (now available for preorder at DBCooper. com). Relay: 19 teams participated in this year’s event Continued from Page 1A He was seen at Oregon Health & Science University and treated with Gleevec, a drug that targets the disease at a cel- lular level. Wanting to give back to the cause, he donated bone marrow and blood for research and became the state lead for American Cancer Society Can- cer Action Network during the organization’s early years. “I want to do anything I can for others to survive,” he said, adding the hope is in 50 or so years, people will view can- cer the same way they now do infections, which used to result in higher mortality rates. For Linda Yeager, as a care- giver, support from friends, family and the community was “everything, because it’s just an amazing journey to go through.” A portion of the funds raised through Relay are designated for cancer research to help ind a cure and develop new thera- pies. The funds also go to sup- port programs, resources for patients and caregivers, educa- tion and advocacy. A ‘common bond’ Since 1994, the countywide Relay For Life has taken place every year, although it alternates between Seaside and Astoria. The co-chairs this year were Brian Cole and Laura Parvi, whose father-in-law was the late Kay Bredleau, one of the found- ers that got Relay started in Clat- sop County. The reason many peo- ple value Relay and support it, according to Parvi, is because cancer touches almost every- one’s life in some way “We all have that common bond … and we all want the same thing,” she said, adding Relay brings people together over the mutual goal of seeking a cure. During the event, which mostly took place outside on the high school’s track and ield, team members took turns walk- ing and monitoring their booths, from which they sold cof- fee and snacks, gave attendees the chance to play bra pong or hosted other smaller fundraisers. Participants tie-dyed shirts at Columbia Memorial Hospital’s booth and learned about colon cancer from Dr. Holly Barker at Providence Seaside Hospital’s large inlatable Strollin’ Colon. Astoria’s Poshe Salon & Spa cut hair to be donated to Locks of Love. People could get swabbed and placed on the National Mar- row Donor Program’s regis- try. Several local bands and two from Portland provided live music throughout the day. Cancer survivors, led by Grand Marshal Jane Johnson, and caregivers took the irst lap around the track. Many of the subsequent laps were given themes, such as Pajama Party, Make Some Noise, Team Pride, Cake Walk and Tutu. In honor of … During the late-night Lumi- naria Ceremony, which Parvi described as “the heart of the Relay,” hundreds of bags lit from within by candles glowed in honor of lives touched by cancer. The ceremony was held inside because of the weather, but Parvi said the atmosphere still was touching and left an impression. Friends and family dedicated the luminaria bags to their loved ones — mothers, fathers, sisters, brothers, aunts, uncles, nieces, nephews, friends and co-work- ers — who lost their lives to, survived or currently are bat- tling cancer. Although marked by grief, the ceremony also was a time to celebrate those lives and nourish hope for the future. Organizers intended for the event to continue throughout the night, with the luminaria providing light to guide walk- ers through the darkness, but decided to close down after the ceremony. “We were just concerned for safety,” Parvi said. During the day, though, she said, “it was nice people didn’t give up because of the storm.” Overall, 19 teams partici- pated in this year’s Relay For Life, although not all showed up the day of the event. The approximately 230 team partic- ipants raised at least $54,000 for the American Cancer Society. Money is still being received, Parvi said, and the teams have through August to continue fundraising. Lawsuit: ‘Counties gave up assets in exchange for promises’ Continued from Page 1A Counties acquired these for- est lands by foreclosing on property tax liens during the Great Depression but turned them over to state ownership in exchange for a portion of future logging revenues. ‘Greatest permanent value’ Oregon’s attorneys claim that Linn County cannot sue the state to receive compensation for breach of contract, and that the county’s challenge to the “great- est permanent value” rule can only be heard by the Oregon Court of Appeals, rather than in a county court. Because the lawsuit seeks to recover damages for insuficient logging in the future, it clearly intends to alter the meaning of “greatest permanent value,” said Scott Kaplan, another attorney for the state. Either the state changes its deinition or it’s potentially liable for hundreds of millions of dol- lars, he said. “This is absolutely a chal- lenge of state policies of forest management,” Kaplan said. Linn County argued that con- tracts between the counties and the state government are enforceable. “The counties gave up assets in exchange for promises,” said John DiLorenzo, attorney for Linn County. Counties would not have donated vast tracts of land if they’d known the state would change the terms of the deal at will, he said. “We believe that’s precisely what the state has done in this case,” DiLorenzo said. “Coun- ties must have a way to enforce their bargains.” Oregon Public Broadcast- ing reported Monday that the timber industry is inancing the county’s lawsuit. The Ore- gon Forest Industries Council, Hampton Tree Farm, Stimson Lumber Company and the Sus- tainable Forest Fund have paid nearly $100,000 to cover the county’s legal fees in the case and the group agreed to pay up to $125,000, according to OPB, which cited court ilings. Clatsop County involved More than 650,000 acres in Benton, Clackamas, Clat- sop, Columbia, Coos, Douglas, Josephine, Klamath, Lane, Lin- coln, Linn, Marion, Polk, Tilla- mook, and Washington coun- ties were given to Oregon based on “promises and assurances” on which the state government has since fallen short, the law- suit claims. The law that lays out Ore- gon’s forest management obli- gations was written when the United States was preparing to enter World War II and must be understood in that context, DiLorenzo said. At the time, the greatest value of the land was to pro- duce a large amount of timber for the war effort, rather than to preserve wildlife habitat or aes- thetic beauty, DiLorenzo said. Legal precedents also indi- cate that Oregon was obligated to maximize revenue from those lands, he said. Several environmental and ishing organizations claim this interpretation is erroneous. The optimum management of state forests was bound to be contentious and so that question was left to the discretion of the Oregon Department of Forestry, said Ralph Bloemers, an attor- ney representing the groups. “It’s not up to the county, or the timber industry, or the con- servation community, what that should be,” he said. There’s also nothing in the law stating that revenues take priority over other uses, Bloemers said. “It continues to be a huge gaping hole in their complaint.” Class action Linn County also argues the lawsuit should be certiied as a class action, which would allow other counties to participate in the litigation. There are numerous poten- tial plaintiffs with common legal arguments that would be more eficiently resolved as part of a single case, Linn County claims. The issue of class certii- cation will be heard at another hearing that’s scheduled for Aug. 17 in Albany. The Capital Bureau is a col- laboration between EO Media Group and Pamplin Media Group. R.J. Marx/The Daily Astorian The owner of this home fears his property could be enclosed or blocked by a new hotel on the Prom. Hotel: Lot has been vacant since about 2000 round for these hotels that don’t have people in them all year Inn at the Prom and the Gil- long? Is there really a need for bert Inn, which would neigh- this big monstrosity?” bor the Pearl of Seaside, are By building within 8 feet both part of Haystack Lodg- of the Prom and within 3 feet ing’s properties. of the southern property line, Two homes are either the proposed development enclosed by the property or would “greatly reduce visibil- adjacent to it, including a ity of buildings to the proposed duplex at 25 Avenue A and hotel’s south,” especially the a home at 341 Beach Drive Promenade Condominiums, owned by Avrel Nudelman. Huntley said. “We strongly The duplex owned by oppose all of these planned Susan and Dan Calef was built variances and therefore request in 1912 as a companion prop- that all of the proposed vari- erty to a larger home ances be denied,” built by photogra- she said. pher William Mon- Planning Direc- tag. That property tor Kevin Cupples and the neighbor- said the height vari- ing Renton Houses ance would likely were scorched in a be granted because ire started by chil- of the building’s dren playing with sunken grade. Max- matches before imum height of being subsequently a building for the demolished, Susan resort-residential Susan Calef said. zone is 45 feet, he Calef The lot has been said. Because the vacant since about 2000. property is below grade, they The new hotel would limit sought a height variance of 7 her to “a little peek of a view,” feet bringing the structure to she said, and plans for the rear 52 feet at the penthouse level, of the property have not been he said. presented. “My brother said, The side yard setback ‘You like the front and side of requests 3-foot setbacks on the the elephant, but what’s the north and south property lines back of it look like?’” on the eastern portion of the “We have been here long building. enough that we think of the A hotel in that zone is a per- larger buildings to our south as mitted use, he added. anomalies in a neighborhood of Cupples said the Planning smaller buildings,” Dan Calef Commission will inalize their said in an email. “We think of decision at the July 19 commis- the condominium across from sion meeting. Residents have us as an enormous eyesore that the option to appeal to the City ruins the small beach town feel Council. of Seaside.” “We have been approached, Nudelman, a 60-year Beach in the past, about whether we Drive resident, said the pro- would sell our property,” Dan posed building would eliminate Calef said. “We simply don’t his natural light and “change want to sell our family house. the enjoyment of my property.” We don’t want to own a unit in In a letter to the Planning a condominium or part inter- Commission, condominium est in a hotel. It is a very small owner Maureen Huntley said piece of property and the fair the variances would “greatly value is probably well below reduce the number of parking the amount we would have to spaces required for a building pay for another house that close with 50 planned rental units.” to the beach.” “It’s too big a project for that At the June Planning Com- piece of land,” Seaside resident mission meeting, Simmons Debbie Brooks said. “Does the told commissioners the hotel Planning Commission even was “a work in progress” and, look at the future of Seaside “at best,” they won’t begin and what is the occupancy year- building until October 2017. Continued from Page 1A