5A THE DAILY ASTORIAN • TUESDAY, AUGUST 23, 2016 Seaside center: The plan allows the city to be ‘architect of its own destiny’ WORLD IN BRIEF Associated Press Trump’s stamina attack on Clinton stirs talk of bias Continued from Page 1A The construction proj- ect would add about 10,000 square feet to the existing 62,000-square-foot facil- ity, and reno- vate more than 13,000 square feet of the cur- rent space. The plan allows the city to be “architect Russ of its own des- tiny,” Vanden- Vanderberg berg said. At earlier meetings, Van- denberg said the expansion would meet requirements of 60 percent of the organiza- tions within a 300-mile radius of Seaside and increase market Steele Associates Architects LLC Proposed renovation plans for the exterior of the Seaside Civic and Convention Center. penetration by 20 percent. The project will allow larger and more diverse groups to use the center, he said, illing a need not only for the convention cen- ter, but the entire downtown business community. The convention’s last expansion in 1991 was funded by an increase in the room tax. Mayor Don Larson called the convention center plans an “amazing presentation for an amazing structure.” “We’re iring the start- ing gun,” Councilor Jay Barber said as councilors unanimously approved the go-ahead. After inancing approvals, the renovation’s design phase could take six months and con- struction up to two years, Van- denberg said. Divided: 50 percent of millennials describe themselves as independents Continued from Page 1A GenForward poll. The irst-of- its kind survey of young peo- ple between the ages of 18 and 30 was conducted by the Black Youth Project at the University of Chicago with the Associ- ated Press-NORC Center for Public Affairs Research. Briana Lawrence, a 21-year-old videographer and eyelash artist from the South, wants America to return to what it was. A recent North Carolina Central University graduate, she’s voting for Clinton. She was just 7 on Sept. 11 and the aftermath of the attacks is the only time she remembers the nation feeling united. “My biggest hope for this country is for us to come back together as a community,” she said. That’s hard when people like her begin adulthood thou- sands of dollars in debt. Eco- nomic issues are huge with this group, since many are saddled with student loans and struggle to ind jobs. AP Photo/John Locher Brien Tillett takes part in a Zumba fitness demonstration while working at a health fair in Las Vegas. Tillett exudes youthful idealism as he talks about casting his first vote in a presidential election. “It means a lot to me personally because I’m making a difference in my life and in the country. My vote does matter,” he said. “It really does.” notforsale to GenForward’s poll. Views of Hillary Clinton also were unfavorable, though not to the same extent. Finances Matching values Bill and Kristi Clay, parents of two young boys and devout Christians from rural Ohio, have struggled to pick a candi- date who matches their values. Kristi Clay opposes same- sex marriage and abortion and names those as her top issues. Yet the 32-year-old school librarian reluctantly leans toward Clinton, because she feels Trump is materialis- tic and prefers the Democratic views on immigration and poverty. Though she and her 33-year-old husband are feel- ing “pessimistic” about this election, both say they will vote anyway. Whether their millen- nial brethren do the same is unknown. Some are disen- chanted that progressive Ber- nie Sanders, who ran against Clinton in the Democratic pri- mary, is out of the race. The millennial vote rose steadily beginning in 2002 and peaked in 2008. In 2012, how- ever, just 45 percent of millen- nials cast ballots and participa- tion has leveled off or dropped since, said John Della Volpe, director of polling at Har- vard University’s Institute of Politics. “They have a somewhat different perspective in terms of politics,” he said. “It hasn’t really worked. They haven’t been part of a movement that’s been effective.” AP Photo/Brennan Linsley Recent law school graduate and Donald Trump supporter Trip Nistico, 26, right, scales a rock with his friend, Adam Agostini, in the hills above Boulder, Colo. Millennial vot- ers’ disdain for traditional party affiliation have made them particularly unpredictable. omy. “That is something my generation has kind of never seen,” he said. Not in the party Shared pain doesn’t lead to shared views. Millennials’ disdain for tra- ditional party afiliation means that half describe themselves as independents, according to a 2014 Pew Research report — a near-record level of polit- ical disafiliation. They tend to be liberal on social questions such as gay marriage, abortion and marijuana legalization. Yet they skew slightly conser- vative on iscal policy and are more in line with other gener- ations on gun control and for- eign affairs. Trip Nistico, a recent Col- orado law school graduate, is a gun rights advocate who visits shooting ranges — but also supports in same-sex marriage. He backed Presi- dent Barack Obama in 2008 and Mitt Romney in 2012. The 26-year-old is voting for Trump this year. Still, Trump remains unpopular among millennials and nearly two-thirds of Amer- icans between the ages of 18 and 30 believe the Republican nominee is racist, according Port: Five-day jury trial scheduled for January Reese’s motion, iled Mon- day, asks Param to admit that an agreement was never required by the Port Commis- sion’s motion, and that none was ever signed. “Admit that no authorized individual, including the exec- utive director (Jim Knight) or his designee, signed an agree- ment consenting to the assign- ment of the lease for the Riv- The root of immigration woes? Look to the past WASHINGTON — For more than a decade, lawmak- ers have been pointing at their counterparts to take the blame for what just about everyone agrees is a broken immigration system. Republicans say President Barack Obama’s immigration enforcement policies encourage more people to sneak into the country. Democrats blame Republicans for blocking legislation that would allow people already here to gain legal status and create a path for future, legal immigration. But whatever speciic policies are being fought over now, immigration experts say the problem took root at least 30 years ago, when President Ronald Reagan signed a 1986 immigra- tion law that has become known as the “Reagan Amnesty” and allowed roughly 3 million people in the country illegally to gain legal status. Immigration laws were overhauled again in 1990 under Republican President George H.W. Bush and again in 1996 under Democratic President Bill Clinton. Obama has tried in his eight years in ofice to overhaul them once again, but nothing has passed. White House says feds doing their part in lood response Only 8 percent of millen- nials feel their household’s inancial situation is “very good,” according to GenFor- ward’s poll. Brien Tillett, who recently graduated from a Las Vegas high school, is 18. He was only 10 when the recession hit. His single mother was hospitalized for months after a car accident and, with no safety net, the family struggled. National debt is his top concern. As a black man, he’s turned off by some of Don- ald Trump’s remarks, but likes the Republican’s aggres- sive economic stance. He also considered voting for Clinton, but is angry about her use of a private email server while Secretary of State. Unsure at irst, he recently decided on Clinton. Anibal David Cabrera wouldn’t think of voting out- side his party. The son of a Honduran mother and Dominican father, he graduated from college in 2008. He was a inance major, but the economic col- lapse dried up jobs. Now 31 and living in Tampa, Florida, he inally found an accounting position at a small irm. He feels he’s entering the prime of his life a few steps behind, through no fault of his own. He’s backing Trump and prays the candidate keeps promises and boosts the econ- Continued from Page 1A NEW YORK — Donald Trump and his Republican allies say Hillary Clinton is weak, lacks stamina and doesn’t look presidential. Intent on undermining his Democratic rival, Trump and GOP backers are increasingly relying on rhetoric that academ- ics and even some Republican strategists say has an undeniable edge focused on gender. Trump notably belittled his primary rivals, tagging Jeb Bush as “low-energy,” and disparaging Ted Cruz as “Lyin’ Ted,” and Marco Rubio as “Little Marco.” His criticism of Clinton goes beyond “Crooked Hillary,” and com- plaints about her use of a private email server as secretary of state and her foreign policy decisions. Clinton, Trump said in a speech last week, “lacks the men- tal and physical stamina to take on ISIS and all the many adver- saries we face.” He has repeatedly called attention to Clinton’s voice, say- ing listening to her gives him a headache. Last December, he mocked her wardrobe. “She puts on her pantsuit in the morn- ing,” he told a Las Vegas audience. At rallies and in speeches, the billionaire mogul has also used stereotypes about women to demean Clinton, who stands to become the country’s irst female president if she wins in November. A frequent point of criticism: Clinton doesn’t look like a typ- ical president. erwalk Inn property from Brad Smithart and/or Hospi- tality Masters LLC, to Param Hotel Corp,” Reese wrote in his motion. Hospitality Ventures Things have been clearing up this month for Trabucco and Orr as they complete the irst year of operating the Riv- erwalk Inn. The Port Commission recently extended Hospital- ity Ventures’ lease on the hotel through October 2018, cit- ing the signiicant investments made by the company in the property. The Port had initially held the company to a month- to-month lease as a short-term operator, hoping to collect pro- posals from potential long- term operators once the litiga- tion with Param was resolved. Judge Philip Nelson recently struck Hospitality Ventures from the lawsuit, arguing the company’s lob- bying of the Port Commis- sion to get the hotel lease was allowed. Param and Hospital- ity Ventures had been arguing over the amount of attorney fees the latter would receive as part of the favorable judgment, but Orr and Trabucco with- drew their motion for attorney fees earlier this month. The Port and Param are scheduled to start a ive-day jury trial in January. WASHINGTON — President Barack Obama is making his irst visit to lood-ravaged southern Louisiana as he attempts to assure the many thousands who have suffered damage to their homes, schools and businesses that his administration has made their recovery a priority. The Baton Rouge visit Tuesday is a reminder of the polit- ical dangers and opportunities that natural disasters can pose. On top of a competent federal response, it’s critical for polit- ical leaders to demonstrate compassion and a reassuring sense of engagement. Obama took some criticism by opting to complete his fam- ily’s two-week vacation in Martha’s Vineyard, Massachusetts, before inspecting the lood damage personally and meeting with local residents. An editorial headline in the Baton Rouge Advocate last week read: “Our Views: Vacation or not, a hurt- ing Louisiana needs you now, President Obama.” The White House said Obama is willing to assume criticism about “optics” as long as the federal response is up to par. “The survivors of the looding in Louisiana are not well served by a political discussion; they’re well served by a com- petent, effective, strong, coordinated government response,” White House spokesman Josh Earnest said Monday. “And the federal government has certainly done our part in the irst eight to 10 days after this disaster, but there’s a long road ahead.” Islamic State struggles to retain grip as it loses ground DIBAGA CAMP, Iraq — As the Islamic State group loses ground in Iraq, the militants are showing strains in their rule over areas they still control, growing more brutal, killing desert- ers and relying on younger and younger recruits, according to residents who led battleground territories. The accounts point to the dificulties the extremist group faces as Iraqi forces, backed by the United States, prepare for an assault on Mosul, the largest city still in the militants’ hands. For months, Iraqi troops, militias and Kurdish ighters have been clawing back territory town by town, making their way toward the northern city. In the latest areas recaptured, Iraqi troops over the past month took a clump of villages near a key military base south of Mosul that they plan to use as a hub for the assault. Residents of the communities, which lie strung along bends in the Tigris River, say that in the preceding weeks, the militants ruling them had seemed to be scrambling to keep control. In Qayara, which is the main town in the area and remains in IS hands, beheadings and extrajudicial killings that previously were occasional became commonplace in a hunt for spies and deserters, said Jarjis Muhammad Hajaj, who was among thou- sands of residents who led ighting in the area and now live in the Dibaga Camp for displaced people in Kurdish-run territory. “They started making raids on houses, arresting people and beheading them,” he said. Private lives are exposed as WikiLeaks spills its secrets CAIRO — WikiLeaks’ global crusade to expose government secrets is causing collateral damage to the privacy of hundreds of innocent people, including survivors of sexual abuse, sick chil- dren and the mentally ill, The Associated Press has found. In the past year alone, the radical transparency group has published medical iles belonging to scores of ordinary citizens while many hundreds more have had sensitive family, inancial or identity records posted to the web. In two particularly egre- gious cases, WikiLeaks named teenage rape victims. In a third case, the site published the name of a Saudi citizen arrested for being gay, an extraordinary move given that homosexuality is punishable by death in the ultraconservative Muslim kingdom. “They published everything: my phone, address, name, details,” said a Saudi man who told AP he was bewildered that WikiLeaks had revealed the details of a paternity dispute with a former partner. “If the family of my wife saw this ... Publishing personal stuff like that could destroy people.”