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3A THE DAILY ASTORIAN • TUESDAY, NOVEMBER 8, 2016 Warrenton Police looking into gun incident near school arm “safe” and left it in his garage. Warrenton Police took Coffindaffer into custody. He spent the night in Clatsop County Jail and was released the next morning because of overcrowding. “I’m very disappointed that this situation got to where it was — where someone felt the need to pull a handgun, especially near a school with … that many people around and, potentially, put a lot of people in jeopardy,” Workman said. “But, then again, he has a side, too, and we’re going to take that into account.” Workman said the ini- tial investigation warranted Coffindaffer’s arrest and jailing. Subject has been trespassed from school By ERICK BENGEL The Daily Astorian WARRENTON — The Warrenton Police Department is investigating an incident that occurred at Warrenton Grade School Friday after- noon, when a neighbor pulled a gun on several people near the portable classrooms. At about 3 p.m., law enforcement agencies responded to a call from the grade school and ended up arresting Robert Coffindaf- fer, 48. Eyewitnesses said Coffindaffer, who lives near the school, had been confront- ing drivers who parked in the school’s fire zone across from his house to pick up students. Coffindaffer has done this for some time, raising concerns for school staff, sources close to the incident said. “He has had a pattern of going down and telling people that they can’t park in that fire zone,” Police Chief Mathew Workman said. On Friday, a driver who arrived to pick up students got out and faced Coffindaffer. Danny Miller/The Daily Astorian Warrenton Police responded to a scene on Ninth Street and Southwest Cedar Avenue next to Warrenton Grade School on Friday. “There was a verbal alter- cation that turned into a physi- cal pushing match,” Workman said, adding, “There is a dif- ference of opinion as to who escalated it, according to each side.” Mike Simonsen, a Warren- ton resident who was there to pick up his son, stepped between Coffindaffer and the driver to try to stop the fight. Eventually, the driver spit on Coffindaffer, who then pro- duced a handgun and pointed it at the driver and other peo- ple — including Simonsen and at least one teacher — before returning to his house. Workman said he does not know for sure whether the gun was loaded. Simonsen attempted to record the skirmish on his phone at one point, but was unsuccessful. The Warrenton Police Department, Clatsop County Sheriff’s Office and Oregon State Police arrived on scene. Officers set up a perimeter, blocking off Southwest Ninth Street at South Main Avenue and Southwest Cedar Drive. They and grade school staff members cleared students and bystanders from the area. A deputy sheriff, who had Coffindaffer’s phone number, called him. Coffindaffer came out with his hands up. He told officers he had made the fire- Talking Tombstones reveal voices from the past Program debuts at Evergreen Cemetery By KATHERINE LACAZE For EO Media Group SEASIDE — The Ever- green Cemetery in Seaside came to unusual life Hallow- een eve when the spirits of several departed locals took form once again to share their stories during Talking Tomb- stones XIII: Buried Treasure. A steady stream of visitors, who faced a drizzly afternoon to come hear historic tales from beyond the grave, were introduced to people who lived in Seaside decades ago and both watched and contrib- uted to the city’s growth. The ghosts were portrayed by local volunteers. The special event, pre- sented annually by the Clatsop County Historical Society and co-presented this year by the Seaside Museum and Histor- ical Society, was held for the first time in Seaside. “We’re very excited to introduce this charming cem- etery to a lot of people,” said McAndrew Burns, executive director of the Clatsop County Historical Society. Talking Tombstones was sponsored for the 13th year by Astoria Granite Works. Meeting the deceased Using information gleaned from historical documents, the actors took on the life of their respective decedent to share details from their lives. David Reid played Earl Nolton Hurd, who was affec- tionately dubbed “Mr. Sea- side” for his contributions to the city. Born in 1876, he served in the military and worked for the Oregonian and Oregon Journal before mov- ing to Seaside around 1910. When he arrived, the Katherine Lacaze/For EO Media Group Earl Nolton Hurd, portrayed by David Reid, was known fondly as “Mr. Seaside” because of his contributions to growing the city during the 1900s and establishing Sea- side as the end of the Lewis and Clark Trail. town’s population hovered around 400 and the Sea- side Signal, which he leased with an option to buy, was a four-column, four-page pub- lication. He had great hopes for the city’s future, although other, older residents doubted his vision. Even two years later, when Seaside suffered a devastating fire that damaged the down- town business district, Hurd “preached the gospel of opti- mism,” according to Reid. Hurd was elected as president of the Seaside City Council on a platform of creating “a big- ger and better Seaside.” Hurd served six terms on City Council and then went on to be mayor. He was inte- gral in progressive city proj- ects such as installing miles of sidewalks, public utilities and the Promenade. He also saw to it that Seaside was desig- nated as the end of the Lewis and Clark Trail and the Ore- gon Trail. Although Hurd experi- enced a number of notewor- thy events and developments in his lifetime — the televi- sion, two world wars, space flight, motorized vehicles and more — “the greatest thing I ever saw was this town grow up to be what those old-timers said it never would,” Reid said as Hurd, who passed away in 1967. ‘Friends in life’ One of Hurd’s contempo- raries and friends, Eva Guinn, portrayed by City Coun- cilor Tita Montero, was born in 1877 — the year Ruther- ford B. Hayes became presi- dent, Alexander Graham Bell invented the phonograph and the Great Railroad Strike took place. She saw the city’s growth begin to pick up in the 1930s, although another fire in 1935 struck the historic Gilbert Building downtown, wiping out the old Safeway and Graham Drugstore. Guinn served as a police woman for six years, and she made good friends with Hurd and others. “We were friends in life and we’ve stayed closed in death,” said Montero as Guinn, who died at age 76 in 1953. In a nearby grave rests Hannah Nelby Navro, played by Krista Bingham. Navro, of Swedish and Norwe- gian descent, settled in Sea- side with her parents and sib- lings in the early 20th century. Although her father was an alcoholic who abused his fam- ily, divorce was socially unac- ceptable during that era, and Navro’s mother stayed in her marriage. According to Bing- ham, it was with mixed emo- tions that Navro and her sisters heard news of their father’s apparent suicide in 1913. Navro started working in a candy shop at age 11. Feel- ing trapped in Seaside, she expected her marriage at a young age to give her the free- dom she desired. The cou- ple moved to Alaska, but her husband suffered from bipo- lar disorder. He was admitted to an institution and passed away five months into their marriage. He lies buried in Warrenton. Navro then lived with her mother, her mother’s brother and her sister and her sis- ter’s family before her sec- ond marriage. With her sec- ond husband, she moved to Seattle, but came back to Sea- side when she became unwell during pregnancy. While Nav- ro’s daughter, Julia Maria, went on to be an accom- plished actress, Hannah Nelby Navro died as a young woman of tuberculosis in 1929. During the afternoon, graveyard visitors also were introduced to the spirits of a woman who oversaw a shop- lifting ring and died in prison; an immigrant named Sam Lee, known as “The Chi- naman,” who faced discrimi- nation because of his race, but was well known for his gaggle of pets that sometimes trailed him around town; and a man named James Merrifield, orig- inally from Portland, Maine, who served under Gen. George Custer, and whose wanderlust drew him to Seaside “for just a grand time,” according to Matt Hensley, who portrayed Merrifield. The deceased dis- appeared once again as dusk descended on the cemetery. Vigilant It was only afterward, Simonsen said, that the grav- ity of what happened sank in. “My son and my wife were both in the truck when I walked over there, so they also saw everything hap- pen. And my little guy said to my wife: ‘I thought Dad was going to get shot,’” Simon- sen said. “That was, I would say, when reality kicked in for me.” Though Coffindaffer did not step onto the cam- pus during the incident, he has been trespassed from the school grounds. He is also not allowed to contact the victims. Originally, the police department compiled a list of half a dozen people whom Coffindaffer aimed the gun at, but more could be added. “We’d like anybody who witnessed this to come for- ward and provide us with statements,” Workman said. The district attorney will decide on the final charges. The Daily Astorian approached Coffindaffer at his home on Monday, but he declined to comment. Warrenton Grade School Principal Tom Rogozinski did not immediately respond to a request for comment. However, Rogozinski left a post on the school’s Face- book page Friday thank- ing the police department for their “prompt, professional response,” and to the grade school staff for “keeping our students safe and secure.” Simonsen also com- mended the Warrenton Police Department’s quick response, which he called “impressive.” This week, the department is increasing patrol around the school. “We’re going to continue to be vigilant, and, hopefully, this was isolated,” Workman said. Climate expert expects some major flooding this winter By DON JENKINS Capital Press Federal climatologists pre- dict that dry conditions will generally recede over the winter in Washington state, Oregon, Idaho and parts of Northern California, provid- ing an early and upbeat out- look on next year’s water supply. The National Oceanic and Atmospheric Adminis- tration’s Climate Prediction Center forecast a 70 percent chance of a weak La Niña, a cooling of the ocean around the equator. La Niña generally tilts the odds in favor of wetter and cooler winters in the northern U.S., according to the center. It’s not a sure bet, though. La Niña’s influence will vary by region. The odds it stays through the winter are 55 percent. Washington State Clima- tologist Nick Bond said he expects the La Niña to be too feeble to dictate the weather. Higher ocean tempera- tures in the northeast Pacific Ocean and a trend toward warmer winters also may influence the weather, he said. Still, even a normal win- ter would seem cold after the past several years, Bond said. “There’s no indication that we’ll have a snowpack like the disaster we had two years ago,” he said. “There’s no rea- son to be pessimistic about next summer’s water supply.” A year ago, 100 percent of Washington state was classi- fied as being in a drought. Now only 8 percent of the state is even “abnormally dry.” Bond said that even with- out a strong La Niña or El Niño, the state could have an eventful winter. He said current climatic conditions resemble the months before massive flooding in February 1996. “I’d be surprised if we didn’t have some major flood- ing,” he said. W A NTED Alder and Maple Saw Logs & Standing Timber N orth w es t H a rdw oods • Lon gview , W A Contact: Steve Axtell • 360-430-0885 or John Anderson • 360-269-2500 Thank You! To the lady that told me to lean on her after I fell, Thank you, thank you! Slowly I am better. THANK YOU SO MUCH! Assistance League of the Columbia Pacific ® recently completed its 9th Annual Home and Chef Tour major fundraiser and it was a huge success. We would like to thank again, everyone who made this event possible. ASSISTANCELEAGUECP.ORG Home Owners: Linda & Bruce Jones, Darcy & Kevin Cronin, Mark Brown & Dennis Stitchman, Bonnie & Jack Ross, Barbara Beck, Astoria Vintage Hardware Home Sponsors: Bayshore Animal Hospital, U.S. Bank, Dr. Roger & Mrs. Sheila Miller, Dr. Russel & Mrs. Linda Keizer, Totem Realty, Englund Marine & Industrial Supply, Autio Company, Bigby’s Tree Service Restaurants: Fulios, Beach Burrito, Bridgewater Bistro, Baked Alaska, Fort George Brewing + Public House, Astoria Coffeehouse & Bistro Florists: Blooming Crazy, Natural Nook, Erickson Floral Program Posters & Tickets: Bucklew Graphic Communications Photographs: Sarah Von Colditz Poster & Cover Art: Cory Logan
