HONORING AND REMEMBERING OUR VETERANS PAGES 2A & 6A
144TH YEAR, NO. 96
ONE DOLLAR
WEEKEND EDITION // FRIDAY, NOVEMBER 11, 2016
THANK YOU, VETERANS
Danny Miller/The Daily Astorian
Danny Miller/The Daily Astorian
Madora Bahr served in the U.S. Army
from 1951 to 1952 and is a post com-
mander at Clatsop Post 12 American Le-
gion in Astoria.
Vietnam War Veteran Wes Whittle served
in the U.S. Army from 1966 to 1974 . “If I
had to, I would do it all over again,” Whit-
tle said about the time he served.
Danny Miller/The Daily Astorian
Danny Miller/The Daily Astorian
Maurie Hendrickson is a U.S. Army veteran
who served active duty from 1963 to 1965 .
Bill Kankkonen served in the U.S. Marine
Corps from 1965-1969.
For Veterans Day, Astoria High students honor those who served
By EDWARD STRATTON
The Daily Astorian
V
Danny Miller/The Daily Astorian
eterans were the toast of Astoria High School Thursday,
with more than 25 honored in advance of Veterans Day.
“So many people take for granted that we have a
military that keeps us safe, and they don’t really recognize what
they do,” event organizer Jessica Preston said.
Preston, a senior, said her father, Patrick, was the reason she
did the project. He served 34 years in the U.S. Army, retired as
a major and now works in veteran’s services for the unemploy-
ment department .
“She sees the impact on veterans that I serve,” Patrick Pres-
ton said.
“I think a lot about the culture and how the youth of Amer-
ica are fi tting in or protesting or doing whatever, and it’s always
(reassuring) when I go to these events and see them taking
notice,” he said.
Jessica Preston was also mentored by Missy Johnson, who
works in academic support at the high school and served as
a medic in the Gulf War. Johnson is one of fi ve veteran staff
members at the high school.
“She had a real close tightness with the military and wanted
to support this,” Johnson said.
World War II veteran Karen Radich is escorted by Astoria High School students into a
Veterans Day assembly on Thursday . Radich served from 1943-1945 in the U.S. Navy.
See VETERANS, Page 7A
‘So many
people take
for granted
that we
have a
military
that keeps
us safe,
and they
don’t really
recognize
what they
do.’
Jessica Preston
event organizer
Appraiser shortage slowing home buys
Competitive
market meets
small local
appraiser pool
By ERICK BENGEL
The Daily Astorian
Clatsop County’s housing
market is competitive , but a
shortage of appraisers — whose
job is to determine home values
— is causing serious delays in
the home-buying process.
T he county has eight
appraisers with active licenses.
In a slower market, this number
would not be a problem.
But with so many purchases
taking place, appraisers face a
backlog of work. Transactions
Alaina
Giguiere
Debbie
Morrow
that would normally take a few
weeks to complete now often
take eight weeks or longer.
“That’s substantial. That is
a huge wait,” Debbie Morrow,
executive director of the Clat-
sop Association of Realtors,
said.
For a person to qualify
for a loan to buy a property,
banks and other lending insti-
tutions require an appraisal on
the property to know what it is
worth.
If the appraised value is at
or above the agreed-upon sales
price, the buyer will have less
trouble getting the loan. If the
appraised value is below the
sales price, the lender will loan
at the lower value, leaving the
buyer to make up the difference
or negotiate the price down.
So, appraisers are required
to secure loans and close sales.
And when appraisers are over-
loaded, this prevents closings
from happening in a timely
manner.
Alaina Giguiere, a broker
who owns RE/MAX Coastal
Advantage in Cannon Beach
and Manzanita with her hus-
band, said, “I have a transaction
that may go sideways because
the seller is not super-inclined
to give an extension. ”
She added that parties
to a transaction are often at
the mercy of the appraiser’s
schedule.
This is especially problem-
atic for people who have to sell
their current homes before they
can purchase a new one.
“It makes it very, very diffi -
cult, because they’re expecting
to close a transaction in 30 to 45
days, and it ends up being closer
to 90,” said Rosalie McCleary,
principal broker at Pete Ander-
son Realty in Astoria.
Obstacles
Rachelle Sims, an inde-
pendent-fee appraiser based
in Gearhart, said the problem
is one of a healthy market, but
there are also human factors to
consider.
See SHORTAGE, Page 7A
College could expand at Tongue Point
More space for
career-technical
training station
Jewell teen seizes
moment to design
Nike shoes, apparel
Program raises funds for the
hospital that treated him
By EDWARD STRATTON
The Daily Astorian
By EDWARD STRATTON
The Daily Astorian
Clatsop Community Col-
lege could buy 37 acres of
South Tongue Point by the end
of June from the Department
of State Lands.
The
purchase
would
help the college expand its
career-technical campus at
the Marine and Environmen-
tal Research and Training Sta-
tion. The college estimates the
property will cost between
$250,000 and $300,000.
Nike
Chase Swearingen, 14, from Jewell School, created a
shirt, baseball cap and running shoes for the Nike Do-
ernbecher Freestyle program .
The Daily Astorian/File P hoto
The Department of State Lands will decide next year on
whether to sell more than 120 acres it owns on South
Tongue point. The college hopes to expand its campus.
The college leases 7.5 acres
at South Tongue Point for
the career-technical campus.
Christopher Breitmeyer, the
college president, said the lack
of ownership prevents the col-
lege from spending state funds
to improve the campus.
See COLLEGE, Page 7A
Two years ago, Chase Swearingen spent much of his sum-
mer preparing for doctors to remove part of
his brain.
Epileptic seizures had wreaked
havoc on the Jewell teenager’s life.
The surgery at Oregon Health &
Science University’s Doernbecher
Children’s Hospital was a success.
His connection to the hospital also
See TEEN, Page 7A
Chase Swearingen helped
design a pair of Nike Air
Max Zero QS running
shoes for the Doernbecher
Freestyle program.