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About The daily Astorian. (Astoria, Or.) 1961-current | View Entire Issue (Nov. 29, 2016)
WARRENTON HIGH SCHOOL WINTER SPORTS PREVIEWS PAGE 11A DailyAstorian.com // TUESDAY, NOVEMBER 29, 2016 144TH YEAR, NO. 108 FREE SWIM PENINSULA WOMAN’S GENEROSITY PROVIDES THE GIFT OF SWIMMING ONE DOLLAR Seaside mayoral suitors step up Barber, Johnson show interest in top spot By R.J. MARX The Daily Astorian Damian Mulinix/For EO Media Group Naselle School fourth -graders play in the deep end during free time at a recent swim lesson at the Astoria Aquatic Center. By DAMIAN MULINIX For EO Media Group F or the last three years, the third- and fourth-grade students at Naselle School in Washington have been taking swim- ming lessons at the Astoria Aquatic Center. New this year, the school is not only seeing these young students come out of the six- week program as better swimmers, but thanks to an arrangement between the aquatic center and the Oller Fund, the school is also seeing a signifi cant savings. “Most of our kids were able to do it for free,” said Naselle School Principal Quinn Donlon. “Two-third of our kids are from Pacifi c County. (The Oller Fund) made a big difference and really helped out.” In fact, last year the school spent $2,025 on swim lessons. This year the bill came in at just $600 thanks to the Oller Fund, which now has a standing arrangement with the Astoria Aquatic Center that allows all residents of south Pacifi c County to swim for free. About one-third of the third- and fourth-graders at Naselle are from Wahkiakum County, which is not covered by the deal. According to Jennifer Benoit, the commu- nications coordinator for Astoria Parks and Recreation, Naselle is the only school so far from south Pacifi c County to take advantage of the free lessons. “This is the only one,” she said. “We love the idea of kids coming and learning how to swim. It’s important to the community. If it were something other schools could fi t in, I’m sure we’d be on board with that. It’s been fun to have them coming. It brings a lot of life to Tuesdays and Thursdays.” See SEASIDE, Page 12A Plan leaves confl icts of interest out of audit ODOT review does not address the problem By PARIS ACHEN Capital Bureau How it came to be Since Aug. 1, residents of south Pacifi c County have been able to swim and take les- sons at the Astoria Aquatic Center for free thanks to the Oller Fund, named for Verna See FREE SWIM, Page 12A SEASIDE — City councilors met Mon- day afternoon to consider a replacement for former Mayor Don Larson. Larson stepped down from his post in November due to ill health after serving as mayor since 2002. By the session’s conclusion, two contend- ers emerged for the position, councilors Don Johnson and Jay Barber. By the end of the night’s regular City Council meeting, a third name, that of Councilor-elect Tom Horning, was added to the mix. Councilors considered three options: select someone on the council to fi ll the mayor’s two-year unexpired term; appoint a former elected offi cial; or choose some- one outside of the council from the Seaside electorate. According to city code, the mayoral vacancy must be fi lled by a council major- ity vote. The appointee would serve immediately and continue until the January following the next general city election in 2018. Damian Mulinix/For EO Media Group Naselle School fourth -graders swim at the Astoria Aquatic Center recently. The les- sons are free for the students from south Pacific County — around two-thirds of the students — thanks to the Oller Fund, which is from a $4.5 million bequest. SALEM — A $1 million management audit of the Oregon Department of Transpor- tation may not address how well the agency avoids confl icts of interest in awarding proj- ect contracts. Gov. Kate Brown ordered the audit at the request of state legislators who want to ensure ODOT is operating effectively before they approve costly transportation funding next year. That legislation — one of Brown’s prior- ities as governor — could hike gas taxes and fees on drivers and funnel hundreds of mil- lions of dollars in additional funding to the agency. Among lawmakers’ concerns were instances when the department hired or kept contractors who appeared to have confl icts of interest. See REVIEW, Page 12A Weed is winning, but train could still go off the tracks Government can still halt pot progress By KRISTEN WYATT Associated Press DENVER — Weed is win- ning in the polls, with a solid majority of Americans say- ing marijuana should be legal. But does that mean the federal government will let dozens of state pot experiments play out? Not by a long shot. The government still has many means to slow or stop the marijuana train. And Pres- ident-elect Donald Trump’s nomination of Alabama Sen. Jeff Sessions to be the next attorney general has raised fears that the new admin- istration could crack down on weed-tolerant states 20 years after California became the fi rst to legalize medical marijuana. “We need grown-ups in charge in Washington to say marijuana is not the kind of thing that ought to be legal- ized. It ought not to be mini- mized, that it’s in fact a very real danger,” Sessions said during an April Senate hearing. The Controlled Substances Act bans pot even for med- ical purposes. A closer look at some of the government’s options for enforcing it: AP Photo/Ryan Kang Take ’em to court The government rarely invokes its authority to sue states, but it’s the quickest path to compliance. The Justice See WEED, Page 4A Shane Cavanaugh, owner of Amazon Organics, a pot dispensary in Eugene arranges the cannabis display in his store. The government still has many means to slow or stop the marijuana train and President-elect Donald Trump’s nomination of Alabama Sen. Jeff Sessions to be the next attorney general has raised fears that the new administration could crack down on weed-tolerant states.
