144TH YEAR, NO. 146
ONE DOLLAR
WEEKEND EDITION // FRIDAY, JANUARY 20, 2017
45TH PRESIDENT OF THE UNITED STATES
Donald Trump was swor n in today as the 45th president of the United States by Chief Justice John Roberts as Melania Trump
and his family looks on at the U.S. Capitol. “Today we are not merely transferring power from one administration to another,”
the Republican said, but “transferring power from Washington, D.C., and giving it back to you, the people.”
SEE STORY ON PAGE 7A
MAKER’S MARK
ASTORIA MAKERS IS CREATING A SHARED SPACE FOR CRAFTSMEN
By EDWARD STRATTON
The Daily Astorian
In Astoria, a
Hollywood
beginning
Lecture explores
city’s early connection
to movie industry
A
rchitectural designer Ian
Sisson, 27, and civil engi-
neer Glen Herman, 58, are
from different generations.
Connected by a father, a friend
and a shared vision, the two Mid-
western transplants are creating a
maker space in a Miles Crossing
warehouse to help provide entrepre-
neurs and hobbyists alike the space
and tools to turn their ideas into
reality.
Herman spent more than
30 years at engineering and
architecture fi rm HNTB Corp.
in Kansas City, Missouri, but said
he wanted to relocate to a smaller
town and start his own business.
Sisson was an planner for Astoria,
helping the city with a master plan
for parks .
“His dad is a friend of mine from
back in Kansas City,” Herman said.
By JACK HEFFERNAN
The Daily Astorian
“The Goonies.” “Kindergarten Cop.”
“The Ring.”
When discussing the history of fi lm in
Astoria, these three relatively recent fl icks
instantly come to mind. But few realize the
city’s fi lm legacy actually dates back to the
beginnings of the movie industry itself.
McAndrew Burns, the e xecutive d irec-
tor of the Clatsop County Historical Soci-
ety, gave a lecture at Fort George Brewery’s
Lovell Showroom Thursday night about
Astoria’s ties to turn-of-the-20th century
movie pioneer William Nicholas Selig.
Selig, who formed the Selig Polyscope
Co. in 1896, established modern-day Hol-
lywood’s fi rst permanent movie studio in
1909. That same year, the company released
“The Fisherman’s Bride,” which was fi lmed
in the Astoria area,
“Everyone kind of vaguely knew about the
movie,” Burns said. “But the connection to
the Selig Polyscope Co. is pretty signifi cant.”
While the actual silent fi lm — the tale of
a local girl who has to choose between love
and money — was lost long ago, evidence
that it was fi lmed in Astoria remains.
On a recent trip to the Academy Film
Archive in Hollywood, Burns found a num-
ber of historical documents that he displayed
during Thursday’s lecture. One document, a
See MAKERS, Page 7A
REPAIR
CAFE
In partnership with
Fort George Brewery, Astoria
Makers will host a repair cafe,
connecting people who need
something repaired with experts
who can help get it done. Astoria
Makers will host an informational
meeting at 5:30 p.m. Wednesday.
Email info@astoriamakers.com
for more information.
AP Photo
Patrick Semansky
Danny Miller/The Daily Astorian
Glen Herman and Ian Sisson discuss the layout and construction of the work space .
See LECTURE, Page 7A
A fi ght for free speech through a trademark
Former Astorian
says The Slants
knew the name
was racist
By JACK HEFFERNAN
The Daily Astorian
A former Astorian who
was the lead singer of The
Slants believes the rock
band’s name is deliberately
racist, but he says some of
the swagger and in-your-face
message has been lost in a
trademark dispute with the
federal government.
Aron
Moxley,
who
fronted the Portland-based
Asian-American band for
seven years before leaving
in 2014, chimed in this week
as the case reached the U.S.
Supreme Court.
The court will decide
whether the U.S. Patent and
Trademark Offi ce violated
the band’s free-speech rights
when it refused to register the
disparaging name as a trade-
mark in 2011. The case is
being closely watched nation-
ally because the court’s rul-
ing could help preserve other,
more lucrative trademarks,
like for the NFL’s Washington
Redskins.
“Diversity deserves and
needs communication,” Mox-
ley wrote on Facebook in a
repost of an opinion he orig-
inally issued more than a year
ago. “Being in an all-Asian
band named The Slants was
perfect for that. It made peo-
ple a little uncomfortable and
made them talk about what
makes us different.”
Moxley said t he band
changed its approach to
appease the government,
claiming the name — a pejo-
rative for Asian eyes —
instead referred to “a slanted
view” or “a slant on life. ”
See TRADEMARK, Page 7A
Aron Moxley,
the former
lead singer of
The Slants,
graduated
from Astoria
High School.
A trademark
dispute over
the band’s
name has
reached the
U.S. Supreme
Court.
Submitted
Photo