SEASIDE BOYS FINALLY FALL TO VALLEY CATHOLIC SPORTS • 10A
DailyAstorian.com // MONDAY, FEBRUARY 13, 2017
144TH YEAR, NO. 162
$100,000
KNAPPA
AUCTION
HITS NEW
MILESTONE
ONE DOLLAR
Commission
will revisit
gillnet rules
Governor wants
policy reversal
By CLAIRE
WITHYCOMBE
Capital Bureau
Photos by Edward Stratton/The Daily Astorian
Students at Knappa High School created 15 paintings for the Knappa Schools Foundation’s 20th-annual din-
ner and auction Saturday. The school’s metal shop created a garden gate and wooden benches.
the fi rst week in April, Melcher
said.
The governor said she
expected the commission to
adopt permanent rules by April
3 that will be in line with her
administration’s policy and
with Washington state’s plan to
phase out gillnetting.
TIGARD — The day after
Gov. Kate Brown released a
By the gills
letter admonishing the state’s
A gillnet is a large, effi cient
F ish and W ildlife C ommis-
sion for its decision to con- net that traps fi sh by the gills.
Sport fi shermen by
tinue to allow gill-
and large oppose
netting in the main
the use of gillnets,
stem of the L ower
as do environmen-
Columbia
River,
tal groups, and
Department of Fish
there are a complex
and Wildlife Direc-
set of rules in place
tor Curt Melcher
for when and how
said the commission
many protected spe-
will address the issue
cies, such as Chi-
again in March .
nook, can be caught
Melcher acknowl-
Curt
with gillnets at cer-
edged the governor’s
Melcher
tain locations in the
letter at the conclu-
L ower Columbia
sion of the commis-
River. Commercial fi shermen
sion’s meeting here Friday.
The gillnetting rules will contend that taking away gill-
be taken up again at the com- netting would jeopardize how
mission’s scheduled meeting they make a living.
March 17, or at a special meet-
See RULES, Page 7A
ing of the commission prior to
Prime rib, salmon and
some lively bidding
By EDWARD STRATTON
The Daily Astorian
K
NAPPA — Saturday was a milestone
for the 20th-annual Knappa Schools
Foundation dinner and auction,
which eclipsed $100,000 for the fi rst
time.
A perennial sellout, the auction brought
together more than 300 attendees for prime
rib, salmon and
some lively bid-
on every-
‘We don’t ding
thing from duck
decoys, pink fi re-
have to
arms and cus-
ask. They tom-made knives
landscaping
just do it.’ to packages,
Seattle
Mariners tickets
Sen. Betsy
and Mexico get-
Johnson,
aways. The com-
bination of ticket
D-Scappoose
sales, raffl es and
state senator speaking
a silent and oral
of the support from
auction brought
the Knappa Schools
in nearly $69,000.
Foundation
The annual spe-
cial appeal by
state Sen. Betsy Johnson, D-Scappoose,
brought in more than $40,000.
The event topped the previous record of
more than $90,000 set two years ago. The
foundation now has more than $1.2 million
in assets.
Students at Knappa High School, who
bused tables Saturday, also contributed 15
paintings, an iron-wrought garden gate and
two wooden benches for the auctions.
Tiffany Boothe /For The Daily Astorian
This loggerhead turtle washed ashore in Cannon Beach
Saturday. On Sunday, it was transported to the Oregon
Coast Aquarium in Newport.
ABOVE: The annual plea by state Sen. Betsy Johnson, a staple at the
Knappa Schools Foundation’s annual dinner and auction, brought
in more than $40,000 Saturday. BELOW: The Knappa Schools Foun-
dation’s annual dinner and auction usually comes with some pink
weaponry. More photos online at DailyAstorian.com
Sea turtle is rescued
in Cannon Beach
Aquarium
staff ‘swim’
turtle to safety
By R.J. MARX
The Daily Astorian
CANNON BEACH —
Efforts by Seaside Aquarium
staff brought a loggerhead sea
turtle to safety after washing
ashore Saturday afternoon at
Crescent Beach in Ecola State
Park.
“Usually when we get tur-
tles they come in between
November and January, so
See AUCTION, Page 7A
this one was a bit of a sur-
prise,” according to the aquar-
ium’s Tiffany Boothe, who
“swam” the turtle through a
cave to safety.
“It took about two hours
to get the turtle off the beach
once we got the fi rst call,”
Boothe said. “I had to hike
down to the beach 1.5 miles,
then get it through that small
opening which opened up to
Chapman Point. From there
another staff member, Mollie
Schmidt, helped me carry the
turtle down the beach and over
the dunes at Chapman Point.”
See TURTLE, Page 7A
The women behind the toe-tapping
Originally a fundraiser
County Historical Society with
venues in both Seaside and
Astoria. Concerts were held in
October and February.
When the historical soci-
ety dropped out, the nonprofi t
Lighthouse Jazz Society cen-
tered the event in Seaside .
“I’ve always felt it was
good for Seaside and Seaside
benefi ts from the festival,”
Johnson said.
The festivals merged in
1996 to one February event.
“At the time the fest was
formed, there were lots of fes-
tivals popping up all over. Cal-
ifornia had 25, Washington
had 10, Oregon had several,”
The festival began as a
fundraiser for the Clatsop
See WOMEN, Page 7A
Johnson, Shook
help bring jazz
to Seaside
I
R.J. Marx/The Daily Astorian
Judy Shook and Ruth Johnson of the Lighthouse Jazz So-
ciety at a Seaside Downtown Development Association pre-
sentation. The women direct the Seaside Jazz Festival.
f you hear a lot of foot tap-
ping and see a lot of swing-
ing and swaying in Seaside
later this month, at least some
of it can be attributed to the
efforts of co-directors Ruth
Johnson and Judy Shook.
Both Seaside women have
been instrumental — and that is
the right word — in the devel-
opment and promotion of the
Seaside Jazz Festival for more
than 30 years apiece. “One of
the nice things for Judy and I
is all the really nice people you
meet who have been attend-
ing jazz fests over the years,”
Johnson said . “They’re like
family. When the music starts,
you have to quiet them down,
because they’re so busy visit-
ing about where they’ve been
and what bands they’ve seen,
that they forget that they’re
there for the music.”