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ASTORIA, JEWELL SPRING SPORTS PREVIEWS PAGE 10A-12A AHS senior Ole Englund JHS junior Ben Stahly 144TH YEAR, NO. 200 ONE DOLLAR DailyAstorian.com // THURSDAY, APRIL 6, 2017 Ex-AHS wrestling coach faces new sex charges Medina pleaded not guilty to rape, sexual abuse By JACK HEFFERNAN The Daily Astorian Gary Salvador Medina A former Astoria High School wrestling coach was arrested Wednesday morning at the Clat- sop County Courthouse on sex- ual assault charges shortly after he was arraigned for third-degree rape . Gary Salvador Medina, 42, has been accused in separate cases of sexual contact with two underage girls in 2005, at least one of whom was a student at Astoria High School. He pleaded not guilty to third-degree rape. He then pleaded not guilty to fi rst-degree unlawful sexual penetration and sexual abuse. Astoria Police originally arrested Medina in late February at Beaverton High School, where he was working as an instruc- tional assistant and wrestling coach. Offi cers in plainclothes escorted Medina from the school and arrested him away from the campus. his employment. He was released after his arrest on $50,000 bail. Following his release, a grand jury indicted Medina on the other charges stemming from a sep- arate alleged incident months later. That incident allegedly took place between Medina and a 17-year-old girl who was stay- ing at his home. Medina was a wrestling coach at Astoria High School from 2004 to 2007 while also work- ing as an engineer with the U. S. Coast Guard. A woman reported to police in February that she had a sexual relationship with Medina when she was 15 and a student at the school. Police said the relation- ship likely was not formed on school grounds or as a result of Building a business with Steel & Timber See MEDINA, Page 9A Peninsula schools respond to ICE fears Educators promise to put students fi rst By AMY NILE EO Media Group ILWACO, Wash. — Educators and local leaders decided to use only word-of-mouth to spread news of a meeting for families affected by recent U.S. Immigrations and Customs Enforcement raids. They gathered quietly in the library at Ilwaco High after school last week to pre- pare parents in case federal ICE agents return to make more arrests in Pacifi c County. “We’ve lost a few families,” Amy Hunt- ley, director of migrant and bilingual services for the Ocean Beach School District, said . “This isn’t something people talk about.” Fears and realities Expanding boundaries helps fl edgling construction company Educators and others wanted to quell fears and quash rumors by providing infor- mation after at least one local family was split up during a recent raid. Federal agents arrested 84 foreign nationals from 12 coun- tries in the Pacifi c Northwest during a three- day operation in late March , according to an ICE news release. Of those detained during the sweep of Washington state, Oregon and Alaska, 60 had criminal histories. Almost half of them, 29, were convicted of drug- or alcohol-related offenses, such as driving under the infl uence. One arrest during the operation took place ADVANCE ASTORIA Advance Astoria, the city’s five-year economic development strategy, will hold a second and final community forum 7 p.m. April 13 at the Hampton Inn, 201 39th St. , to gather public comment on a draft economic development strategy. The meeting will start with a formal presentation, followed by a town hall-style meeting with representatives from Business Oregon, Craft3, U.S. Small Business Administration, Clatsop Community College and Astoria Maker Industries. By EDWARD STRATTON The Daily Astorian See SCHOOLS, Page 5A S haun Catlin and Tamara Altman’s Astoria-based contracting company Steel & Timber Construction/Fab- rication has built a reputation for creative contracting projects in less than a year. The company has done everything from home remodels and a commemorative beer stein for a local beer festival to a chimp climb- ing tower at the Oregon Zoo and a historic window restoration at Clatskanie City Hall. The nascent contractor, trying to develop a local market on the coast while largely sur- viving through public projects outside Clat- sop County, has become an example of the type of innovat ive, non-tourist, local busi- ness promoted by the city’s Advance Asto- ria economic development strategy. See STEEL & TIMBER, Page 9A EO Media Group/File Photo Photos by Danny Miller/The Daily Astorian TOP: Steel & Timber co-owners Shaun Catlin and Tamara Altman smile for a photo in their new business location last week . ABOVE: Brad Mattson, lead welder, works to weld some frames in the new Steel & Timber warehouse loca- tion in Astoria. More photos online at DailyAstorian.com Arrests by Immigration and Customs Enforcement are nothing new in Pacif- ic County, Washington. This raid in May 2006 in Chinook resulted in detaining 16 immigrant workers who ICE agents said lacked proper documentation. Video poker confounds Gearhart City Council Vote nixes new lottery machines By R.J. MARX The Daily Astorian GEARHART — Terry Lowenberg could have state law on his side, lawyers told the Gearhart City Council, giv- ing him the ability to put four video poker machines in his new brew pub . But city councilors voted against a permit for the machines anyway. Maintaining neighborhood character, the proximity of lot- tery machines at nearby loca- tions along U.S. Highway 101 and no proven need for the machines all factored into the decision to uphold a January Planning Commission denial . “For me, the idea of having a poker establishment in Gear- hart is not in line with the resi- dential commercial zone, that’s more in line with the business zone down the highway, ” City Councilor Kerry Smith said. He said the new pub — called Gearhart Crossing — “would not help the character of Gearhart.” Smith was joined by Mayor Matt Brown and City Coun- cilor Sue Lorain in voting to uphold denial of the permit. “To me, the question is, is video poker part of an eating R.J. Marx/The Daily Astorian Gearhart Crossing opened in March at 599 Pacific Way. and drinking establishment? And I believe the state of Ore- gon says it is,” City Councilor Dan Jesse said as the lone vote in the permit’s favor. Former grocery Citing losses, Lowen- berg went before the Planning Commission in March 2016 seeking approvals for a brew pub and deli on the site of the 4,100-square-foot Gearhart Grocery. Lowenberg said the business was unable to com- pete with larger grocery stores . Commissioners approved the plan. But when Lowenberg pre- sented building plans to the city, drawings designated an area of four video poker machines iso- lated from the main seating area by an 8-foot wall display. While Building Offi cial Mark Brien had “no objections to the use of lottery machines in this building,” Lowenberg was told by city staff his revised plans would require additional review. An amended conditional use application showing the lottery machines was submitted by Lowenberg and subsequently denied by a 5-2 Planning Com- mission vote in January. See GEARHART, Page 5A
