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About The daily Astorian. (Astoria, Or.) 1961-current | View Entire Issue (May 19, 2017)
7A THE DAILY ASTORIAN • FRIDAY, MAY 19, 2017 Building: Pig ’N Pancake founders donated the building to The Harbor Continued from Page 1A sexual assault and stalking. The group operates a 24-hour crisis line, sexual and domes- tic assault response team, sup- port groups, shelters and other advocacy services. Last year, the group provided services to 1,433 people, including 727 who were new clients. A new home Pig ’N Pancake founders Marianne and Robert Poole donated the Van Dusen Build- ing to The Harbor, which used to operate there before moving to the Norblad, between Duane and Exchange on 14th Street,. Former Director Julie Soder- berg undertook a campaign to raise $370,000 to renovate the building and consolidate oper- ations, but fell short of the goal. For the past nine months, The Harbor’s board has inves- tigated the financial feasibil- ity of moving to the Van Dusen Building, concluding the move would be too costly and would not support the group’s mission. The Van Dusen Building’s renovation has received signif- icant investment from dona- tions, fundraisers, volunteer hours and grants. But Farmer said the renovation would WORLD IN BRIEF Associated Press have required at least another $350,000 to complete. “I just don’t know that own- ing a building is the best use of our time and resources,” she said. Farmer said the Poole fam- ily supports the sale. The Van Dusen Building is on the cor- ner of Duane and 10th streets, across the street from the old Waldorf Hotel, which is being renovated for workforce hous- ing, and the Astoria Library. Stabilizing The Harbor has faced sig- nificant turnover in staff and board members. Farmer, the former chairwoman of The Harbor’s board, is the group’s third director since the 2012 departure of Pat Burness, who led what was then known as the Women’s Resource Center for 20 years. Farmer said she does not know why Van Horn left The Harbor. Van Horn became director in February 2016 after Soder- berg resigned without expla- nation. Soderberg left shortly after The Harbor attempted to shut down all services in Sep- tember 2015 during an inter- nal restructuring, before the group’s board stepped in to continue operations. “We are hoping this break in services will allow time for the board of directors to utilize outside resources to gain a new standard necessary for moving forward in a professional man- ner,” Soderberg said in a state- ment at the time. “The unfortu- nate reality of Clatsop County is that there is a long history of nonprofit boards not taking their commitments seriously.” Farmer said the board’s stra- tegic planning process will con- tinue during the summer. “I think it’s going to focus on funding, because we get some grants, but we don’t get enough grants,” she said. “We can’t apply for foundation grants, because foundations need for you to have money in the bank and to be stable. They don’t look at your assets, like the building or anything.” Farmer said she is working on trying to get more business and grant support for The Har- bor. The group is also trying to bolster its core of volunteers for services such as the sexual and domestic assault response teams, Helping End Abusive Relationship Tendencies sup- port group and The Courage to Heal sexual abuse support group. ACLU: Rogers discussed state legislation Continued from Page 1A Trump heads overseas, turmoil in his wake WASHINGTON — If President Donald Trump was hop- ing to head out on his first big foreign trip with turmoil calmed at home, he’s going to have a disappointing Air Force One departure on today. Combative and complaining, Trump fell short Thursday in trying to resolve investigations into his campaign and his first four months in office. He’s departing having fervently denied that his campaign had collaborated with Russia or that he’d tried to kill an FBI probe of the issue — and claiming to be the most hounded president in history. Even his enemies, Trump declared, recognize his innocence. Asked point-blank if he’d done anything that might merit prosecution or even impeachment, Trump said no — and then added of the lingering allegations and questions: “I think it’s totally ridiculous. Everybody thinks so.” Not quite everybody. While Trump tweeted and voiced his indignation at the White House, Deputy Attorney General Rod Rosenstein, who appointed a special counsel to lead an independent federal Trump-Russia investigation, briefed the entire Senate in pri- vate. By several senators’ accounts, he contradicted Trump’s statements that Rosenstein’s written criticism of FBI Director James Comey had been a factor in Comey’s recent firing by the president. Thailand’s chunky monkey on diet after gorging on junk food BANGKOK — A morbidly obese wild monkey who gorged himself on junk food and soda left behind by tourists has been rescued and placed on a strict diet of lean protein, fruits and vegetables. Wildlife officials caught the chunky monkey — nick- named “Uncle Fat” by locals — after photos of the animal started circulating on social media last month. Wild monkeys roam free in many parts of Thailand, attracting tourists who feed and play with the animals. Most of the monkeys are macaques like Uncle Fat, and they typi- cally weigh around 9 kilograms (20 pounds). Uncle Fat weighs three times that, tipping the scales at around 26 kilograms (60 pounds). “It was not easy to catch him,” said Kacha Phukem, the wildlife official who conducted the capture and rescue on April 27. “He was the leader of his pack, and when I tried to go in, I had to fight off a flock of them with sticks.” The subordinate monkeys fed into Uncle Fat’s bad habits. “He had minions and other monkeys bringing food for him but he would also re-distribute it to younger monkeys,” said Supakarn Kaewchot, a veterinarian in charge of the monkey’s diet. Oregon governor forgives boy for swiping hazelnut, pen SALEM — The governor of Oregon has pardoned a fourth-grade boy who swiped a hazelnut and a pen during a recent tour of the state Capitol. Gov. Kate Brown on Thursday tweeted out a photo of the boy’s apology letter along with the hashtag #cutestmailever and the caption, ‘I think we can forgive Samuel, don’t you think, Oregonians?’ The tweet immediately got many likes and retweets. In the pencil-written letter, Samuel explains that he vis- ited the Capitol Building on a classroom tour on April 19 and took the items. “These things were not mine and it was wrong for me to take them. I’m very sorry,” he wrote. “I hope you and the peo- ple of Oregon can forgive me.” Included with the letter were the pen and $1 to cover the cost of the stolen hazelnut. In a return letter, Brown said she accepted his apology and forgave him on behalf of all Oregonians. “Oregon is a special place. I hope we can work together to keep it that way,” the governor wrote. As a final gesture of goodwill, she enclosed a new pen for Samuel to “remember this event.” Iran votes in first presidential election since nuclear deal TEHRAN, Iran — Iranians voted today in the country’s first presidential election since its nuclear deal with world powers, as incumbent Hassan Rouhani faced a staunch chal- lenge from a hard-line opponent over his outreach to the West. The election is largely viewed as a referendum on the 68-year-old cleric’s more moderate policies, which paved the way for the nuclear accord despite opposition from hard-liners. Economic issues also will be on the minds of Iran’s over 56 million eligible voters as they head to more than 63,000 polling places across the country. The average Iranian has yet to see the benefits of the deal, which saw Iran limit its con- tested nuclear program in exchange for the lifting of some sanctions. Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, the most pow- erful man in Iran, symbolically cast the election’s first vote and called on Iranians to turn out in huge numbers for the poll. “Elections are very important and the fate of the country is in the hands of all people,” he said. Mary MacDonald-Garner and her husband were among the latter group. MacDon- ald-Garner, a bookkeeper at Gimre’s Shoe Store in Asto- ria, said she worked on Robert Kennedy’s Democratic presi- dential campaign; his assassi- nation in 1968 devastated her. “I just let politics go,” she said. “But now that I’m older I feel it’s something we have to do: We have to be involved. Our country is our country and I don’t recognize what’s going on.” She attended Thursday night’s event with a friend. Both women work and are try- ing to find ways to be involved in local and state political and social issues in their free time. They are not alone. The ACLU of Oregon has seen its membership almost quadruple since November while the number of cases and issues seem to expand weekly. David Rogers, executive director of ACLU of Oregon, said he feels like he’s “aged a decade” in the last six months, but he also feels hopeful. “There are so many col- lective acts of resistance and kindness that give me hope,” he said. This January, people in Astoria organized a local Women’s March in solidar- ity with the Women’s March on Washington, D.C. An esti- mated half a million people joined the East Coast march, while millions more marched in solidarity around the world. Organizers in Astoria were ready to call it a success if Colin Murphey/The Daily Astorian American Civil Liberties Union of Oregon Executive Director David Rogers, left, address- es an audience at the Clatsop Community College Performing Arts Center Thursday. 100 people attended the local march. They were astounded when an estimated 1,300 showed up instead. Since then, several local activist groups have formed, including Indivisible North Coast Oregon, which now has groups based in Manzanita, Cannon Beach, Seaside and Gearhart, Warrenton, Asto- ria and on Washington’s Long Beach Peninsula. District attorney accountability At the forum Thursday, Rogers announced ACLU of Oregon will be starting a cam- paign on “district attorney accountability.” Rogers said Clatsop County might be one of the few coun- ties where residents know the name of the district attorney, Josh Marquis, who has been a vocal proponent of the death penalty, a measure the ACLU believes is a “failed policy.” “Most people don’t know who they are,” Rogers said. “Eight out of every 10 DA races for election in the state are uncontested. DAs tend to feel like they can do what- ever they want to do. They have the ultimate job security. Few people know who they are so they’re not being held accountable.” Rogers also discussed other pieces of legislation mov- ing forward in the state Leg- islature, including one that would push against legislation passed by Congress and signed by President Donald Trump allowing internet service pro- viders to share or sell browsing history without the consent of consumers. Oregon’s legisla- tion, HB 2813, would increase consumer privacy protections in the state, Rogers said. It is an issue that is partic- ularly pertinent to rural areas where people may be limited in their choice of internet ser- vice provider, he said. Nancy Ross, an Astoria resident, board member for ACLU of Oregon and a for- mer plaintiff with the ACLU, hoped people left the forum with a better sense of the resources the group offers, and “not feeling like the ACLU is a Portland organization that just works on Salem legislation.” Bikers: ‘Women motorcyclists? We’re fearless’ Continued from Page 1A motorcyclists, she found her options were limited. So the Everett, Washing- ton, native took it upon herself to make a venue by founding Global Moto Adventures, an international, women-only motorcycle touring group after trying to reach other women riders on Facebook and different clubs didn’t cut it. “I envisioned a community of women to organize rides, a community to turn to for sup- port, education and training and find inspiration to live their dreams,” Belcher said. ‘Flock to the Rock’ Women from all over the Pacific Northwest rode to the inaugural event, “Flock to the Rock,” the first weekend of May at the Sea Ranch RV resort. The weekend included touring trips down through Manzanita and east Clat- sop County, group dinners to share experiences of triumph and stigma, and a presentation from Mary McGee, the first woman to ever compete in motocross racing in the U.S. Four years ago, it took Belcher a 4,800-mile trip across 10 states in 21 days to overcome her fears of con- quering the freeway by her- self. Now she hopes to offer the opportunity of adventure to other women, she said. “That’s the moment I got my confidence back,” Belcher said. “These trips are about empowerment. I wanted other women to experience that. Because we all have (moments of fear), we just don’t know how to talk about it.” Brenna Visser/The Daily Astorian Participants in “Flock to the Rock” drive into the Sea Ranch RV resort to start a weekend of motorcycle touring and ca- maraderie. Organizers hope to make it an annual event. How it all started Choosing Cannon Beach as the company’s first destination trip came out of a conversation Belcher and her friend Stepha- nie Luper had while visiting the town back in January. “What started out as a chat on the beach in January became this event,” Belcher said. “I remember Stephanie watch- ing the people on the beach, and she said ‘I can’t believe it, people are just flocking to the rock!’” Belcher hopes to make this an annual event. Much of the support Belcher looks to provide within this organization comes from a general feeling of stigma women riders feel in com- parison to their male counter- parts. Belcher said she feels women are faced with specific challenges, including less spon- sorship and recognition of their sport in the industry, fewer gear options and certain cul- tural barriers tied with family life. “They are stifled by fami- lies or partners, and I want to be that light that lifts them out of that,” Belcher said. It’s a factor that’s been around awhile in the sport, McGee recalls. The keynote speaker of the weekend started racing cars in the late 1950s, and then transitioned into dirt bike and motocross racing in the early 1960s. She became the first woman ever to race the Baja 1000 — a multiday, solo ride through the desert — in 1968. But before she could even enter her first motorcycle race in 1960, she was presented with a number of challenges. McGee, now 80, was attempt- ing to enter races in a time where she wasn’t allowed to use a debit card unless it was under her husband’s name. Some men refused to take her measure- ments to have motorcycle gear made to fit her because she was a woman, she said. Ultimately, she had to ask permission from the American Federation of Motorcyclists to even be considered to try out, she said. “They just didn’t know what to do with me,” she laughed. “But that’s alright — they were just afraid.” McGee said while her hus- band helped her get her start in car and motorcycle racing, it’s the adrenaline and camaraderie between other women motor- cyclists that kept her riding up into her 70s. “The exhilaration, oh my God how do you describe it,” she said. “The thing about motorcyclists is you always have a friend. You pull into a gas station somewhere you’ve never been, and you see a couple people on bikes, and instantly you’re friends. There’s a special connection.” Wind therapy Barb Brown was one of the many riders who joined the event after Belcher reached out to her. She said she was inspired by the location and the company. “I love riding with other women,” Brown said. “We don’t get supported enough, so we support each other.” Brown has been riding a motorcycle for 38 years. Her journey started out of neces- sity in Rochester, New York. She was tired of riding a bicy- cle, so she figured transition- ing to a motorcycle would be cheaper than trying to buy and insure a car. Necessity soon turned into a passion that took her on multi- ple cross-country road trips. If she had it her way, she would ride a motorcycle everywhere, but she has conceded to com- muting by car in her current city of Seattle because of rain and traffic. “It’s wind therapy. Motor- cycling is special because you have no choice but to live in the present,” Brown said. “And women motorcyclists? We are fearless. We don’t let people stop us from what we want to do.”
