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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.”