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About The daily Astorian. (Astoria, Or.) 1961-current | View Entire Issue (June 14, 2017)
GUNMAN WOUNDS GOP CONGRESSMAN, THEN KILLED BY POLICE PAGE 9A DailyAstorian.com // WEDNESDAY, JUNE 14, 2017 144TH YEAR, NO. 249 INSIDE ian av Fest an mer di sum Scan Mid ival 50th annual Astoria Astoria, Oregon • June 16, 17 & 18 • Clatsop County Fairgrounds • www.astoriascanfest.com 50TH ANNUAL SCANDI FEST ONE DOLLAR Astoria Police are stretched thin Staff shortage puts a strain on department Astoria Po- lice Depart- ment Officer Jair Macare- no has been with the force for about four years. By JACK HEFFERNAN The Daily Astorian Astoria Police Sgt. Brian Aydt turned on the sirens in his police car Saturday night and raced from Tongue Point to the Astoria Bridge to respond to a reported accident. Colin Murphey The Daily Astorian PARADE OF CHAMPIONS KNAPPA CELEBRATES WINNING BASEBALL TEAM He arrived minutes later to fi nd no accident had occurred, but a recreational vehicle was unable to reach the top of the slope on the bridge and rolled back into the guard rail. The RV was blocking the southbound lane, so Offi cer Jair Macareno helped direct traffi c as Aydt advised the driver on how to make it to the top. With people swarming the city for Astoria Pride and the Second Saturday Art See POLICE, Page 4A Baldwin named to Warrenton commission Vacant post fi lled after Mitchell withdraws By KATIE FRANKOWICZ The Daily Astorian WARRENTON — Mark Baldwin, a for- mer city commissioner, will fi ll the Warren- ton City Commission’s vacant seat. The four current commissioners were split 2-2 Tuesday night between Baldwin and a sec- ond candidate, Columbia Memorial Hospital Com- munity Outreach Manager Paul Mitchell. As they dis- cussed whether or not to hold another vote or sim- Mark ply delay their decision to Baldwin a future meeting, Mitchell called out from the back of the room. He was withdrawing, he said, in favor of Baldwin. “I think I’d rather see you all come together than have a split decision,” Mitchell said. Baldwin will be sworn in at the commis- sion’s next meeting June 27. Three contenders Photos by Colin Murphey/The Daily Astorian TOP: A young fan of the Knappa Loggers prepares to enjoy the parade Tuesday to celebrate the team’s state championship victory earlier in the month. ABOVE LEFT: The Knappa Loggers baseball team holds the state championship trophy high in the air as they ride a float in their victory parade Tuesday. ABOVE RIGHT: The state champion Knappa Loggers have their pic- tures taken by dozens of fans as they celebrated their victory with a parade and award ceremony Tuesday. Three men had applied for the appoint- ment — Baldwin, Mitchell and newcomer Ronald LeChurch, a retired mechanical engineer. City Commissioner Tom Dyer said choosing between the three men was one of the toughest decisions he has faced. He and the other commissioners thanked the men for applying and Mayor Henry Balensifer com- mented that it seemed as if everyone on the commission had lost sleep over the decision leading up to this meeting. The three men were vying for a seat left vacant after Balensifer was appointed by the commission to serve out the rest of former M ayor Mark Kujala’s term. Kujala resigned in March to spend more time with his fam- ily and business, and the commission has carried on with only four people ever since, struggling with the possibility of a tied vote in many decisions. The commissioners cast their votes by ballot to determine who to appoint. Balen- sifer and Commissioner Rick Newton voted for Mitchell, who serves on the city’s P lan- ning C ommission and budget committee. Dyer and Commissioner Pam Ackley voted for Baldwin. See BALDWIN, Page 4A Newest Warrenton Police offi cer has nose for drugs Gabe 2.0 makes City Hall debut By KATIE FRANKOWICZ The Daily Astorian WARRENTON — After Offi cer Robert Wirt announced he had hidden methamphet- amine somewhere in the City Commission’s meeting room at City Hall Tuesday night, there was a bewildered silence. The newest member of the Warren- ton Police Department stopped chewing on a tennis ball and went to work. Gabe — also known as Gabe 2.0 — a 2-year-old Ger- man shepherd trained in drug detection, paced the cham- bers at the start of the com- mission’s regular meeting , his fi rst introduction to the City Commission. Gabe, who is trained only to fi nd drugs , not chase crime sus- pects, joined the police force two months ago and passed his certifi cation tests in May. He arrived in Warrenton already trained, but went through addi- tional drills with other narcotic K9s in Clatsop County. In the commission cham- bers, Gabe’s long nose inves- tigated Deputy City Recorder Dawne Shaw’s desk. Nothing. He moved on. He took Wirt up and behind the commissioners’ seats and around to City Man- ager Linda Engbretson’s desk. Engbretson watched dubi- ously, but Gabe passed her by, too. See DOG, Page 4A Katie Frankowicz/The Daily Astorian Gabe, the Warrenton Police Department’s new drug detec- tion dog, sniffs out drugs hidden inside a chair during a demonstration at the Warrenton City C ommission meet- ing Tuesday night.
