Image provided by: University of Oregon Libraries; Eugene, OR
About The daily Astorian. (Astoria, Or.) 1961-current | View Entire Issue (June 15, 2017)
3A THE DAILY ASTORIAN • THURSDAY, JUNE 15, 2017 Young swimmer dies off North Cove After about 20 minutes, the deputy saw Le disappear beneath the water. A person in the helicopter reported that Le was “clearly underwater and not moving.” Just as the rescuers in the boat located Le, the tide turned, and quickly dragged him out of sight. “The tide was shifting, and I think (Le) submerged more. It got to where they couldn’t find him, Matlock said. “They continued to search until about 10, and then ceased due to lighting conditions.” Rescuers saw 20-year-old but couldn’t reach him in time By NATALIE ST. JOHN EO Media Group NORTH COVE, Wash. — A young Snohomish County man who disappeared while swimming in North Cove on Sunday is presumed dead. Connor Kim Le, 20, dis- appeared while rescuers were trying to reach him, Chief Criminal Deputy Pat Matlock of the Pacific County Sheriff’s Office said . The investigation is still underway, Matlock said According to a social media profile, Le was a student at Everett Community College. He was apparently staying with friends from Marysville and Lake Stevens in a vaca- tion home in the “Washaway Beach” area, Matlock said. At some point on Sunday evening, Le and some of his friends — all men in their early 20s — decided to go swimming. They went into the water shortly before low tide, when waves were about 3 feet tall. Just before 7 p.m. , Pacific County 911 dispatchers received a call from a woman who said a man was strug- gling in the water near Willow Lane. The woman said one of his friends was going into the water to try to help him. Like much of North Cove, Willow Lane is subject to the severe erosion that has already destroyed several streets and dozens of homes. The con- stantly changing beach condi- tions, debris, remote location and powerful current make for extremely dangerous swim- ming conditions, Matlock said. A fast response A deputy was already in the area, so he was able to respond quickly. He spoke with the per- son who made the report and Common factors EO Media Group/File Photo Washington’s North Cove beach area is where a Snohomish County, Washington, man apparently drowned while swimming with friends Sunday evening. called the U.S. Coast Guard, which dispatched a helicop- ter and a boat. According to the deputy’s report, once the swimmers were well away from shore, the combination of cold water, fatigue and a strong rip current made it dif- ficult for them to make it back to the beach. The other men made it back, but Le struggled to make any progress toward the shore. “He swam out too far,” Matlock said. Almost rescued Initially, the deputy could see Le roughly 150 yards off- shore. When the Coast Guard helicopter arrived, he used his radio to guide the pilot toward Le. The helicopter personnel spotted Le, and tried to direct the arriving boat to the right Associated Press PORTLAND — Ore- gon’s record-low unem- ployment rate keeps setting new records. The state Employment Department said the job- less rate for May was 3.6 percent, a slight drop from April’s record-low rate of 3.7 percent. The U.S. employment rate for May was 4.3 percent. Another unemployment measure, known as U-6, fell to 7.7 percent in May — down from 10.5 per- cent a year ago. The figure includes discouraged work- ers who stopped looking as well as part-time workers who want but can’t get full- time jobs. Job gains were wide- spread among major indus- tries, with construction and manufacturing leading the way. Meanwhile, Oregon’s labor force hit a record- high, rising above 2.1 mil- lion workers for the first time. W A NTED Alder and Maple Saw Logs & Standing Timber N orth w es t H a rdw oods • Lon gview , W A Contact: John Anderson • 360-269-2500 Want to be a part of a fun and exciting team? Team Lum’s is growing, and we’re hiring! Clatsop Post 12 Pot Roast Dinner We surround ourselves with talented and friendly team players who are empowered to do what’s right for our customers. As a Team Lum’s associate, you’ll experience a positive family-oriented work culture, health benefits, 401K benefits, paid time off, community-giving reimbursement and many other benefits. with Potatoes, Carrots, Salad and Rolls Friday th June 16 4 pm until gone $ spot. However, by that point, Le had been in the water for about an hour. At the time, air and water temperatures were both in the mid-50s. Accord- ing to a Coast Guard publica- tion, most people can only sur- vive about one or two hours in those conditions. Le’s death involved several factors that appear to be com- mon in local beach drownings. A 2014 Chinook Observer analysis found that virtually all people involved in local fatal or near-fatal incidents are from out of town. Most come from inland communities, an indi- cation that lack of knowledge about ocean swimming con- ditions may be a major con- tributor to these incidents. The majority of victims are male. Younger males are especially vulnerable. Oregon jobless rate drops to 3.6 percent 8. 00 Current opportunities include: • Parts Associate • Detail Tech • ACE-Certified Tech • Sales Associate• Title Clerk • Lot Porter 6PM “Karaoke Dave” ASTORIA AMERICAN LEGION If you’d like to join Team Lum’s, please apply at lumsautocenter.com or pick up an application at 1605 SE Ensign Lane, Warrenton, OR. Valid driver’s license required. Clatsop Post 12 1132 Exchange Street 325-5771 Lum’s is proudly a drug-free workplace and an equal-opportunity employer. REAL DADS. STIHL DADS. JEREMY HART MS 271 3RD GENERATION LOGGER & FATHER MS 271 SAVE $ 30! SAVE $ 20! FS 38 TRIMMER 129 95 $ SAVE 10! $ BG 50 HANDHELD BLOWER NOW JUST WAS $ 129 95 $ 139.95 SNW-SRP Offer valid through 7/2/17 at participating dealers while supplies last. MS 170 CHAIN SAW NOW JUST WAS 159 95 $ $ 179.95 SNW-SRP Offer valid through 7/2/17 at participating dealers while supplies last. MS 271 FARM BOSS ® NOW JUST WAS 399 95 $ $ 429.95 SNW-SRP 20” bar † 16” bar † “It has dependability you can count on.” – user TL805 Offer valid through 7/2/17 at participating dealers while supplies last. “I’m glad I went with the 170--the price and reliability are outstanding.” “The MS 271 has the best power to weight ratio that I have owned.” – user prutsmanbros93 – user Tommy80 BR 200 BACKPACK BLOWER “Good on wet leaves. This is my second backpack leaf blower, and it is hands-down the best.” “Works reliably. Starts easy enough. Easy to change cutting string. Good value for money.“ – user Gladiator Check out these reviews and others on the product pages at STIHLdealers.com. – user ElaineB Indicates products that are built in the United States from domestic and foreign parts and components. All prices are SNW-SRP. Available at participating dealers while supplies last. † The actual listed guide bar length may vary from the effective cutting length based on which powerhead it is installed on. © 2017 STIHL 17SNW-822-136045-4 Clatsop Power Equip. Inc 34912 Hwy 101 Bus. | Astoria | 503-325-0792 800-220-0792 | ClatsopPower.com STIHLdealers.com
