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About The daily Astorian. (Astoria, Or.) 1961-current | View Entire Issue (Aug. 23, 2017)
7A THE DAILY ASTORIAN • WEDNESDAY, AUGUST 23, 2017 Brown: Governors of Washington, Alaska also defended their efforts to regulate pot Continued from Page 1A Submitted Photo The Hood to Coast relay attracted an estimated 40,000 people to the beach in Seaside in 2014 to watch up to 12,600 runners from 1,050 teams cross the finish line. Book: First relay took place in 1982 Continued from Page 1A This will be the fourth year the Providence Cancer Cen- ter will be the primary benefi- ciary of the fundraiser. Floyd said this year’s goal will be to raise $650,000, which would bring the total amount donated to the center since 2013 up to $2.4 million. The book project started when Spiegel and his team came to compete three years ago from North Carolina. The intention was for the group to try it once to “check it off their bucket list,” Floyd said. But Spiegel fell in love, and after the third year told Floyd about his experience writ- ing “Indy 500 Memories, An Oral History of ‘The Great- est Spectacle in Racing’,” and pitched writing a similar book about Hood to Coast. This is the second book for Garner and Spiegel, who both have had a longtime passion for racing and writing about it, Floyd said. Their first book sold well on Amazon. “I thought if he could do something like that for Hood to Coast that would be incred- ible,” Floyd said. Edward Stratton/The Daily Astorian Teams came from all around the world for the Hood to Coast Relay in 2016. The countries represented include China, where Hood to Coast organizers started a sister relay this year. Gallery: 30 volunteers support arts association Submitted Photo Author Marc Spiegel’s 2016 Image team at the Hood to Coast finish line. Bob Foote said he was working with the authors to compile and preserve the many memories made at the event. “From talking to partici- pants, volunteers, spectators and others every year, I know there’s an incredible sense of camaraderie among those involved in the event, and that many special experiences and lasting memories have been created at Hood to Coast,” Foote said. Marc B. Spiegel has participated in the Hood To Coast Relay three times (2014 to 2016), and is planning a book of memories about the event. HoodtoCoast Memories.com Port: Stevens wants to help get government support Continued from Page 1A He was joined in inter- views Tuesday by former Port Commission candidate Pat O’Grady, former Port budget committee chairman John Lan- sing, land use planner Pamela Wev, former Yamhill County Commissioner Robert John- stone, South County developer Russ Earl and retired inventor Ronald Meyer. Stevens, a licensed cap- tain who recently retired from teaching and evaluating cap- tains of offshore platforms in emergency management, ran Port Commissioner James Campbell’s successful re-elec- tion campaign against former Commissioner Stephen Fulton in May’s special district elec- tion. He was encouraged by others to apply for Mushen’s seat and felt he had something to offer the Port, he said. Stevens’ take Stevens, who lives in War- renton, fielded questions Tues- day from Port commissioners on several of the agency’s big- ticket issues. A bond measure to fund infrastructure improvements Consistent goals Continued from Page 1A Eight to 1,050 teams The inaugural Hood To Coast Relay took place in 1982, featuring eight Ore- gon-based teams of 10 run- ners covering a distance of 150 miles in 30 5-mile legs. Now, more than 12,000 peo- ple on 1,050 teams will com- pete in the 199-mile event. “It should be an awe- some opportunity for us to hear from participants, vol- unteers, spectators and oth- ers about what it means to be a part of this incredible relay race across Oregon,” Spiegel said in a statement. “Being in Seaside at the finish will allow us to collect interesting, unique and fun stories about the event.” The authors will be on the beach at Seaside all day on Saturday and on Sunday during the awards ceremony. People can submit memories to hoodtocoast.com, Floyd said. Founder and organizer into the black market. Brown noted that she also recently signed into law legislation that makes it easier to prose- cute the unlawful import and export of marijuana products. Governors of Alaska and Washington state also recently pushed back against the Trump admin- istration and defended their efforts to regulate the mari- juana industry. Alaska Gov. Bill Walker wrote to Ses- sions earlier this month ask- ing the U.S. Department of Justice to maintain the Obama administration’s more hands-off enforcement approach to states that have legalized marijuana. Washington Gov. Jay Ins- lee said the attorney general made claims about the situa- tion in his state that are “out- dated, incorrect, or based on incomplete information.” The governors of Ore- gon, Colorado, Washington and Alaska wrote to Ses- sions and Treasury Secre- tary Steve Mnuchin in April, warning that altering the Cole memorandum, which restricts federal marijuana law enforcement in states where pot is legal, “would divert existing marijuana product into the black mar- ket and increase dangerous activity in both our states and our neighboring states.” Sessions, however, then wrote to congressional lead- ers, opposing an amend- ment that prevents the Jus- tice Department from using appropriated funds to inter- fere with states’ medical marijuana. Oregon Democratic U.S. Rep. Earl Blumenauer, who co-wrote the amendment with California Republi- can Rep. Dana Rohrabacher, told The Associated Press recently that Congress is becoming more pro-mari- juana, and that more legal- ization will tamp down the black market. “The more that we go down the path of legaliza- tion, regulation and taxa- tion, diversion becomes less and less of a problem,” Blu- menauer said. Brown told Sessions in her letter that Oregon’s med- ical and recreational mar- ijuana industry has raised over $60.2 million in reve- nue and created over 16,000 jobs. She said her staff looks forward to continuing its work with Session’s office and his representative in Oregon “to end black market marijuana opera- tions, and to provide mutual education and support of our legal and regulated marketplace.” at the Astoria Regional Airport narrowly failed in the May election. Asked by Commis- sioner Dirk Rohne about his outlook for the airport, Ste- vens said it was a shame the ballot measure failed, but that the Port can take baby steps to improve the facility, help Life Flight Network find a bet- ter location and attract more business. “I would be supportive of maybe looking at going to the voters again with a bond mea- sure and doing a better job of selling it,” he said. “I’d be wel- come to help do that.” Most of the residents who voted the bond down were in South County, he said, and he is willing to stump for the project on behalf of the Port. Stevens wants to help get government support on big items, such as the $13.7 mil- lion difference between the Port’s and the Federal Emer- gency Management Agency’s estimates on damage from the December 2015 storms, and in dealing with stormwater-treat- ment requirements, he said. The Port Commission recently voted to send a letter to North Tongue Point land- owner Washington Develop- ment Co., seeking to terminate the Port’s remaining lease and allow boatbuilder Hyak Mar- itime to negotiate a purchase of the property. Commissioner Bill Hunsinger, who abstained from the vote and has blasted the decision, asked Stevens whether he would want more history and public input on the issue. “Tongue Point appears to me to be a classic exam- ple of opportunity exceeding resources,” Stevens said of the property, which staff has said costs the Port $250,000 annu- ally in losses. The Port needs public input on the issue, Stevens said, but also needs to consider turning the property over to private enterprise. “The Washington Group, if they agree with the letter we wrote to terminate the lease early — they come back and say that’s fine — then I think we need to take a look at public comment and testimony and make a decision.” In other action, the Port Commission voted to: • Spend up to $29,500 on a rain garden at Astoria Mid- dle School. The Port was fined more than $36,000 last year by the state Department of Envi- ronmental Quality for not properly monitoring stormwa- ter discharges. The agency was given the option to lower its fine by spending 80 percent of the total on a local supplemen- tal environmental project. The garden will use plants to col- lect and treat stormwater run- off, providing an educational site for students. • Host a booth at the Pacific Marine Expo in Seat- tle in November. The Port was prepared to abandon the expo after staff said the benefits of the event were not worth the expense. Hunsinger, a com- mercial fisherman, argued for the event, with other commis- sioners seeking an option to share costs with Port custom- ers attending. • Extend a lease in the Pier 1 building with the Gen- eral Services Administration, which manages the lease for U.S. Customs and Border Pro- tection. Port Executive Direc- tor Jim Knight said the lease extension will run through 2034 and increase the Port’s revenue by $2,000. but Cannon Beach Gallery’s nonprofit status does set them apart from the rest. To operate, the gallery relies on memberships, grants, volu- minous volunteer help and, of course, gallery sales to pay the bills, Wickham said. There are challenges associated with running a nonprofit gallery. Nonprof- its are particularly suscepti- ble to downturns in the econ- omy, and drawing from a volunteer pool that is con- stantly being tapped can be difficult with so many of the same people giving their time to multiple causes at once, said Linda Gebhart, board vice president and vol- unteer coordinator. Right now, the arts associ- ation is supported by 30 vol- unteers, who run the front desk and provide support for programs like summer art classes and paint nights. But having a busi- ness model that doesn’t put profit first can do something incredible for the artist com- munity, said Cara Mico, the program director. “In order to make a liv- ing, most artists have to do something else to subsidize,” Mico said. “It’s nice to have nonprofit support, because then we can focus on sup- porting artists. Some are get- ting to the point where they can make a living.” Lack of funding and con- sistency within the organi- zation about the program’s purpose have been points of contention in the associ- ation’s history, Mico said. But having Gebhart lead the charge to increase volun- teers and expand programs has helped make the gallery more cohesive. These goals have allowed the program to evolve from a place to display art to engag- ing the community in art workshops, internships and artist grants to keep local art- ists active. “It’s about getting the processes in place, get- ting a bigger vision for the association, rather than get- ting by show to show,” Mico said. What that bigger vision means for now is including more artists of color, Mico said, as well as supporting more pop-up shows that can engage a larger swath of the public that rarely find them- selves in a gallery. For Wickham, having art be her full-time job has only been a reality since she retired 2 1/2 years ago as the health director of Mult- nomah County. But she said her passion comes from her children, who are artists, and serving on the board is another way to support art- ists the way she tried to sup- port her own children. Dr. Darren Thorsen www.coastaleyecare.com Don’t miss out on life’s beauty because of blurry vision! Back to School Special! Dr. Katelyn Powers Buy a regular priced frame and get free lenses! Valid from 8-1-17 through 8-31-17 for children 18 years old and younger. Coastal Eye Care Long Beach 1703 S. Pacific Hwy. Long Beach, WA 98631 Phone: 360-642-3214 Coastal Eye Care Seaside 819 S. Holladay Drive Seaside, OR 97138 Phone: 503-738-5361 Dr. C. “Bruce” Stebel Coastal Eye Care Astoria 553 18th Street Astoria, OR 97103 Phone: 503-325-4401
