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About The daily Astorian. (Astoria, Or.) 1961-current | View Entire Issue (Oct. 10, 2017)
WILDFIRES RAVAGE NORTHERN CALIFORNIA WITH SHOCKING SPEED PAGE 4A DailyAstorian.com // TUESDAY, OCTOBER 10, 2017 145TH YEAR, NO. 72 FIRST GYMNASTICS GYM ON NORTH COAST IN A DECADE GYMNASTICS BRINGS FORMER LUM’S TO LIFE ONE DOLLAR Driver in fatal Seaside crash faces more charges Ten felonies and one misdemeanor By JACK HEFFERNAN The Daily Astorian Corrissa Barnett has been indicted on additional assault charges after allegedly crashing an SUV into a Seaside bus stop shelter in late September, killing one man and critically injuring another. Barnett now faces 10 felony charges — first-degree manslaugh- ter, second-degree assault, three counts of third-de- gree assault, fourth-de- gree assault, strangulation and three counts of failure to perform the duties of a driver. She is also charged Corrissa with misdemeanor driv- Barnett ing under the influence of intoxicants. She pleaded not guilty to the charges Monday in Circuit Court. The incident took place about 9 p.m. when Seaside Police responded to a dis- turbance call at a residence. A woman was reportedly being assaulted with two minor children present at the home. See BARNETT, Page 7A Colin Murphey/The Daily Astorian Students at the Infinity Gymnastics Academy in Astoria practice on the balance beam on Monday. a possible housing development, had most recently played host to the Clatsop County Sheriff’s Office’s parole and pro- bation division. “It’s just a good fit,” John Toyooka said of Infinity, lauding the exercise and social interaction inherent in gymnastics. By EDWARD STRATTON The Daily Astorian A former Astoria auto dealership is getting a new life as home to the region’s only gymnastics program. Nancy Taylor, a former high school dance coach, recently opened Infin- ity Gymnastics Academy in the former Lum’s Auto Center at 16th and Exchange streets. Taylor had been helping teach a weekly, two month gymnastics circuit in the Seaside School District with physical education teacher Brian Sigler. “Every time, we were just always talking about how we couldn’t believe there was no gymnastics anywhere around here,” she said. “And the kids loved it when we had our little circuit in PE, but they had nowhere else to go to do it. That was it, for two months … one day a week.” The closest gymnastics programs besides Infinity are in Hillsboro and Rain- ier. There had not been a gymnastics gym on the North Coast for more than a decade when Taylor, an experienced instructor in piano, dance, gymnastics and CrossFit, decided last year to put the word out. She sent flyers to local schools before holding an open house at Valhalla Combat mar- tial arts academy in Gearhart to gauge interest. “I had 250 kids, so that was my sign,” she said. After holding a summer camp in Gearhart, she started Infinity Gymnas- tics on the basketball courts of the Astoria Armory in January. The space was a good ‘We will miss you Robert’ Seaside crash victim remembered with sign Community gymnastics Edward Stratton/The Daily Astorian Gymnastics instructor Doug Old- ham, left, leads Monica Olivar through a back flip off a high beam at Infinity Gymnastics Academy with assistant instructor Tayler Feldman looking on. stepping stone, but she needed a dedicated space her bulky and expensive equipment wouldn’t have to set up and torn down. One of Taylor’s students was the daughter of John and Lori Lum Toyooka, whose family runs Lum’s Auto Center and owns their former dealership across Exchange Street from the Armory. The building, once rumored to be a part of Infinity is a nonprofit overseen by a five-member board meeting quarterly. Taylor learned about the model when coaching for Riverside Gymnastics Sports & Arts in The Dalles. “They were able to cater to so many more kids and have them be a part of their program because of that,” Taylor said. Infinity offers baby to teen classes, along with tumbling, cheerleading and a special needs program for students with disabilities. The school has two students on scholarship but is pursuing grants to add more subsidized slots and help cover operating costs. Four adult coaches and four assistants from local high schools lead kids through classes in padded beginner rooms and, for the more advanced pupils, a harder, higher set of bars, beams and a trampoline in an adjacent concrete-floored gym. Doug Oldham, one of the adult coaches, used to lead competitive gymnastics teams in Alaska, but said he was also drawn to the recreational side and how it can help kids. “It’s the smiles on the kids’ faces when they accomplish something they’ve worked so hard to do,” he said. “It’s about self-motivation.” By R.J. MARX The Daily Astorian SEASIDE — Outside Gorilla Gas on U.S. Highway 101, a sign reads: “We will miss you Robert.” Robert Miles, 42, of Hammond, was killed in late September when an SUV crashed into a bus stop shelter near McDon- ald’s restaurant in Seaside. Abdirisak Mohamed, 41, of Longview, Washington, was critically injured. Gorilla Gas attendant Jesse Jones remem- bered Miles as “one of our regular customers at our store here.” See MILES, Page 7A See GYM, Page 7A R.J. Marx/The Daily Astorian A sign in Seaside honors Robert Miles. State prison population declining from new programs Economists say new law already made an impact By PARIS ACHEN Capital Bureau ‘WE KNOW THAT ADDICTION AND MENTAL ILLNESS ARE THE PRIMARY CONTRIBUTORS TO MANY DRUG AND PROPERTY CRIMES.’ Andy Ko | executive director of Partnership for Safety and Justice SALEM — Oregon’s prison popu- lation in the next decade is forecast to be 11 percent less than previously pro- jected, largely due to a law passed ear- lier this year, according to a report by the state Office of Economic Analysis. The Oregon Safety and Savings Act came out of state legislators’ desire to avoid having to open a second wom- en’s prison in the state. The programs are “just in the forma- tive stages and data do not exist to pro- duce reasonable estimates. However, these programs are impacting intakes already, and as such are having an impact on prison usages,” state econo- mists wrote. Opening the second prison would have cost the state nearly $10 million at a time when state legislators were fac- ing a $1.4 billion revenue deficit. The Oregon Emergency Board in Decem- ber denied a request from the Depart- ment of Corrections to fund the second prison. Instead, lawmakers and the non- profit Partnership for Safety and Justice crafted bills aimed specifi- cally at reducing the female prison population. Gov. Kate Brown signed the act into law in August. The new law made three changes to curtail the number of women pris- oners. It expands the eligibility crite- ria for the Family Sentencing Alterna- tive Pilot Program so more parents can participate, and also increases the limit for a supportive early-release program, known as short-term transitional leave, from 90 to 120 days. Finally, it decreases sentences for first-degree theft and identity theft, from 18 months down to 13 months, while adding more community super- vision. Lawmakers targeted those two crimes to reduce the number of women inmates. Women are statistically more likely to commit property crimes than violent crimes and are often driven by drug addiction. See PRISON, Page 4A
