BLOODYVOX ON FRIDAY THE 13TH COAST WEEKEND • INSIDE
145TH YEAR, NO. 74
ONE DOLLAR
DailyAstorian.com //
Vacation
rental
rules on
pause
County will wait until
after Gearhart vote
By JACK HEFFERNAN
The Daily Astorian
MUSHROOM
HUNTERS
Photos by Colin Murphey/The Daily Astorian
Mike Holland-Moritz, of Portland, searches for wild mushrooms on Wednesday at Fort Stevens State Park near Warrenton.
For adventurers, no truffl e at all
Discussion among Clatsop County
commissioners about a potential vacation
rental ordinance boils down to two factors:
over-regulation versus the need for safety
inspections, and a November ballot measure
in Gearhart that would repeal and replace the
city’s new short-term rental rules .
Commissioners indefi nitely postponed
a vote on possible vacation rental regula-
tions at a public hearing in September . The
ordinance would require property owners to
apply for fi ve-year, renewable permits based
on safety inspections for an unlimited num-
ber of short-term rental properties .
Requirements for owners to comply with
quiet hours, provide covered garbage con-
tainers, possess at least one fi re extinguisher
and offer at least one off-street parking
spot are some of the mandates included in
the ordinance. Only three people per sleep-
ing area plus two more would be allowed to
occupy a residence.
See RENTALS, Page 7A
By KATIE FRANKOWICZ
The Daily Astorian
Astoria woman
charged with
sexual advances
toward student
W
hen they heard the whistle,
the mushroom hunters were
ready.
Carolyn Tesar and Mike Hol-
land-Moritz whistled a reply and pushed
deeper into the woods, following their
ears until they reached their companion,
Stephen Walsh, and a clump of mush-
rooms he’d just discovered.
The three Portland residents, all mem-
bers of the Oregon Mycological Soci-
ety, spent a weekday morning together
looking for mushrooms in the woods
around Fort Stevens State Park . While
Walsh ranged farther ahead, scanning
for signs of fungi, the others followed at
a more leisurely pace, exploring patches
thoroughly before hitting the next bit of
promising ground.
The promise of edible fungi pulls
thousands of people into Oregon’s for-
ests in the spring and fall. On the coast,
mushroom season typically arrives in
full force by October, with cascades of
golden chanterelle mushrooms that spike
the air with their earthy, apricot scent and
king boletes that suddenly dot the forest
fl oor.
Carla Cole, natural resources project
manager at the Lewis and Clark National
Historical Park near Warrenton, under-
stands the appeal and excitement of hunt-
ing for edible mushrooms. But, mush-
rooms aren’t just about what’s visible
above ground, she said.
“The Pacifi c Northwest ecosystems
have such a huge, rich fungal diversity,”
she said. “There’s so much going on
underground, in the soil.”
Hilltop ‘lunch lady’
allegedly sent photos
By NATALIE ST. JOHN
EO Media Group
Stephen Walsh, of Portland, takes a photo of a wild mushroom he harvested in
Fort Stevens State Park on Wednesday.
Carolyn
Tesar reacts
after she
found a
chanterelle
mushroom
while hunt-
ing for wild
fungus in
the forests
of Fort Ste-
vens State
Park on
Wednesday.
ILWACO, Wash. — A former Hilltop
Middle School lunch lady is accused of mak-
ing sexual advances toward a middle-school
boy via cellphone and social media.
Brittini R. Ford, 26, of Astoria, is charged
with one count of communicating with a
minor for immoral purposes of a sexual
nature, a Class C felony that carries a pen-
alty of up to $10,000 and fi ve years in prison,
according to police and court documents.
Long Beach police opened an investiga-
tion in early April after staff and students
alleged that Ford had acted inappropriately
with students — in particular, with a boy
who was 13 at the time.
The investigation took several weeks.
Meanwhile, Ford was terminated in the
spring, when an independent Ocean Beach
School District investigation found that she
repeatedly showed questionable judgment in
her interactions with students and violated
several district policies.
See MUSHROOMS, Page 7A
See FORD, Page 5A
Manzanita refl ects one year after tornado
Residents calm
after the storm
By BRENNA VISSER
The Daily Astorian
MANZANITA — A
year has passed since a tor-
nado ripped through Manza-
nita, damaging more than 140
homes and businesses and top-
pling dozens of trees in the
beach town.
But walking the streets
now, all that remains visible
from that stormy day is one
shuttered building on Laneda
Avenue and an overwhelming
sense of calm .
“Everyone’s back to busi-
ness as usual,” said Jerald Tay-
lor, the city manager . “With
the number of calls we’ve
been getting about (the tor-
nado), you’d think we would
be holding a tornado festival
or something.”
The 135 mph gusts that
ravaged the small commu-
nity on Oct. 14, 2016 are rare
on the North Coast . While the
town feels generally prepared
to handle another storm , the
dread of having to do so still
sits in the back of some peo-
ple’s minds .
“When we had a few water
spouts, it brought back a few
memories. Some folks are still
a little nervous because we
know it can happen,” Taylor
said. “When we were hit by a
very unusual event like this,
the biggest thing we lost was
the feeling of, ‘I t can’t happen
here.’”
Many in the commu-
nity feel grateful. There
were no fatalities, and due to
emergency planning , power
was restored to most of
the town within two days .
While several homeowners
are still rebuilding, the
community came together
quickly and effi ciently to clear
debris .
Brenna Visser/The Daily Astorian
See TORNADO, Page 8A
The only building left with tornado damage on Laneda Avenue .