145TH YEAR, NO. 127
ONE DOLLAR
DailyAstorian.com //
YOU LUCKY DOG
Colin Murphey/The Daily Astorian
Felix the dog is reunited with his owner, Sarah Stremming, after he was rescued Tuesday at Ecola State Park by members of the Seaside rope and rescue team.
ROPE AND RESCUE TEAM SAVES STRANDED
DOG FROM CLIFF IN ECOLA STATE PARK
Felix went missing
on Christmas day hike
By BRENNA VISSER
The Daily Astorian
I
Courtesy Sarah Stremming
Colin Murphey/The Daily Astorian
n a dramatic rescue, a dog stranded
overnight on a cliff north of Indian
Beach was brought to safety Tuesday
morning.
Felix, a 2-year-old border collie, was
rescued unharmed from a precipice 60 feet
from the crest of the Clatsop Loop trail by
the Seaside rope and rescue team.
He had gone missing around 3 p.m.
Monday during a Christmas day hike.
“He doesn’t just leave, it’s not like
how he is,” said Sarah Stremming, Felix’s
owner. “He does like water, so I figured he
went over the cliff. He would have come
back to me when I called if he hadn’t.”
Felix, who went missing on Christmas
Day.
The Seaside rope and rescue team celebrates after the successful rescue of a dog
that fell over a cliff at Ecola State Park.
See RESCUE, Page 8A
Gearhart woman wants to
bring newcomers together
Program welcomes
new Clatsop parents,
babies to smart start
Ticor Title sales executive
Ellie Ludy strives to start
North Coast Newcomer Group
Parents given
resource
guides, basic
supplies
By BRENNA VISSER
The Daily Astorian
GEARHART — There’s a
lot about Gearhart Ellie Ludy
has grown to love. The scenery
is breathtaking and the people
are kind, she said.
Having an elk herd wan-
der through town is another
bonus she didn’t expect when
she moved to the coast about
a year ago.
“It just is unbelievable,”
Ludy laughed. “I knew there
would be elk, but I didn’t
know they would come into
your yard!”
She contemplated mov-
ing to Portland after her chil-
dren and grandchildren moved
to Hillsboro, but decided to
semi-retire and transition into
a “tranquil” life by the beach.
She chose Gearhart for its
quaint aesthetic and quiet vibe,
she said.
“I grew up on the beach on
a little island off southern Cal-
ifornia and I just loved this
area,” she said. “I originally
looked in the Portland area
and I started to wonder why I
was changing from one highly
dense community for another.”
The ability to meet new
friends is one aspect of North
Coast living she has found to
be more difficult. A sales exec-
OUR NEW
NEIGHBORS
HIGHLIGHTING PEOPLE WHO ARE NEW TO THE COMMUNITY
By EDWARD
STRATTON
The Daily Astorian
Shortly after giving birth
to their daughter Rilee, Ash-
ley Nimmo and Andy Gon-
zalez received a proverbial
how-to guide on raising new-
borns — a blue reusable tote
bag.
Inside, the new par-
ents found a curated guide
of local resources, toiletries,
toys and a children’s book
they’ve been reading to their
newborn.
“I didn’t know that you
were supposed to read to them
from Day 1,” Nimmo said.
The couple were some of
the first participants in the
Welcome Baby program,
an effort by the early child
development advocates Clat-
sop Kinder Ready to encour-
age research-based cognitive
development from birth.
See PROGRAM, Page 7A
Ellie Ludy
utive at Ticor Title in Seaside,
Ludy meets numerous cli-
ents in the real estate industry,
but meeting people outside of
work is proving to more of a
challenge.
“That’s why I want to start
the North Coast Newcomers
group,” Ludy said. “I think like
any small community, it’s very
hard to break into relationships
and groups of people who
have been friends for maybe
20 or 30 years. You have these
cemented groups. And when
someone new moves in they
are very nice, but you don’t
get invited to anything. And I
understand that, but I also want
to change it.”
See LUDY, Page 7A
Edward Stratton/The Daily Astorian
Clatsop Kinder Ready’s Welcome Baby bags include a
myriad of resources on early childhood development,
including an educational booklet printed on a stu-
dent-run press at Jewell School.