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About The daily Astorian. (Astoria, Or.) 1961-current | View Entire Issue (April 6, 2018)
1B THE DAILY ASTORIAN • FRIDAY, APRIL 6, 2018 CONTACT US ewilson@dailyastorian.com (503) 325-3211 ext. 257 COMMUNITY FOLLOW US facebook.com/ DailyAstorian IN ONE EAR • ELLEDA WILSON IS THAT YOU, NESSIE? L ast month, Georgia resident Jeff Warren found a mysteri- ous creature with a distinct resemblance to the Loch Ness Monster, aka Nessie, on a beach at Wolf Island National Wild- life Refuge in Golden Isles, Georgia, according to ScienceAlert. com (tinyurl.com/GAnessie). A screen shot from his video of the critter is shown, courtesy of Science Alert. Just to add to the fun, local legend there tells of a Nessie-type beastie called Altahamaha-ha roaming around the waters, and the Ear can’t help but wonder if this critter is a distant cousin of our own Pacific Northwest sea monster, Cadburosaurus. Warren alerted the local news stations, and shared his film footage, and contacted the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service about the 5-foot long carcass, but so far, no one has a clue what it is. Or was. TAKING EXCEPTION C indy Yingst of Warrenton rightfully took exception to last week’s rerun story about The Columbia Press being “now defunct.” And she should know, because she is the editor/publisher of the eminently not defunct publication (thecolumbiapress.com). Cindy is pictured with her husband, the paper’s circulation director, D.B. Lewis, courtesy of The Columbia Press. The cou- ple bought the newspaper through their partnership, Clatsop County Media Services, in January 2017. “The Columbia Press is alive and well and continues to pub- lish a newspaper every week, as it has for nearly a century,” Cindy wrote. So, to clarify, the Ear should have said the Astoria version of the paper no longer exists, as the presses on 12th Street have not printed the paper for decades. Cindy went on to note the historical significance of her publi- cation. “The May 1971 edition of the Finnish American Histor- ical Society of the West newsletter ... discusses The Columbia Press’ importance as a chronicler of the lives of Clatsop County’s Finnish residents (tinyurl.com/71finnpress).” “While no longer focusing on the Finns — the focus of The Columbia Press was changed when it was purchased by Hal and Edla Allen in 1962, two folks that many residents of Warrenton still remember,” Cindy added, “we continue to be a chronicler of the things that are important in the lives of Clatsop County resi- dents, particularly those living in Warrenton.” LEAVE THE FUZZY ONES ALONE T he Seaside Aquarium reminds sand dollar collectors that they are living creatures, related to sea urchins. One is pic- tured, courtesy of the aquarium. “The outside of their shell is covered with millions of tiny spines, which look like ‘fuzz’ or hair … (which) aid in the move- ment and feeding of the sand dollar. On the underside, in the cen- ter of the sand dollar, is its mouth. A sand dollar’s diet consists of plankton, which they break down with their five small teeth. Each tooth closely resembles the shape of a bird, and many peo- ple refer to them as ‘doves.’” So, before you decide to take home that lovely sand dollar you found, you’d better make sure it’s not still alive. “You may want to leave the “fuzzy” ones on the beach,” the aquarium warns, “as they can smell quite badly if taken to your home …” GO WEST, YOUNG BOAT, GO WEST GIMME SHELTER, PLEASE he Hilda Lahti Elementary School’s mini-boat, Boat- a-Lahti — part of a new Columbia River Maritime Museum program to connect students in Oregon with students in Japan through a mini-boat voyage across the Pacific — has had almost as many misadventures at sea at Astoria’s wayward sailor, Rimas Meleshyus. Unlike Rimas, however, Boat-a-Lahti’s movements can be tracked at tinyurl.com/tinylahti Launched Feb. 11, 9 miles southwest of the New Point Loma Lighthouse in California by the U.S. Coast Guard Cutter Alert, Boat-a-Lahti made landfall only 10 hours and 14 miles later on Mission Beach in San Diego. Lifeguard Brian Zeller, who coincidentally owns a house in Astoria, and fellow lifeguards, relaunched the mini-boat on Valentine’s Day. On Feb. 23, Boat-a-Lahti got into trouble again. “Found your boat washed ashore on a very remote beach in Baja ...” Pat Conroy wrote to Nate Sandel, project manager and education director at CRMM. “I was working as a whale guide at a remote beach camp at the mouth of Scam- mon’s Lagoon, and on one of my days off I took an eight- hour round trip hike to explore that very remote section of beach.” Pat’s photo of Boat-a-Lahti is shown. “There is really no way to get there other than foot along the shore,” Pat explained, “just miles of shifting sand dunes, and a very shallow and wave-strewn ocean just off- shore, with almost constant onshore winds … It looked to be in great shape, but the little solar unit under the plexi- glass had shifted a bit. “It was more than 100 yards above the tide line when I found it. I moved it and put it up on a nearby shrub — there was no way I could relaunch it on that lee shore and crash- ing waves. … You have shipwrecked in a very remote and beautiful location!” On March 23, Nate reported that the Captain of the Port of Guerrero Negro in Baja, Mexico, pulled Boat-a-Lahti off the beach, and will send an official report. “Melissa Reid (the teacher at Hilda Lahti), and I met and sent emails with relaunch ideas to Mexico,” Nate wrote. “We will see what we can get arranged!” A AROUND THE TOWN Y T L ocal tidbits from the Tuesday, April 7, 1885 edition of The Daily Morning Astorian: • The Clatsop road will be built. • The line went down last evening and no news con- cerning Grant or any one else was obtainable. Note: On July 23, 1885, former president Ulysses S. Grant (pictured) died of esophageal cancer — probably caused by the 20 cigars he was said to have smoked per day during the Civil War. A true stogie lover, his campaign song was “A Smokin’ His Cigar.” Also while running for office, rivals poked fun at him with this campaign mes- sage: “I smoke my weed & drink my gin, playing with the people’s tin.” (tinyurl.com/grantpuff) • Liberty Hall was uncomfortably crowded last night. The new theater will soon be finished. Note: Nope, it’s not the current Liberty Theatre, which was built in 1925. Originally called the Astor Building, and it housed the first theater to be built after the 1922 fire wiped out most of downtown Astoria, including all of the theaters. (tinyurl.com/libhist) • Joe Surprenant starts with seven men this morning to build an 80-foot bridge over the Necanicum, about a mile and a half above Grimes. Note: The Ear is not sure if this Aug. 18, 1890 item is related, but suspects it might be: “Old man Grimes has ceased demanding toll from people who cross his rickety bridge, because the owners of land on the other side proposed to put a gate on their end, and charge him toll for coming out.” • “It is ordained that all men once shall die, and after death the” funeral. That the defunct may ride in a manner befitting the solemnity of the occasion, Coroner Ross has imported a fine hearse, in which — under the pressure of unavoidable circumstances — any one might ride at ease. lice Nelson spotted what she called a “tsunami escape ball” for sale recently at a local nursery, The Planter Box, in Long Beach, Washington. She posted her photo of it (pictured) online on the “Long Beach Peninsula Friends of Facebook” group April 1, noting that the price was $6,900. No, it was not an April Fool’s Day joke. Her post caused quite a stir of interest among the local group members, who wondered about seasickness, claustrophobia, bringing pets along, getting stuck underwater or in debris, etc. Others wondered if it was the same tsunami rescue pod that Jeanne (Johnson) Brooks of Ocean Park, Washington, bought last year. Her purchase caused quite a splash in the media, as she was the first U.S. consumer to obtain one. No, the “tsunami escape ball” seen at the nursery — and now gone — was not Jeanne’s. It was a Rescue Pod, made by Reli- able Emergency Shelters (tsunamipods.com) of Vancouver, Washington. A different company made Jeanne’s device. “I still have my original two-person Survival Capsule in my garage,” Jeanne explained. “I am trading it in for a four-person to accommodate for guests, in the event of emergency, as soon as Julian Sharpe, CEO of Survival Capsule (survival-capsule. com), has the four-person U.S. version available off the produc- tion line.” JOIN THE CREW ou don’t often see this sort of advertisement in this neck of the woods: “Film Crew Needed, Hiring Film Crew, in Asto- ria Area” (tinyurl.com/ad4crew). The crew is needed for a “fully funded feature film,” and they’re “filling positions in all depart- ments for shoot scheduled mid-April through early May, 2018.” So what’s the project? They don’t actually tell you, but instead refer you to a posting on the Internet Movie Data Base (IMDb) for “The Mortuary Collection,” with Ryan Spindell (pictured) listed as the director/writer/producer (tinyurl.com/mortcoll). There’s not much information to be gleaned unless you have an IMDbPro account. However, a little sleuthing revealed that the film is produced by Trapdoor Pictures, which is based in Los Angeles (trapdoor- pictures.com). The website says, “Trapdoor pictures is Los Ange- les-based production company with an emphasis on narrative horror and dark fantasy content for film, television and the web.” Interested in joining the crew for this film? Submit an email inquiry and resume/work experience to crew.themortuarycollec- tion@gmail.com BE CAREFUL WHAT YOU WISH FOR s much as the North Coast clamors to attract tourists, tour- ism is not always a good thing. Case in point: Yahoo News reports that President Rodrigo Duterte ordered that the island of Boracay, in the Philippines, close April 26 for six months to get cleaned up (tinyurl.com/messyisle). A beach at Boracay is pictured, courtesy of Yahoo News. Duterte has called the 3.98-square-mile island a “cesspool” that could become a “fishpond or a sewer pool” if something isn’t done about its deteriorating environment — largely caused by a massive influx of tourists (2 million in 2017), which the tiny island’s infrastructure is incapable of handling. For example, more than 100 tons of garbage is generated daily, but the island can only handle removing 30 tons. Boracay is following the lead of Thailand’s Maya Bay, which is also closing for six months to tackle the damages caused by tourism. A COMMUNITY NOTES SATURDAY Angora Hiking Club — 9 a.m., Lighthouse Park, 44 N. Main Ave., Warrenton. Hampton Lumber Mill tour and Dike Walk. Membership is not re- quired to participate. For information, call Kathleen Hudson at 503-861- 2802 or go to angorahikingclub.org Seniors Breakfast— 9 a.m. to noon, Astoria Moose Lodge, 420 17th St. Breakfast is cooked to order from the menu and includes coffee. Cost is $5 for seniors 62 and older, $7.50 for those younger than 62. Breakfasts are open to the public. Proceeds after expenses help sup- port local and other charities. Sit & Stitch — 11 a.m. to 1 p.m., Homespun Quilts & Yarn, 108 10th St. Bring knitting, crochet or other nee- dlework projects to this community stitching time. All skill levels welcome. Detachment 1228 Marine Corps League — noon, El Compa- dre, 119 Main Ave., Warrenton. For information, contact Lou Neubecker at 503-717-0153. Columbia Northwestern Mod- el Railroading Club — 1 p.m., in Hammond. Group runs trains on HO-scale layout. For information, call Don Carter at 503-325-0757. Spinning Circle — 1 to 3 p.m., Astoria Fiber Arts Academy, 1296 Duane St. Bring a spinning wheel. For information, call 503-325-5598 or go to astoriafiberarts.com SUNDAY Seniors Breakfast— 9 a.m. to noon, Astoria Moose Lodge, 420 17th St. Breakfast is cooked to order from the menu and includes coffee. Cost is $5 for seniors 62 and older, $7.50 for those younger than 62. Breakfasts are open to the public. Proceeds after expenses help sup- port local and other charities. Highway 26, Seaside. Participants welcome to bring their own forge and anvil setup. Metal available to experiment with; coal is provided. No charge, but donations to the Camp 18 Loggers Memorial Muse- um welcome. For information, con- tact Mark Standley at 503-434-0148 or Herman Doty at 971-306-1043 or ringinganvildesign@gmail.com Blacksmith Enthusiasts Meet — 10 a.m. to 3 p.m., Camp 18 Blacksmith Shop, 42362 U.S. National Alliance on Mental Illness (NAMI) Support Group — 2 to 3:30 p.m., Seaside Public Library, 1131 Broadway. Family to Family Support Group, for anyone with friend or loved one suffering from a serious brain (mental) illness. For information, contact Myra Kero at 503-738-6165, or k7erowood@q.com, or go to nami.org Line Dancing — 5:30 to 8 p.m., Seaside American Legion, 1315 Broadway. For information, call 503-738-5111. No cost; suggested $5 tip to the instructor. See NOTES, Page 4B