DailyAstorian.com // WEDNESDAY, JULY 18, 2018
146TH YEAR, NO. 13
ONE DOLLAR
Sex abuse trial
delayed following
Facebook posts
the lead prosecutor, said he
advised the woman — who
has since removed the posts
from public view — to stop
By JACK HEFFERNAN posting about the case on
The Daily Astorian
social media.
“We can’t forbid people
A sex abuse trial involv- to use social media, but we
ing a former surgeon has can try to warn about the per-
been delayed due to two ils of social media,” Brown
Facebook posts in which the said.
At a hearing Tuesday,
victim’s mother discussed
the case. Robert John Gus- Hood largely focused on
tafson, 49, of North Dakota, another one of the woman’s
was accused in 2015 of sexu- posts in July. The woman
ally abusing a girl over a two- posted a news story about
year period while he lived the case and complained that
in Seaside. He was indicted Gustafson is still out of jail
on 10 counts of first-degree despite a 2015 drunken-driv-
ing arrest, a viola-
sex abuse and two
tion of his release
counts of first-de-
gree
encouraging
agreement.
child sex abuse. The
“If you would
indictment alleged
like to fill the stands
he
repeatedly
with your support,
touched a girl under
or peacefully protest
14 and had her touch
outside, I would wel-
him between 2009 Robert John come your company.
Gustafson
While I know the
and 2011.
He
posted
entire trial will be
$250,000 bail and was spent with the defense trying
released from jail. Over the to discredit me and my child,
past three years, a host of fac- I know people who care
tors delayed and complicated about us will see through the
the case. The lengthy pro- mess,” she wrote. “Fingers
ceedings were mentioned in crossed the jury will too.”
the woman’s Facebook posts.
Hood accused the woman
“I hate the justice sys- of trying to “poison the jury
tem,” the woman wrote in the pool” and inciting violence
first post in early July. “I hate against Gustafson. “I think
that we’ve waited for a trial she hopes someone will
for over three years. I hate assault or kill (Gustafson),”
that the victim will be on the he said. “I say that and I
stand and called a liar.”
mean it.”
The Clatsop County
Hood told Matyas he
District Attorney’s Office would need more time to
learned of the posts last week investigate how widely the
and notified Paul Hood, Gus- posts were viewed and sur-
tafson’s Portland-based attor- vey the hundreds of com-
they
attracted.
ney, and Circuit Court Judge ments
Cindee Matyas. Deputy Dis-
trict Attorney Ron Brown,
See TRIAL, Page 7A
Gustafson was
indicted in 2015
Port approves new
airplane hangar
Space for former
Nirvana bassist
By EDWARD
STRATTON
The Daily Astorian
The Port of Astoria Com-
mission on Tuesday approved
a new private hangar at the
Astoria Regional Airport for
KAST Hangars, a company
that includes Krist Novoselic,
the former Nirvana bassist
and avid aviator.
The 6,000-square foot
hangar will be located next
to Lektro, an electric airplane
tug manufacturer, and the
Columbia River Bar Pilots.
Gary Kobes, the airport
manager, said there will be
a four- to six-month due dil-
igence period while the Port
works with the company to
get approval from Warren-
ton and the Federal Aviation
Administration.
Brian Fleming, a repre-
sentative of KAST Hangars,
said the company has already
ordered engineering and
hopes to start construction
shortly after approval.
The Port Commission
agreed to a 20-year lease with
up to six five-year extension
options. Rent during due dil-
igence will be $200 a month.
After approval, KAST Han-
gars will pay nearly $8,000
annually.
KAST Hangars is regis-
tered to Allen Draher, a Seat-
tle attorney associated with
Nirvana. Novoselic, who
lives in Wahkiakum County,
Washington, received his
FAA pilot license in the early
2000s and owns a Cessna
182.
Photos by Colin Murphey/The Daily Astorian
Traffic at the intersection of U.S. Highway 101 and Ensign Lane near the new Walmart in Warrenton.
‘We’ve had a lot
of near misses’
Traffic causing issues
near new Walmart
By JACK HEFFERNAN
The Daily Astorian
W
ARRENTON — One of the
most interesting aspects of a
visit to the new Walmart, as it
turns out, may be the commute.
Increased traffic to the retail giant
has exacerbated existing patterns and
created new ones. Representatives from
Clatsop County, Warrenton, the state
Department of Transportation and law
enforcement agencies met last week
to discuss the issues and brainstorm
solutions.
“I think it’d be fair to say there were
always minor problems, and once you
increase the traffic, those minor prob-
lems become major problems,” Clatsop
County Manager Cameron Moore said.
Many of the issues are taking place at
a segment of Ensign Lane between Dis-
covery Lane and the largest entrance to
the Walmart parking lot. That portion of
the road includes what is referred to as
a “pork chop” concrete island. Its shape
allows drivers to turn left onto Discov-
ery Lane while prohibiting — in theory
— those leaving the Walmart parking lot
Traffic issues have been identified around the entrance to the new Walmart.
from making a left turn when entering
the busy street.
The lane at the parking lot’s exit—
a few steps southeast of U.S. Highway
101 — has been designated as a right
turn only. But some drivers are choos-
ing not to make a right turn, which
would require them to make other turns
to eventually find their way back to the
intersection of the street and the high-
way, Warrenton Police Chief Mathew
Workman said. Instead they are making
illegal left turns onto Ensign Lane and
driving around the island.
Considering the traffic coming from
a number of businesses on Discovery
Lane across the street, these turns have
created hazards.
See TRAFFIC, Page 7A
‘THESE ARE TYPICALLY GOOD PROBLEMS TO HAVE.
WHEN YOU EXPERIENCE SOME GROWTH, YOU HAVE
TO FIGURE OUT HOW TO DEAL WITH IT.’
Cameron Moore | Clatsop County manager
A ‘library on wheels’ for Astoria
A book bike
named ‘Spokes’
By KATIE
FRANKOWICZ
The Daily Astorian
Ready to meet the Astoria
Library’s “spokes” person?
It’s going to be wheely
exciting.
Library staff devoted some
time — maybe more than they
want to admit — to drafting
puns for their newest outreach
tool: a bike-powered library on
wheels named “Spokes.”
The custom-built cargo tri-
cycle will travel to school and
outdoor events, and even trun-
dle down the Astoria River-
walk. A long cart at the front of
the bike is lined with shelves
for books and other materials.
It also acts as a Wi-Fi hot spot.
People will be able to check
out items or sign up for library
cards.
“It’s basically just a way of
getting the library out of the
library, reaching people where
they are,” said Ami Kreider, a
library assistant.
The book bike, or bookmo-
bile, is not a new phenome-
non. Libraries across the coun-
try use book bikes to convey
library services and books
around town.
Kreider said the idea
“immediately resonated.” She
is an avid cyclist, but also loved
the idea of taking the library
out of doors. She dreamed for
several years of how to bring a
book bike to Astoria.
“Libraries more and more
are trying not to be confined
in four walls, but to bring their
services out to where people
already are,” she said.
Spokes
cost
around
$3,200, with a portion of
the money coming from an
endowment fund given to
the city by Don Goodall
in memory of his parents.
Goodall intended the fund to
be used for library resources,
Library Director Jimmy Pear-
son said.
Employees with Fort
Colin Murphey/The Daily Astorian
People gather at City Hall to admire the new book bike.
George Brewery offered to
pick up the trike when they
were in Portland on brewery
business, saving the library
the cost of shipping. Astoria
Design Studio donated time to
decorate the sides of the cart.
Spokes will contain a small
collection of books devoted
especially to the book bike,
See BOOK BIKE, Page 7A