3A
THE DAILY ASTORIAN • FRIDAY, AUGUST 10, 2018
Ilwaco sued after denying vacation rental
Gearhart man
may
sentenced in child Lawsuit
be moved to
pornography case federal court
nous in my view,” Brown
said.
A detective in Oklahoma
notified Oregon State Police
By JACK HEFFERNAN of an investigation into
The Daily Astorian
Polan’s contact with a child
there, prompting the local
A Gearhart man was sen- probe. Polan likely will face
tenced Thursday to nearly six additional charges in Okla-
years in prison for child por- homa and possibly Michigan
nography crimes.
and North Carolina, Brown
Samuel Roy Polan, 39, said.
compelled at least two chil-
Polan has two prior sex
dren under 12 years old to crime convictions, includ-
photograph or record sexu- ing for third-degree rape —
ally explicit activity. After involving sex with a teenage
being indicted in February on girl — in Clatsop County in
10 counts, including
2010. He also was
some that alleged
convicted in a 2004
he attempted to sell
case involving sex-
ual contact with a
the material, Polan
minor relative in
pleaded no contest
Texas.
in July to two counts
“He obviously
of using a child in
has a very serious
a display of sexu-
ally explicit con- Samuel Roy problem with attrac-
tion to children,”
duct as part of a plea
Polan
Brown said.
deal with the Clatsop
Polan was sexually abused
County District Attorney’s
by his father as a young child
Office.
Each count carries a and later bounced from fos-
mandatory minimum sen- ter home to foster home, said
tence of nearly six years in James von Boeckmann, his
prison. As part of the plea court-appointed attorney. His
deal, Polan agreed to have 2004 conviction came after
an open sentencing hearing he had reunited with mem-
and let a judge determine bers of his family.
“It is not a problem of his
whether to run the minimum
sentences concurrently or own devise,” von Boeck-
mann said.
consecutively.
Judge Richard Baldwin —
Polan apologized Thurs-
a former Oregon Supreme day for his actions.
“I don’t know what caused
Court justice who spent
Thursday filling in for Circuit me to do it, and I’ll look for
Court Judge Paula Brown- the help I need,” he said.
hill — sentenced Polan con-
Baldwin pointed out that
currently, saying it was a “very Polan has had opportunities
long” time considering the cir- in the past to seek treatment
cumstances of the case.
in prison.
Polan used Tango, a
“You can’t just say you
messaging app, to compel want it if you don’t engage
the children to take sexu- and make your best effort to
ally explicit photos. If they get something out of treat-
refused, Polan made threats ment,” the judge said. “With
such as contacting their par- your record, you’re going
ents, Chief Deputy District to be in for the rest of your
Attorney Ron Brown said.
life the next conviction, I’m
“He used various tactics sure, if the judge has that
that were particularly hei- opportunity.”
Polan gets
nearly six years
By ALYSSA EVANS
Chinook Observer
ILWACO, Wash. — A cou-
ple has filed a lawsuit against
Ilwaco after being denied a
vacation rental permit.
In March, Lindsay and
Shelley Yamane applied for
a conditional use permit for
a house on Reservoir Road,
which is near their home on
the same block in the city’s
Sahalee subdivision above
Baker Bay. The City Coun-
cil unanimously rejected the
application in May.
The council denied the
application because it found
the Yamanes did not prove
the vacation rental wouldn’t
cause problems for neighbors.
City Planner Sam Rubin
Pacific County
A couple has sued Ilwaco after their proposed vacation
rental was denied.
and the Planning Commission
had recommended approval
of the permit.
The lawsuit alleges the city
did not adhere to city code and
that the council violated the
couple’s right to due process.
The
proposed
vaca-
tion rental prompted a range
of reactions from neigh-
bors and others in the com-
munity. Some were vocally
opposed, while others signed
statements of support for the
permit.
Among other things, oppo-
nents worried that the vaca-
tion rental might cause a
shortage of parking spaces, or
lead to a slew of new rentals
in the area.
Among those opposing the
permit are residents of Ilwa-
co’s Discovery Heights gated
subdivision, which borders
Sahalee to the south. Dis-
covery Heights was devel-
oped by a partnership that
includes Marshall’s brother,
Rich. Owners of individual
homes in Discovery Heights
have expressed concern
about vacationers wander-
ing through the subdivision to
access the nearby Beards Hol-
low portion of Cape Disap-
pointment State Park.
The lawsuit states that
some of the individuals who
spoke against the vacation
rental live outside the imme-
diate vicinity. It also notes
that only the Yamanes and
their neighbor can park on
their property, so no one else
would be affected by guests
parking there.
The couple and the city are
in the process of determining
whether the lawsuit should
proceed in Pacific County
Superior Court, or the federal
court in Tacoma.
Audit: 80 percent of Portland short-term rentals illegal
Associated Press
PORTLAND — Four out
of five short-term rental prop-
erties in Portland are operat-
ing illegally and there is not
much the city can do about
them yet since it doesn’t have
complete information, accord-
ing to a recent report by city
officials.
Portland requires hosts
of Airbnb-style bookings to
apply for a permit, be the pri-
mary resident of the rental,
live in the home nine months
out of the year and limit each
booking to a maximum of 30
days, The Oregonian reported.
It’s hard enforce these
rules since companies like
Airbnb or Vacasa don’t regu-
larly share rental information
about each listing, their hosts
and frequency of rentals with
the city, citing privacy rea-
sons, auditors said in a report
released Wednesday.
Public data on Airbnb’s
website showed it had more
than 4,600 listings in Portland
last October, according to the
audit. At that time, the city had
only issued 1,638 permits.
One possible reason why
hosts may not be applying for
a permit is the cost. The permit
fee for hosts renting one or two
bedrooms is $178. If hosts ad-
vertise three to five bedrooms,
the cost goes up to $5,000 and
requires a land use review.
However, most short-
term rental hosts do pay the
required city taxes on each
night’s stay, the auditors
found.
The city hopes to final-
ize data sharing agreements
with booking companies, said
Mayor Ted Wheeler and Com-
missioner Chloe Eudaly in a
response letter to auditors.
They are confident the data
will help the city better regu-
late these types of rentals.
Medication given to sick killer whale
Associated Press
Brian Gisborne/Fisheries and Oceans Canada
Southern resident killer whale J50 and
her mother, J16, swim off the coast of
Vancouver Island near Port Renfrew,
British Columbia.
SEATTLE — A team of whale experts
has injected an ailing killer whale with
antibiotics in a rare effort to save her.
NOAA Fisheries says the interna-
tional team reached 3½-year-old orca
known as J50 Thursday in the waters
near Washington state’s San Juan Island.
A veterinarian examined the orca.
Experts gave her antibiotics through a
dart and took a breath sample to help
assess whether she has an infection.
NOAA says that the team will decide
whether to feed the free-swimming
whale live salmon from a boat. The
whale could then be given live salmon
dosed with medication.
The orca is thin and in poor body
condition.
Another orca in the critically endan-
gered group of killer whales has pushed
her dead calf for more than two weeks,
raising concerns about her health.
Foss Maritime closes its shipyard in Rainier in surprise move
By KATIE FAIRBANKS
The Daily News
In what came as a surprise
news for many, Foss Maritime
has closed its Rainier shipyard.
Foss spokesman Loren
Skaggs said the shipyard
closed July 24, impacting 10
people.
Skaggs said the decision
to close the shipyard was part
of a thoughtful process. While
the company liked being in
that market, Skaggs said the
closure was based on a busi-
ness decision, but couldn’t
give more details.
The Columbia River ship-
yard was primarily used as a
repair yard for the Foss Mar-
itime fleet and also built new
tugboats. Just last December,
Foss was working to finalize
negotiations with a Nether-
lands-based company to build
at least 10 tugboats at the Rain-
ier shipyard.
‘We’re not here to try to
harm them; we want to help
them. We want to make
them prosperous. It only
helps the community.’
Rainier Mayor Jerry Cole
Rainier Mayor Jerry Cole
said the closure is a definite
loss for the community.
“Anytime we lose business,
it’s a negative impact,” Cole
said.
Cole said the company
did not give any indication it
was planning on closing the
site. The longtime mayor said
he wished Foss would have
reached out to the city to see
what could be done to keep the
shipyard open.
“We’re not here to try to
harm them; we want to help
them,” Cole said. “We want to
make them prosperous. It only
helps the community.”
Cole also said both the
Columbia County Economic
Team and the state had been
in contact with Foss about the
closure.
Chuck Daughtry, execu-
tive director for the economic
group, said the company had
previously discussed consoli-
dating its operations to Seattle.
He said the closure in Rain-
ier is a hard hit in terms of lost
jobs. At times, the shipyard
employed as many as 40 peo-
ple and offered a significant
number of high-paying posi-
tions, he added.
“I’m hopeful we can pre-
serve the industrial site and
find another tenant for it,”
Daughtry said.
Daughtry said the county,
city and other partners will
now have to reevaluate Rain-
ier’s A Street railroad project,
which includes the Foss ship-
yard location. Cole said the
city had made Foss’ needs a
priority for the project.
The county will want to
ensure the site is preserved
for the next tenant that comes,
Daughtry said, adding the area
has a wealth of skilled workers
The Clatsop Care Center
Auxiliary and the residents
of Clatsop Care would like to
offer their sincere thanks and appreciation
to Matthew, Ryan, Kira, Lorence, Elliott,
Craig, Rebecca & Destiny from the U.S.
Coast Guard Air Station for their hard
work at our recent car wash.
WANTED
a lderbrook
Alder and Maple Saw Logs & Standing Timber
Northwest Hardwoods • Longview, WA
Contact: John Anderson • 360-269-2500
and is confident the shipyard
site will get a new owner.
“It’s pretty valuable,”
Daughtry said. “We have so
many talented people in the
area, which is a big attraction
to industry.”
12:30
PM
Picnic & Potluck
Violet LaPlante Park
Questions?
S un
a ugu d S a t y
12
th
Contact Barbara
503-468-8219
Please
Adopt a Pet!
5:00 pm
Downtown Astoria
Every month, year ‘round!
GLOCK & LUCK Y
Every day will be
A treat with these
Sweet senior bonded
Pals, so ready to
Enjoy life’s mellow
pleasures.
See more on
Petfinder.com
CLATSOP COUNTY ANIMAL SHELTER • 861-PETS
1315 SE 19th St. • Warrenton | Tues-Sat 12-4pm
www.dogsncats.org
THIS SPACE SPONSORED BY BAY BREEZE BOARDING
Aug
11 th
Visit Downtown Astoria on the
2nd Saturday of every month for
art, music, and general merriment!
Presented by the Astoria Downtown Historic District Association
astoriadowntown.com
facebook/astoriadowntown.com
Starting August 16th Thru August 19th 2018, Cross Stitchers from all over the world will descend on a small Oregon town,
Seaside, for the 3rd Annual Heaven and Earth Designs Convention, or HAEDcon, as it’s known in the Cross Stitching world.
A Stitching Convention for cross stitching you say? Well things have changed. Gone are the days of cute teddy bears and
flowers. HAEDCon is a convention sponsored by the locally owned company, Heaven and Earth Designs. Attendees come
to see finished stitched pieces, socialize, and shop! Cross stitchers from all over the world—Iceland, Australia, the United
Kingdom—are just days away from meeting new friends, meeting old friends, and meeting the artists behind the work they
stitch. Everyone has great ideas about spending four days stitching, but from past experience the amount of talking, laughter,
‘Stitchtalk’, and adding to one’s stash is a must for any attendee.
A loyal following quickly came to Michele and Bob Sayetta, who packed up six years ago and moved from Minnesota to a
small coastal town in Oregon. Starting in 2002, the Husband and Wife team changed how people viewed cross stitch. They
began by creating the most stunning hand dyed fabric to be used for stitching. Michele’s talent for color came naturally to
the Californian-born computer programmer. This was the beginning of Heaven and Earth Designs. They then moved onto
converting famous artwork into cross stitch charts by artists all over the world. Adding to these works of art, Michele and
Bob also hand craft many coveted stitching tools. As well, they also feature beautiful linens and cloths from well-known
manufacturers such as ZWEIGART, as well as stitching floss from DMC, direct from France. Heaven and Earth Designs has a
small dedicated team that send out hundreds of the now famous “purple package” to fulfill orders that range from a chart to
fabric, floss and tools.
The Heaven and Earth Designs Convention also features artists whose stunning pieces have been transformed into cross
stitching charts. Returning for her third year, artist Aimee Stewart says, “If a unicorn wearing roller skates and juggling polka
dot lemurs streaked by just now singing the Macarena at the top of its lungs... it STILL wouldn’t be as fun as HAEDCon!”
Also joining Aimee this year are returning artists - Hannah Lynn Disney, Rob and Jean Carlos, Jeff Haynie, and, for the first
time, we welcome artists Randal Spangler and Joan Marie.
Stitchers are enthusiastic to arrive, with one stitcher saying they, “Feel like they are attending the ‘Oscars’ of Cross Stitching.
The Countdown to HAEDcon is on.
Heaven and Earth Designs Convention
16 - 19th August 2018 • Seaside Convention Center
Visitors Welcome • Day Passes for Artists and Product
Once registration is over for registered customers entrance will only be
permitted for walk ins by calling 503-440-0924 to be met at the front desk
www.heavenandearthdesigns.com