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About The daily Astorian. (Astoria, Or.) 1961-current | View Entire Issue (April 18, 2019)
COAST WEEKEND MUELLER REPORT RELEASED TO A WAITING NATION PAGE A5 OREGON’S POET LAUREATE STAFFORD VISITS ASTORIA DailyAstorian.com // THURSDAY, APRIL 18, 2019 146TH YEAR, NO. 208 ONE DOLLAR Looters hit national park Artifacts dug up and taken By KATIE FRANKOWICZ The Daily Astorian The National Park Service is investigating the looting of an archaeological site at Lewis and Clark National Historical Park. Investigators say artifacts were dug up and taken near the Netul River Trail on the south end of the park sometime near the end of March. Superintendent Jon Burpee could not pro- vide details about what might have been taken since the crime is still under investiga- tion, but he said items at the site may be up to 100 years old . “(The site) doesn’t necessarily, at least from our knowledge, extend any further back than that,” Burpee said. “A lot of items were ones that were essentially dumped there over time, but it’s another layer of the overall his- tory of the site and still very important to us.” “It has us on a more heightened stance for all of the archaeological sites we know about in the park,” he added. The looters disturbed around 1 1/2 dump- trucks worth of soil . They also impacted an area that is home to a rare salt marsh plant community that is so uncommon it is con- sidered “imperiled” in Oregon, according to Carla Cole, the natural resource project man- A clockmaker strikes 100 ager at Lewis and Clark. T he National Park Service’s investigative branch said evidence suggests metal detec- tors were used to locate artifacts and dig nine other holes. “Archaeologists make a great effort to record the context from which artifacts are recovered to better understand their use and disposition and the wider historical picture,” See Looters, Page A3 Scandinavians plan to change park name A nod to the Finnish By KATIE FRANKOWICZ The Daily Astorian Edward Stratton/The Daily Astorian Frank and Judy Van Winkle have run Loop-Jacobsen Jewelers since 1988. An Astoria jeweler marks anniversary By EDWARD STRATTON The Daily Astorian See Name, Page A5 I nside a small storefront on Commercial Street, Frank and Judy Van Winkle run Loop-Jacobsen Jewelers, the most recent addition to Astoria’s short list of century-old businesses and one of the last clock repair shops in the region. The shop deals in jewelry, coins, engraving, installing watch batteries and even the occasional gold tooth, the only source of precious metal the couple will buy. See Clockmaker, Page A7 A downtown park to celebrate Asto- ria’s Scandinavian heritage has yet to be built, but is already getting a name change. Instead of Scandinavian Heri- tage Park, the organization behind the effort decided to use the more inclusive term “Nordic” after some debate about whether “Scandinavian” truly included Finland. For more than 50 years, the Asto- ria Scandinavian Heritage Association, which sponsors the annual Scandinavian Midsummer Festival and is developing the project at Peoples Park off Marine Drive , used “Scandinavian” to include the countries of Denmark, Finland, Ice- land, Norway and Sweden. But Arnie Hummasti, in a letter to the heritage association, explained, “Although some people consider Finland to be one of the Scandinavian countries, those who live in the Nordic region do not.” Hummasti, of Astoria, was not alone in questioning the park’s name. “We had many letters, comments and e mails,” said Janet Bowler, a board mem- ber of the heritage association. There were also discussions about the terms early in the process of designing the park. Lang was key to modernizing Astoria dispatch A Coast Guard commander who loved the sea Loop-Jacobsen Jewelers opened as Schulz-Jacobsen Watchmakers & Jewelers in 1919 on Exchange Street in Astoria. Artist chosen for 13th Street Alley mural Sterling’s design will refl ect the North Coast By EDWARD STRATTON The Daily Astorian Local artist Andie Sterling has been chosen to create a mural for the 13th Street A lley in down- town Astoria. Her design’s focus is a moun- tain range with a lush farmland valley and a tree line in the center of the alley. Organic lines reaching to both entrances draw pedestrians to the focal point using a color palette from native elements: salmon, spruce, fi r, lichen, moss, cran- berry, Velella velella, fern and refl ective colors on the Colum- bia R iver and Pacifi c O cean. The walls of the alley will be prepared with a cool blue-white to refl ect clean, bright light. “I wanted to create a space and experience that would feel a little bit like a portal or sort of a transformative escape,” Sterling said of her design. “It’s a little bit whimsical, and the line work is really energetic and uplifting, the colors as well. So hoping it will be a happy space in all kinds of weather.” The Astoria Downtown His- toric District Association began last year hanging lights in the alley and gathering donations for See Artist, Page A5 Edward Stratton/The Daily Astorian Local artist Andie Sterling has been chosen to design the 13th Street Alley mural for the Astoria Downtown Historic District Association. By BRENNA VISSER The Daily Astorian Dick Lang, the man credited with bringing Astoria 911 D ispatch into the 21st century, is remembered by family and friends for his passion for veterans, his leadership and his love for the sea. Lang, who called Astoria home since the early 1990s, died last week at 67 due to health issues that stemmed from cancer treatment Richard he received earlier in his Lang life. People close to him know him as a Coast Guard commander, a father and even a pretty mean poker player. But anyone who has called Astoria 911 in the p ast two decades has Lang to thank for the computerized, coordinated emergency dispatch system , said Jeff Rusiecki, who became Lang’s successor as emergency communications manager in 2007. See Lang, Page A3