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About The daily Astorian. (Astoria, Or.) 1961-current | View Entire Issue (Aug. 29, 2019)
A2 THE ASTORIAN • THURSDAY, AUGUST 29, 2019 IN BRIEF Woman reports robbery near Smith Point A 40-year-old Astoria woman said she was robbed Tuesday afternoon while walking on a trail near Smith Point. A man reportedly grabbed her in a “bear hug” just after 2 p.m. and stole currency and prescription medi- cation from her pants pockets, police said. The suspect was described as a white male, with a medium height and build and shoulder-length brown curly hair. He was also unshaven. The suspect, reportedly wearing a dark color Car- hartt-style jacket, a dark T-shirt and blue jeans, was last seen running uphill toward Alameda Avenue. Anyone with information can call the Astoria Police Department at 503-325-4411. Veterans’ advisory committee meets in Seaside on Sept. 11 The next meeting of the advisory committee to the Oregon Department of Veterans’ Affairs will be held in Seaside. The committee’s meetings are held at different locations across the state and the next one will be at the Holiday Inn Express on N. Holladay Drive on Sept. 11. The public is invited to attend. The committee is made up of veterans appointed by the governor to provide counsel on veterans’ issues and represent veterans’ concerns. Its nine members help advise the director and staff of the Department of Veterans’ Affairs. Pearson hired as new CEO for The Historic Trust David Pearson, who spent two decades in man- agement at the Columbia River Maritime Museum in Astoria, will be the next CEO of The Historic Trust. The trust manages historic properties in Vancouver, Washington. Pearson was deputy director of the Astoria museum before he left in 2017 to become executive direc- tor at the World of Speed Motorsports Museum in Wilsonville. “I am honored and privileged to be joining The Historic Trust,” Pearson said in a statement. “I look forward to getting to know my new com- munity and continue building on the strong success of this organization. Vancouver is at the very center of the history of the Pacifi c Northwest, and the work of The Historic Trust has been vital in preserving that history. I am anxious to start sharing our story, and helping the trust grow regionally and nationally, as well.” — The Astorian Record-breaking run of American shad on the river American shad, a silvery bullet of a fi sh whose home waters are on the East Coast, migrated into the Columbia River basin this year in record numbers. Nearly 7.5 million of the 18-inch, 3 to 8 pound fi sh crossed Bonneville Dam, more than four times the number of salmon and steelhead. — Columbia Basin Bulletin DEATHS Aug. 27, 2019 CURTIS, Charles, 82, of Astoria, died in Asto- ria. Hughes-Ransom Mortuary & Cremato- rium is in charge of the arrangements. KERSLAKE, Bil- lie Kay, 75, of Warren- ton, died in Warrenton. Caldwell’s Luce-Lay- ton Mortuary of Asto- ria is in charge of the arrangements. Aug. 24, 2019 BOLES, Leanne, 68, of Seaside, d ied in Sea- side. A memorial service will be held at a later date. Hughes-Ransom Mortu- ary & Crematorium is in charge of the arrangements. PONCE, Maria, 62, of Mount Vernon, Wash- ington, died in Astoria. Hughes-Ransom Mortu- ary & Crematorium is in charge of the arrangements. ON THE RECORD Theft • Trace Lee Morris, 47, was arrested Tues- day for theft in the fi rst degree. Police said he walked out of Safe- way with a cart total- ing over $1,000 worth of groceries and other items. Police arrested him at the East Moor- ing Basin parking lot. He told police he took the groceries to help people who go hungry and sleep outside. PUBLIC MEETINGS THURSDAY Clatsop County Recreational Lands Planning and Advisory Committee, 1 p.m., fourth fl oor, 800 Exchange St., Astoria. Established July 1, 1873 (USPS 035-000) Published Tuesday, Thursday and Saturday by EO Media Group, 949 Exchange St., PO Box 210, Astoria, OR 97103 Telephone 503-325-3211, 800-781-3211 or Fax 503-325-6573. POSTMASTER: Send address changes to The Astorian, PO Box 210, Astoria, OR 97103-0210 DailyAstorian.com Circulation phone number: 503-325-3211 Periodicals postage paid at Astoria, OR ADVERTISING OWNERSHIP All advertising copy and illustrations prepared by The Astorian become the property of The Astorian and may not be reproduced for any use without explicit prior approval. COPYRIGHT © Entire contents © Copyright, 2019 by The Astorian. 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Printed on recycled paper Subscription rates Eff ective May 1, 2019 MAIL (IN COUNTY) EZpay (per month) ...............................................................................................................$11.25 13 weeks in advance ...........................................................................................................$37.00 26 weeks in advance ...........................................................................................................$71.00 52 weeks in advance ........................................................................................................ $135.00 Out of County Rates available at 800-781-3214 DIGITAL EZpay (per month) .................................................................................................................$8.00 Luke Whittaker/Chinook Observer Total Fisherman Guide Service owner Kevin Newell said it’s been the best tuna fi shing in his nearly 20 years of guiding. A fi shing bonanza for albacore Warmer water could play role By LUKE WHITTAKER Chinook Observer LONG BEACH, Wash. — It’s been a summer of fre- netic fi shing in the Pacifi c Northwest, with rare sight- ings and a record catch. Recreational fi shermen along the Oregon and Wash- ington state coasts are report- ing some of the best albacore tuna fi shing in years, in addi- tion to unusual sightings and some unexpected bycatch, a perceived result of warm-wa- ter conditions offshore. A Washington state record 92-pound bluefi n tuna was reeled in off the southern coast of Ilwaco by a recre- ational angler Aug. 12, shat- tering the previous record set in 2014 by more than 50 pounds. An abundance of alba- core close to shore, some less than 30 miles, has resulted in a boon for local recreational fl eets, as their relative prox- imity has permitted more boats to reach the fi sh in a manageable amount of time. Several recreational char- ter skippers are reporting the best tuna fi shing in years, with dozens of tuna being caught daily on trips out of Ilwaco, Warrenton and Astoria. Oregon is on track to set a new seasonal record for recreational albacore land- ings, according to the Ore- gon Department of Fish and Wildlife. Kevin Newell, the owner of Astoria-based Total Fish- erman Guide Service, said it’s the best fi shing in his nearly 20 years of guiding. With no set daily limit for albacore in Washington, rec- reational fi shermen are per- mitted to “plug the boat” with as many fi sh as they can fi t. 15 miles offshore. Typically albacore are found between 40 to 80 miles offshore, but can be further depending on water surface temperatures. Hookups of Pacifi c blue marlin and striped marlin, often caught in the warmer waters off the Baja Califor- nia coast, have surprised sev- eral fi shermen trolling off the ‘I THINK THIS WARM WATER IS DOING SOME STRANGE THINGS AND WE JUST DON’T QUITE KNOW GOOD OR BAD. WITH ALL THOSE OTHER SPECIES SHOWING UP THIS HIGH IN WASHINGTON AND OREGON, YOU REALLY DON’T SEE THAT.’ Wayne Heikkila | executive director of the Western Fishboat Owners Association Shake N’ Bake owner Mike Colbach has had sev- eral 50-plus fi sh days on his Ilwaco-based charter this season. In 2018, Colbach curtailed charter trips due to poor tuna fi shing, but this summer he’s adding dates to the calendar and encouraging customers to book. During the Offshore Tuna Classic in Ilwaco in late July, each of the 30 partici- pating boats caught tuna, a rare occurrence, according to tournament chairman Del Stephens, who also reported tuna were spotted less than Washington coast. No offi cial landings have been reported, as the big fi sh regularly break off lighter albacore rigs. Increased landings of bluefi n, big eye tuna, mahi- mahi and mako sharks, more commonly caught in the South Pacifi c, have been reported along with sight- ings of rare species includ- ing Humboldt squid and blue whales. A large sunfi sh washed ashore on Benson Beach in Cape Disappoint- ment State Park. “It’s been kind of unusual,” said Wayne Heik- kila, the executive director of the Western Fishboat Own- ers Association, who moni- tors the tuna fi shing season coastwide from California to Washington as part of non- profi t representing 400 alba- core fi shermen . “Guys have been catching bluefi n, big eye and mahi mahi.” Heikkila said ocean con- ditions could be causing the catch anomalies. “I think this warm water is doing some strange things and we just don’t quite know good or bad. With all those other species showing up this high in Washington and Oregon, you really don’t see that. I’ve seen it in Califor- nia during years when we’ve had El Niños, sometimes you catch some different species off central California, but there’s been a lot of different species around this year,” he said. The warm water is impact- ing fi sheries elsewhere, too. “The water offshore is 70 degrees and (if you look at water charts) it goes way up toward Alaska,” Heikkila said. “Alaska is having real problems with hot water this year. There seems to be a nar- rower band of cooler water anywhere from 30 to 100 miles off the beach, the area where we normally catch fi sh in the summer, and it seems there a lot of hot water off- shore. I can’t really say I can compare this year to any so far. It’s just a little bit different.” Hispanic council seeks new executive director By NICOLE BALES The Astorian The Lower Columbia Hispanic Council is search- ing for a new e xecutive d irector . Jorge Gutierrez accepted a new job in Seattle after six years with the organization. He stepped down in July. Maritza Romero has been named i nterim e xecu- tive d irector during the tran- sition. She has been with the council since 2015 and has managed f amily e ngage- ment , e arly l earning and K-12. “We have grown from a team of two working in a very small offi ce space at the Duncan Law Building. Thanks to Jorge’s vision and work, we now have a fully-equipped team and a great new offi ce space,” Romero said in a statement. “I’m very grateful to have the opportunity to take on the role as the i nterim e xec- utive d irector and lead the team in this transition.” The Lower Columbia Hispanic Council moved to the new location in the Miller-Jeffers B uilding on Duane Street in May. Gutierrez formed an advisory committee, La Voz de la Comunidad — The Voice of the Commu- nity — in 2015 to address the issue of Hispanic fami- lies being underrepresented in decision-making pro- cesses that affect their over- all health. The committee has over 30 active members and volunteers. “We have embraced the importance of understand- ing Hispanic health, social and economic inequities and address those issues by elevating the voices of our people,” Fernando Rodri- guez, the council’s presi- dent, wrote in a statement. Gutierrez also shifted the council’s work from being primarily service-ori- ented to taking an upstream approach when building programs and services. “We don’t have the words to express our grat- itude to Jorge’s dedication and accomplishments and he will be truly missed,” Rodriguez said. “We are also thankful for our local supporters and volunteers that have donated their time and funds toward our work.”
