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About The daily Astorian. (Astoria, Or.) 1961-current | View Entire Issue (Jan. 28, 2020)
»INSIDE DailyAstorian.com // TUESDAY, JANUARY 28, 2020 147TH YEAR, NO. 91 $1.50 Volunteers push to legalize psychedelic mushrooms Hope to qualify for ballot By NICOLE BALES The Astorian Over the next several months, people may encounter local volunteers asking for signatures to get a state wide initiative on the ballot to legalize the therapeutic uses of psilocybin, or psychedelic mushrooms. Becca Recker, the volunteer coordina- tor for the PSI 2020 Initiative, said people have shown interest in volunteering . More than 20 people attended a volunteer train- ing held at Fort George Brewery on Friday. “Astoria is known as a psilocybin des- ‘ASTORIA IS KNOWN AS A PSILOCYBIN DESTINATION.’ NEW SUBDIVISION PLANNED FOR GEARHART Photos by Hailey Hoff man/The Astorian A new subdivision has been proposed for a 30-acre plot of land off of Highlands Lane in Gearhart. Neighbors concerned about elk, butterfl y habitat Becca Recker | volunteer coordinator for the PSI 2020 Initiative By NICOLE BALES The Astorian A new subdivision planned for Gearhart has drawn concern among neighbors. The developers of The Cottages at Gearhart LLC purchased the property a couple of years ago. They expect to have an application submitted to Clatsop C ounty in about a month to develop a 30-acre parcel off of High- lands Lane. They hope to begin devel- oping the property in late s pring. tination,” Recker said. “There is a lot of psychedelic underground work here where people have been guiding psilocybin ses- sions for people for decades.” The area is also known for Psilocybe azurescens, the most potent psychedelic mushroom, which was identifi ed near Astoria by mycologist Paul Stamets. If the initiative is approved by voters, it will allow psilocybin to be administered in licensed therapeutic environments and supervised by trained facilitators. It would A private property sign stands outside the land where 21 new homes may be built. See Gearhart, Page A6 See Mushrooms, Page A6 Chamber honors local volunteers Five area leaders were recognized The Astorian Edward Stratton/The Astorian Sean Tolman is executive chef of The Aspen Grove, a new French restaurant in the former Clemente’s at the corner of the Astoria Riverwalk and the 14th Street pier. New chef brings French cuisine to the waterfront Tolman takes over former Clemente’s Astoria-Warrenton Area Chamber of Commerce Mike and Mary Davies, dressed for the Roaring ‘20s theme at the Astoria-Warrenton Area Chamber of Commerce’s annual banquet, jointly took home the George Award, Astoria’s citizen-of-the-year honor. By EDWARD STRATTON The Astorian T he base for much of Sean Tolman’s menu can be found in the 50-gal- lon pot of beef stock reg- ularly simmering in his kitchen at the corner of 14th Street and the Astoria Riverwalk. The executive chef of The Aspen Grove, which replaces Clemente’s Cafe , said he hopes to provide the area more classical French cuisine in an unpre- tentious environment. Tolman, a Utah native, worked for the p ast 3 1/2 years at Buoy Beer Co., and a year prior at the late Rio Cafe. Before the North Coast, he worked through- out the mountain West, mainly in Salt Lake City, See Tolman, Page A6 See Chamber, Page A6 THE ASPEN GROVE The Aspen Grove, at 174 14th St., opens for lunch and dinner 11 a.m. to 9 p.m. Thursday through Saturday and from noon to 6 p.m. Sundays. A quintet of local volun- teers shared this year’s cit- izen-of-the-year honors , announced Saturday night during the Astoria-Warren- ton Area Chamber of Com- merce’s annual banquet. Debbie Morrow, a long- time member of the War- renton-Hammond School Board , took home the Rich- ard Ford Distinguished Ser- vice Award. Morrow, who works for the Clatsop Asso- ciation of Realtors, helps run Warrenton-Hammond Healthy Kids Inc., a non- profi t youth support foun- dation. She is a board mem- ber with the Columbia Pacifi c Coordinated Care Organization and served on the strategic council of the Way to Wellville wellness challenge. The George Award, Astoria’s citizen-of-the- year honor, was split four ways . The c hamber honored Dulcye Taylor, owner of Old Town Framing Co. and an instrumental fi g- ure downtown. Taylor has volunteered with the Asto- ria Parks, Recreation and Community Foundation, the Garden of Surging Waves, Astoria Visual Arts, Lower Columbia Diversity The Astorian LEFT: Dulcye Taylor, who won a Lady Liberty award in 2017, received a George Award, Astoria’s citizen-of-the-year honor. RIGHT: Teresa Brownlie, a volunteer with Astoria Rotary Club among her other community eff orts, won a George Award.
