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About The daily Astorian. (Astoria, Or.) 1961-current | View Entire Issue (April 27, 2021)
A2 THE ASTORIAN • TUESDAY, APRIL 27, 2021 IN BRIEF Police investigate shooting on state Highway 202 Police are investigating a shooting that occurred Sunday evening on state Highway 202. A woman had reportedly parked her car on the side of the highway near Olney at around 7:30 p.m. to take a nap. Police say another driver stopped next to her car and started shooting into the car. At least three shots were fi red. Police investigate vandalism in Astoria Astoria police are investigating vandalism involv- ing the same vehicle description. Police said that on Friday an oatmeal-like substance was thrown on two patrol vehicles from a silver sta- tion wagon. Offi cers on Sunday found a broken window at Clat- sop County Circuit Court. Video footage shows a vehi- cle matching the same description was involved. On Sunday evening, the vehicle sideswiped a parked sheriff ’s vehicle on Duane Street by the jail. Astoria resumes fi tness classes The Astoria Aquatic Center is bringing back fi tness classes May 19. Classes will be off ered Monday through Saturday, with start times between 7:30 a.m. and noon. Parks will use a reservation system, capping classes at eight people and charging daily drop-in rates. Participants are required to wear masks, keep 6 feet apart and fol- low coronavirus screening protocols. “We’re fortunate that our recreation coordinator Peter von Payens has such an extensive background in fi tness instruction,” Terra Patterson, recreation coordi- nator for parks, said in a statement. “We look forward to Peter sharing his love of fi tness with the community.” Payens teaches yoga, Pilates, weight training, kick- boxing and other exercises, Patterson said, and has been learning more about cycling for spin classes. — The Astorian Oregon to get sixth seat in Congress Following a decade of robust population growth, Oregon will receive a new congressional seat for the fi rst time in 40 years, the U.S. Census Bureau announced on Monday. According to the 2020 census, the state’s resident population was more than 4.2 million as of April 1, 2020. That’s a 10.6% increase over the 3.8 million that offi cials calculated a decade before. — Oregon Public Broadcasting MEMORIAL Saturday, May 1 Memorial NYBERG, Hazel — Celebration of life at 1 p.m., Wickiup Grange, 92683 Svensen Market Road. ON THE RECORD Strangulation methamphetamine and a On the Record • Jason Andrew Ter- probation violation. rill, 31, of Gearhart, was arraigned Friday on charges of strangulation and assault in the fourth degree. Assault • Paul Lee Roebuck, 48, was arrested Sunday near Maritime Memorial Park in Astoria for assault in the fourth degree. Disorderly conduct • Johnny Rafael Greg- ory Valencia, 37, of Sea- side, was arrested on Sat- urday at 10th Street and Marine Drive in Astoria for disorderly conduct in second degree, felon in possession of a restricted weapon, possession of DUII • Janel Wysel, 35, of Oregon City, was arrested Saturday at Home Depot in Warrenton for driv- ing under the infl uence of intoxicants, unlawful pos- session of heroin, unlaw- ful possession of cocaine and unlawful possession of methamphetamine. • Jesus A. Martinez Amezcua, 21, of Sea- side, was arrested Friday on U.S. Highway 101 in Seaside for DUII. • Francisco Suco Sar- gento Dias, 46, of Asto- ria, was arrested Friday on state Highway 202 in Astoria for DUII. PUBLIC MEETINGS PUBLIC MEETINGS (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 Hernandez insists candidacy is valid By R.J. MARX The Astorian SEASIDE — A candidate for the Sunset Empire Park and Recreation District’s board could win the elec- tion in May but be unable to serve. A confl ict between a mail- ing address and voter reg- istration may put Al Her- nandez, who is challenging incumbent Su Codding- ton for Position 1, out of the running. “We have been informed that he does not live at the address in Seaside but rather at his home in Gearhart,” Circulation phone number: 800-781-3214 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, 2021 by The Astorian. MEMBER OF THE ASSOCIATED PRESS MEMBER CERTIFIED AUDIT OF CIRCULATIONS, INC. Printed on recycled paper Clatsop County Clerk Tra- currently resides at the Sea- cie Krevanko said . “Since side residence during this he provided the Seaside process.” address on his fi ling form Hernandez said he did not we accepted it as it know how or where is within the district. the record of his per- His home in Gear- manent place of res- hart is not within the idence changed. He SEPRD.” said he was in the Hernandez said he process of working has lived on Edge- to correct records wood Street in Sea- to refl ect the real- side for some time Al Hernandez ity of his permanent and has voted as a residence. Seaside resident. A retired accounting and “I planned on remodeling fi nancial professional, Her- my home and decided to pur- nandez was most recently chase a temporary residence the fi nancial offi cer at Sun- in Gearhart to live in during set Empire Transportation the remodeling work,” he District. said. “Due to COVID and Hernandez will be listed other complications, the on the May 18 ballot, remodeling has taken lon- Krevanko said, as it is too ger than expected. My son late to reprint ballots. Continued from Page A1 The incumbents — Celeste Bodner, Su Cod- dington, Michael Hinton, Erika Marshall Hamer and Katharine Parker — are run- ning as part of “Progress- forSEPRD.com,” with sup- port for the development of the former Broadway Mid- dle School as a community resource. They present a list of commitments, including improved self-governance, board transparency, improv- ing the board’s connection to community feedback, supervision and support for the park district’s executive director, Skyler Archibald. “We continue to engage with everyone as we expand community access with expanded indoor recreation, our scholarship programs and sensible cost recovery,” Hinton wrote in a letter to the Seaside Signal on the group’s behalf. Challengers Huismann, Patrick Duhachek, Jackie Evans, Al Hernandez and Stephen Morrison say the park district’s board has not listened to residents. They stress “foresight, insight and oversight” in their campaign material, along with fi scal responsibil- ity and a voice for taxpayers. The challengers have the support of Transparency for SEPRD Taxpayers, a Face- book group that challenged the middle school purchase from the Seaside School Dis- trict without a voter referen- dum. The sale of the school, now called the Sunset Rec- Celeste Bodner Su Coddington Patrick Duhachek Jackie Evans Erika Marshall Hamer Al Hernandez Michael Hinton John Huismann Stephen Morrison Katharine Parker reation Center, closed in January for a price of $2.15 million. Over the past few years, the park district’s board has had to cope with divisions over the district’s manage- ment and resignations after claims of unbecoming per- sonal behavior. Coddington, a commu- nity volunteer and nurse who was appointed to the board last year, is facing Hernandez, a retired accoun- tant, for Position 1. The elec- tion is for a four-year term. Bodner, the founder and executive director of Foster- Club appointed to the board last year, is facing Huis- mann, a retired businessman, for Position 2. The election is for a four-year term. DIGITAL EZpay (per month) .................................................................................................................$8.25 Hinton, a contrac- tor who has served on the board for 19 years, is fac- ing Duhachek, a former U.S. Navy aircraft main- tenance offi cer and private sector project manager and logistics engineer who owns Wheel Fun Rentals, for Position 3. The election is for a four-year term. Marshall Hamer, the director of global human resources for Mercy Corps appointed to the board last year, is facing Evans, who had management roles at Fred Meyer Jewelers, for Position 4. The election is for a two-year unexpired term. Parker, the head secre- tary of Seaside High School appointed to the board in 2019, is facing Morri- son, who retired after man- agement roles at trucking companies, for Position 5. Parker is the board presi- dent. The election is for a two-year unexpired term. Ballots will be mailed starting Wednesday . The c andidates will be interviewed from 10 to 11 a.m. on Wednesday on KMUN. Candidates will partic- ipate at a forum at 7 p.m. on Thursday presented by the Seaside Signal and the American Association of University Women Seaside Chapter that will be broad- cast to the public via lives- tream. T he livestream will be available at the park dis- trict’s YouTube channel. Lairs: Hope they will inspire future volunteers scholarship in that fi eld,” Liz Lair said. “However, she wit- nessed what her dad was doing with Gearhart fi re and came to the realization that she wanted to help people as a fi rst responder.” When the University of Maine decided to suspend classes due to the coronavi- rus pandemic, Amy saw an opportunity to make a change in her life path and joined the fi re department as intern. “I pretty much make sure everything’s working so that when we go to calls, nothing is missing and we have every- thing we need,” she said. She learned to drive the fi retruck from the previous intern, James Hutchinson, now a fi re lieutenant. “There’s a process to learning to drive the appara- tus,” Josh Lair said. “Drivers must log a certain amount of time behind the wheel before certifi cation. It’s really up to each volunteer to commit their time to that. And Amy did that very quickly. You want to learn how to drive as many apparatus as she can.” She is certifi ed on every- thing except for the depart- ment’s Unimog, he added, referring to the department’s all-wheel truck. “We’ve been on some really basic calls and some pretty intense calls together,” he said. “You get a little par- ticularly scared or upset when you see her taking some risks. The fi refi ghter part of me is saying, ‘Let’s get after it, let’s go into it.’ But knowing that this is my daughter, there’s a diff erent level of concern for me when we’re on those calls together.” Amy Lair said she found it comforting to have her father at her side. “I know what to expect and that he knows my abilities,” she said. “There’s no questions there. But he’s a person that I turn to when I think I’m going into a stress- ful situation for comfort and his experience.” Along with fi refi ghting, Josh Lair is maintenance manager of WorldMark in Seaside. Amy Lair is a waitress at Mo’s in Seaside and coaches Subscription rates Eff ective January 12, 2021 MAIL EZpay (per month) ...............................................................................................................$10.75 13 weeks in advance ...........................................................................................................$37.00 26 weeks in advance ...........................................................................................................$71.00 52 weeks in advance ........................................................................................................ $135.00 “If he won, it would be up to the SEPRD to determine if he is ineligible to serve,” Krevanko said. Krevanko said the county has been in contact with Sky- ler Archibald, the park dis- trict’s executive director, and the Oregon Secretary of State’s Offi ce, which over- sees e lections, regarding the residency issue. The park district’s board would fi ll the vacancy if Her- nandez is elected but ruled ineligible. “My permanent residence is within the boundaries of the district,” Hernandez said. “I am eligible to be elected to a position on the SEPRD board. Anyone voting for me can be confi dent that they are casting a valid vote.” Park district: Candidates will take part in forum Continued from Page A1 TUESDAY Prairie Cemetery Association of Knappa, 1 p.m., annual meeting, 92892 Knappa Dock Road. Sunset Empire Park and Recreation District Board of Directors, 5:15 p.m., 1225 Avenue A, Seaside. Astoria Budget Committee, 6 p.m., City Hall, 1095 Duane St. Warrenton City Commission, 6 p.m., City Hall, 225 S. Main Ave. WEDNESDAY Astoria Parks Board, 6:45 a.m., City Hall, 1095 Duane St. Clatsop County Budget Committee, 4 p.m., (electronic meeting). Clatsop County Board of Commissioners, 6 p.m., (elec- tronic meeting). THURSDAY Clatsop County Recreational Lands Planning Advisory Committee, 1 p.m., (electronic meeting). Established July 1, 1873 Candidate residency at issue in park district board race WANTED Alder and Maple Saw Logs & Standing Timber Northwest Hardwoods • Longview, WA Contact: John Anderson • 360-269-2500 junior varsity softball at Sea- side High School. Of the fi ve daughters — the oldest is 24 and the youngest 7 — daughter No. 4, Delilah, is “very much willing to follow in the foot- steps of her big sister,” Josh Lair said. “It’s pretty cool.” Gearhart is recognized for a high number of women fi re volunteers, with seven active with the department . “I think a lot of it has to do with the culture of the fi re depart- ment,” Amy Lair said. “There are a few women that have been on there for a while now. And they make it a safe and comfortable place for other women to want to join.” The Lairs hope their model will serve as an inspi- ration to future volunteers. “It takes a special kind of person to be able to do these things,” Josh Lair said. “And we’re always looking for those special people to join us. The culture of the Gear- hart Fire Department is such that we’re welcoming of any- body and everybody who wants to learn how to do this. And if you become an intern like Amy, you can get a fi re science degree and become an EMT, and the department pays for all those things for you. “Being on those calls with her, it just makes me incred- ibly proud to be her dad and watch her do what she does.”