A2 THE ASTORIAN • SATURDAY, AUGUST 13, 2022 IN BRIEF CONVERGE County places two-year ban on psilocybin on November ballot A two-year ban on psilocybin businesses in Clat- sop County’s unincorporated areas is headed for the November ballot. The county Board of Commissioners on Wednes- day passed an ordinance declaring a moratorium on the substance. This will give county staff time to work out regulations that go further than state regulations on how and where psilocybin businesses will operate. A separate resolution and order referred the temporary ban to county voters. Astoria school board chooses new member, chairwoman The Astoria School District Board voted on Wednesday night to appoint Maritza Casarrubias as a new member. Filling Position 3 on the board, Casarrubias takes over for Jimmy Pearson, the former chairman, who vacated his position earlier this year. The term ends in June next year. The school board also voted unanimously to elect Heidi Wintermute, the former vice chairwoman, as chairwoman. School board member Jenna Rickenbach will take over as vice chairwoman. Warrenton school board elects new chair as Morrow takes leave of absence WARRENTON — The Warrenton-Hammond School District Board voted unanimously on Wednes- day to elect Greg Morrill as the new chairman. Morrill’s appointment comes as Debbie Morrow, the former board chairwoman, faces an indictment for theft charges related to her previous role with the Clat- sop Association of Realtors. Morrow will remain a member of the school board, but has opted to take a temporary leave of absence from all board responsibilities, Tom Rogo- zinski, the superintendent of the school district, said in an email. — The Astorian DEATHS Aug. 10, 2022 Deaths ROHNER, Anne Irene, 84, of Warren- ton, died in Seaside. Caldwell’s Luce-Lay- ton Mortuary of Asto- ria is in charge of the arrangements. Aug. 9, 2022 BOYD, Anthony Lee “Tony,” 70, of Sea- side, died in Seaside. Caldwell’s Luce-Lay- ton Mortuary of Asto- ria is in charge of the arrangements. HARTMAN, Sharon Lee, 66, of Nehalem, died in Seaside. Caldwell’s Luce-Layton Mortuary of Astoria is in charge of the arrangements. RODRIGUEZ, Juan Manuel Lopez, 60, of Naselle, Washing- ton, died in Seaside. Caldwell’s Luce-Lay- ton Mortuary of Asto- ria is in charge of the arrangements. Lydia Ely/The Astorian Sea gulls and geese converge near the Port of Astoria. Oregon appeals court sides with Brown on early prison releases District attorneys had challenged governor By RYAN HAAS Oregon Public Broadcasting The Oregon Court of Appeals ruled Wednesday that Gov. Kate Brown was within her authority to grant clemency in 2020 and 2021 to around 1,000 people con- victed of crimes. The governor’s use of her powers to shorten prison sentences drew condemna- tion from two district attor- neys, Linn County’s Doug Marteeny and Lane Coun- ty’s Patricia Perlow. The pair of district attorneys and family members of crime victims sued the governor and other state offi cials to stop the clemency actions. The district attor- neys took particular issue with Brown’s decision to allow 73 people convicted of crimes such as mur- der, assault, rape and man- slaughter while they were younger than 18 to apply for early release. Patrick Lee Harned — who in 1999, at age 16, kidnapped, sexually abused and strangled his neighbor, 7-year-old Ashley Ann Carlson in Astoria — was among those who has petitioned for early release. The majority of the peo- ple receiving clemency were either medically at risk during the early stages of the COVID-19 pandemic or had helped with wildfi re fi ghting eff orts during the historic Labor Day fi res of 2020. While the district attor- neys and the crime victims who brought the legal action made technical arguments about why Brown’s actions were overreach, the a ppeals c ourt said it was also clear there was emotion at stake in the clemency decisions because crime victims felt they were “denied justice.” “The arguments and emotions present in this case echo through the cen- turies. The power to pardon, sitting within a singular executive – be they mon- arch, president, or governor – has always been contro- versial,” the opinion states. “Whenever it has been used, it has been lauded by some, and condemned by others.” Still, the a ppeals c ourt judges said they were “not called here to judge the wisdom of the g overnor’s clemency … that is a polit- ical question.” Instead, the judges said their job was to narrowly rule on whether the governor could legally take the action that she did, and on that front they found her actions legally sound. “Hurt – no matter how sympathetic – does not translate to authority to challenge and displace com- mutations that accord with the constitutional powers aff orded the g overnor,” the a ppeals c ourt opinion states. In a statement to Ore- gon Public Broadcast- ing , Perlow said the gov- ernor’s actions amounted to a “violation of victims’ rights,” and she hoped the incoming Legislature would take action to put limits on the governor’s clemency powers. “The Court of Appeals has granted the g overnor unbridled authority to tram- ple on the rights of victims and limit the authority of the 36 d istrict a ttorneys to enforce those rights,” Per- low said. ON THE RECORD Grant: ‘A little more self-suffi cient’ Hit-and-run 35, of Astoria, was arrested On the Record • Jeremiah David Nol- on Tuesday near the Bum- lan, 39, of Warrenton, was arrested on Thurs- day for felony hit-and-run, reckless driving and two counts of reckless endan- gering. He was also cited for driving uninsured and driving with a suspended or revoked license. Nollan allegedly crashed a motor home into a power pole at S.E. Main Avenue and S.E. 10th Place in Warrenton, knocking down the mast. He briefl y gave chase but was arrested near the scene. The police report lists six victims: three busi- nesses and three individu- als. One individual, a pas- senger in the motor home, had an artery severed. Assault • Christina Dawn Poole, ble Art Studio preschool on W. Marine Drive in Astoria for fourth-degree assault constituting domestic vio- lence and second-degree disorderly conduct. Theft • Michael Pat- rick McCloskey, 40, of Santa Cruz, California, was indicted on Thurs- day for fi rst-degree theft and second-degree crim- inal trespass. On Sunday, he allegedly stole a boat near Lief Erikson Drive in Astoria and took it into a lagoon and the Colum- bia River. On Monday morning, McCloskey was discovered swimming in the lagoon without the boat and taken to a hospi- tal. The U.S. Coast Guard recovered the boat, police said. 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 Lydia Ely/The Astorian Leah Boles hugs friends after being crowned Astoria Regatta queen. Regatta: ‘It’s such a beautiful thing’ Continued from Page A1 MONDAY Astoria City Council, 7 p.m., City Hall, 1095 Duane St. TUESDAY Port of Astoria Commission, 4 p.m., 10 Pier 1, Suite 209. Lewis & Clark Fire Department Board, 6 p.m., main fi re station, 34571 U.S. Highway 101 Business. Seaside Planning Commission, 6 p.m., work session, City Hall, 989 Broadway. Seaside School District Board, 6 p.m., 2600 Spruce Dr. Established July 1, 1873 Continued from Page A1 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, 2022 by The Astorian. MEMBER OF THE ASSOCIATED PRESS MEMBER CERTIFIED AUDIT OF CIRCULATIONS, INC. Printed on recycled paper Annalyse Steele was crowned queen in 2020 in a small ceremony and contin- ued the role through 2021. Last year, the Regatta had some outdoor events, but not a full court. “It’s very exciting to fi nally get to take part in all of the R egatta events,” she said. “Very honored that they kept me around.” Amber Hill, the vice pres- ident of the Regatta’s board, said being able to return to the usual events, such as the queen’s coronation, the Sea- men’s Memorial, the Grand Land Parade and the Highwa- ter Boat Parade, has brought some normalcy back to the community. “This is a small commu- nity and we are all very tight- knit, and getting to represent that and be chosen for that is just such a huge honor,” she said about being selected queen . Serving on the Regatta court, t he girls learn valu- able skills like networking and public speaking, Hill said. They also receive scholar- ships, with $4,000 awarded to everyone on the court and an additional $2,000 for the queen. The girls became close over their time working together, Steele said. Before the coronation, the princesses spoke about how much Steele meant to them as a friend and a role model. She said the court is a great support system. “I would get texts from people while I was down at school and just checking in and it was great 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 DIGITAL EZpay (per month) .................................................................................................................$8.25 to get to connect with every- body, ” she said. As a 2004 Regatta princess, Hill said she is still connected to other former princesses. “It’s forever. I mean, this year, we have a 50-year reunion of a Regatta court coming to our parade and we have a past Regatta court coming as well,” she said. “It’s such a beautiful thing to see it continue.” USDA is to support com- munity and small-busi- ness infrastructure (and) to support community and economic develop- ment specifi cally focused on rural America,” she said. “There are a lot of agencies that focus on everybody, and we were created specifi cally to focus on creating equity in our rural communities and access to capital and access to programs.” During her time in the region, Hoff mann also met community leaders at the county and city lev- els to discuss how they can strategically part- ner to meet local and regional needs. Housing, child care and workforce development were some of the topics brought up, she said. “There is such a strong foundation of community leadership in this par- ticular region, it’s really impressive to learn about all the ways that commu- nity leaders are having an impact,” Hoff mann said. Please ADOPT A PET! VINN Y 7 year old Mini Aussie/ Dachshund Blend Missing his person, Vinny is homeless, but not hopeless. Love will bloom where kindness is planted. See more on WANTED Alder and Maple Saw Logs & Standing Timber Northwest Hardwoods • Longview, WA Contact: John Anderson • 360-269-2500 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