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About Cannon Beach gazette. (Cannon Beach, Or.) 1977-current | View Entire Issue (March 22, 2019)
A5 • Friday, March 22, 2019 | Cannon Beach Gazette | CannonBeachGazette.com ‘Rising Out of Hatred’ expands the boundaries of nonfi ction prose F ifty years ago, Eli Saslow’s “Rising Out of Hatred: The Awakening of a For- mer White Nationalist” might have been viewed as controversial “New Journalism,” Tom Wolfe’s designation for his own writings and those of a growing number of magazine journalists in the 1960s. They were experimenting with use of fi ctional techniques in nonfi c- tional prose. Wolfe employed bizarre punc- tuation, peculiar spellings and end- less paragraphs to approximate the antics of Ken Kesey and his merry band of acid trippers in “The Elec- tric Kool-Aid Acid Test.” Even more controversial was Truman Capote’s extended quotation of his sources in “In Cold Blood.” Tra- ditional journalists questioned whether Wolfe or Capote had wit- nessed, committed to memory or taken notes on the experiences or conversations in their works. And then there were deranged fantasies that Hunter Thompson captured in “Fear and Loathing in Las Vegas,” events and expe- riences Thompson described as occurring while he was under the infl uence of alcohol mixed with other uppers and downers. This may have been “gonzo journalism” but few traditional newspaper edi- tors accepted Thompson’s reality. Fifty years later, Saslow writes “Rising Out of Hatred,” a nonfi c- tional account of Derek Black’s slow escape from his white nation- alist family and the racist, far- right views he shared with family, high profi le Klan leaders, far-right activists and millions of fellow travelers guided by Derek’s and his father Don Black’s Stormfront. com online radio station. Saslow, a Washington Post staff writer who resides in Portland, introduces himself in an opening chapter as the omniscient narrator throughout this account, explain- ing how he obtained the coop- eration of Derek, Don and KKK Grand Wizard David Duke. In the fi nal chapter, he acknowledges the cooperation of Allison, Derek’s liberal girlfriend, and others close to Derek at Florida’s liberal New College. In the 300 pages intervening AT THE LIBRARY JOE BERNT between Saslow’s beginning and ending authorial intrusions, he maintains his omniscient narrative voice that allows readers to sym- pathize with the earnest, sweet, kind, intelligent, racist and xeno- phobic Derek Black as he strug- gles to remain a model student while being attacked, threatened and berated by liberal students hostile to his presence at this small college. Whether traditional newspa- pers still exist today has become arguable in the past 20 years. Cer- tainly magazine-style feature arti- cles have replaced much of the objective content wire services and staff reporters once provided. Now, articles lure readers with complex descriptive, narrative and scene-setting introductions. Eli Saslow has mastered the lan- guage of fi ction and convincingly applied it to this linkage of white nationalism to the 2016 presiden- tial election. Saslow won a Pulitzer Prize for Explanatory Journalism in 2014 and was a fi nalist for the Pulit- zer Prize in Feature Writing in 2013, 2016 and 2017. In “Rising Out of Hatred” Saslow is blessed with a great plotline that he thor- oughly exploits in the most mov- ing and frightening piece of non- fi ction I have read since “In Cold Blood.” Allison, the sensitive daughter of a liberal mother from all-white (96.3%) Mentor, Ohio, meets Derek, whose white-nation- alist father started the largest rac- ist internet community and whose godfather is Klan leader David Duke, making a powerful story of love and redemption. Now a couple of reminders about Library events. The library’s annual Volunteer Appreciation Luncheon takes place Wednesday, April 3, from 11 a.m. to 1 p.m. at the Community Hall, 207 N. Spruce St., If planning to attend this luncheon, please RVSP When ‘Peyton Place’ scandalized America A book came out in the mid- ’50s that changed America. The hottest, most vilifi ed, most irresistible book of its time, a best seller in 1956 that every- one was reading but no one would admit it. Caught with a copy of Peyton Place in your possession was the mark of the devil, or at least a sign of bad taste. So we read it in the bathroom with the door locked, in the privacy of the automo- bile or a phone booth or under he covers late at night with a fl ash- light or inside the stall of a public restroom. Grace Metalius, a 30-some- thing discontented housewife, with three kids and a big brain wrote it. Every morning dressed her customary blue jeans, check- ered shirt and tennis shoes, she would scoot up to the kitchen table, lift off the cover of her Royal typewriter and let rip. Objective? To tell the whole truth about some small towns OUT OF MY HEAD BOB DIETSCHE including her own. She tore off the sparkling peaceful exterior of these Pleasantvilles and exposed the political corruption, the rac- ism, debauchery and religious hypocrisy. In raw back alley lan- guage, she addressed abortion, incest, justifi able homicide, rape, and maybe more importantly, the discontent that some women felt living in a world controlled by men. When a reporter asked her if she thought her book would be selling in 30 years, she replied, “Heavens no.” In the 60-plus years since it was fi rst published, it has sold millions. In that time, Peyton Place has undergone a dra- matic transformation, from por- nographic to prophetic, required reading in women’s studies classes in some Colleges and universities. Metalius has become a femi- nist heroine, one of the fi rst to talk about a women’s role in America. She never got used to her celeb- rity status. It confused her. When she went to New York to meet her publisher and sign a contract, she startled everyone in the board- room by appearing in denim and sneakers, thus earning the nick- name “Pandora in Blue Jeans.” She wrote other books includ- ing a sequel called “Return to Pey- ton Place,” but none ever came anywhere close to the popularity of Peyton Place which has become a generic term for a small town with big problems. The beginning is still one of my favorites. “Indian summer is like a woman — ripe, hotly pas- sionate, but fi ckle. She comes and goes as she pleases so that no one is ever sure whether she will come at all or how long she will stay.” Can this woman write or what? IN BRIEF Community grants available Cannon Beach Academy matching grant program Tim and Rhonda Snider, new members of the community, donated $20,000 to the Can- non Beach Academy, and have offered to put up a potential of a further matching grant of $20,000. MEETINGS APRIL 2019 CITY COUNCIL REGULAR MEETING, March 5, 2019 • Adopted Ordinance 19-02, Amending Chapter 13.18 Billing and Collection of Utility Charges; • Approved the issuance of a Request for Proposals for a City Engineer of Record; • Approved using funds from the Recycle Reserve to repair the Recycle building; • Approved amending the scope of contract with D.A. Anderson for municipal financial services; • Approved an agreement with the Oregon Environmental Council for Fund Raising Services for an art project commemorating the Beach Bill. CITY COUNCIL SPECIAL MEETING March 6, 2019 • Cannon Beach Chamber of Commerce presented an update to the Council; • Escape Lodging presented an update regarding the management of the RV Park to the Council; • Council discussed their ratings of several sites being considered for placement of a new City Hall/Police Station. CITY COUNCIL WORK SESSION, March 12, 2019 • Haystack Rock Awareness Program Director, Melissa Keyser presented the 2018 annual report; • Discussed the Warren Way Intersection; • Discussed options to assist the Cannon Beach History Center & Museum should they purchase the old elementary school property; • Discussed street standards; • Discussed the Park Code and the Animal Code; to come back to another meeting; • Discussed dust options for city streets. DESIGN REVIEW BOARD The Design Review Board met February 21st, 2019 and discussed: • DRB 18-08 SR Lodging, modifications to the exterior of an existing building at 532 S. Hemlock. Approved • DRB 18-09 Vito Cerelli, modifications to the exterior of an existing commercial building at 3115 S. Hemlock Denied • The Design Review Board is scheduled to meet February 21st, 2019. • PLANNING COMMISSION - The Planning Commission met January 28th and discussed: • ZO 19-01, City of Cannon Beach request for Zoning Ordinance text amendments to Chapter 17.77 Short Term Rentals. Continued WORK SESSION Events/Outdoor Merchandising -postponed Is published monthly by the City of Cannon Beach 163 E. Gower Street • P.O. Box 368 • Cannon Beach, OR 97110 (503) 436-1581 • Fax: (503) 436-2050 • TTY (503) 436-8097 2 9 Between March 1 and June 1 donations up to $20,000 will be matched by the Sniders. The city of Cannon Beach invites nonprofi t organizations providing arts, educational, rec- reational, environmental, com- munity or social services to apply for grant funding. File an application with the Parks and Community Services Committee. P.O. Box 368, Can- non Beach, OR 97110. Applications must be received by 2 p.m., April 17. M U N I C I PA L M E M O MARCH 2019 the library offi ce at 503-436-1391 or info@cannonbeachlibrary by March 27. Peter Lindsey—author of “Comin’ in Over the Rock: A Storyteller’s History of Cannon Beach” and “Just Movin’ the Water Around: Commercial Trolling with the Cannon Beach Dory Fleet”— will read from and sign his books from 6:45 to 7:30 p.m., Friday, Apr. 5, at the library, 131 N. Hem- lock St., as part of this year’s “Get Lit at the Beach” sponsored by the Tolovana Arts Colony. Finally, spring has arrived, along with spring-cleaning rituals. Volunteers, who sort donated used books to include in the library col- lection or price for resale, now are preparing for the Memorial Day Rare and Used Book Sale and the July Fourth Weekend Book Sale. While clearing shelves and closets this spring, why not let your nonprofi t library fi nd new homes for unwanted books? Vol- unteers encourage visitors and res- idents, preparing their houses for the vacation season, to donate unwanted books to the library. City Council Regular Meeting City Council Work Session Design Review Board 6:00 p.m. 25 Planning Commission 6:00 p.m. NOTICE INVITATION FOR COMMUNITY GRANT APPLICATIONS FUNDING REQUESTS Non-profit organizations providing programs/ projects in arts, educational, recreational, environmental, community, or social services in Cannon Beach are invited to apply for funding from the City of Cannon Beach by filing an application with: City of Cannon Beach Parks and Community Services Committee P.O. Box 368 Cannon Beach, OR 97110 Attention: Jennifer Barrett Applications must be received by 2:00 pm, April 17, 2019 Applications are available at Cannon Beach City Hall 163 East Gower Street/PO Box 368 Cannon Beach, OR 97110 or at www.ci.cannon-beach.or.us NOTICE AARP offers “Smart Driver” classes prior to summer Thurs- day, April 18, at Clatsop Com- munity College, 1651 Lexing- ton, Astoria; and Wednesday, May 8, at Bob Chisholm Com- munity Center in Seaside, 1225 Avenue A. All classes will be from 9 a.m. to 4 p.m. with a lunch break. Those attending are encouraged to arrive early to get paperwork completed. Register through Clatsop Community College at 503- 338-2411 to assure that space is available. For questions or information call John Benson at 503-738- 5925, bensonsbend@gmail. com FOR YOUR INFORMATION MAYOR: Sam Steidel COUNCILORS: Mike Benefield, Nancy McCarthy, Brandon Ogilvie and Robin Risley CITY MANAGER: Bruce St. Denis 7:00 p.m. 5:30 p.m. 18 Of Interest… Driving classes through AARP Of Interest… NOTICE OF VACANCIES CITY COMMISSIONS, BOARDS & COMMITTEES The City of Cannon Beach is seeking applications for the following vacancies: DESIGN REVIEW BOARD; ONE (1) vacancy to fill a 4-year term starting immediately. The Design Review Board reviews development proposals that are subject to the design review provisions of the City’s zoning ordinance. There are five members on the Design Review Board. The Design Review Board holds its regular meetings on the third Thursday of each month at 6:00 p.m. and may also schedule work sessions as needed. PARKS & COMMUNITY SERVICES COMMITTEE; ONE (1) vacancy to fill a 4-year term starting May 1, 2019. The Parks & Community Services Committee recommends strategies and policies that protect natural and scenic resources, provides for the recreational needs of residents and visitors, promotes certain educational and cultural activities, and supports efforts in the public and provide sector to provide needed social services. The Parks & Community Services Committee holds its regular meeting on the third Thursday of each month at 9:00 a.m. and may schedule work sessions as needed. TOURISM & ARTS COMMISSION: TWO (2) vacancies to fill four-year terms beginning in May 2019. The seven-member Tourism and Arts Commission develops grant guidelines and procedures, and distributes and accounts for the monies in the “Tourism and Arts Fund” which are to be used by local non- profit groups to promote tourism and the arts in Cannon Beach. Each member shall have experience in one or more of the following areas: public relations, marketing, advertising, tourism, lodging, promotions, events promotion, art and/ or publicity. The Tourism and Arts Commission holds its meetings as needed. Note: Tourism and Arts Commission applicants are not required to reside in Cannon Beach and are eligible if he or she has worked, at least part-time, within the City of Cannon Beach for at least one year, immediately preceding appointment. ANNUAL INVITATION FOR TOURISM AND ARTS FUND (TAF) APPLICATIONS/REQUESTS To be eligible to serve on a City committee, applicants must have resided within the city or its urban growth boundary during the one year immediately preceding appointment; or at the time of appointment, shall have owned real property located within the city or its urban growth boundary for at least one year immediately preceding appointment. (See ‘Note’ re: TAC). Non-profit organizations providing programs/ projects that further the ARTS while promoting tourism in Cannon Beach are invited to apply for TAF funding from the Tourism and Arts Commission of the City of Cannon Beach by filing an application with: Applications with questionnaires are available at City Hall, 163 E. Gower Street, Cannon Beach, by email addressed to riggs@ci.cannon-beach.or.us, or on-line at www.ci.cannon-beach.or.us. For consideration at the April 2, 2019 City Council meeting, applications and questionnaires must be returned to Colleen Riggs, Assistant City Manager, Cannon Beach City Hall, at P.O. Box 368, Cannon Beach, OR 97110 by March 22nd. Late applications will be considered at the next scheduled City Council meeting if not already filled. For more information, please contact Colleen Riggs by email or phone at (503) 436-8052. City of Cannon Beach Tourism & Arts Commission P.O. Box 368 Cannon Beach, OR 97110 Attention: Colleen Riggs Applications must be postmarked or hand delivered to City Hall by 5:00 pm, May 1, 2019 Applications are available at Cannon Beach City Hall 163 East Gower Street/PO Box 368 Cannon Beach, OR 97110 or at www.ci.cannon-beach.or.us Beach Volunteers Wanted! Do you enjoy being outside and sharing your love of Haystack Rock? No experience necessary – we train! Families welcome. Please contact: Lisa Habecker Education & Volunteer Coordinator 503.436.8064 habecker@ci.cannon-beach.or.us