10 years ago this week — 2013

A building that could be compared to a U.S. Embassy sits at the corner of Eighth and Commercial streets in Astoria.

The Astoria Post Office, established in 1847 and the first west of the Rocky Mountains, is considered a federal enclave, giving it a unique designation that does not allow for local authorities to enforce state laws.

The federal status of the site was largely forgotten until nearly 20 years ago when a homeless man challenged his criminal trespass arrests with evidence that the local police and the district attorney’s office could not charge and prosecute him based on state law.

Astoria Police officers were deputized as Special Deputy United States Marshals shortly thereafter, until 2011, when the new U.S. Marshal for the District of Oregon was sworn in and did not renew their status.

The leftover distinction from Oregon’s days as a U.S. territory now remains an impediment to local law enforcement in policing criminal trespassing at the formerly 24-hour post office lobby. However, Astoria Police officials said they are ready to respond to life-threatening situations at the site nonetheless.

RAYMOND, Wash. — Aquafarming, mariculture, it goes by many names.

But in Pacific County, it’s primarily known as oyster farming and it has 160 years of tradition through many generations of several area families. South Bend, Washington, native Keith Cox has documented the oyster industry over several years. He has done much of the filming himself on a shoestring budget, fitting it into his busy career.

“After conceiving the project in October 2009 and documenting the first oystering footage in November 2009 for the series ‘Willapa Bay Oysters’ two years later, seven trips to Washington and interviews with over 120 people, more than 300 hours of new footage captured and old films and video collected, photography is finished.”

“Imagine having to make a split decision with 70 children behind you,” said Ryan Hahn, Astoria School District transportation director, about the stress of driving a school bus in bad weather.

When heavy wind, rain and cold snaps hit Astoria, the district’s 25 to 309 bus drivers face driving through it all, along with debris and some errant wildlife, to pick up and deliver the area’s children to school.

On Wednesday at the Port of Astoria’s North Tongue Point Facility, Hahn test put his drivers through a serpentine course on district buses up to 45 feet, turning between cones at 15 miles per hour — without using the brakes — to simulate a partial loss of control.

“The ultimate purpose of this is to make drivers aware of the limitations of the vehicles they drive,” said Hahn, a previous driver, driving instructor and mechanic who can explain the minutiae of the buses’ movement dynamics when cornering, braking and accelerating.

For Jackie Riekkola, a district driver for more than 16 years, it was an unusual experience.

“I have this physical adrenaline rush, and internally, I’m fighting what I know not to do, which is go fast around corners,” she said, moments after successfully maneuvering the behemoth vehicle through the course, her co-workers sliding back and forth on every turn.

50 years ago — 1973

Nineteen regular classes and four local car classes made Sunday’s Astoria Regatta Autocross at the old Tongue Point airstrip the biggest yet.

The event was sponsored by the Sunset Empire Sports Car Club, a group of mostly Clatsop County men and women. Autocross chairman Terry Bordwell, who laid out a larger course this time, expressed appreciation to Tongue Point officials and to the sponsoring organizations who donated trophies.

There were no chills or spills in the event, but there was lots of slipping and sliding around most of the pylons in holding the attention of hundreds of spectators coming and going throughout the day.

“Daddy’s in second!”

“C’mon, Daddy, hurry up!”

The shouts of a young girl on the beach at Cullaby Lake Sunday were evidence that limited hydroplane racing is a family sport.

Boat racers and their families, camped in the pit area, mixed with hundreds of spectators all day Sunday during the Cascade Inboard Racing Association-sponsored Astoria Regatta hydroplane races.

Carrie Supple all but disappeared in a crush of royal well-wishers as the announcement came that the 1973 Astoria Regatta had chosen yet another queen.

Debbie Elliott, radiating the charm that brought her the 1972 Regatta crown, gracefully gave up her duties to Supple as the coronation ceremony moved to an end Friday night.

U.S. Coast Guard surface and aerial alertness Wednesday kept a big charter boat from sinking and provided the means of rescuing the 20 salmon fishermen off the disabled craft.

The 51-foot, $50,000 charter boat Modoc, owned by Ray Riedesel, of Hoquiam, Washington, was fishing out of Aberdeen, Washington, when it began taking water before 8 a.m. and was in danger of sinking.

The U.S. Coast Guard responded by sending two H3F helicopters from the Warrenton station and three boats from the Grays Harbor station.

The beef pinch may be loosening — a little.

Several Astoria-area food stores reported Thursday that beef is a little easier to get than it was a couple of weeks ago. But the price, for some, is high.

However, Carl Hertig of Reed & Hertig Packing Co., said beef is just as scarce for him as it has been.

“I couldn’t buy a bit of beef anywhere,” Hertig said. But his packing company probably has enough reserve to get through the rest of the freeze, which ends Sept. 12, he said.

Next year’s national Lewis and Clark conference will be held in Astoria. The decision was made at this year’s conference in St. Louis, Missouri.

The conference will take place sometime in mid-August of next year. Some 300 to 500 Lewis and Clark historians, teachers and state and federal officials will be expected to attend.

75 years ago — 1948

The biggest salmon derby in Astoria’s history got underway Monday morning at 6 a.m., with scores of boats putting out for the fishing grounds from Tongue Point to the sea.

The derby will continue through Labor Day, Sept. 6, after which a $1,000 first prize will be awarded to the sportsman landing the biggest salmon.

Gillnetters began to hope Monday that at least part of the 1948 river fishing season might be salvaged. Catches improved considerably, with packers reporting catches in excess of a ton Monday morning.

Packers estimated the average catches at between 700 and 1,000 pounds Monday morning, as contrasted with averages of 300 pounds and less for the past couple of weeks.

The biggest reported delivery Monday was 2,389 pounds.

SEASIDE — Two travel-worn and bearded college students have arrived here after a cross-country trip from their home in Arlington, Virginia, on bicycles.

Robert, 22, and Walter Frauf, 20, brothers, left Arlington eight and a half weeks ago on their 3,311-mile trip westward, 10 days of which was consumed in hiking through Snake River canyon.

The collegians said that outside of wearing out a set of tires they encountered little trouble in their travels.

Intense heat and the winds over the desert in Wyoming slowed up their journey somewhat. The rain over the Sunset Highway dampened their spirits, but they felt the opportunity of seeing the Pacific offset the difficulties of the trip.

ILWACO, Wash. — Ilwaco was warming up Friday for Saturday’s double-barreled celebration here.

Ilwaco will hold its annual Mayors’ fishing derby Saturday and couple with it an informal dedication of the new west channel into Ilwaco, on which dredging was finished Thursday.

Numerous calls for help kept Coast Guardsmen busy over the weekend. The only serious accidents were reported when two pleasure boats ran aground in the Columbia River.

The most serious boating accident occurred when the Marty Joe, a 24-foot, all-steel cruiser, ran aground on the rocks at the North Jetty Saturday night. The hull of the craft was damaged and, when the U.S. Coast Guard arrived from Cape Disappointment, the vessel was leaking badly.

By putting in an extra pump, Coast Guardsmen were able to keep the vessel afloat while they towed it to Ilwaco. Coast Guardsmen did not learn the name of the owner of the boat or the names of the occupants.

The 50-foot power yacht which ran aground off Point Ellice between Megler and Chinook was still aground Monday morning. Coast Guardsmen were waiting for high tides to pull the craft off the sands.

Local dairymen have explained that competition with Portland milk buyers for a large part of this area’s milk supply necessitates the payment to farmers of an amount equal to or surpassing that offered by Portland distributors.

This situation resulted in Sunday’s raise in Astoria milk prices immediately following an announced raise in Portland.

Portland milk was raised one and a half cents a quart in price, bringing it to a total of 20 1/2 cents per quart. Astoria consumers received a one cent per quart increase, bringing the cost to 21 cents.