ECLIPSE 2017
MONDAY, AUG. 21 97% OF TOTALITY
STARTS AT 9:06 A.M. MAX AT 10:18 A.M. ENDS AT 11:36 A.M.
ECLIPSE SAFETY |
$2.00
116TH Year - No. 37
CHINOOKOBSERVER.COM
See Page A11
Wednesday, August 16, 2017
Ladies and gentlemen, START YOUR ENGINES
Drug crisis sparks lifesaving eě˜r�s Deputies will carry grantfunded opioid antidote By AMY NILE anile@chinookobserver.com
PENINSULA — Washington and Oregon leaders are rolling out programs in and around PaFi¿F &ount\ that aim to sloZ the spread of disease through drug use and curb the rising overdose death toll. LaZ enforcement leaders and medical e[perts are e[panding access across the count\ to a lifesaving antidote that can reverse an overdose of heroin o[\codone or other opioids natural and s\nthetic pain-relieving drugs that are derived from the opium popp\. Across the &olumbia 5iver public health of¿cials are ZorNing to reduce harm caused b\ addiction b\ opening tZo sites in &latsop &ount\ Zhere dirt\ needles can be e[changed for clean ones.
Leading cause of preventable death PHOTOS BY LUKE WHITTAKER/Chinook Observer
Hillary Trusty and Jaxon Allen, 7, took a test drive on Tuesday, Aug. 8, as Fun Beach Speedway was nearing reopening.
Fun Beach Speedway officially open
Overdoses noZ Nill more people than trafÂżc collisions. 7he National Safet\ &ouncil counts trafÂżc fatalities across Washington in . Annual data from the state Department of +ealth shoZ people died from opioid overdoses. See CRISIS Page A8
By LUKE WHITTAKER lwhittaker@crbizjournal.com
ON* BEA&+ — A feverish tZo-ZeeN race of repairing, repainting and replacing reached the checNered Ă€ag for )un Beach SpeedZa\ on Aug. , as neZ oZners *lenn and +illar\ 7rust\ opened for their Âżrst ofÂżcial da\ of business. B\ p.m., more than riders had fulÂżlled their need for speed, *lenn said. 7he price is per session, Zhich lasts about Âżve minutes and equates to about laps. Double occupanc\ carts are available for . 7he height requirement is inches. A smaller, “junior tracN´ is available for \ounger drivers. 7he tourist attraction had been closed since April after a search Zarrant turned up evidence the business Zas being used b\ its former oZner as a front for drug sales and receiving stolen propert\.
Oller swim pr˜gram c˜rrec�s c˜urse
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Glenn and Hillary Trusty are the new owners of Fun Beach Speedway, located at the corner of Pacific Avenue and Sid Snyder Drive in Long Beach. “Safety is our number one priority,� Glenn said.
By NATALIE ST. JOHN nstjohn@chinookobserver.com
New carts, improved safety 7Zent\-four glistening gold go-carts are available on the tracN, Zhich Zas completel\ overhauled after the 7rust\s Âżnalized their purchase in late -ul\. “7he tracN Zas alZa\s NnoZn for being a fun tracN, it just Zasn’t alZa\s NnoZn for being the safest,´ *lenn said. Initiall\, a lot of attention Zas focused on cleaning up glaring issues at the facilit\, but repairs and improvements to the tracN and equipment have been e[tensive, albeit less apparent. The most obvious change is the carts themselves. “All the carts are brand neZ,´ *lenn said. “The\’re state-of-the-art for safet\.´ See GO-CART Page A9
Limits placed to make sure it goes the distance
More than 250 racers turned out during the first few hours during opening day at Fun Beach Speedway on Friday, Aug. 11.
PENINSULA — Itœs been a \ear since Verna Oller’s unique bequest made it possible for South Paci¿c &ount\ residents to sZim for free. 7he arrangement has proven so popular that the managers of the Verna Oller Aquatic 7rust recentl\ had to maNe a change to ensure there Zill alZa\s be enough mone\ to Neep Oller’s dream alive. Initiall\ the trust paid for both free sZimming lessons and unlimited sZimming sessions at the Astoria Aquatic &enter and the Dunes %ible &amp pool. *roup sZimming lessons are still free, Doug Knutzen, one of the board members Zho manage the trust said on Aug. . +oZever, recreational and lap sZimmers are noZ limited to eight free sZims per month. See SWIM Page A9
m˜˜�‘ �ransi�i˜n f˜r new principal Meinhardt has been in district since 1991 By DAMIAN MULINIX For the Observer
LON* %EA&+ — 7hough still nearl\ a month from the ¿rst da\ of school, &ath\ 0einhardt sa\s her move from principal of Ocean ParN School (OPS) to the same job at
Long Beach School (LBS) has been an eas\ one. “Staff have been so nice and happ\ and collaborative and have Zelcomed me Zith open arms,´ she said last ZeeN. Even her commute to ZorN from her home in IlZaco has been a smooth one. “It’s a perN,´ she said. “It’s nice. It’s reall\ fast. LiNe Âżve minutes or something.´
She believes her st\le as an administrator Zill help endear her to her neZ colleagues. “I’m a ver\ collaborative administrator, liNe I Zas as a teacher. So I listen, I talN to people. I asN questions,´ she said. “I’ve never been a Âľtop doZn’ person. I don’t believe in that. So I spend time seeing Zhat people need.´ See PRINCIPAL Page A9
DAMIAN MULINIX/For the Observer
Longtime local educator Cathy Meinhardt is moving from the principal job at Ocean Park School to Long Beach School this summer.
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