What's Wrong With This Picture?

This story just keeps getting worse.

Yesterday KAST News reported that the Archdiocese of Portland had sent a memo regarding changes required in the operation of St Mary, Star Of the Sea Parish. Among those requirements: Father Prentice may not write a check on church accounts, his control over the finances was rescinded and placed in the hands of the local church financial council.

Apparently this directive has had little effect. The errant priest refuses to acknowledge the direction from the Archdiocese and reportedly has some anger issues that have been on display for quite some time. Real nice example for the children huh?

The church authorities have acknowledged that Ted needs some counseling. No kidding.
He has expressed himself multiple times in front of many witnesses with expletive laden raging. The Archdiocese told one concerned parishioner that someone would be sent to help with these anger issues but no one has seen anyone show up yet.

After some research into the non-profit reportedly set up by the Father and his longtime friend who masquerades as a Nun it seems that the contact numbers for making donations to that organization go to a home Ted apparently owns with the "Nun" in Portland.

Let's summarize, shall we?

So far we have a swearing priest who has terrorized those he can ,to maintain control;maybe as much as a half million dollars not where it's supposed to be; some local members of the Hispanic community throwing parties at the school until all hours and at at least on one occasion required the police to respond....

Oh yeah..Forgot to tell you about the Hispanic connection.

At one time a few years ago a local Hispanic group started up and they started showing up at community events and were a welcome addition to local volunteer efforts. They held regular meetings at city owned halls. Then all that stopped. Instead they began to use Star of the Sea school. It's not clear whether this is the same group, or just a collection of families that Father Ted brought to Astoria and, according to him, have been living in the housing at Emerald Heights while the parish has been paying the rent(s). It seems the good father wrote himself around $14,000 worth of checks and told those concerned members of the church council that the money went to pay those rents.

There have been multiple calls to the Archdiocese over these issues over the last four years.

While there are assurances that help is on the way it hasn't happened.

You may remember that several years ago another individual embezzled from the Star of The Sea parish. That resulted in people pulling their kids out of the school which rang up a big deficit.
It took several years and a dedicated core group to put things back on an even keel.

It seems that history does repeat itself.

Got to go. A reporter from FOX 12 in Portland just showed up.

The Sins Of The Father...

The Archdiocese of Portland sent a letter on the 23rd of this month to Father Ted Prentice, Pastor of St. Mary, Star of the Sea and the finance council of the church detailing financial irregularities and questionable expenditures. They have pulled the Father's control over all finances, his previously singular authority to sign checks for the parish including Star Of The Sea School, has been revoked. He is not allowed access to blank check stocks. From this point forward it will take two signatures on checks and Father Ted's can only be one of those in an emergency.

Here's what my sources tell me is alleged about this unfortunate development in our local catholic community.

Father Ted Prentice, like any parish priest, exercised complete control over the finances of not just the church but the private school as well. He was the only authority who signed the checks and decided where funds were expended. He has been the leader of St. Mary, Star Of The Sea since given the assignment in May of 2005. Before that he was the parochial Vicar at St. Mary parish in Eugene.

At some point in his time in Astoria he started writing checks that made their way to a Mexican non-profit called Nuestro Futuro (our future). It is claimed that he and a woman whom he has identified as a 'Sister" set up the non-profit. It is said when asked about some checks that he signed he said he was paying rent for the poor in Emerald Heights. The "sister" is apparently not a catholic nun but may be a woman who lived with Father Ted's family as an exchange student for a period of time in the past.

My sources tell me that funds for the parish church and the school have been severely depleted. When our Michael Desmond talked with the principal of Star Of The Sea he said he had no idea if the school is broke. All money that parents pay and that which come from donations and fundraisers were strictly under the control of the parish priest. The administrators and staff at the school have no control over the finances. This is common practice and the Archdiocese of Portland has oversight through it's "Parish Administrative Manual" and the office of financial services.

Did Father Ted redirect nearly a half million dollars in bequeathed funds to his Mexican charity as well? We may never know given the secretive nature and culture of denial that seems to infuse the Archdiocese.

It is interesting to note that when first contacted by KAST news this afternoon the Portland Archdiocese denied knowing anything about the matter. It was only after our news team acquired a memo written by Father Patrick Brennan a week ago to the St. Mary, Star Of The Sea Finance council and Father Ted Prentice that the facts of this story began to slowly unfold.

I'm told that the county DA's office was consulted by concerned parishioners.

I've also learned that Father Ted will offer a confession on these matters during Mass this weekend and that the confession is authored, at least in part, by church council members.

It's not up to me to judge whether the predisposition of the Catholic Church to put ultimate
authority in the hands of their priests in all matters is the right thing to do, or the wrong thing to do. I suspect though that local parishioners will have learned a very tough lesson once this is all over. I feel very sorry for all those people who pay a great deal to have their kids in that clearly superior school, and those who have selflessly donated to various funds supporting the church itself.

Samuelson, Hackett Ousted

Here's a follow-up on the Clatsop Democrats meeting where the leadership removed Ann Samuelson and Pete Hackett from their delegate positions:





What I witnessed tonight at the Clatsop Co. Democratic meeting was one of the most unAmerican, undemocratic processes ever. I was voted out, no discussion, point of order was not acknowledged, basically railroaded. I asked a voting member after it was over why? I was told that I had "brown nosed" Hazen all the way to New York City...when actually we went to Washington D.C. on a very tiring short trip to assure that the FERC Commission acknowledged our Clatsop County contract with Bradwood Landing, assuring that promises to the County were kept. People in attendance were aghast, as was I. I did bring a cake, on it I had written a number of things I've worked on as a Commissioner in the last two years...they ate the cake...need I say more...as always I will continue to serve my constituents in District 5, and the County as whole. Forgiveness is a skill...I'm getting good at it.

Ann Samuelson

Weekly Address

Here is the President's Weekly Address for January 24th

Every Winter

Along toward the end of October and on through the dark months of winter I start getting emails, blog posts, voicemail and comments at the grocery store about KAST AM and the difficulty listeners have in tuning the station. The station becomes more difficult for listeners outside Astoria to pick-up.

As the station has grown in popularity over the years these comments have increased substantially.

Nothing we do with our signal has changed in the 30 years I've been here. With one exception.

When I first started working at KAST we turned the station off at Midnight and turned it back on at 6am for the broadcast day. Everybody knew when I was late for work! Back in those days we didn't have automated systems or radio networks that offered all night programing. Astoria itself was a very different place. The sidewalks rolled up promptly at midnight and were largely deserted hours before.

Over the years as we changed our format from music and news to news and talk we fundamentally changed how people listened. As we got better at covering local news and public affairs those listening habits changed as well. We went from "saying" we were number one to "being" number one with listeners.

Through all those changes our station has remained a 1000 watt directional/non-directional operation as far as the signal goes. It's that directional/non-directional item that creates the problem.

We are always at 1000 watts. At around sundown we change from broadcasting on one tower to broadcasting on two towers which changes the antenna pattern and your ability to pick up the station over the air. Single tower, stronger, non-directional broadcasting kicks in again in the morning which coincides with the time each morning that our licence states we can change the antenna pattern from month to month. As we have longer daylight in summer months the change happens later and later until we reach the longest daylight day of the year and then starts back the other direction until we end up changing our pattern as early as 4:30pm and going back to stronger single tower broadcasting as late as 8am.

Changing this would require a frequency change.

When the FCC expanded the AM radio band a few years back we applied for a construction permit to change from 1370 to 1700. The problem was two-fold. Most car radios at the time were not able to pick up 1700. It wasn't until years later that car makers started installing those expanded frequency radios. There are still millions of portable radios that can't pick up those frequencies. Then there was the cost of the conversion. AM radio stations are far more expensive to put on the air than FM stations. We just couldn't recover the cost in a reasonable time frame to justify the estimated $350,000 the change entailed. The project was abandoned.

Today we have an alternative. KAST AM, along with our other stations, are broadcast on the Internet. We are a little ahead of the game on this as far as car radios go but if you have an Internet connection you can go to our website www.kast1370.com and click "Listen Live" which allows you to hear the station digitally with studio quality audio. This requires a browser plug-in which works with most browsers and directions for the download appear when you access the listen live page. Our webmasters are working on improvements and upgrades all the time.

Eventually, when car makers catch-up, you will be able to get Internet streaming radio stations on your car radio. That's the future of this whole thing. Portable Internet streaming radios are not too far away either.

Hang in there gang. Things will get better.

Clatsop Democrats Tidy Loose Ends

When the Clatsop County Democratic Central Committee meets this week they will consider motions to remove two precinct committee chairs. Ann Samuelson and Peter Hackett. They would also consider rescinding the appointment of Samuelson as an alternate first congressional district delegate and rescinding the appointment of Hackett as an alternate delegate to the Democratic Party of Oregon.

Commissioner Samuelson has found herself falling further out of step with the philosophy of the local Democratic Central Committee as a result of that committee's stance on LNG, amongst other things. Peter Hackett runs the local office for Bradwood Landing LNG. Need I say more?

It seems that the Clatsop Democrats are continuing a process that they started some time ago and are just cleaning up some loose ends with these changes in representation. The local party now represents those who are opposed to any LNG facility siting here, are angry over the federal government approving the Bradwood Landing project even with the conditions attached. By pulling Samuelson and Hackett the party moves forward to back the Governor's objections to the FERC approval and will, without doubt, fully back Democratic Rep. Boone's proposed legislation to put more hurtles before LNG developers statewide.

Commissioner Samuelson wrote me about this saying her experience with Democratic leaders outside Clatsop County is quite different. More open discussion and divergent opinion perhaps? Maybe in private discussions but not as public policy.

The young Obama administration has made much about the importance of bipartisan cooperation but you don't see much in the way of divergence within those parties. Leadership maintains a strong hand on the tiller.

So here's the point. If you want to be a successful politician in today's environment you have to accept that majority rules. If the majority of the Clatsop Democratic Central Committee is heading in one direction and you are heading in the other it's time to either work toward removing those who disagree with you or find a new party that more closely reflects your personal views.

New LNG Legislation Possible

Our state Legislators may consider new rules for the siting of liquefied natural gas terminals and specifically pipelines connected to those plants.

While there are already many requirements placed on building anything in Oregon, this new law would propose that the Oregon energy department be required to determine the need for more natural gas in Oregon before the state could move forward in the approval process.

That's like requiring a state agency to determine the actual need for shoes in Oregon before another pair can be imported into the state.

Here's the summary:

Status of the bill
Hundreds of citizens throughout Oregon requested a bill to ensure the protection of the public when Oregon agencies issue permits for LNG terminals and LNG-related pipelines. The bill was submitted to Legislative Counsel in November of 2008 and is undergoing revisions and awaiting a bill number.

Oregon’s authority over LNG
While the 2005 federal Energy Policy Act gave the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission (FERC) primary siting authority over LNG terminals, Oregon has multiple opportunities to reject or condition LNG projects. The federal statute expressly gives Oregon authority to deny the necessary Clean Water Act permits, Clean Air Act permits and Coastal Zone Management Act authorization. Additionally, LNG developers need leases of State lands for the terminal and pipeline, State water rights, and State wetland fill permits. The LNG Public Protection Act was carefully drafted to provide State authority that is not preempted by FERC

The Effect of the Act
For LNG terminals and LNG-related pipelines, the proposed legislation has four components:

1. Ensures there is a need for LNG before giving away State resources
Oregon agencies can issue leases of State lands, water rights, or wetland fill permits only if there is a demonstrated need for LNG and if the price of LNG does not exceed domestic natural gas. The Oregon Department of Energy would determine whether there is a need for LNG in Oregon. This ensures that State land and water, along with private farms and forestland, are not harmed if LNG is not needed. It also ensures that consumers will not pay more for higher-priced LNG.

2. Ensures that LNG terminals are consistent with Oregon’s strategies for reducing greenhouse gases and global warming
LNG would have to meet the same standards as other energy sources for greenhouse gases.

3. Ensures that natural resources are protected
The proposed legislation states that DEQ may not issue a pollution discharge permit or certify that a project meets Oregon’s standards if the project adversely affects to any extent uses beneficial to Oregonians, including commercial and recreational fishing and agriculture.

4. Ensures vulnerable citizens are protected
To protect human health, LNG facilities are prohibited when the identified fire-risk zone for the LNG facility overlaps with a high sensitivity use, such as day care centers, hospitals, or elder care facilities. This common-sense requirement keeps LNG facilities away from vulnerable citizens in the event of a low probability but high consequence LNG accident or terrorist attack.

What the LNG Public Protection Act would not do
The Act would not affect natural gas pipelines that are not directly related to LNG terminals.
The Act would not ban LNG terminals, but only ensure they meet certain standards prior to leasing State land or granting State water rights.
The Act would not create additional permits.
The Act would not create additional administrative obligations, except for the requirement that the Department of Energy determine whether there is a need for LNG.

Third World

As promised


To the Editorial Board of the Oregonian:
Infrastructure, Oregon's Rural areas pushed back to third world status.
While I write this opinion with much mixed feelings, it is time that someone identify the reality that faces our rural communities while identifying important decision points that need to be discussed. This is also an attempt to remove unnecessary bureaucratic regulatory Choke Points before it's too late.
While I awoke this morning to a loud Oregon Senator Betsy Johnson's replying to Clatsop County Commissioner Ann Samuelsson's (a rural County in Oregon, the oldest US Community West of the Rocky Mountains) concern of her town of Jewell's electrical infrastructure which is trying to recover from recent storm flooding and I listened to Ms. Johnson answer with direction as she provides leadership in the upcoming legislature, I could not help to realize that we as Americans are losing control of our rural communities. KAST a local AM radio station, broadcast community leadership issues during its morning news report. (Notice I did not say Pod Cast, or You Tube, or MSN Internet Broadband Cast, but AM Radio.) I'm sure like many rural areas in America, the heart land of America's infrastructure is going backwards, not forwards and many still listen to AM radio..
Let me try to identify the micro-disaster of what I just heard with examples.
1. Jewell: Western Electric has a an infrastructure problem of connecting power from point A to Point B. Since they as a service provider have responsibility to repair our power infrastructure, they rely on our Federal Regulators to allow them to work in a wetland. Since they, like most people with common sense, wanted to protect the infrastructure by trenching (trenching protects the lines from tree falls during storms that destroy the aerial lines) they quickly were informed by The Army Corp of Engineers that they couldn't trench it and save money, but they had to protect it by HDD boring( Horizontally Directional Drilling) the wetland so not to disturb the environmentally protected wetland doubling if not tripling the infrastructure cost.
2. The Astoria Rail Line. Over 3 years ago, a terrible storm broke the dirt filled rail line in Knappa, Oregon. Emergency repairs were made and as the railroad prepared to replace the line with new rail, the area again ( because of another storm) was breached by the Columbia River Slough and the Army Corp Regulatory Departmetn would not allow them to repair it without permits. (Mind you that the STB protects railroads but in this case the Army Corp refuses to recognize the STB), 3 years later, it still not repaired. The failure of repairing the railroad threatens the economic viability of a Public Port the Corp was commissioned to protect under the River's and Harbors Act. It's the last rail line going to Oregon's Coast that could be repaired for less than 110K, the others are closed for costly repairs or abandoned, but the Corp is requiring expensive environmental conditions that will push it over 1 million. If Railroad's are not our Country's Critical infrastructure, what is?
3. Last year's horrible storm destroys a rural bridge on Foss Road, is it fixed yet? It happens to be the only improved road that connects two Rural Communities in a 40 mile radius. Ask the over worked rural Public Works Director in Tillamook County what FEMA and The Army Corp told her?
4. City of Astoria, America's oldest city West of the Rockies, struggles to increase its sewer fees to pay for Storm Sewer Separation mandates or be further fined by the EPA and other government organization. Not able to afford either, it challenges its population of retirees and increases its fees and moves forward delaying other critical repairs as any community would. How long will that last?
These are but a few down on the ground examples but like the bigger highways and bridges that are critical nodes, the rural communities struggle. In every community in Oregon, from Port of Tillamook Bay Railroad, to Netarts/ Oceanside Sewer District, from small communities in Southern Oregon to the Farmer in Pendleton Oregon, name it, there isn't an Oregon Legislator that has not heard or has been faced with a similar example, and Betsy Johnson is not alone.
It's time to reorganize the US Army Corp of Engineers and NOAA NMFS. "Woe, slow down Floyd. Did I just hear you correctly? Don't take on the Corp and NOAA, you'll never consult in this country again", said a well known friend.
"Its broke and needs fixed. The USACE needs to be focused on fixing our countries infrastructure, not regulating it. I'm popping the Red Flare", I replied.
What does the bureaucratic organizations that govern or regulate repairing our countries infrastructure have to say about this? Do they not realize that their regulatory issues is nearly doubling if not tripling infrastructure repair costs?
Colonel Miles, US Army, US Army Corp of Engineers, Portland District. "My hands are tied and we expose ourselves to third party law suits if we rush to repair something without review and move forward without consulting NOAA/NMFS" .
Well, Good Colonel, that explains everything. Three years later the 180 feet of washed out rail line has yet to be repaired and China just built another city and 3 nuclear powered submarines.
In the meantime, our communities will go broke waiting to repair infrastructure so that jobs can be created and money made to pay companies like Western Electric or Portland and Western Railroad who don't have the funds to meet your requirements. The small rural areas suffer and our kids will be contaminated with over flowing sewer lines and pot hole roads and broken rail lines, no power and the Ports you were commissioned to protect are crumbling. I have lived and worked in those communities, but it wasn't in The United States of America, at least I thought it wasn't.
Despite the new President's and Oregon's Governor promises of repairing our Countries' infrastructure, Oregon communities will have to go through the gauntlet and pay enormous costs of permitting these projects and the community chest will pay the increased costs based on environmental paranoia.
Good Luck Senator Johnson, we all need your help and thanks for waking me up this morning, but where do we start and unfortunately, you better hurry up and consult with the "USACE and NMFS" and wait like the rest of us.
Floyd E. Holcom, Astoria, Oregon

Floyd Holcom is the founder of the IBIS Group, an international consulting company who in the early 1990s took Nike, Powell's Books and other companies back into Vietnam and China. IBIS performed the recent analysis of the Port of Tillamook Bay Disaster and landed the recent International China Verizon cable at Nedonna Beach, here in Oregon. Floyd is a retired Army Green Beret who most recently fought in Iraq. He and his family reside in Astoria, Oregon and is a new Commissioner at the Port of Astoria.

Where Is She Heading?

Clatsop County Commissioner Patricia Roberts brought up a touchy issue in this week's meeting.
She asked staff for a clarification on statements made during the last budget process regarding two positions in the county DA's office. Former manager Scott Derickson had recommended that the two staff positions be added at the DA's request but also said that if the county should find itself in a shortfall those two positions should be the first to be cut. The positions were added in light of the addition of a third judge and the anticipated increase in workload that might result for the prosecutors office.

The question now is whether or not that increase in caseloads and court appearances has come to pass. Rumblings I've heard so far is that there hasn't been significant increases. Perhaps not enough to justify protecting those positions. It's just not clear at this point.

It's unfortunate that the county DA, in addition to everything else he has on his plate, will most likely have to make a case to the budget committee and the commission for adequate staffing yet again.

The Difference In Leadership

Oregon's Governor tells the legislature we can tax our way out. Washington's Governor says we need to cut our way out of the economic mess. It will be interesting to see which is right.

Free Ride?

We have had a number of callers asking the same question. Is it a free ride?

Sunset Empire Transportation District and Clatsop Community College have entered into an agreement that allows students and staff to ride the bus fare-free. That doesn't mean somebody isn't paying the tab. A member of the transit board called in this morning and offered that the college is paying the expenses involved. That means the College is paying for every single registered student, every staff member and every member of the faculty. Whether they actually ride the bus or not. SETD Director Cindy Howe told us that each term the college sends a print out showing every eligible person and then the College is billed a bulk rate. She did not say how the rate is figured.

For the College this means they don't spend money, even if they could figure out how, to build more parking lots, or a parking structure.

For the transit district it means increased cash flow and the possibility of increased ridership.
There is nothing to say that every student and worker and instructor and administrator will ever step on a bus. At least the option is available.

Come Cruise!!

Ah yes. The Mexican Riviera. Friendly people, fun adventures, warm tropical climate and the advantage of traveling Royal Caribbean all in one package with an unbeatable price!

For 2009 we take off together from Astoria and Seaside in comfy motor coaches for Portland International where we board our flight for Los Angeles. Then it's off to the port of Los Angeles to get aboard Mariner of The Seas. This Voyager class vessel has all the bells and whistles.

What can you do?

Well, you can ice skate, see a Broadway style production, get a massage in the full service spa, treat yourself to caviar and champaign, try your talent with karaoke, shop the mall that runs through the center of ship, try your luck in the casino, hit the course with virtual golf as you warm up for the real thing, challenge yourself on the rock climbing wall, play volleyball, soccer, or tennis, soak in the hot tubs, swim in the pools, take a cooking class, learn how to make those odd little towel animals your stewards leave after the turn-down service in the evening,or simply do nothing at all.

It's up to you.

The dining options are amazing. From formal dining to casual buffet fare to specialty restaurants right on board, or just be a little pampered with room service including breakfast on your balcony. Royal Caribbean service is exceptional.

It doesn't stop there.

We'll have our own private party on board too.

We haven't even talked about where we are going yet!Cabo San Lucas, Mazatlan and, Puerto Vallarta will be our ports of call. Book early for your best selection of special tours and excursions or just grab a cab and go see the sights on your own. You can choose from dozens of different experiences with something sure to appeal to everyone. Shopping? You bet! You will find items in these ports you can't easily find anywhere else.

Our 2009 Mexican Cruise package includes cruise, airfare, on board gratuities, all transfers and so much more. Book today for your best selection of cabin and get an unbeatable rate from our official travel agency Sundial Travel and Cruise Center call 503-325-4484.

Make that call and come along with us. I'll see you on board!!