THORN Reedsport misses out Reedsport has dipped its toe into cutting-edge wave energy research, but just missed total immersion. The city was an underdog in the fight to land the $25 million Northwest National Marine Renewable Energy Center. The underdog couldn’t overcome the natural advantages enjoyed by Newport, including the fact that Newport is better known and closer to Portland. The energy center, associated with Oregon State University, would have brought an economic boost and prestige to Reedsport. The fact that Reedsport could even position itself to be one of two finalists for the center says something about the city, …