THE DAILY ASTORIAN • FRIDAY, MAY 22, 2015 COMMUNITY APPLY AND TRY 1B YOUR SCIENCE TEACHER WAS WRONG TREASURED TROPHY COMES HOME J ackson Meyer, pictured, an Eagle Scout from Fort Clatsop Dis- trict’s Troop 642, is on the Season 7 premiere of “American Nin- ja Warrior,” which airs at 8 p.m. Monday on NBC, Laurie Kautz told the Ear. If you’re among the uninitiated who has never seen the show, several competitors tackle a series of tricky and physically challeng- LQJREVWDFOHFRXUVHV0RQGD\¶VHSLVRGHLVWKH¿UVWRIWKHTXDOLI\LQJ rounds, and takes place in Venice Beach, Calif. From there, the show travels to four other competition locations before moving to the na- WLRQDO¿QDOVLQ/DV9HJDV About Jackson: He graduated from Seaside High School in 2010, and will graduate from Oregon State University in June with PDMRUVLQ¿VKHULHVDQGZLOGOLIHDQG]RRORJ\³+HLVFXUUHQWO\ZRUN- ing on a study of the Oregon slender salamander, to help Weyerhae- XVHUOHDUQWKHHIIHFWVRIORJJLQJRQWKLVVHQVLWLYHVSHFLHV´/DXULH posted on the Fort Clatsop Scouts blog (http://tinyurl.com/BSAninja) “It was important to Jackson that he represent Scouting during the competition,” she wrote. “He received permission from both the Boy Scouts of America and NBC to wear his Scout uniform on the course in Venice Beach.” In fact, NBC liked the uniform idea VRPXFKWKH\¿OPHG-DFNVRQZHDULQJLWDQGVD\LQJ³,¶PDQ(DJOH Scout,” for the trailer promoting Monday’s show. You can see it at http://tinyurl.com/BSAninja2 ³7KHFRPSHWLWLRQVWDUWHGDWDP´/DXULHUHSRUWHG³-DFNVRQ said that he was struck by how much larger the course was than it ap- pears on TV. He was also impressed with how supportive everyone was. “... When asked what he would remember most about competing, Jackson said it would be knowing a person can do everything they want to. When he applied, he didn’t know if he would be accepted, but he applied anyway. His advice for everyone would be: For anything in life, they should ‘apply and try.’” CHEVONNE’S DREAM F ellow marine biology fans, it’s no longer safe to assume that all fish are cold-blooded. According to a story in USA Today, the opah (or moonfish), who lives deep in the Pacific Ocean, has recently been found to be the first warm-blooded fish (http://tinyurl.com/warmopah). Pic- tured, a screenshot of an opah from a USA Today video. We’re not talking about a dainty little fish, either. The opah, which does not swim in schools, weighs in at around 100 pounds, is 3 feet wide, and has been known to grow up to 6 feet long. And, unlike its cold-blooded, slow-moving deep sea neighbors, its warm blood allows the opah move at a sprightlier pace. storia Regatta Past President Peter Roscoe received a “Researchers from the National Oceanic and Atmo- pleasant surprise the other day when a letter and package ar- spheric Administration determined that unlike other rived from James F. Cote of Santa Barbara, Calif., whose mother fish, opah generate heat as they swim and distribute the was a native Astorian, the late Louise “Franky” Franciscovich warmth throughout their entire disc-shaped bodies by special blood vessels,” the article says. “Special ‘count- Cote. “As our family’s donation to the Astoria Regatta,” James’ letter HUFXUUHQW KHDW H[FKDQJHUV¶ LQ WKHLU JLOOV PLQLPL]H KHDW said, “enclosed is a small trophy engraved ‘Astoria Annual Regat- loss, allowing the deep-water predators to keep their bod- WD)LUVW*LUOV6ZLP:RQE\/RXLVH)UDQFLVFRYLFK¶´7KH ies several degrees above the water temperature 250 feet inch trophy (with nary a dent) is shown, along with a photo of his down.” “There has never been anything like this seen in a fish’s mother, taken at the beach near the Seaside Turnaround, circa 1940. Also enclosed in the package was Franky’s obituary, which men- gills before,” biologist Nick Wegner, lead author of the tioned her being the only female page in the Oregon Senate in 1942, NOAA report, declared, earning her private pilot license at the age of 20, playing golf regu- larly until she was 85 (she had seven holes-in-one), and many other accomplishments, including being an elementary school teacher for 47 years in California. Yet, Astoria was always in her heart. The Regatta swimming tro- phy James sent, “was won by our mother when she was 14 years old,” he wrote, “and was obviously treasured by her, as she kept it among her possessions from that time until her recent death at age 88.” “Being involved in Astoria’s Regatta is rewarding in and of it- self, just for the celebration and the interaction with other festivals that visit us,” Peter noted. “When a gift like this comes from out of nowhere, and dates back over 70 years, it is hard to describe how deeply it affects you. It truly connects you with the history of both Astoria and the Regatta.” A ASTORIA’S MR. CLEAN SNIPPETS ‘I recently caught sight of a helpful citizen putting his hand to work to wash a speed sign,” Emily Jean Campbell of Warrenton wrote to the Ear. “It’s been hard to read the signs in the area for a while, so it was nice to see him volunteering his time to give it a scrub.” Shown, her photo of him busily brightening a sign on U.S. Highway 30, a little east of 37th Street. It’s easy to see what a difference his good deed makes. “He opted to remain anonymous,” she added, “but I hear he always has a smile on his face, and a helpful hand for anyone in need.” V eteran Jason Karol and his wife, Chevonne, need your help. After Jason medically retired from the service because of de- generative arthritis and joint pain — after 12 years and three tours in ,UDT²WKHFRXSOHSLFWXUHGUHORFDWHGWR:DUUHQWRQ Recently, the Karols opened The Tea Spot, a bubble tea shop, at 21 N. Columbia St., Suite 101 in Seaside (http://tinyurl.com/Tea- Spot), the culmination of his Chevonne’s dream. “... We do a modern twist on the traditional boba milk tea drink originally created in Tai- ZDQ´-DVRQH[SODLQHG³:HGRQRWGRVPRRWKLHV:HDOVRGR,WDOLDQ sodas, hot chocolate, hot teas, drip coffee and many other drinks.” But things haven’t been going as hoped or planned. “Unfortu- nately, we have been hit with a few setbacks that we didn’t foresee,” he wrote. “I am asking my family, my friends, and my community to help us with keeping our business open.” Want to lend a hand? You can donate at www.gofundme.com/Jason-ChevyTeaShop Jason is grateful for all the help he can get. “Thank you all who have supported us on this journey,” he said. B AN ASTORIA EXPERIENCE A storia yelps: The city of Astoria is featured on the May 13 Weekly Yelp page, “The Road to Astoria” (http://tinyurl. com/astyelp): “Come for The Goonies House and the sea lions, EXW VWD\ IRU WKH IRRG GULQN DQG 3DFL¿F 1RUWKZHVW PDULWLPH FXOWXUH´ For those of you who don’t know what Yelp.com is, it’s an online review site, and many businesses read it and take the their customers’ remarks seriously. Several locales around town were checked out, even the Astoria Column (113 reviews), but the hottest spot was Bowpicker Fish & Chips (246 reviews). Most adorable?: Well, the folks at ABC News are report- oating enthusiasts take note: The U.S. Coast Guard recently re- ing that Cannon Beach is No. 8 among “The 8 Most Adorable leased a handy new boating safety app, available for both iPhone Beach Towns in the US” (http://tinyurl.com/adorableCB). and android, and it covers a lot of ground. A screenshot of the app is ³,I \RX¶UH ORRNLQJ IRU PRUH RI D TXLHW HVFDSH WKDQ D SDU- shown. W\¿OOHG JHWDZD\´ WKH DUWLFOH VD\V ³ZH¶YH URXQGHG XS HLJKW