‘The cause
was liberty’
Who makes the
biggest bucks?
NORTH COAST • 3A
PAGE 2A
TUESDAY, MAY 26, 2015
142nd YEAR, No. 235
ONE DOLLAR
Cable
Honoring America’s fallen
giants
to wed
Charter buying
Time Warner for
$55.3 billion
The Associated Press
JOSHUA BESSEX — The Daily Astorian
Daniel Jordan, with the Patriot Guard Riders, rides down Broadway street with other riders as part of a motorcade ceremony on Memorial
Day. The motorcade was made up of riders from the American Legion Riders, Patriot Guard Riders, and North Coast ABATE. This was the
first year the motorcade ceremony has been held. More photos online at www.dailyastorian.com
Seaside Legion ceremony draws large
turnout for Memorial Day observance
Duane Heller lives in Seaside, but
Klefstad and Marsh were visiting
from out of town for the occasion,
EASIDE — For the late Gary which “was a great honor,” Duane
Lee Heller, Memorial Day Heller said.
should be about patriotism
“What more can I say?” he add-
and honor, according to his sib- ed. “They’re honoring our broth-
lings.
er.”
The former ¿rst
Klefstad agreed,
Please
vice
commander,
adding the timing
Heller, the honoree at
was coincidentally
don’t
the Seaside American
appropriate as Tues-
Legion Post 99’s Me-
would have been
wish me day,
morial Day service, ¿t
Gary Heller’s birth-
the bill.
a ‘happy day.
Heller served in
The American Le-
the U.S. National Memorial
gion’s ceremony was
Guard from 1961 to
attended by more than
Day.’
1969 and died July 3,
70 people, the largest
2014, at age 70, after
crowd Commander
— Lou
being a member of the
Lou Neubecker said
Neubecker
Seaside American Le-
he could remember.
commander, Seaside
gion for 12 years.
When the chairs un-
American Legion
At the Memo-
der two awnings ¿lled
commander
rial Day ceremony
up, more chairs were
Monday, his broth-
pulled from the near-
er Duane Heller, sister Jeannette by American Legion building and
Klefstad and lifetime friend Jon other attendees spilled across the
Marsh were escorted by 2nd Vice parking lot to honor the nation’s
Commander Chuck Godwin to the fallen soldiers.
bridge arcing over the Neawanna
Memorial Day, Neubecker said,
Creek to lay a commemorative is a time to celebrate the lives of
wreath in the water below in mem- America’s deceased veterans, but
ory ofhis life.
“it’s also a very sad day of remem-
The Heller siblings were brance.”
raised and schooled in Seaside
“Please don’t wish me a ‘happy
and Gary Heller, the youngest Memorial Day,’” he said.
brother, moved back to the area
See MEMORIAL DAY, Page 12A
from Los Angeles 15 years ago.
By KATHERINE LACAZE
EO Media Group
S
JOSHUA BESSEX — The Daily Astorian
Duane Heller and Jeannette Klefstad toss a wreath into Neawanna
Creek during the Memorial Day ceremony at the American Legion in
Seaside. At the ceremony they honored Gary Heller who served in
the National Guard for eight years from 1961-1969.
JOSHUA BESSEX — The Daily Astorian
Will Batty, a volunteer with American Legion Riders, puts the finishing
touches on a battlefield cross as a tribute to Sgt. James Treber during
the Memorial Day ceremony at the American Legion in Seaside.
NEW YORK — Charter Commu-
nications is buying Time Warner Cable
for $55.33 billion, creating another U.S.
TV and Internet giant.
And executives say they’re con¿-
dent regulators will allow it.
The deal comes a month after
Comcast, the country’s largest cable
provider and owner of NBCUniver-
sal, walked away from a $45.2 billion
bid for Time Warner Cable, the No. 2
cable company, after intense pressure
from regulators. Time Warner Cable
had chosen the Comcast deal and re-
jected a $38 billion hostile offer from
Charter in early 2014.
There has been a wave in consoli-
dation in the cable industry as provid-
ers are starting to lose TV subscribers,
costs for TV, sports and movies rise
and pressure from online video services
such as NetÀix and Hulu increases.
See MERGER, Page 7A
Ecotourists
welcome
Cape Falcon
Marine Reserve
to protect waters
By R.J. MARX
The Daily Astorian
Oregon’s fifth marine reserve goes
into effect at Cape Falcon in January.
The reserve limits fishing and adds
protections to the area, and will serve
as a resource for research and a lure
for tourism.
“People who are interested in
farmers markets travel to farmers
markets,” said volunteer chairwom-
an Nadia Gardner of the Friends of
Cape Falcon Marine Reserve. “Peo-
ple who are interested in marine con-
servation, they travel to places with
protected marine areas. It’s sort of a
burgeoning market. We’ll see if we
will get charter boats or ecotourism.
I’d love that.”
Gardner shared the significance
of the newly designated federal status
at a May 19 work session of the Can-
non Beach City Council. According
to Gardner, there are four other ma-
rine reserves in effect in Oregon —
the only state to have them: Cascade
Head in Lincoln City, Otter Rock in
Newport, Cape Perpetua in Yachats
and Redfish Rocks in Port Orford.
See RESERVE, Page 12A
‘She was a somebody. And she mattered’
Daughter recalls
mother who
jumped from
Astoria Bridge
By DERRICK
DePLEDGE
The Daily Astorian
At dawn on a drizzly Mon-
day morning, Artanya Barn-
hart placed a makeshift cross
and arranged some Àowers
in a patch under the Astoria
Bridge.
The cross, made from
driftwood, is a memorial to
Carrie Barnhart, a 54-year-old
mother of six who jumped to
her death in April. Tiny hand-
prints represent her children,
while little elephants reÀect
her softer side.
“She was a beautiful,
amazing, funny, sweet person
that had so much love and
compassion for people,” said
Artanya Barnhart, 34, the old-
est, who lives in Astoria. “She
was a somebody. And she
mattered.
“My mommy touched so
many lives. She was a lover
of music, elephants, babies
and the color red,” she said.
“And most of all, her six chil-
dren and 11 grandkids that
now have to live — and grow
up — without their meemaw.”
The family hopes Barn-
hart’s suicide is not forgotten.
Her death has raised concerns
about potential gaps in men-
tal health care on the North
Coast.
Astoria Police had been
called about Barnhart’s suicid-
al warnings four times in the
months before her death. The
week before her fatal jump,
Astoria Police had pulled her
from the bridge after midnight
and had taken her to Colum-
bia Memorial Hospital, where
she was evaluated by Clatsop
Behavioral Healthcare and re-
leased after two hours.
Clatsop
Behavioral
Healthcare has said it would
work with Clatsop County
and with law enforcement to
review the incident and help
prevent similar tragedies in
the future.
See BARNHART, Page 7A
A makeshift
memorial
under the
Astoria
Bridge
honors Car-
rie Barn-
hart, who
committed
suicide in
April.
Submitted
photo