Image provided by: University of Oregon Libraries; Eugene, OR
About The daily Astorian. (Astoria, Or.) 1961-current | View Entire Issue (June 12, 2015)
8A THE DAILY ASTORIAN • FRIDAY, JUNE 12, 2015 Graduation: ‘I feel like we’re all kind of one clique. It’s the Gray clique.’ Continued from Page 1A out to Alley and helped her enroll at Gray. ³,W ZDV KDUG ¿WWLQJ LQ LQ WKH EHJLQQLQJ then it blossomed into something great,” Al- ley said, adding a girl’s group created by a former counselor at Gray helped break the ice. “I feel like we’re all kind of one clique. It’s the Gray clique, I guess.” Five or six of the Gray clique walked at Astoria’s graduation Saturday, including Me- gan Halicki, 18, who said she had to be talk- ed into the tradition. Halicki said she walked out of Warrenton High School early after a particularly bad day her junior year. Her father told her drop- ping out wasn’t an option, Halicki said, and VKHHQGHGXS¿QLVKLQJKHUMXQLRUDQGVHQLRU year at Gray. “I think this program is awesome,” she said, “and people don’t understand what a good thing it is.” EDWARD STRATTON — The Daily Astorian Members of the Astoria Christian Church, with Pas- tor Frank Loyd, third from left, were honored for supporting the Gray School Campus Alternative Education Program with food and other supplies by Astoria School Board Chairman Martin Dursse, sec- ond from left, at the governing body’s Wednesday night meeting. Astoria schools honor church support The Daily Astorian Into summer The Gray graduation Thursday ended with a garden party in the community vege- table plots outside Capt. Robert Gray School. *UDGXDWHVIURP*UD\HQMR\HGVRPH¿QDOVR- cializing with peers, Knutsen and their men- tors, before heading into a summer of work and other adult responsibilities. Knutsen said as the program improves, it LV¿QGLQJEHWWHUZD\VWRVHUYHVWXGHQWV*UD\ IRFXVHV RQ KHOSLQJ VWXGHQWV ¿QLVK RQ WKHLU own schedule but before aging out of high school. She hopes the school will become a GED proctor site to help students for whom graduation isn’t a reality. She attributed the particularly high gradu- ation rate this year to those students who per- JOSHUA BESSEX — The Daily Astorian severed, including one who spent three years DW *UD\ EHIRUH ¿QLVKLQJ WKLV \HDU ³,I WKH\ Kylee Pitts, holds up her senior project, a “Cookbook for Life.” The cook- come back for a second semester or a second book features recipes to help students cook for themselves. Pitts handed out copies of the cookbook to students at the school. year, we know they’re not going to quit.” The Astoria School Board recognized the Asto- ria Christian Church and Pastor Frank Loyd at its Wednesday meeting for the congregation’s support of the Gray School Campus Alternative Education Pro- gram. “The support and mentorship of Astoria Christian Church is invaluable to Gray School students as it en- courages them to remain committed and to persevere through the many obstacles they may face while try- ing to earn their high school diplomas,” the district’s release said. Over the past four years, Loyd and his congregation provided food and resources every Friday to ensure students have meals to eat over the weekends. In ad- dition, the church continues to host the annual winter break potluck and provide gifts for graduates of the Gray School program. “It has been a real honor to work with the staff and the teachers,” Loyd said. “They’re a good group of kids in there who have had a hard time at various points for various reasons.” Trial: They implicated each other through various statements ¿UVWGHJUHH DVVDXOW DQG WKUHH counts of criminal mistreat- may vaguely correlate be- ment. The sex abuse charges cause the period of time listed relate to Roden allegedly sub- in two separate indictments jecting the girl to sexual con- span two months and involve tact by touching. the same children, to some ex- Wing was indicted on tent,” the lawyers wrote. counts of murder by abuse Roden was indicted on 15 from neglect and maltreat- counts. Four counts of ag- PHQW¿UVWGHJUHHPDQVODXJK- gravated murder, two counts ter and six counts of criminal of murder by abuse, felony mistreatment. PXUGHU ¿UVWGHJUHH XQODZIXO The alleged crimes oc- VH[XDO SHQHWUDWLRQ ¿UVW GH- curred between Oct. 31 to gree sex abuse, thee counts of Dec. 20, 2014. An autopsy Continued from Page 1A found Wing’s daughter, Evan- gelina Wing, was the victim of homicide and apparently died Dec. 20 from blunt force trau- ma. She would have turned 3 on Jan. 22. The couple told investi- gators about incidents where the toddler fell coming from a bus stop, fell off of a toilet and got in tussles with Wing’s two sons, ages 5 and 2, who were found injured the same day the girl was found dead. The boys were hospitalized and placed in state protective custody. “In the various statements each made, they implicated the other,” the lawyers wrote. “Arguably, Ms. Wing impli- cated Mr. Roden more than he did Ms. Wing.” According to the motion, Wing made numerous state- ments about injuries to her children that occurred while she was at work. She made statements about a broken arm her daughter suffered while in Roden’s care, again while she was out of the house. “There are many other in- criminating statements made by defendant Wing that clear- ly implicate Mr. Roden in the crimes with which he was charged,” the motion states. “Those statements require separate trials.” Roden is serving 100 months, or about eight years, in prison for a probation vio- lation from a previous domes- tic violence conviction. He violated the probation by possessing marijuana, oxy- codone, and methadone and failing to report that he moved in with Wing. The drugs were discovered during a search warrant of Roden and Wing’s Seaside resident Dec. 20, the day the toddler was found dead. Wing remains in custody without the possibility of bail. A hearing to discuss the motion to sever is scheduled for July 8. Burglar: ‘... in all reality, it was a brief lapse of judgment’ Continued from Page 1A survival,” Pitts said. “I meant no harm. I was cold, starving and that just allowed me to justify a lapse in judgment.” Judge Philip Nelson com- mended Pitts for his apology. “That is probably one of the most sincere apologies that I’ve heard,” Nelson said. “That was more heartfelt and thought out than a lot of them. But on the other hand, someone that has their house broken into, it takes a long time to get past that lost sense of security.” As part of Pitts’ two-year prison sentence, Judge Nel- son required Pitts to have no contact with the victims or the properties and pay restitution to be determined later. In ad- dition, Pitts will be on two- year, post-prison supervision. Astoria Police found Pitts in March camping in the densely wooded area off Kensington Avenue. He was found by a campsite he set up ZLWK D FDPRXÀDJH WDUS RYHU the top. Police were search- ing for Pitts in connection to previous burglaries in No- vember. He was arrested in March and charged with eight counts RI ¿UVWGHJUHH EXUJODU\ +H was also arrested on a warrant for failing to appear in court. The burglary charges re- lated to incidents reported on the 100 block of West Duane Street, the 200 block of West Exchange Street, the 100 block of Hume Street, the 100 block of Washington Street, the 4000 block of Ir- ving Avenue and the 3800 block of Kensington Avenue. On Thursday, Pitts plead- ed no contest to four counts RI ¿UVWGHJUHH EXUJODU\ DQG one count of failure to appear in court. The other burglary charges were dropped, in- cluding all the charges from the November incidents. Police originally arrest- ed Pitts in November when he was found in an attic at a vacant residence on the 100 block of Hume Avenue. He was arrested and booked in November for a felony war- rant and the two counts of burglary Pitts, who was homeless at the time of the various burglaries, stole mostly per- ishable food items from the homes. “Frankly, he probably left the homes cleaner than when he got there,” Pitts’ defense lawyer Kris Kaino said. During his supposed run from the law, Pitts said, he was not a criminal run amok. Instead, Pitts said, the time allowed him to stay away from drugs and volunteer for services such as garbage cleanup. “Although on a piece of paper it looks like I’m this chronic criminally intended burglar, in all reality, it was a brief lapse in judgment,” Pitts said. “It is not some- thing that would ever happen again.” Machine: Access to the jetty is restricted while the work is in progress ing jetty stones is as much an art as it is a science, say complete critical repair work the crane operators, and, of- by September. As of June 8, ten, they tell right away if FRQWUDFWRUVVD\ÀDWEHGWUXFNV WKHURFNZLOOEHDJRRG¿WRU have delivered approximately not. But they rely on the guys 1,400 granite stones, or about down below to let them know 35 percent of the total that for sure. will need to be placed on the Up in the crane, the op- jetty. erator has what he thinks A massive crane now is a good stone for the sec- crouches on the top of North tion they’re working on. He Jetty, picking up rocks as makes the claw turn, rotating they’re brought by trucks that the rock one way then anoth- must back up along the length er so the men below can get a of the jetty to deliver their good look at it, at its shape, at loads. Sometimes, they don’t its many faces. Then, slowly, quite bring the right rock. after they give their approv- The crane swings around, the al, he begins to lower the claw descends, picks up the rock. The claws open. The rock and sets it aside. Plac- rock drops. The thud is au- Continued from Page 1A dible even over the wind and waves that pound the sides of the jetty without ceasing. Another truck is already waiting with another rock and the crane swings around again. Work on the smaller Jetty A, located east of North Jetty, is set to begin this year while a full rehabilitation of North Jetty and South Jetty will likely begin in 2017. Access to the jetty is re- stricted while this potentially hazardous work is in prog- ress. Would-be spectators can glimpse the huge crane in action from Waikiki and Benson beaches in Cape Dis- appointment State Park. Our people make The Planetree Difference Congratulations Spirit of Caring Award Winner Kelsey Betts! The Spirit of Caring Awards honor individuals who personalize, humanize and demystify the healthcare experience. “ I am truly impressed with the nurse and person that Kelsey is. Her passion for maternity nursing and CMH is clear in her everyday work.” – Award nomination for Kelsey Betts, RN &YDIBOHF4U"TUPSJB0SFHPOt XXXDPMVNCJBNFNPSJBMPSHt"1MBOFUSFF%FTJHOBUFE)PTQJUBM