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10A THE DAILY ASTORIAN • WEDNESDAY, JULY 15, 2015 Cuba: New generation living more of a U.S. lifestyle ary was the chapel where his mother had gone to church. When he had ¿rst visited, “it was all black and mildewed and smelled like urine,” he said. But the government has since sold it back to the Ro- man Catholic Church, and he could see that the church was in the process of renovations. What Suarez remembers from his childhood in Cuba is that people were happy, with rich music, family gatherings and good food. His family left the island in 1961, two years after the revo- lution. They lived in Fort Lau- derdale, Fla., then McLean, Va. Suarez spent most of his life living on the East Coast, including Washington, D.C., before moving to Astoria. Continued from Page 1A Even the terminal that handles U.S. planes at Jose Marti International Airport showed signs of the changing times, he said. The formerly dark, forbidding terminal had brightened by the time Su- arez visited the second time. Sunny posters of children on the beach and a couple on a horse-drawn carriage had replaced those of the ruling Castro brothers and the revo- lutionary Che Guevara on the wall. “They de¿nitely have come a long way in becoming more tourist friendly,” Suarez said. Outside the terminal, four or ¿ve tower cranes stood out against the skyline, heralds of new development. “It really is a fun city to visit,” Suarez said. “Kind of like the New York City of the New World.” Childhood home While in Havana, he visit- ed his old house, although he didn’t speak with any of the Diplomatic ties Submitted Photo Manny Suarez, far right, stands with two former students and two nuns at the Convent of St. Brigida in Old Havana, Cuba. ¿ve families who now live there. Suarez came from a family of 14 children, so their old house had to be quite large to accommodate them all. The families had set up a stand to sell drinks, which Suarez didn’t buy. “You don’t want to drink the water in Havana,” he chuckled. Another stop on his itiner- Suarez had recently re- turned from Cuba when President Barack Obama an- nounced the United States and Cuba would re-establish diplo- matic ties, the latest in a series of landmark events between the two nations. “If we’re able to have Mc- Donald’s in Vietnam and KFC in China, there’s no reason we can’t be friendly with our neighbors the Cubans,” he said. But he’s still reserved about the immediate future of human rights. “I think we don’t really have any hope as long as the Castro brothers are in charge,” Suarez said. Fidel Castro, Cuba’s pres- ident from 1976 to 2008, was replaced by his brother, Raul Castro, in 2008 due to health problems. Suarez said he was not con- sidering moving back to Cuba, but he might visit to offer his services as a teacher. Suarez works as a substitute teacher for ¿ve local high schools in Clatsop County. While those who have lived under communism and strong government in Cuba look to the government to solve their problems, Suarez said young- er people have more of a U.S. lifestyle, having grown up on American media. “They want to live the American dream,” he said. Fish: Restoration a huge part of the large project Continued from Page 1A This spring, the Army Corps released a draft envi- ronmental assessment ¿nding no signi¿cant impact from the project. Shortly after releas- ing the ¿ndings, the Corps collected public comments before moving forward with the work. Saldana said a handful of comments were received from various resource agencies and the U.S. Coast Guard, which wanted to clarify where the work would be done. While the project will not impact much in the state park, the work is going to be done in a hunting area. The Army Corps will coordinate with the state Department of Fish and Wildlife to re- mind hunters about the res- toration. “There is hunting in that area. We want to be care- ful with our contractor out there,” Saldana said. Bonneville Power Admin- istration and Columbia River Joshua Bessex/The Daily Astorian A sign at Fort Stevens State Park shows an overhead view of Trestle Bay. Estuary Study Taskforce are partner agencies on the project. Having CREST as a non- governmental partner offers an important perspective to the project, Army Corps spokeswoman Diana Fred- lund said. “We want to be sure that projects are well designed, well received and consid- ered to be important by nongovernmental entities, as well,” Fredlund said. Reasons behind the Army Corps’ focus on restoration projects relates to agreements decades ago to mitigate dam construction work. The Army Corps and BPA agreed to im- plement projects that restore ¿sh habitat and improve con- ditions for juvenile ¿sh. “Restoration is a huge part of what we are trying to do,” Fredlund said. Gail Sandana/Submitted Photo Massive jetty stones, some weighing up to 7 tons, armor Trestle Bay. In 1995 the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers removed a 500-foot section of the 100-year old jetty to allow salmon and steelhead greater access to quieter, tidally influenced water. The Corps will remove another 900 feet in various sections this fall. The Trestle Bay restoration was developed after the success of the initial notch. Flavel: Donated in 1936 Continued from Page 1A The Bridgeman’s own an auto repair shop in Sonoma, Calif., where they work on European cars. Patricia Jean Flavel, Mark Bridgeman’s great- aunt, donated the property to the city and later to the county in 1936 when the city could not afford it, according to the Clatsop County Historical Society’s website. The property includes the Flavel House, which was built in 1886 for Capt. George Flavel and his fam- ily, as well as the gardens and the Carriage House. Patricia Jean Flavel died in 2014. Mac Burns, the execu- tive director of the Clatsop County Historical Society, showed Flavel’s descen- dants a family tree while they waited to begin their tour. He was excited to have a Flavel family member at the property. “If you’re somewhere on this tree, it’s your house,” he said, noting he has come out at all hours of the day to show the house to Flavel’s relatives. The Bridgemans, who were celebrating their 15th anniversary Tuesday, visit- ed just after 9 a.m., before the museum’s normal open- ing time of 9:30 a.m. “This is the whole pur- pose of our trip — to see the family Flavel home,” Ellen Bridgeman said. Clatsop County Historical Society/Submitted Photo Mark and Ellen Bridgeman pose outside the Flavel House Tuesday morning with McAndew Burns, center, the mu- seum’s executive director. Mark Bridgeman is the great- great-great-great grandson of George and Mary Flavel. GMO: May be late 2016 before all cases resolved Continued from Page 1A “I don’t believe there’s any basis whatsoever that federal law pre-empts state law over deregulated crops,” said Paul Achitoff, an attor- ney for groups that support the ban. The situation is compli- cated by the fact that another federal judge earlier reached a different conclusion regarding a similar GMO ban in Hawaii County, he said. In that case, the judge found that the GMO ban is pre-empted by federal regu- lation only in regard to crops that remain regulated by USDA, not those that have been totally deregulated, Achitoff said. That opinion is likely to be reviewed by the 9th Circuit much earlier than the recent Maui decision. If the panel of judges hear- ing the Maui County case comes to a different conclu- sion than the panel for Ha- waii County — which isn’t likely but remains possible — that could set the stage for a broader “en banc” review by a larger group of 9th Circuit judges. Another GMO case out of Kauai County is likely to be decided ¿rst, but that lawsuit pertains to regulations that require growers to report the location of GMO crops but don’t prohibit them. It’s unlikely that all three of the cases will be resolved earlier than late 2016, experts say. Our people make The Planetree Difference Congratulations Spirit of Caring Award Winner Macaroni & Laura Lattig! The Spirit of Caring Awards honor individuals who personalize, humanize and demystify the healthcare experience. “Seeing Mac is always sure to put a smile on everyone’s face... Mac and Laura are as sweet as they come.” – Award nomination for Macaroni Lattig &YDIBOHF4U"TUPSJB0SFHPOt XXXDPMVNCJBNFNPSJBMPSHt"1MBOFUSFF%FTJHOBUFE)PTQJUBM