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About The daily Astorian. (Astoria, Or.) 1961-current | View Entire Issue (Jan. 19, 2021)
A2 THE ASTORIAN • TUESDAY, JANUARY 19, 2021 IN BRIEF Crab season faces ongoing delay off North Coast With unsafe levels of domoic acid found in Dunge- ness crab caught off the Washington state coast, Oregon fi shery managers say North Coast waters could remain closed to commercial crabbers until at least Feb. 15. Traditionally, northern Oregon and southwest Wash- ington open for the commercial Dungeness season together. The two states planned to coordinate a joint open- ing of the fi shery this season, but have been delayed by high levels of domoic acid in Washington crab. In Ore- gon, only the area from Cape Flacon north to the Wash- ington border is still closed to commercial crab fi sher- men. The rest of the state is open and boats have started to set and pull gear after settling on a starting price per pound with wholesalers. Fishery managers said they will continue to consult with industry advisors and managers in Washington, Oregon and California to see if a coordinated opening with Washington is possible ahead of Feb. 15. If that is not achievable, they will open the closed area in Oregon with a line at the Columbia River on or around Feb. 15, independent of Washington. East Hills Reservoir project is complete SEASIDE — A 5-million gallon reservoir and pump station in Seaside’s East Hills is complete. Budgeted at $5.56 million, the project totaled $5.84 million after change orders. The reservoir provides water to the new middle and high school building as well as Pacifi c Ridge Elementary. It also serves portions of Seaside. Older pump stations in nearby Sunset Hills and Whispering Pines have been decommissioned. “This is a day we have been waiting for, not only for the school district but for the whole city,” Mayor Jay Barber said at a City Council meeting last week. Offi cials saw the need for the new system when vot- ers approved a bond in 2016 to move Seaside schools out of the tsunami inundation zone. Work began in August 2019. Through an intergovernmental agreement with the Seaside School District, the city installed the reser- voir and pump station. The school district’s portion included the water lines, vaults, hydrants, electrical and data conduit above the school campus and associated engineering design costs. The 3.28-acre reservoir site, part of 130 acres donated to the school district by Weyerhaeuser Co. in 2016 prior to the bond vote, was annexed by the city in October. Ownership will be transferred to the city. The site will also house a new emergency operations center, Seaside Public Works Director Dale McDow- ell said. — The Astorian Forest Service axes 21-inch logging ban in Eastern Oregon The Trump administration is removing a decades- old ban on logging large trees in six national forests across Eastern Oregon and southeast Washington state. U.S. Department of Agriculture Undersecretary James Hubbard signed off on the decision Friday, amending the rule that prohibits cutting down any trees larger than 21 inches in diameter. The 21-inch harvest rule is part of a broader suite of management standards, known as the Eastside Screens, adopted in 1995 to protect wildlife habitat and water quality on roughly 10 million acres of federal land in the Umatilla, Wallowa-Whitman, Malheur, Ochoco, Deschutes and Fremont-Winema national forests. Rather than a blanket restriction on logging large trees, the U.S. Forest Service will replace the 21-inch rule with a more fl exible guideline that generally calls for protecting old growth forests, but allows land man- agers to make exceptions if they meet the agency’s long-term restoration goals. — Capital Press MEMORIAL Saturday, Jan. 23 Memorial BOLDT, Donald Paul — Memorial and worship service at 1 p.m., North Coast Family Fellowship, 2245 N. Wahanna Road in Seaside; COVID-19 guidelines will be fol- lowed. The service will also be livestreamed at bit.ly/DBoldt. Boldt, 88, of Seaside, died Dec. 2, 2020, in Seaside. Bio- Gift was in charge of the arrangements; he will be cremated. PUBLIC MEETINGS TUESDAY Port of Astoria Commission, 4 p.m., (electronic meeting). Sunset Empire Park and Recreation District Board of Directors, 5:15 p.m., (electronic meeting). Seaside School District, 6 p.m., (electronic meeting). Astoria City Council, 7 p.m., City Hall, 1095 Duane St. WEDNESDAY Seaside Tree Board Committee, 4 p.m., (electronic meet- ing). THURSDAY Astoria School District Board of Directors, 5:45 p.m., special meeting, (electronic meeting). Seaside Transportation Advisory Commission, 6 p.m., (electronic meeting). PUBLIC MEETINGS Established July 1, 1873 (USPS 035-000) Published Tuesday, Thursday and Saturday by EO Media Group, 949 Exchange St., PO Box 210, Astoria, OR 97103 Telephone 503-325-3211, 800-781-3211 or Fax 503-325-6573. POSTMASTER: Send address changes to The Astorian, PO Box 210, Astoria, OR 97103-0210 DailyAstorian.com Circulation phone number: 800-781-3214 Periodicals postage paid at Astoria, OR ADVERTISING OWNERSHIP All advertising copy and illustrations prepared by The Astorian become the property of The Astorian and may not be reproduced for any use without explicit prior approval. COPYRIGHT © Entire contents © Copyright, 2021 by The Astorian. MEMBER OF THE ASSOCIATED PRESS MEMBER CERTIFIED AUDIT OF CIRCULATIONS, INC. Printed on recycled paper BRIDGE IN THE SKY The Astoria Bridge stands above a blanket of fog on Friday morning. Hailey Hoff man/The Astorian Peninsula author memorializes grandson’s fi ght against disease By PATRICK WEBB For The Astorian LONG BEACH, Wash. — A peninsula boy’s strug- gle for life has been high- lighted in a new book by his grandmother. Cheri Jones is hoping that “Angel Wings” will provide inspiration to others with ail- ing children or who lose a child, especially those who share her faith. The story of Conner Reed Jones caught the imagina- tion of readers of the Chinook Observer for the seven years of his life. And even those who didn’t know the fam- ily grieved when he died in 2010. “I could not do it for a long time, because of the pain of reliving those years,” Cheri Jones said. “Then about two- and-a-half years ago it came back to me. I wanted to write a book about Conner and our journey.” The project took time, in part because she wanted to research accurate details, including contact informa- tion for hospitals and other organizations that helped the family. “Once I decided to do it, the words just kind of fl owed,” she said. Incurable ailment The boy’s parents are Brad and Sarah Jones. His father , an Ilwaco High School grad- uate, has served as a vol- unteer with Pacifi c County Fire District 1 and worked at Oman and Sons. His mother worked at Bank of the Pacifi c in Long Beach. Conner, their fi rst child, was born in 2003 with prune belly syndrome, which causes bladder problems and has serious health impli- cations. He was a year old when doctors diagnosed cys- tic fi brosis, an incurable dis- ease that affects the lungs and other bodily functions. An ultrasound revealed undeveloped lungs and an enlarged abdomen. He was born by cesarean section and spent his fi rst nine days Cheri Jones’ ‘Angel Wings: Love, Love, Love, Now and Forever’ is an illustrated book memorializing her grandson. Cheri Jones, of Ilwaco, with her late grandson, Conner Jones. Her grandson’s struggle with poor health is chronicled in a new illustrated book written by Jones. in Oregon Health & Science University’s Doernbecher Children’s Hospital’s Neo- natal Intensive Care Unit in Portland. Conner underwent multi- ple surgeries and more than 20 hospitalizations, prompt- ing his parents to move to Longview to be closer to the specialized medical care that he needed, in addition to his home-based nebulizers and other treatments to fi ght infections and the effects of his two ailments. The family’s Christian faith provided strength for all, including Conner, his grand- mother said. “He had a heart for God and Jesus. He asked his mom and dad about going to heaven.” His parents were candid. “We knew that he was a miracle child, but we had no idea the journey we were about to embark on,” his father told the Chinook Observer four months before the boy’s death. The story quoted his mother wanting to avoid spending her life ask- ing, “What if?” “I just felt like it is not my decision to play God,” she said, recalling how some doc- tors had advised her to termi- nate her pregnancy. “What if Subscription rates Eff ective January 12, 2021 MAIL EZpay (per month) ...............................................................................................................$10.75 13 weeks in advance ...........................................................................................................$37.00 26 weeks in advance ...........................................................................................................$71.00 52 weeks in advance ........................................................................................................ $135.00 DIGITAL EZpay (per month) .................................................................................................................$8.25 WANTED Alder and Maple Saw Logs & Standing Timber Northwest Hardwoods • Longview, WA Contact: John Anderson • 360-269-2500 I had listened to those doc- tors? I would never have known what it truly means to persevere and to love some- one authentically.” The story highlighted how Conner, just like other little boys, enjoyed video games, soccer, coloring, reading and playing at the park, although his life was dogged by medi- cal restrictions. His parents have two healthy sons, Hunter and Bra- dyn, and a daughter Brynn- lee, now 8, who also has cys- tic fi brosis. “Her care is not as extensive,” Cheri Jones said. “She is doing really well.” Sarah Jones has since ded- icated herself to studying to become a nurse. Grateful to colleagues One bright element toward the end of Conner’s life was the involvement of the Make-A-Wish Foundation, which fi nanced a six-day trip to Hawaii when its leaders learned of the boy’s desire to see humpback whales and volcanoes. Cheri Jones, a retired administrator, was secre- tary to the board of Pacifi c County First District 1 c om- missioners and a member of the Ocean Beach School District school board from 2001 to 2005. Colleagues at the Ocean Park fi re sta- tion contributed greatly to helping other family mem- bers accompany Conner on his last trip, his grandmother said. She and her husband, Rick, have two sons, one daughter and eight grand- children. They moved from Ilwaco to Battle Ground four years ago to better meet their own health issues. The paperback book cover features a drawing of a boy with his hands clasped in prayer, bordered by red bal- loons from the cystic fi bro- sis Walk for a Cure, red Lego building blocks and red heart shapes. Cheri Jones recalled the fi rst time she saw the design, “I just started crying.” The color is signifi cant. “Remember each time you see red, remember our little Conner who has earned his angel wings and is now free from the chains of cys- tic fi brosis,” Jones wrote in a wide-ranging thank-you letter in the Chinook Observer after Conner’s funeral in 2010. She said the full title, “Angel Wings: Love, Love, Love, Now and Forever,” combines the name of their CF walk team with a phrase Conner’s mom used in a blog about her experiences. The book is published by Christian Faith Publishing of Meadville, Pennsylvania. She said its staff were very help- ful guiding her as a fi rst-time author. As she fi nalized the details, including photos, the biggest issue was what to leave out — because Con- ner’s life offered so many positive memories. “He was only here seven years, but he was wise beyond his years and taught all of us to be better people,” his grandmother said. “He was an amazing child. Even on his sickest days, he would make us smile.”
