THESIUSLAWNEWS . COM | SIUSLAWNEWS | SATURDAY EDITION | DECEMBER 29, 2018 | $1.00 @ SIUSLAWNEWS Happy New Year 2019! J ANUARY A RTS & E NTERTAINMENT INSIDE 128TH YEAR | ISSUE NO. 104 FLORENCE, OREGON SERVING WESTERN LANE COUNTY SINCE 1890 Hope for a cure Port of Siuslaw installs gates at three access points Local woman raises funds, awareness of autoimmune disease Passcode locks will enforce night restrictions By Damien Snerwood Siuslaw News By Jared Anderson Siuslaw News Hope Sneddon is training to fight a disease she no longer has. “A cure will not help me. It’s too late,” she said. But with funding, Sneddon is opti- mistic her efforts will help others who still struggle with Crohn’s disease and ulcerative colitis. Though her ordeal with ulcerative colitis is largely in her past, Sneddon’s future is highlighted by a desire to al- leviate the pain she knows others with her former condition must be going through. Part of that involves being upfront about a disease that carries the burden of social stigma. “I’m open about my experiences be- cause I want to be a voice for others,” said Sneddon. “I totally respect that there are individuals who aren’t open about their disease and that is okay.” Sneddon first noticed something was wrong with her intestinal tract af- ter her first year in college, when she was around 20 years old. “It started off pretty mild,” Sneddon said. “So doctors said, ‘Okay, why don’t Hope Sneddon elected to remove her large intestine instead of dealing with the effects of ulcer- ative colitis, which began impact- ing her life when she was 20. She has started a fundraiser to help those with the disease. DAMIEN SHERWOOD/SIUSLAW NEWS you just cut out gluten? Why don’t you try taking Metamucil?’” Sneddon tried to adjust her diet — “but things progressively got worse,” she said. Sneddon became increasingly fear- ful of certain foods and had to learn which ingredients would roil her stomach, causing sudden and frequent trips to the bathroom. “It’s kind of trial and error trying to figure out what works and what doesn’t,” she said. “Some days I could have a scrambled egg and an avoca- do. Some days I could have a piece of toast.” But some days nothing seemed to agree with her. “So it was really hit or miss,” she said. See HOPE page 7A New gates with passcode locks have been installed at the Port of Siuslaw docks in an effort to curb unwanted visitors on the docks after hours. “The gates are something we’ve been trying to get installed for several years, now,” said Port Manager David Huntington. “Our docks have always been closed from dusk ‘til dawn; MARK BRENNAN/SIUSLAW NEWS the rule has been in effect since the ‘70s. We have signs The east end of the Port of Siuslaw Boardwalk, posted at each gangway, but as well as two other locations, now features a they didn’t deter anybody. gate with passcode locks. The docks are not We’ve been getting a lot of open to the public from dusk until dawn. complaints from moorage customers There were three gates installed in from the traffic at night.” total, one at the boardwalk entrance The general public will still be wel- and two by ICM and Mo’s restaurants come to walk, shop, fish and recreate on Bay Street. There is a fourth en- on the docks during daylight hours. trance to the docks, through the port’s Beginning in January, the gates will RV park, which has had a locked gate lock at dusk via electronic keypad, and for the past 20 years. only customers or visitors with a pass- code will be able to enter the area. See GATES page 8A Lodge hosts Glad tidings Elks annual Community & good cheer Christmas dinner PHOTOS BY MARK BRENNAN/SIUSLAW NEWS H INSIDE undreds of area residents made a free Christmas meal at Florence Elks Lodge #1858 a centerpiece of their holiday celebrations on Tuesday. Lodge members volunteered for the many hours of food preparation in the kitchen, and in the serving of the more than 800 meals that were expected to be eaten. Exalted Ruler Bruce Smith welcomed people to the meal. “I want to thank you all for coming today and I want to especially thank all of our volun- teers for all the time and hard work they have put in to make this event hap- pen,” he said. The lodge’s chaplain blessed the meal and those partaking of the feast, after which the hundreds waiting in line were escorted to tables, orders were taken, and meals served. Classifieds. . . . . . . . . . . . . . Community. . . . . . . . . . . . . Opinion . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Records . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . B5 A3 A4 A2 Sideshow . . . . . . . . . . . . . . B4 Sports . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . B Monthly Calendar . . . . . . . . . A6 Weather Data . . . . . . . . . . . A2 THIS WEEK ’ S TODAY SUNDAY MONDAY TUESDAY 53 43 51 38 50 34 52 37 WEATHER Full Forecast, A3 S IUSLAW N EWS 2 S ECTIONS | 16 P AGES C OPYRIGHT 2018