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Wednesday, July 23, 2014
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The Chronicle
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www.thechronicleonline.com
Vol. 132, No. 30 16 Pages
He makes the rounds for Relay For Life BY AMANDA FRINK amandaf@thechronicleonline.com
ST. HELENS — Typically smiling ear-to-ear, Myles Stasiuk is a familiar face to St. Helens residents and business owners alike. On any given day, he can be found making his rounds through town in his motorized wheelchair. While he does make stops along his route to greet friends, Stasiuk is often making his rounds on a mission — to raise funds for his Relay For Life team, Team Bertucci. With this year’s local Relay For Life taking place this weekend, Stasiuk has been ramping up his efforts to collect as many donations
Cancer Society. Stasiuk says when it comes to this event, it’s quite an achievement for an individual to raise $1,000. “If you get $1,000, you get a special shirt,” he explains, motioning toward his red T-shirt. The coveted shirt is only available to members of the “Grand Club,” or individuals who fundraise at least $1,000. Stasiuk is currently halfway to reaching his 2014 goal of $4,000. He says he is involved with Relay For Life because it makes him feel good to be helping people, as well as spending time with others who like to help out. His involvement in Relay For Life has also introduced him
City of St. Helens ponders photo enforcement BY DON PATTERSON dpatterson@countrymedia.net
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ince he became involved with Relay For Life, he (Stasiuk) has raised over $7,000 for the American Cancer Society. as possible. Bertucci’s Bill Cade says of Stasiuk, “He’ll be sitting in here and all of a sudden say, ‘I gotta leave.’ I’m like, ‘But I just got your coffee ready!’ And he’ll say, ‘I have to hit this business and this business — they said they’d donate!’” And just like that, he takes off down the sidewalk in search for the next donation to help in the fight against cancer. Stasiuk says he initially participated in Relay For Life three years ago on the “G & Bob Squad” team, which honored friends Robert and Gretchen Gaston of St. Helens. Gretchen lost her battle with lung cancer in July 2011, and Robert passed away from pancreatic cancer in March 2012. Each year, Stasiuk says he sets a fundraising goal, which he increases by $1,000 the following year. Since he became involved with Relay For Life, he has raised over $7,000 for the American
to new family members. “One year, I met a lady that was my cousin that I didn’t know,” he says. “And my mom didn’t know it was her niece! It was really kind of cool.” Relay For Life of Columbia County will take place at the St. Helens High School Track this weekend from 10 a.m. Saturday to 10 a.m. Sunday. For those who can’t catch up to Stasiuk, he is also collecting funds at Bertucci’s (2017 Columbia Blvd in St. Helens) and through his Facebook page, http://facebook.com/myles.stasiuk. According to the Relay For Life of Columbia County website, $46,225 has been raised by 22 teams and 280 individuals. The participating teams include Team Richardson’s, Country Financial Change for a Cure, Wal-Mart Sparks, St. Helens Credit Union 2014, Team Bertucci, Dutch Bros., Fred Meyer, Team Capwell Fitness, Team Moose,
AMANDA FRINK / The Chronicle
Since becoming involved with Relay For Life of Columbia County three years ago, St. Helens resident Myles Stasiuk has raised over $7,000 for the American Cancer Society by collecting donations around town.
Skinny’s & Chubb’s Team Believe, Jilly’s Team Twilight, Columbia River Fire & Rescue, Cruisin’ for a Cure, Divas & Dudes, Tribe
4 Life, Angling for a Cure, The Golden Street Walkers, Once Upon A Time, Columbia County Firefighters, Columbia County Sheriff’s
Office, Fresh Start Espresso, and Victory for Brayden. For more information on Relay For Life, see the related story on page A6.
Summer lunch program hosts visit from Bonamici BY AMANDA FRINK amandaf@thechronicleonline.com
ST. HELENS — While visiting Columbia County this week, Congresswoman Suzanne Bonamici’s itinerary brought her to
INSIDE Classified Ads . . . . A9-10 Legal Notices . . . . A10-11 Obituaries . . . . . . . . . . . A6 Out & About . . . . . . . . A7 Records . . . . . . . . . . . . . A2 Sports . . . . . . . . . . A13-14 TV Guide . . . . . . . . . . . A8 Weather . . . . . . . . . . . A14
McCormick Park Monday to see the St. Helens School District Summer Food Service Program in action. Supported by USDA federal funds, the summer program provides free breakfast and lunch five days a week to kids through 18 years of age. Adults can purchase breakfast for $1 and lunch for $2. According to Misty Crawford, the nutrition director for the school district, about 20 people stop by Lewis & Clark Elementary each day for breakfast, which is served from 8 a.m. to 9 a.m. Lunches are served at McCormick and Campbell parks from noon to 1 p.m., and typically feed 400 people each
day on average. The program also hosts a migrant site in Scappoose. “She was very supportive,” Crawford said. “She congratulated us on our efforts in reaching kids in need this summer.” Bonamici introduced Crawford to a master gardener who can help the district develop a school farm where children can learn about science, nutrition and math by growing produce to incorporate into the cafeteria setting. Crawford added, “Kids are much more likely to try new things when they’ve grown it themselves.” The congresswoman inquired about program support from the community. Crawford said the program
AMANDA FRINK / The Chronicle
Volunteer Barb Weaver and St. Helens School District nutrition director Misty Crawford speak with Congresswoman Suzanne Bonamici (right), who came to McCormick Park to learn more about the school district’s Summer Food Service Program.
currently does not receive support from any commu-
See BONAMICI, Page A6
The City of St. Helens is once more exploring the possibility of using red light cameras to ticket drivers who disobey the traffic control devices. Police Chief Terry Moss presented research into the subject to the city council at a work session on July 16. Moss explained other communities had seen a decrease of 36 to 79 percent in violations after photo enforcement was installed. Sherwood, he noted, went from 250 citations per month to 1,000 citations after they began a photo enforcement campaign. St. Helens last explored the use of photo enforcement in 2010, when Redflex Traffic Systems proposed placing a camera at the intersection of Highway 30 and Gable Road. Daily traffic counts at the busy intersection peaked at an average of 25,000 in 2009 and have dropped slightly to 24,800 in 2013. The Gable Road intersection was the only one Redflex proposed for photo enforcement. Moss said out of 81 traffic accidents within the city in 2012, only five were the result of disobeying a traffic control device. He also noted officers had only written 32 tickets in 2013 for running red lights, but said anyone who waited at that intersection has seen someone run a red light. See CAMERAS, Page A6
Bull rider recovering Scappoose resident, Dave Weston, is recovering after being bucked and then trampled by the bull he was attempting to ride. Weston was competing in the bull riding event at the Columbia County Fair and Rodeo on Saturday night when he was thrown to the ground and then stepped on repeatedly by the animal, according to witness accounts. He suffered a broken nose, and orbital, broken ribs and a punctured lung, according to the Columbia County Rodeo Committee, but is in good spirits. This was the 53-yearold logger’s third attempt at bull riding with the Northwest Professional Rodeo Association. He began riding when he was 50.
Chronicle buys Clatskanie Chief newspaper The owners of the Clatskanie Chief Publishing Co. have announced that an agreement has been reached to sell their weekly newspaper. The Chief’s publisher and editor, Deborah Steele Hazen, said the new owner as of July 31 will be Oregon-based Country Media, Inc., the parent organization of the St. Helens Chronicle and its related website. In addition to Deborah Hazen, the newspaper’s current owners include her husband, Philip Hazen, and their daughter, Amanda Moravec. The newspaper has been
owned by the Steele and Hazen families for 92 years. “As sad as we are that The Chief will no longer be in our family, we simply feel the time has come to redefine how we’ll spend our remaining years,” said Deborah Hazen. “The decision to sell is made easier by knowing that the new owner is itself a familyrun enterprise with a proven affection for northwestern Oregon.” Country Media’s principal shareholders are Steve and Carol Hungerford of Portland. In addition to The Chronicle, the company owns the
newspapers, affiliated periodicals and websites in Lincoln City, Tillamook and Manzanita, Ore., as well as seven community newspapers and their websites in North Dakota and Montana. Steve Hungerford said Chronicle publisher Don Patterson will also serve as publisher and editor of The Chief.