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About Vernonia's voice. (Vernonia, OR) 2007-current | View Entire Issue (Aug. 1, 2008)
august2008 V E R N O N I A’ S reflecting the spirit of our community volume 2 issue 03 vernonia visitors guide Page 13 A Day in the Woods What happens when an environmentalist spends a day with a bunch of loggers? By Scott Laird I moved to Vernonia five years ago from Portland. I am originally from Pennsyl- vania and grew up in the suburbs of Philadelphia. When I moved here I didn’t really know that much about logging. In fact, before moving to Vernonia I had never been out to cut firewood or even run a chain saw. I have been a member of a large national environmental organization since 1987, and I’ve even been called a tree hugger - whatever that really means. Last year when I started writing about our community for Vernonia’s Voice, my neighbor Bruce McNair, a logger for over thirty years, gently suggested that if I was going to have an inclusive newspaper about Vernonia, I needed to learn more about the logging industry. It was an idea that made sense. He even of- fered to take me out with him for a day with his logging outfit to show me what it was all about. continued on page 14 Police Investigate Death of Vernonia Man An investigation into the death of a Vernonia man found deceased in a vehicle has been determined to be from a self-inflicted gunshot wound. Investigators assigned to the Columbia County Major Crime Team, with the assistance of the State Medical Examiner’s Office, have been conduct- ing the investigation in cooperation with the Columbia County District Attorney’s Office. On Friday July 18, 2008, at approximately 11:33 PM, a report was re- ceived of a man with a gun in the Vernonia area. Two Vernonia police of- ficers, Officer Michael Conner and Sergeant Mike Kay, saw the reported vehicle and pulled in behind it at 11:37 PM on Washington Avenue near B Street. As the officers were getting ready to contact the vehicle, a twenty- year old female got out the driver’s side and told officers there was a man in the car with a gunshot wound. continued on page 6 inside 9 17 20 preserving heritage By Scott Laird Dean Schaumburg is a fighter, that much is obvious. And it appears that he is going to get as much out of his body that he can, each and every day. It’s a body that doesn’t work the same way it used to, a body that has been dam- aged and changed. A body that is a stranger to him. But he is working hard to get used to it. Dean Schaumburg, 29, of Vernonia was severely injured in a logging accident one year ago on August 16 when a tree fell on him in the woods. He suffered a punctured lung, crushed vertebrae, multiple internal injuries, a crushed ankle, and four or five broken ribs. “They told us they didn’t expect him to survive the ambu- lance ride; then the Life Fight people told us they didn’t expect him to survive the helicopter flight. And then the Operating Room physician said they didn’t think he was going to sur- vive when they received him at OHSU,” said Kendra Schaumburg, 24, Dean’s wife. Dean and Kendra had been married just a year when Dean was injured. continued on page 10 Columbia County Fair Pirates of the County! This years Columbia County Fair was full of fun and surprises. From great hand made crafts to 4-H kids wining ribbons there was something for everyone. For more photos of this years County Fair see page 12. Swine Showmanship competition Reserve Champion Maria Pelster and Grand Champion Lane Sul- livan, both from Vernonia, show off their ribbons (left). meet our firefighters in memory of... The Recovery of Dean Schaumburg The B.O.O.M. Pirates provided entertainment at this years “Pirates of the County” Fair (right). Ax Men to Appear in Vernonia Crews from the History Channel’s hit televi- sion series “Ax Men”, including members of Mike Pihl, Browning, Gustafson, and Stump Branch Logging, will be appearing in Ver- nonia during the Vernonia Friendship Jam- boree. The Ax Men will be available before and after the Jamboree Parade on Saturday August 2, at 998 Bridge Street, and at the Logging Show on Sunday August 3. The crews will be riding in the Jamboree Parade as Grand Marshals, starting at 11:00 AM. They will be available for photos, au- tographs and general logging conversation, and have tee shirts available for sale during the weekend.