january
vernonia’s
voice community
10 2009
Happy New Year to Smoke-Free Oregon A Surprise Find
Oregon’s Smokefree Workplace Law Extends to Bars, Bingo
Halls and Bowling Centers at Midnight on Dec. 31
Starting at midnight on New Year’s Eve, Oregon’s Smokefree Workplace Law protects near-
ly every Oregon employee from the health risks of secondhand smoke. The new law covers bars,
bingo halls and bowling centers, as well as 75 percent of hotel and motel sleeping rooms and all
employee breakrooms. In addition, every Oregon business will be required to maintain a 10-foot
smokefree zone around doors, windows and ventilation systems.
“Every Oregonian benefits from this law,” said Dr. Bruce Goldberg, director of the Oregon
Department of Human Services. “Employees will be able to punch in without endangering their
health, businesses will save money on maintenance and sick time costs and the public will have
more smokefree choices. Laws like this are proven to help smokers quit. This is a monumental
change for Oregonians.” Business owners are responsible for complying with the law and pre-
venting smoking in and around their property. Employees and the public can help ensure that the
law is followed by reporting violations, beginning Jan. 1, by calling 1-866-621-6107 or complet-
ing an online complaint form at www.healthoregon.org/smokefree. The Oregon Public Health
Division will investigate complaints and give citations to business owners who are unwilling to
comply with the law.
Oregonians strongly support the new law, passed by the 2007 Oregon Legislature.
Surveys show that 90 percent of Oregonians, including 76 percent of smokers, prefer smokefree
indoor workplaces, and 86 percent say employees should be protected from secondhand smoke.
Many businesses support the new law as well. A recent survey showed that 66 percent of
businesses affected by the new law are already smokefree. Many other businesses have been pre-
paring for the change all year, including some that opted to go smokefree in advance of the law
and others that are ready to celebrate as the law takes effect.
All Oregonians benefit from cleaner air, but businesses have their own reasons to celebrate,
as they are likely to reap the rewards of a productive workplace including healthier workers,
fewer sick days and reduced cleaning costs. They also stand to gain new customers from among
the 80 percent of Oregonians who don’t smoke. Many businesses are using the new law as an
opportunity to reupholster furniture and install new carpet to get rid of smoke damage.
The law provides an incentive for employees and customers who smoke to quit.
Seventy-five percent of smokers in Oregon want to kick the habit, and a smokefree work-
place is a proven way to help people go smokefree for good. Oregon’s Quit Line is a free service
available to all Oregonians at 1-800-QUIT-NOW or 1-877-2NO-FUME. Also many private in-
surance plans cover cessation support, proven to make attempts to quit more successful. Smokers
should ask their providers for information.
Tobacco takes a tremendous toll on Oregon. Tobacco contributed to 22 percent of all deaths
in the state in 2005, making Oregon residents four times more likely to die from tobacco-related
causes than from motor vehicle accidents, suicide, AIDS and homicide combined. The direct
medical expenditures and the indirect cost of lost productivity due to premature death from tobac-
co-related causes costs Oregonians more than $2 billion a year. Lawmakers believe that through
reducing secondhand smoke exposure, and by making it harder to smoke in public places, Oregon
can prevent tobacco-related illness and death—something good for all Oregonians and Oregon
businesses.
The Oregon Tobacco Prevention and Education Program (TPEP) works with local health
departments, tribes, schools and community organizations to deliver a comprehensive tobacco
prevention program to all Oregon residents. Program activities are based on evidence-based strat-
egies to reduce and prevent tobacco use. For more information, visit http://www.oregon.gov/
DHS/ph/tobacco/.
By Scott Laird
I recently received
a phone call from Jim
McGill, a gentleman from
Manzanita. Mr. McGill
told me that he was in pos-
session of some old ink
print blocks from the Ver-
nonia Eagle that had been
given to him years ago, and
had been sitting on a shelf
in his garage. He said he
had a masthead stamp and
a map. He found Vernon-
ia’s Voice on-line, and was
wondering if I was inter-
ested in the box?
Absolutely, I replied,
and we arranged for Mr.
McGill to send them to
me.
What I found when
the box arrived a few days
later was even more inter-
esting. The box contained
twelve blocks, including
the masthead, a map of
Columbia County, a map
of Portland city streets, and
a number of other symbols
and stamps. There were
advertisements, including
A stamp of Columbia County from the Vernonia Eagle, recently
a stamp for Ivory Soap
discovered in Manzanita
Flakes, Meier and Frank,
FOE, and a number of other symbols.
So far, I have not had time to at-
tempt to learn anything more about
these stamps. My intention is to donate
them to the Vernonia Pioneer Museum,
so they can be viewed by anyone inter-
ested in Vernonia’s history.
The Vernonia Eagle Masthead
In the meantime, I would be inter-
ested in talking with anyone with any
firsthand knowledge about how these blocks were used, about the Vernonia Eagle, or any
other history about old newsprinting.
You can reach me at 503-367-0098 or by email at scott@vernoniasvoice.com.
Vernonia Cares (continued frpm page 1)
as well as flour, sugar and margarine; mandarin oranges and jello mix; fruit cocktail; coffee; pick-
les; olives and even popcorn. Clients were also handed a voucher from Sentry Market to pick up
a turkey and a bag of potatoes. “Sentry Market stored the frozen turkeys and potatoes for us, so
we didn’t have to move them,” said Welch. “That was a huge help. Vernonia Cares also received
donations of milk and fresh produce from the Vernonia School District which were not going to
be used because school was closed all week due to snow.”
Family owned & operated for 38 years
J. Shapes Construction
and Glass Design, LLC
CCB #164640
Jerrid Sedlmeyer
Get Ready For
Winter Driving!
General Contractor
Sentry Market not only stored the turkeys and potatoes for Vernonia Cares, they also made a
major donation of ninety-six turkeys, making sure the program was possible this year. “Sentry
really came through for us,” said Welch. Welch noted that the remainder of the turkeys and fix-
ings were purchased through donations of money and food, including from local churches, who
all collected targeted items like gravy, stuffing, cranberry jelly, and pumpkin. “Almost every
local business donated in some way,” said Welch. “This food bank is so strongly supported by
this community.”
Snow accumulations of about 12 inches, with
more falling all day, forced volunteers to hand-
deliver boxes to numerous clients who had no
way of picking up their Christmas treats them-
selves. Josette Mitchell, a Vernonia Cares board
member, who spent the early part of the day
helping hand out boxes, was spotted with her
husband, Casey, and daughter, Saylor, at 4:00
PM outside the Sentry Market. “We only have
two more to go,” said Mitchell, as she hustled
inside to gather the turkeys and potatoes they
had volunteered to deliver.
I nsurance for all your precious possessions.
Fax 503.429.0459
JShapesConstruction@msn.com
Repair • Remodel • Commercial
Residential • Licensed • Bonded• Insured
23 Years Experience
Birkenfeld Store and Café
Home of the 1/3lb. hand-pressed burger!
Grocer y and Liquor
Store hours:
Monday-Saturday 8am to 6pm
and Sunday 9am to 5pm
Welch noted that every child receives a candy
cane as well, courtesy of Pat and Bob Stack-
lie, who are long-time supporters of Vernonia
Cares. “The Stacklies make sure every kid gets
their candy cane every year,” said Welch.
The Christmas Food Boxes are just one more
example of the great work Vernonia Cares and
all its supporters do in this community, year
after year.
503.429.4849
James Dias Insurance Agency
2504 Sykes Road, P.O. Box 1077
St. Helens, OR 97051
503-397-4259 Fax: 503-397-5557
Café open daily
from 9am - 4pm
11139 Highway 202 - Birkenfeld
(503) 755-2722
Headlamps
Wipers
Antifreeze
Snow Tires
Chains
Traction Devices
Windshield De-Icer
(503) 429-6364
834 Bridge St., Vernonia