vernonia’s
voice welcome
march
2009
from the editor....
03
VERNONIA’S
I’m an early riser, and I often get up and walk my dogs at 4:30 or 5:00 AM. It’s a nice time to get out and about, as the town is just
stirring-- some commuters and loggers are heading off to work-- but generally, it’s fairly quiet and peaceful. Sometimes we’ll
hear the coyotes, or the birds just beginning to stir. In the winter, it’s still very dark, in the summer it’s just starting to get light.
On February 9, I got up and headed outside to find that overnight a light dusting of snow had fallen-- what looked like about five
minutes worth of flakes. Not even enough to completely cover the road-- but enough to give the streets, sidewalks and grass a light
sprinkle. It was cold and a little icy and slick. A very light fog was hanging over the town, leaving a misty glow you could just about
inhale. To top it off, a full moon was completely out and visible and it must have been the reflection from all the ice crystals in the air
and on the ground, but it was one of the brightest full moons I’ve seen in a while. As I walked with my dogs, the ground underneath
us sparkled and shimmered, the streetlights and moon reflecting off the frozen crystals on the ground. It was beautiful.
This was not some amazing natural phenomenon-- some spectacular display of Mother Nature’s beauty. It was a fairly ordinary,
yet unusual combination of occurrences, which reminded me of how lucky we are to live where we do. The variety of weather
patterns and the chance that something unusual or spectacular might happen are possible every day. You just never know what
you’re going to wake up to around here. Some days you never know what the next hour might bring. The wind blowing the
leaves of a tree; a spectacular sunrise or sunset; a crisp, sunny day in winter; a rainy and stormy afternoon; the stars in the night
sky; or the reflections of a full moon on an icy sidewalk. It reminds me that every day has its own special beauty-- sometimes
more unique than others-- and is a gift to be enjoyed, to be appreciated, and to be noticed.
*** *** ***
Moving Vernonia’s schools is a hot topic of conversation around here right now. As you will read in various places throughout
this issue, our community is getting closer to making some major decisions about the future-- not just for our students and school
staff, but for our community as a whole.
I have spent the last four months writing a series of stories about the Flood of December 2007-- about its impact on Vernonia,
and how we’ve been trying to rebuild. Last year’s flood has forced many changes, caused us to evaluate many aspects of our
lives, and make some big decisions. But none is more important to our community-- and to our future-- than our decision about
whether to move our schools. Yes, it involves a huge price tag. Yes, it will involve sacrifice and hard work. Yes, it will involve
compromise. But I believe the future of this community rests on our ability to turn the disaster of December 3, 2007, into Ver-
nonia’s Great Opportunity. If we build new schools, we show that we believe in the future of this community. If we make this
investment in our future, then others will see us as a good investment, too. And that means more opportunity for all of us.
The way I see it, Vernonia is at a crossroads. We have a chance to build a new school campus that will last us a lifetime, and
maybe get some help to fix our other essential services that we could only dream of fixing ourselves. We have a chance to work
together and improve our community, ensuring a long and prosperous future for us and our children.
The future has started looking a little brighter here in Vernonia this past month, and although it’s not time to break out the sun-
glasses just yet, it looks like spring is on the way.
Publisher and Managing Editor
Scott Laird
(503) 367-0098
scott@vernoniasvoice.com
News Editor
Scott Laird
Contributors
Esther Arce
Shawn Baker
Copy Editors
Nancy Burch
Tobie Finzel
Brandy Fosdick
Erika Paleck
Mayor Sally Harrison
Dennis Nicks
Jill Hult
Senator Betsy Johnson
Alumni Editor
P.J. O’Leary
Tammy Vanderzanden
Seth Lenaerts
Heather Lewis
Photography
Erika Paleck
Scott Laird
Burt Tschache
Tracy Fletcher
Dede Webb
Chris Barnes
Creekside Studios
Art Director/
Web Design/Mgmt
Graphic Design
Amy Shearer,
Amy Shearer,
On Madison Studio
On Madison Studio
-- Scott Laird
Editor and Publisher
Want to advertise?
Contact: ads@vernoniasvoice.com
corrections...
Last month we made a correction to a Letter to the Editor from Tim and Tammy Sook. Unfortunately we got the cor-
rection wrong! First of all we misspelled Tim Bero’s name as “Barrow” We also got the name and website wrong for
Mr. Bero’s Company. The correct name is TNW Firearms, and their website is www.tnwfirearms.com. Vernonia’s
Voice apologizes to both the Sooks and Mr. Bero for any inconvenience this error may have caused.
Have an article?
Contact: news@vernoniasvoice.com
P.O. Box 55
Vernonia, Oregon 97064
503-367-0098
Subscribe Today!
Subscription Form
Vernonia’s Voice is a monthly publication distributed the first of each month.
Subscription rates are $25 for one year (twelve issues)
Yes, sign me up for one year of Vernonia’s Voice!
NAME
PHONE #
ADDRESS
CITY
STATE
ZIP
SEND TO: Subscriptions, P.O. Box 55, Vernonia, OR 97064