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About Vernonia's voice. (Vernonia, OR) 2007-current | View Entire Issue (Oct. 1, 2009)
free october2009 V E R N O N I A’ S reflecting the spirit of our community Natural Medicine Comes To Vernonia By Scott Laird Meet Vernonia’s newest Med- ical Practitioner, Dr. Carol McIntyre. McIntyre, a recent graduate of the National College of Natural Medicine (NCNM) in Portland with a Masters of Science in Oriental Medicine and a Doc- torate in Na- turopathic Medicine, is now licensed to practice Acupuncture and Shiatsu message and has begun accepting patients at her home office in Vernonia. Not only that, but McIntyre just received word that she has passed her exams and will soon be licensed as a Doctor of Natu- ropathic Medicine as well. McIntyre will be practicing Natural Medicine, which blends the ancient healing wisdom of naturo- pathic medicine and classical Chinese medicine with modern science. Ac- cording to the NCNM website, ninety percent of global health care involves methods other than conventional west- ern medicine and Natural Medicine is increasingly becom- ing a more accepted method or alternative for healthcare in the United States. McIntyre hopes to introduce and educate area pa- tients to the potential benefits of acupuncture treatment. She explained, during a recent inter- view, that through a combination of acupuncture and massage treatments, she can treat musculoskeletal issues and all kinds of pain management, low back pain, joint pain and arthri- tis, range of motion issues and scar continued on page 19 Look for a Special School Bond Issue coming out mid-October inside 2 quilt show 10 vernonia schools 17 jamboree vernonia visitors guide volume3 issue5 page 15 Bear Creek Pub and Bar Opens In Vernonia By Scott Laird building and sold it to Roach a few years ago) “they saved everything from the bar- Vernonia has a new place to en- bershop,” said Roach. “They just locked joy a drink and a it up and left it. This meal. The Bear whole thing was pre- Creek Pub and served.” Bar is now open And Roach took for business, next a page from the Mc- door to the Black Mennamins book. Bear Coffee “What you do is you Company, and in grab an old building the spot that for and you use what’s years was known there,” he explained to locals as Ben’s about his philosophy Barbershop. for reviving the space B l a c k and opening it up to Bear owner Dana the public. “People Roach has taken like that. And you can a McMennamins preserve history and approach to the give people an oppor- new Pub and Bar, tunity to come back in. preserving local Now they get to come history and using in here and enjoy the actual items from space that their grand- the previous tenants to decorate the room fathers did when they used to sit here and enhance the atmosphere. “Chuck and talk with Ben. Now they can come and Gordon,” (who previously owned the in here and have a sandwich and have continued on page 13 Meet Frank Grace, Vernonia’s New Police Chief Vernonia recently hired a new part- time Police Chief. Frank Grace retired as the Chief of Police in Gladstone, Oregon, and has over thirty years of law enforcement ex- perience. Vernonia’s Voice sat down with Chief Grace to talk about his first few months on the job in Verno- nia. Vernonia’s Voice: Why did you de- cide to come out of retirement and go back to work? Frank Grace: It was a great opportu- nity! The PERS system in Oregon is pretty unique. If you retire from law enforcement under honorable condi- tions in Oregon, you can go back to work for cities that have a population of under 15,000 and not have it effect your PERS benefits. So, as a Police Chief, I’m on a list when jobs come up, especially for temporary fill-ins-- you apply, and that’s what I did for this. I think this part-time idea is a very innovative approach-- I’m not aware of any other agency in Oregon that’s done a part-time permanent position. And I think this is an ex- cellent opportunity, not only for me but for the community. I bring with me some skills in management, not just from big agencies-- I ‘ve worked in agencies smaller than this and in agencies much larger than this. And I’m very glad I was selected. It works out well for me, and I think it works out well for the city-- they save money and we’ve been able to hire another officer. I’m excited that the city had the vision to do this. The other thing is, after about four weeks of retirement, it gets old af- ter a while! I found I needed to do some- thing more. I volunteer with the Red Cross once a week and at the Vet- erans Hospital once a week, and I do some teaching, and this fit right into my sched- ule. Ve r n o n i a ’ s Voice: Why did you choose Vernonia? Frank Grace: I’m not a stranger to Vernonia, I’ve never lived here, but I’ve passed through a lot over the years on my journeys. So when it came available I thought, let’s give it a try. I think it’s interesting, how we all have preconceived ideas about what a community will be like, whether it’s Northeast Portland or Vernonia. But what I’ve found over the years in all the communities that I’ve lived in is that if you take the time to slow down and stop and talk, you’ll find people are people wher- ever you go. And we actually have more in common than not. The problem is, we don’t take that time. Vernonia’s Voice: Do you see any specific ma- jor challenges that you ex- pect to have to deal with in this commu- nity? Frank Grace: Honestly, I’ve not seen any- thing major. As a manager coming into a new “busi- ness,” I have my own ideas, and my ideas are based on best business practices, so I’m not going to come in here and change things just because. I’m going to take time to evaluate the operation and the best way to do that is from inside. I don’t know how long that will take. One advantage here is this city has a well-established Police Department, and in my opinion, very good personnel who want to do po- lice work. So I’m looking and just taking my time. Instead of changes, I think I see the Department needing enhancements. I’m not one to rush in and make changes overnight, and I’m not one to make changes with- continued on page 17