welcome
from the editor...
In case you hadn’t heard, on Election Day, Verno-
nians voted with a resounding “YES” on School Bond Mea-
sure 5-197, and took the first big step towards new schools.
First, I want to say congratulations to the Vernonia School
Board for the successful passage of this Bond. I for one
am looking forward to the day those new schools become
reality, and the Board did a great job of getting us on the
road towards that goal. I also want to say thank you to all of
the School Bond Committee members who volunteered their
time and their efforts to run such a successful campaign. It
was a huge endeavor and you accomplished it with creativ-
ity, professionalism and nerve-- and had fun in the process.
A special thank you to Sharon Bernal for chairing the com-
mittee. A great job by all-- you have much to be proud of.
We have some other big news here at Vernonia’s
Voice. Starting in January, 2010, we will begin publishing
twice a month. For a long time now, readers, advertisers and
other supporters have been asking when we could start print-
ing more often. Well, that time has finally arrived! Look
for our next edition on Tuesday, January 5th, then a second
edition on Tuesday, January 26th. Thereafter, we will pub-
lish and distribute Vernonia’s Voice on the second and fourth
Tuesday of each month.
We hope this means we can be more timely with
news, more relevant with information about upcoming
events, activities and community gatherings, and provide a
more efficient outlet for our advertisers and supporters. We
also plan to continue to bring you stories of interest about
our community, continue to support local businesses with
articles about them, continue to build our relationship with
Vernonia schools, continue to report from all your favorite
local events, and continue to bring you most of the columns
from our local writers. In other words, we plan to continue
to reflect the spirit of our community.
2009
3
Once again, I want to say thank you to all of you
who have encouraged and supported the birth and growth of
Vernonia’s Voice, and hope you will continue to support us as
we move forward in this next phase of our journey.
As in most cases, when there’s good news, it’s usu-
ally accompanied by some bad news, as is the case here. It
is with deep regret that I have to inform our readers that P.J.
O’Leary, author of the column “Voices In My Head”-- what
has turned out to be our most popular feature each month, is
taking a leave of absence. Or a sabbatical. Or an extended
vacation. No, this is not a cost-cutting furlough. No, we’re
not shutting him down for his inappropriate use of bodily
functions as comic material. And no, P.J. is not checking
himself into the sanitarium for some much needed R and
R. Apparently those voices in his head that help supply him
with so much of his material each month have just plain
clammed up.
P.J. has been with us since our inception and has
been enjoyed by most of you. One of the highlights for me
each month is when P.J.’s new column shows up in my in-
box, and I get a chance to laugh out loud as I read it for the
first time.
This month will be P.J.’s last column, at least for
now. He has said that, if in the future he feels inspired, he
will dust off that keyboard and send his thoughts our way
again. Until then, we may try to fill in with other local writ-
ers who wish to share their random thoughts and musings
about life in Vernonia, or just life in general. But I’m sure I
can speak for many of you when I tell P.J. he will definitely
be missed. Thanks for the laughs and the insights, P.J.-- it
just won’t be the same around here without you.
Scott Laird
Editor and Publisher
Correction: In our September 2009 Issue we published a photo on page 27 of the Lawn
Mower Races that were held during the 2009 Vernonia Friendship Jamboree. The photo
was of a spectacular crash that was captured by Vernonia photographer Justin Larson.
Regretably, we published Mr. Larson’s photo and did not give him credit. Vernonia’s
Voice would like to apologize to Justin Larson for this error.
Come Celebrate...
Christmas in Vernonia
December 5th-6th
Christmas in the Country Bazaar
Sat & Sun, December 5th & 6th
Vernonia Middle School
Lighted Christmas Parade
Saturday, December 5th
Starts at State Ave., 6:00PM
Christmas Tree Lighting
Saturday, December 5th
Following the Parade, City Hall
Musical Concert, December 5th
204th Army Band
Holiday Songs & Marches
V.H.S. Auditorium, 7PM
december
Publisher and Managing Editor
Scott Laird
503-367-0098
scott@vernoniasvoice.com
News Editor
Scott Laird
Copy Editor
Dennis Nicks
Photography
Ilene Grady
Scott Laird
Contributors
April Bamburg
Nancy Burch
Kim Camarda
Dawn Carr
Ben Fousek
Heather Lewis
PJ O’Leary
Erika Paleck
DeAnna Pearl
Sonia Spackman
Burt Tschache
Want to advertise?
Contact: ads@vernoniasvoice.com
Have an article?
Contact: news@vernoniasvoice.com
PO Box 55
Vernonia, OR 97064
503-367-0098
www.VernoniasVoice.com
