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About Vernonia's voice. (Vernonia, OR) 2007-current | View Entire Issue (Nov. 27, 2012)
november27 2012 V E R N O N I A’ S reflecting the spirit of our community Cutright Receives Hero Award Heroes come in all sizes and ages. Hero describes Seth Cutright, the 12 year–old Vernonia boy, who carried his burning grandmother out of their Vernonia home after an explosion engulfed it in flames on October 12, 2012. On November 17th, Seth Cutright was given the Life Saving Award from Met- Roger and Julia Cutright and their family and some friends, along with the EMTs, Paramedics and Firefighters from Metro West Ambulance and the Vernonia Rural Fire Protection District who responded the 9-1-1 call. For many of the rescuers it was the first time they had seen Cutright since the day he received his injuries. “Seth, it is a very huge hon- or and a privi- lege to present to you this Life Saving Award,” said Metro West’s Mathia as he presented the award to Cutright. “Your efforts and what you did, espe- cially for your age, we don’t see very often. What you did absolutely made Dean Smith of VRFPD and Jeff Mathia of Metro West Ambulance present Seth Cutright with the Life Saving Award at a ceremony on November 17th. a difference in your grandmoth- ro West Ambulance and the Vernonia Rural er’s life.” Fire Protection District for his amazing act Rose Cutright remains hospitalized of bravery for saving the life of his grand- and is receiving treatment for her burns. mother. Seth Cutright is continuing to heal from in- “It’s not very often that we get to see juries he received in the fire and continues to such an act of heroism in someone that is wear a glove to protect his injured left hand. so incredibly young,” said Jan Lee, Public Cutright is also scheduled to receive Information Officer for Metro West Ambu- a Life Saving Award from the Oregon State lance on November 17th. Sheriff’s Association at a banquet on De- Metro West Ambulance-Vernonia cember 5th in Bend, OR. Supervisor Jeff Mathia and Vernonia Rural The Cutright family has found a Fire Protection District Deputy Chief Dean home near Mist where they are currently liv- Smith presented Cutright with the Life Sav- ing. An account at US Bank, “The Cutright ing Award in a ceremony and reception at Family Relief Fund” is available to accept the Vernonia Rural Fire Protection District donations to help the family replace every- in Vernonia. Seth was joined by his parents thing they lost in the house fire. inside The Spirit of Christmas in Vernonia 9 10 11 12 schudule of events for december 1st local coupons & holiday shopping guide free volume6 issue22 VSD Prepared To Open School Based Health Clinic By Scott Laird The Vernonia School Dis- trict is taking the final steps to open a School-Based Health Center (SBHC) in their new school facility. The new health clinic is expected to open sometime in Jan- uary of 2013 and will provide a small scale doctor-type office on the school campus to serve the needs of children of families that partici- pate in the Vernonia School district, including families who are being home schooled. “We know that it is happen- ing and will be here,” said Cici Bell, the Chair of the Vernonia School District (VSD) Wellness Team and a member of the SBHC Planning Committee. The clinic will provide pri- mary care visits for illness and in- jury, prescriptions, sports physicals, and immunizations as well as pro- mote preventive care and wellness. It will be staffed by a family nurse practitioner and will have a recep- tion area, private exam/ counseling room, a lab area, bathroom, and confidential and secure record keep- ing area. Students can be seen at the clinic with the consent of an adult guardian and according to state law can be seen on their own if they are old enough. The Self Consenting Age in Oregon is fifteen. Mental Health services will also be provided at the clinic through a contract the School Dis- trict has arranged independently with a professional mental health councilor. “What this mean to parents continued on page 14 Comment Period Extended for LNG Project The Federal Energy Regu- latory Commission (FERC) has an- nounced the extension of the pub- lic scoping process and comment period for the Oregon LNG Export Project proposed by Oregon LNG. The scoping and comment period will now end December 24, 2012. The project proposal in- cludes the construction of two liq- uefied natural gas (LNG) terminals in Oregon that require dredging and over 80 miles of high-pressure pipe- lines through Oregon rivers, farms, and forests that would extend from the Columbia River, cross through Clatsop and Columbia counties, cut under the Columbia River, and run roughly 4 to 5 miles through south- western Washington State. This new pipeline route threatens landowners in the Vernonia area. On September 24, 2012 the FERC issued a notice of intent to prepare an Environmental Impact Statement for the proposed project, asked for comments from the pub- lic concerning environmental issues and announced the dates and times for eight public meetings. Those public meetings were held the week of October 15, 2012, including a meeting at the Vernonia School. continued on page 17 This Holiday Season, Why Not Shop Local Now that the holiday shopping season has “offi- cially” arrived, it’s time to start checking those lists and making sure you have everyone crossed off and covered. In all the bustle of Thanksgiving Day and Black Friday maybe you also heard about something a little dif- ferent called “Small Business Saturday.” Small Business Saturday encourages holiday shoppers to patronize brick and mortar businesses that are small and local. First celebrated on No- vember 27, 2010, it is designed to counter Black Friday and Cyber Monday, which encourage visits to big box retail and e-commerce stores. Here is something to con- sider: according to The 350 Proj- ect, locally owned independent merchants return 68% of their in- come to their own local economy. National chains return less than 43%. And even worse, online retailers return nothing to a local economy. So as you get ready to shop this year, why not look to your own community business- es—they’re close by, you probably know the owner of the business and will be helping them and their family, and more of your money will stay local, where it can circulate and do more good for those you know. Here are just a few ideas of some local businesses with some great gift ideas for this season. Please remem- ber, this is just a few examples and there are plenty of other local businesses you can support this holiday season and throughout the year. Clever Cricket features toys, games and clothing for kids mostly twelve and under and has something for every child on your list. You will find unique toys you will have a hard time finding anywhere else, along with some locally made items. What you won’t find are video games or toys that need bat- teries. These are gifts that are ready to be opened and used! Featured are items from Melissa and Doug, with well-made and sturdy learning toys that encour- ages kids to use their brain, cre- continued on page 7
