from the editor
On Saturday December 8, 2012
our community tragically lost another
young person, we personally lost a friend
our very good friend lost his son.
Charles Colburn was in his early
twenties and lived life fully and on the
edge. His impish smile and mischievous
eyes let you know that he was always up
to something. His attitude was infec-
tious and his curiosity contagious. He
was loved by many, many people.
Our hearts are aching for a fa-
ther who has lost his son too early and
for the sudden loss of a friend.
I would like to take this oppor-
tunity to sincerely thank all of our loyal
readers, our contributors and our adver-
tisers who have given this newspaper
their trust, confidence and support over
the five years that Vernonia’s Voice has
been in operation. Your continued belief
in our vision for your community news-
paper has been overwhelming and it has
helped us survive in a competitive mar-
ket and through tough economic times.
The Independent recently pub-
lished their Farewell Edition. Indepen-
dent Publisher Clark McGaugh and I
have had our differences over the last
five years but I have often felt that our
opposing points of view have been good
for our community; a community we
both cherish and care about. Varying
points of view are vital to a democracy
and to transparency in government.
When we initially started Verno-
nia’s Voice we set out with a philosophy
that we would reach out and find posi-
tive stories happening in our commu-
nity. We wanted to create a publication
that would make people feel good about
living in Vernonia and highlight the vi-
brancy and resiliency that we saw each
and every day. A publication that would
meet the needs and reflect the spirit of
this community.
In my view, a small town, com-
munity newspaper needs to be much
more than just the watchdog of local
government. Yes, that is one role, but it
is not the only role. I believe a small lo-
cal newspaper should be about building
the community up. It should be about
getting information about activities
that are happening out to the public. It
should be about supporting our schools
and our youth, about supporting civic
organizations and about creating a posi-
tive atmosphere. And mostly it should
welcome
december11
2012
be about building relationships within
the community.
Over the last five years we have
worked very hard to create relationships
with our schools, including the adminis-
tration, the faculty, the staff, the students
and parents. We have built partnerships
with and helped local organizations pub-
lish information and stories about their
activities; organizations like the Verno-
nia Rural Fire Prevention District, The
Lions Club, The Vernonia Prevention
Coalition, HandsOn Art, The Verno-
nia Health Board, The Vernonia Boost-
ers, the PTA, the Vernonia Library, and
many more. We have worked with local
business to try to support their endeavors
with feature articles and press releases.
And we have worked with local govern-
ment to try to keep the citizens informed.
To me, this is what a community
newspaper is supposed to do: go out into
the community and talk to people about
the activities they are involved in. Re-
port on the undertakings that help make
this a special place to live. Encourage
people to get involved and participate in
their community.
I am concerned that with The In-
dependent having gone out of business,
some people will feel their voices and
some points of view will not be heard. I
want to encourage everyone in our com-
munity to make use of our Letters to the
Editor column to send us your opinions;
we want to hear your thoughts, concerns,
questions and criticisms. I would also
welcome any and all writers to send us
their ideas. I continue to be interested in
reflecting the entire community.
There are many things I would
like to say in response to Mr. McGaugh’s
final statements in the final edition of
The Independent. His interpretation of
some of the things I’ve written about
over past years is, I believe, somewhat
skewed. But honestly, I don’t believe
the people in this community really need
to hear any more about the disagreement
between myself and Mr. McGaugh;
a disagreement that he has made, and
continues to choose to make, so very
personal. For me this has always been
about business and about meeting the
needs of this community.
Suffice to say that I am proud
of and stand by our body of work, am
proud of the publication we present to
the public twice each month, and proud
of the place that we have created for our-
selves in this community.
Running a community news-
paper is very large responsibility, one I
Merry Christmas
from All of Us at
West Oregon Electric Co-op
take very seriously. Publishing Verno-
nia’s Voice has been a learning experi-
ence with a very steep curve. I have
certainly made mistakes and admit that
my writing and publishing styles have
had to grow and change.
It is almost always a sad day
when a small local business is forced to
close its doors. I have a lot of respect
for Noni Anderson, her journalism skills
and how she served this community for
so many years. It is a sorry day when a
business that has been in existence for
twenty-seven years and an institution in
a community must cease operations.
Competition is the American
way. Operating a successful business
is not an entitlement and customers are
not beholden to anyone.
I am happy to say that we are
still here. We really do appreciate the
loyal support this community has shown
us over the last five years. Your contin-
ued encouragement has helped confirm
that we are, for the most part, meeting
your needs. We will continue to be a
positive influence in this community for
many years to come. We will continue to
try to improve and will continue to build
relationships. And we will continue to
reflect the spirit of Vernonia.
Publisher and Managing Editor
Scott Laird
503-367-0098
scott@vernoniasvoice.com
Contributors
Lynn Berry
Mark Brown
Dr. Kenneth Cox
Benjamin Fousek
Dr. Carol McIntyre
Peter Nelson
DeAnna Pearl
Gayle Rich-Boxman
Sarah Rossi
Christopher Sedlmeyer
Michal Smith
Melissa Zavales
Photography
Scott Laird
Peter Nelson
Want to advertise? Have an article?
Contact: scott@vernoniasvoice.com
Scott Laird
Editor and Publisher
Vernonia’s Voice is
published twice each
month on the
2nd and 4th Tuesday.
Look for our next issue
December 25th.
One year subscriptions
(24 issues) $35
Vernonia’s Voice is published
on the 2nd and 4th Tuesday
of each month.
Vernonia’s Voice, LLC
PO Box 55
Vernonia, OR 97064
503-367-0098
www.VernoniasVoice.com
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