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About Vernonia's voice. (Vernonia, OR) 2007-current | View Entire Issue (Jan. 19, 2017)
January19 2017 free VERNONIA’S volume11 issue2 www.vernoniasvoice.com reflecting the spirit of our community Vernonia Police Offi cer Assists in Fire Rescue In the very early morning hours of January 10, 2017 local fi rst responders and the Vernonia Rural Fire Protection District (VRFPD) responded to a structure fi re on Lone Pine Road. According to a re- port posted by VRFPD Public Information Offi - cer Robert Schattscheinder, “The fi rst fi re engine to ar- rive reported seeing smoke and fl ames coming from the Photo courtesy of VRFPD PIO Robert Schattschneider front door. The resident was re-enter the structure in an able to get out with some as- attempt to save her dogs, sistance from an offi cer from offi cer Pesio restrained her the Vernonia Police Depart- and brought her outside ment. Firefi ghters were able the home. Moments later to knock down the fi re rather the structure fi re fl ashed quickly... but the home was a and blew out the windows complete loss.” of the home. Vernonia Police Offi cer Pesio was treat- Chief Michael Conner told ed for smoke inhalation Vernonia’s Voice that Offi cer Cody Pesio and was released and is recovering from was the initial fi rst responder to arrive his injuries. The occupant of the home at the scene and found an elderly fe- was also treated and released. The dogs male calling for help from the doorway. were unable to be saved. Conner said there were fl ames visible The cause of the fi re remains un- and smoke coming from the doorway. der investigation. When the occupant of the home tried to Church Invites Community to Breakfast Volunteers cook breakfast on Sunday mornings for every- one, with no expectations. The Grace Family Fellow- ship Church has been hosting Sunday morning breakfasts for the past several months as a way of reaching out and trying to help the community at-large. Mark Brown is the Associate Pastor and Music Director at Grace Family Fellowship and is coordinating the weekly get-togethers that are pre- pared by volunteers each week. The breakfast provides an opportunity for anyone in the community to receive a hot meal and also provides church members with a chance to meet casu- ally. The meals are served with no ex- pectations for those attending, contains no religious overtones, and are free to anyone wishing to partake. Of course, everyone is invited to attend the church service immediately following the breakfast. “We certainly believe that there is a need,” says Brown. “If you look at, not just the mission of the church, but what is in the heart of anyone who wants to serve their community, that is the underlying root, to meet people where they are at, with no expectations. If I have the ability to do that, or the church has the ability to do that, then we should be doing it.” Brown says the church used to offer Sunday morning breakfasts but got away from doing it the last couple of years. He said when he started think- ing about re-starting the weekly break- fasts he had three goals. “We wanted to see some people that we haven’t seen before and provide a meal for some continued on page 10 Plans for Salmonberry Someone’s Day a Little Bit Better Trail Move Ahead Slowly Love Rocks: Making By Scott Laird The highly ambitious new trail would connect the coast to the Metro area, and Vernonia, but will likely take decades to fully complete. Maybe you’ve heard about the Love Rocks that people are fi nding around Verno- nia, or read about it on Facebook. Maybe you’ve actually been lucky enough to fi nd one yourself while eating or shopping, or visit- ing a local park, or wandering around town. Maybe someone handed one to you as you watched the 4 th of July or Jamboree parade in Vernonia this past summer. Or maybe you’ve never heard of Love Rocks and don’t know what I’m talking about. Love Rocks have been shared around inside 7 good ol’ days: boys and trains 12 vhs winter sports report 12 eyrrick named all state band 19 where do you read the voice? By Scott Laird Mason Hummel handed out Love Rocks during last year’s Jamboree parade. Vernonia this past year by Wendi Liv- engood, her daughter Mason Hum- mel, and Mason’s friend Hayden Rau. The rocks are meant to be found by folks around town as a way to help brighten their day and spread some love to everyone. “We like leaving them around town and see people smile and maybe make someone’s day who is having a bad day,” says Livengood. “I like to see how people respond to them and it’s nice to see how it bright- ens up their day,” adds Mason. “It’s fun to see if they set it back down for someone else to fi nd, or keep it.” Born in a moment of tragedy and unparalleled grief nearby in Forest Grove, Love Rocks have become a small way of sharing love and joy continued on page 11 The heavy rains that brought fl ooding to the town of Vernonia in December of 2007 did damage to much more of the region than just the town itself. The historic Southern Pacifi c Railroad line that connected the Oregon Coast with the Willamette Valley was severely damaged during that winter storm which dumped rain and washed out signifi cant sections of the rail bed. While Vernonians pushed forward with recovery efforts following the fl ood, the cost to repair the damage to the rail line, now owned by the Port of Tillamook Bay (POTB), was deemed too high, and a large portion of the rail line has sat unused for the past decade. The rail line had previously been heavily damaged during the 1996 fl ood and was repaired at great expense. When FEMA offi cials balked at the idea of repairing the rail line again following the 2007 fl ood, rails- to-trails enthusiasts and advocates got active almost immediately and began a push to turn the damaged rail line into a multi-use trail open to hikers, bikers, and equestrian riders. This ambitious continued on page 3