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About Vernonia's voice. (Vernonia, OR) 2007-current | View Entire Issue (Feb. 2, 2017)
6 community news february2 2017 CASA for Children Named One of Oregon’s Most Admired Companies CASA (Court Appointed Special Advocate) for Children of Multnomah, Washington, and Co- lumbia Counties has been named the fi fth Most Admired Company (nonprofi t category) in Oregon for 2016. The results come from a survey sent to 3,000-plus CEOs and business owners. The 400-plus re- spondents selected three companies, in order of priority, which they most admire in eight industries. Respon- dents were not required to answer in all industries — just those they felt comfortable in their knowledge of. As CASA plans for the fu- ture of the agency the primary ob- jective continues to be providing more children and young adults with the benefi ts of a CASA. This year 489 active CASA volunteers will serve 1,100 children in the fos- ter care system with the ultimate goal of quickly and effectively se- curing a safe and permanent home for these young people. “We are honored to be in- cluded in this group of phenomenal non-profi ts in Oregon” said Betsy Stark Miller, Executive Director of CASA. “It is especially meaningful to be included alongside our fellow honorees, who represent our state’s impressive array of non-profi t or- ganizations doing such valuable work.” As an organization, CASA will continue to focus on three main areas to achieve these goals: In- creased and improved training and support for volunteer CASAs so they can advocate effectively for the educational needs of children and teens in foster care, organiza- tion-wide commitment to diversity, equity, and inclusion, and sustained program growth in a decentralized rural county that is experiencing great economic and social stress. If you are interested in learning more about how to become a CASA volunteer, upcoming train- ings, or future fundraising events, please contact Anne Marie Johnson, Director of Development and Com- munications, at (503) 988-4170 or ajohnson@casahelpskids.org. School Board Approves Another Bond Attempt continued from front page million in debt the school is still obligated to pay from their general fund from the construction of the new school campus. Those funds that would be used to retire debt are not eligible for matching funds from the state. The District will ask for an additional $2.3 million to fi nish the school campus and make needed repairs at the Mist Grade School; those funds would be matched by the state if the bond measure is successfully passed by the voters. Miller told the Board that the May election provides another golden, and pos- sibly fi nal, opportunity for the District to pass another bond and receive matching funds. He said the Governor’s offi ce had initially indicated that the fi nal round of funding scheduled for the May 2017 elec- tion had been temporarily removed after the November 2016 election, but was just re- cently added back into the state budget. In addition, while the VSD did not qualify for the Priority List, they were the fi rst District picked in the Lottery Process and are guar- anteed access to matching funds. Miller noted that the original $13 million bond measure was approved at $1.90 per thousand dollars of assessed value, but has been reduced to about $1.70 due to increased property values within the community, more properties on the tax rolls, and VSD’s initiative last year to refi nance What’s Happening at the Vernonia Library Upcoming Events The Solar Eclipse Experience Thursday, February 2, 6 pm Presentati on by Jim Buxton on the Total Solar Eclipse coming up on August 21, 2017. Includes a slideshow, things to look for, tools to use, where to be, and informati on on the physics of the eclipse as well as eclipses of the past. Beginning Knitting for Kids Tuesdays, 4-5 pm, February 14, 28, March 14, 28 Free and all materials provided for children ages 8 – 17. Classes taught by Caitlin Hunter. Contact boylandknitworks@gmail.com for more informati on. Author Visit: Willy Vlautin Tuesday, February 21, 6:30 pm Willy Vlauti n is a nati onally recognized author of four novels including Lean on Pete and The Free. He founded the band Richmond Fontaine in 1994 and put out a debut album in 2014 with his new band, The Delines. He currently lives in Scappoose, Oregon. His Vernonia visit will focus on the book Lean on Pete, with a Q&A about his novel and song writi ng. He will be bringing his guitar and books to sign. rd 3 Annual Cat in the Hat Event Thursday, March 2, 6 pm Story read by The Cat in the Hat. Pictures, door prizes, cake, and Seussish acti viti es. In honor of Dr. Seuss’s Birthday. For children and families. Family Movie Night Thursday, February 23, 6 pm (Family Movie) Featuring: Storks! Relax and enjoy a movie and popcorn at the library. Ongoing Programs Writer’s Group Thursday, February 16, 6-7:30 pm 3 rd Thursday of every month. For writers with all levels of experience. Book Discussion Group Monday, February 27, 5:30 pm Last Monday of every month, 5:30 pm. Book selecti on for February: The Friday Night Knitting Club by Kate Jacobs the debt and save taxpayers about $0.12 per thousand. The new bond would increase the total obligation to taxpayers back to the originally agreed upon rate of $1.90 per thousand and extend the levy for an ad- ditional 10 years from 2036 to 2046, but could potentially be reduced if Vernonia continues to experience growth. “Our community is biting at the bit right now to grow,” said Board member Er- nie Smith about the possibility that the rate might come down over the life of the bond. “We lost a lot of homes after the fl ood. We have a lot of people looking for homes to rent and homes that are for sale are not last- ing more than a week.” There will be four positions on the School Board up for election on the May 16 ballot as well. Position 1, held by Susan Wagner, Position 4, held by Smith, Position 5, held by Cari Levenseller, and Position 6, held by Board Chair Brett Costley, will all be put to the voters. Costley has said he plans to run for re-election. Smith has said he is not going to run again. Neither Lev- enseller nor Wagner have made their inten- tion clear yet. “This is going to be my last term on the Board,” said Smith. “My goal when I started was to see new schools and I want to see it get done.” Avila Sentenced in Shooting Death Kirk Avila, a resident and former business owner in Vernonia, was sentenced in Columbia County Court on January 18, 2017 for the shooting death of Jesse Depue, also of Vernonia. On January 3 Avila (53) pled no contest to criminally negligent homicide and felon in possession of a fi rearm. On January 18 Avila was sentenced to 80 months on the count of “criminally negligent homicide” and 60 months on the count of “felon in possession of a fi rearm.” The sentences are to be served consecutively, for a total of 140 months (or 11 years, 8 months). Avila was given credit for time already served on his sentence. Avila’s sentence was incorrectly reported by Portland news agencies following his sentencing. Avila has remained in custody in the Columbia County jail since his arrest and was originally charged with murder, before pleading no contest to the lesser charges. The shooting occurred at Avila’s home on the 900 block of Riverside Drive. The two men were involved in a confrontation prior to the shooting. Depue died from a single gunshot wound to the stomach. Depue was 31 at the time of his death and left behind his partner and two young sons. Storytimes Baby and Toddler Time Mondays, 10:30 – 11:15 am Songs, rhymes, books, toys, and bubbles! For ages 0 – 3. Older siblings welcome. IT’S TAX TIME Call your LOCAL tax preparer Preschool Storytime Fridays, 10:30 – 11:15 am Stories and a craft /acti vity for children up through age 6. Library Hours & Contact Monday, Wednesday, Friday: 10 – 5 Tuesday, Thursday: 1 – 7 Saturday: 10 – 4 Closed Sundays Phone: (503) 429-1818 E-mail: library@vernonia-or.gov R Y O A LL PL P US LLC Edi Sheldon 503-429-1819 edisheldon@gmail.com Licensed tax consultant • Full service payroll Personal & small business bookkeeping • QuickBooks assistance CORPS, S-CORPS, LLC, Partnerships • Personal one-on-one service LTC #29629 - Oregon licensed tax consultant RTRP #P00448199 - designated as a registered tax return preparer by the Internal Revenue Service The IRS does not endorse any particular individual tax return preparer. For more information on tax return preparers, go to www.IRS.gov.
