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About Vernonia's voice. (Vernonia, OR) 2007-current | View Entire Issue (Aug. 6, 2020)
4 letters to the editor/community bulletin board august6 2020 Readers Lend Their Voices... To the Editor, I want to thank Representa- tive Brad Witt for fighting for Oregon’s workers. It is unacceptable that it can take up to 14 weeks to receive unem- ployment benefits. Oregonians and em- ployers paid into the unemployment insurance fund for times like these and we all deserve to receive our benefits in a timely manner. Rep. Witt is the only legisla- tor to demand accountability from the Oregon Employment Department. It’s hard to stand against members of one’s own party but Rep. Witt has done just that. I hope the Secretary of State and Governor Brown listen to his call for an investigation. Thank you, Rep. Witt for having the backs of the working people of Oregon. West Oregon Electric Cooperative 2020 Annual Meeting Saturday, August 22, 11:00 am The meeting this year will be held virtually For the link to participate in the meeting go to: www.westoregon.org To listen only Call: 1-866-899-4679 Access code: 340-345-133 All members should have received ballots by mail to elect Board of Directors and one bylaw revision. Jolene Jonas Scappoose The Mist-Birkenfeld RFPD Board of Directors will meet by teleconference for their regular board meeting Tuesday, August 18, 2020 at 7:00 pm Public access is available. Call Toll Free: 1 (877) 309-2073 Access Code: 819-010-581 HOW TO SEND LETTERS TO THE EDITOR Vernonia’s Voice welcomes and requests your thoughts, opinions and ideas. Please include your name, address and phone number, limit your letters to 300 words or less. Vernonia’s Voice reserves the right to edit, omit, respond or ask for a response to letters submitted. We will print letters space permitting. Deadline is the first and third Monday of each month. Email: scott@vernoniasvoice. com or mail to: Letters, PO Box 55, Vernonia, OR 97064. What’s Happening at the Vernonia Library Summer Open Hours: Mon, Wed, Fri, 10 am - 5 pm Tuesdays, 12 pm - 7 pm Saturdays and Sundays: Closed Open by Appointment Only: Thursdays, 12 pm - 7 pm Appointment option is for high risk individuals. Please call or email to make an appointment. Outdoor Pick-up: The Library is continuing our outdoor pick-up option during open hours. Please contact the Library by phone or email so we can note your preference for outdoor pick-up on your account. Our outdoor pick- up cart has crafts and take home activities for families as well as requested items and prints. Courtyard Storytimes Every Tuesday in August, 10:30 am - 11:15 am. Stories, outdoor activity, and a take home craft. Limited to 10 children. Designed for children preschool age - early elementary. Seating is spaced 6 feet apart for outdoor distance requirements and face coverings required for adults in the storytime area. Summer Reading 2020 Time to turn in your reading records! Last day to return and be eligible for prize drawings is Tuesday, August 11 (extended by a few days to give you as much time as possible!). Grand prizes include: LEGO sets, gift certificates to local restaurants, National Geographic geode and gem finding kits, fun craft kits, and more. Finishers get to pick 2 small prizes (galaxy slime, small animal LEGO sets, Playdoh, or fuzzy animal keychains), and a free book or activity book. Call or email the Library if you would like our outdoor return option, everything is on a cart and mobile! Face Coverings Required Statewide As of July 24, all public indoor spaces throughout the State of Oregon require individuals age 5 and above to wear a face covering. If for medical reasons you cannot wear a face covering, please call the Library for options (503) 429-1818. We also offer outdoor pick-up on all open days for requested items and prints. Library Contact Info Phone: (503) 429-1818 E-mail: library@vernonia-or.gov Website: www.vernonia-or.gov/ departments/library/ The Weird and Wonderful World of GISH By Marianne Ono You could be forgiven for think- ing that the world has lost its collective marbles, lately. If a global pandemic and protests in the streets weren’t enough to set your head spinning, tonight someone in your neighbourhood is using a bull- horn to . . . broadcast bedtime stories? Relax – it’s just GISH (Greatest International Scavenger Hunt), a global week-long scavenger hunt “for the kind of weird and the weirdly kind.” And for every thoroughly – and maddeningly – confusing happening you might wit- ness, rest assured that thousands more are spreading joy and kindness on ev- ery continent (yes, Antarctica too!) from August 1-8 this year. Kindness, during the hunt, comes in many forms: baked goods de- livered to first responders; fundraising for charity; thousands of letters written in support of justice and mercy, as in 2019, when GISHers lobbied on behalf of Alabama inmate Willie Simmons, who has now served nearly 40 years of a life sentence for the theft of less than $10. Meanwhile, a portion of the hunt’s registration fee ($25.01 USD in 2020) goes to such worthwhile causes as protecting acres of rainforest, or clearing unexploded bombs left over from the Vietnam war from Laotian farmlands. This August, GISH fees have funded over one million meals for kids who have lost access to free school lunch programs during the current pandemic – AND raised almost $200,000 for the NAACP Legal Defense Fund. Still, for a competition that does so much good, GISH has a definite sa- distic streak. So much so, that partici- pants’ classic cry, ‘dammit, Misha,’ has been printed on merchandise, also ben- efitting charity, from the hunt’s official website, GISH.com. That would be Misha Collins, a regular on the TV show ‘Supernatu- ral,’ now in its fifteenth and final season, and the gleeful taskmaster who imbues GISH with what even the merriest hunt- ers will admit is an unreasonable amount of pain and suffering. My own introduction to Misha’s brand of bizarre hijinks was his not-to- be-missed YouTube series, ‘Cooking Fast and Fresh,’ which put his young children in charge of shopping for, and directing the preparation of, some truly wacky (in)edibles. In the 2019 hunt, I found myself reprising the role of assistant shopper and sous-chef to a pair of delighted pre- schoolers. As the saying goes, it seemed like a good idea at the time. A little less so, as I struggled through a bowl of ar- tichokes and coconut hair (their picks) stewed in an astonishing amount of olive oil. Their parents tell me that those kids still joyfully tell the story of the time that they were ‘head chefs.’ And ultimately, that’s what GISH is all about: doing what we’ve never imagined doing, and spreading as much joy as possible along the way. Columbia Humane Society Featured Dog Purr-fect Pals Birdie is right around 14 weeks old. This little girl is full of love & fun and will make a great addition to any family that is looking to add a new friend. She is very playful, fully potty trained, has been spayed, vaccinated, and treated for fleas and worms. She would either like to go to a home with her sister, or to a home with a male cat that is friendly and also playful. She has not had much exposure to dogs or to kids. If you are interested in meeting her we ask that you please email animalwelfare@columbiahumane.org to obtain an application. Once we have an approved application on file we will then schedule a time for you and your family to come in and meet the kitten one on one. Her adoption fee is $125. 2084 Oregon Street, St. Helens, OR 97051 Phone: 503-397-4353 Dash originally came from Israel after his adoptive parents were no longer able to care for him. He is around 5 years old, is very strong willed, and will not do well in a home with a cat. He did at one point live in a home with a smaller dog and he did well with that. He is going to need a big yard to run and play, and to call his own. These guys are known for being protective of their homes and their yards from strangers. He can be reactive at times when walking near other dogs, however he can be quickly distracted with food. He has a pretty solid obedience background. This guy is a thinker and smart; he is sure to keep you on your toes. If you are interested in meeting Dash, please email animalwelfare@columbiahumane.org to obtain an application. Once you have an approved application we will then schedule a time for you to come in and meet him. E-mail: info@columbiahumane.org Web: www.columbiahumane.org
