T he C olumbia P ress
1
50 ¢
C latsop C ounty ’ s I ndependent W eekly n eWspaper
503-861-3331
January 5, 2018
Vol. 2, Issue 1
Tiny free library a hit in Warrenton neighborhood
“The more that you read, the more
things you will know. The more that
you learn, the more places you’ll go.”
― Dr. Seuss
B y C inDy y ingst
The Columbia Press
Above: Carrie
Bartoldus stands
behind the neigh-
borhood library she
built in August.
Left: Jannat Ring,
6, shows off the
“Tangled” book she
found while Tori
Miller, 10, peers
inside.
Cindy Yingst
The Columbia Press
A child who opens a book, opens the
world.
And that was the mindset behind the
tiny library Carrie Bartoldus built next to
the sidewalk in front of her home.
“I’m a Bahá’í and we love to do service
projects,” Bartoldus said. “I have RA
(rheumatoid arthritis) and fibromyalgia
and to commit to something is real hard
for me.”
She spent a year thinking about it, de-
signing it and looking at what others had
done.
“I kept on having such elaborate ideas
on how I wanted it and it wasn’t happen-
ing,” she said. “Finally, I said, ‘Just do
it.’”
That was in August and it has been in
the neighborhood since.
“This year is especially significant be-
cause it’s the 200 anniversary of founder
Bahá’u’lláh’s birth,” she said.
Bahá’ís believe all religions are linked
See ‘Tiny library’ on Page 5
Warrenton police stock up on anti-overdose kits
The Columbia Press
Warrenton Police Department
became the first law enforcement
agency in the county to carry Nal-
oxone, a drug that can revive some-
one dying of a heroin overdose.
The drug counters the effects of
opioids such as heroin, morphine,
oxycodone and fentanyl, as well
as a growing number of synthetic
opioids like “Pink.” Warrenton had
an overdose in April that the coun-
ty medical examiner eventually
linked to Pink.
“It’s a very serious problem we
have that’s spreading across the
country and Oregon as well,” Chief
Matt Workman said.
Just last week, a couple was
arrested on Ridge Road with a
1-year-old child and a diaper bag
full of heroin, needles and drug
paraphernalia.
The woman tried to conceal some
of the drugs by swallowing them.
In that case, the Naloxone wasn’t
needed, Workman said, but it
points to the depth of the problem.
The child was turned over to child
protective services.
“It’s a sad side-effect of drug ad-
diction; everything else goes by
the wayside,” he said.
Each police vehicle in Warren-
ton’s fleet now carries Naloxone
overdose kits. The $95 kits in-
clude two doses of Narcan-brand
nasal spray, a cardio-pulmonary
resuscitation breather, rubber
gloves, safety masks and soap
and water for decontamination.
All officers and police staff
members are required to take a
state-approved training course.
While the Oregon Health Au-
thority recently changed its
See ‘Overdose’ on Page 6
George Everts/for The Columbia Press
The Thomas Fire burns near Oxnard, Calif.
Red Cross volunteer
reflects on fire trip
B y D.B. L ewis
The Columbia Press
What do Martin Sheen, the water lady and
Army veteran George Everts have in common?
They all volunteered at Red Cross emergency
shelters crowded with evacuees from California’s
largest-ever wildfire disaster.
The Thomas Fire, which started in early
December, continued to burn this week after
destroying nearly 300,000 acres.
It started in Santa Barbara County and quickly
spread east to Ventura County in just a few
hours. On Christmas Day, there were 2,500
firefighters still struggling to put it out.
By the time Everts, a Red Cross volunteer
from Astoria, arrived for his deployment,
Martin Sheen had delivered
a truckload of emergency
supplies and a local citizen
was bringing in $125 worth of
bottled water every day.
Known to volunteers simply
as the Water Lady, she showed
up with her donation each day
for 20 days.
Everts completed Red Cross
Everts
shelter training in December
2016, and was on the list for Puerto Rico when
the California fires began growing. He got an
email requesting his deployment there instead
See ‘Red Cross’ on Page 4