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About The independent. (Vernonia, Or.) 1986-current | View Entire Issue (Aug. 26, 1992)
•*’** * ■.,•?«»■ », _.. , ». » «>. '•_ ti.-.wKifcgfe,, -r - to ft Page 2 The INDEPENDENT, Aug. 26,1992 ^.INDEPENDENT i Serving the upper Nehalqm River valley. Published monthly on the last W ednesday of each month, by Public Opinion Laboratory Ltd., 1206 State Avenue, Vernonia, OR 97064, as a free newspaper. All material protected under U.S. Copyright laws. Editors and Publishers, Dirk & Noni Andersen, (503) 429-9410. Cost is one element in sensible planning West Oregon Electric directors have decided to spend a weekend engaged in some serious planning; a laudable decision. It certainly is time for action of that sort, especially if they make policy decisions that clearly guide the direction of the co-op so they do not have to be engaged in day-to-day operations — that is why managers are hired. In the past year or so, Manager David Seuss has made decisions to eliminate some expenses WOEC had carried for a long time — a free public meeting room, free lunch at the annual meeting, monetary support for community programs, etc. — and the board approved those decisions. It's too bad they are now going to reverse an economically sensible trend. The board should hold a weekend planning ses sion, but there is no reason to hold it at a motel in Portland or anywhere else. There is no conflict in us ing the meeting room at WOEC during a weekend. The staff doesn't need it then and the public doesn't use it at all. It's available without a nightly fee. If con sultants are brought in, as is currently planned, bring them to Vernonia; it's cheaper to pay a car rental fee than motel rooms, mileage and other expenses for seven board members and five staff members. As far as meals are concerned, there are some very good caterers in Vernonia who could easily handle that task. WOEC board members receive very little reim bursement for a difficult job, but they were aware of that when they ran for the board. Directors' positions are considered voluntary. As candidates, most of them expressed concerns about the co-op's rates and the need to reduce unnecessary expenses. This de cision flies in the face of those expressed concerns. Planning is needed, yes. Motels, meals and mileage for twelve people, plus substantial overtime pay for some of them, are not requisites for good planning. Vernonia industrial park? It's really not impossible Discussions are underway regarding development of a small industrial park near the Vernonia Airport. Many people on the state, county and local levels are working hard in an attempt to make it happen. This type of facility is desperately needed in the Vernonia area, but there is no fairy godmother who can wave a wand and make it happen instantly. Nevertheless, it's good to see so many people working together in an attempt to help development in the Vernonia area. This is the sort of coooperation that is needed to help bring Vernonia out of the eco nomic doldrums. By Nancy Burch Vernonia City Librarian For a librarian, choosing new books has to be one of the most enjoyable parts of the job. Because authors seem to write in phases, there are periods when nothing new and exciting is available and other times it's "Wow, I want it all!" This past month has been a "Wow" month, with many newly published books on the bookstore shelves. Novels by Lilian Jackson Braun, Barbara Michaels, Len Deighton, John Saul, Fannie Flagg, Anne Rivers Siddons, Lawrence San ders, Phyllis Whitney, Sandra Brown, and John Grisham are some of the new books now available in the local library. The tale of a young woman's search for the truth about her mother’s mysterious death and her own past is woven in The Ebony Swan, by Phyllis Whitney. This is a typical example of Ms. W hitney's writing style—combining ro mance with suspense and compelling the reader’s attention to the very end. Barbara Michaels also combines mystery and romance, but adds the element of the unex plained in her novels. Her newest, Vanish With the Rose, has Diana Reed, posing as a landscape architect trained in the specialty of "old roses", determined to uncover a dark and personal secret— one that may have started and may end in murder. As the dead past intrudes on the present, Diana is haunted with eerie visions, strange music and the scent of roses and she is forced to confront these deadly forces. Ms. Michaels always has the Seeking Bigfoot info To the Editor: As director of the Western Bigfoot Society, I have heard of re p o rts of B ig fo o t, or Sasquatch, from Rainier, For est G rove, St. H elens and down to the outskirts of Port land. I would like to know if there have been sightings in the Vernonia or other areas, or if som eone has saved news clippings. If you have any information, please con tact me at 8622 N. Lombard, Portland, OR 97203. Ray Crowe, Director Western Bigfoot Society, Portland Information available To the Editor: You've heard the saying, "put a lid on it?" Well, that's exactly what a group of Ver- nonians are seeking to do! R ather than tryin g to s u p press information, however, th is group is attem pting to gather and then release it. The area of Vernonia be tw ee n N orth and E S treet from the base of OA Hill to Rock Creek is experiencing grownd water drainage prob- llems. Not only does this re sult in soggy law ns w hich can't be mowed until June, but it also presents potential h e alth (i.e . h e p a titis ) and safety (i.e. visibly moved gas lines) dangers. Those of us living within the above d e scrib e d area recognize that the City of Ver nonia does not have the fi nancial resources to correct this problem. However, we have received strong encour ability to make the reader experience the supernatural right along with the characters in her books and this is no exception. A Time to Kill, by John Grisham, also deserves a special mention. This is the first novel written by Grisham— before The Firm and The Pelican Brief. It was begun in 1984, with the author just three years out of law school and was finally published in 1989, but few copies were sold until The Firm was published and became a best seller in 1991. The author says there is a lot of autobiography in the book and that he believes he would act and do much the same as his character, Jake Brigance, in similar circumstances. After the life of a ten-year-old girl is shattered by two drunken and re morseless young men, the mostly white town reacts with shock and horror until her black father takes justice into his own hands. Then, Brigance, the young defense attorney, struggles to save both his client's life and his own as violence spreads throughout the county, while the entire nation watches and waits for the verdict. Mystery, romance, supernatural, comedy, action-adventure........? (A nice selection of non-fiction is available too) Check out your local library. Library Hours: Monday and Friday 1-5 p.m., Wednesday. 9 a.m.-5 p.m ., Saturday, 1 0 a.tn.-2 p.m. Preschool Story Time is every Wednesday from 10:30*11 . a>m, f e r S • : Y »♦» < W l S agement that funds may be available in higher govern ment levels. Through the leadership of DeeVeere Hershey and Mary Miller the State Street Local Improvement District (L.I.D.) has begun. This group re cently mailed survey forms to the households within the de scribed area, they w ill use the results to ascertain the di mensions of the affected re gion. With assistance from Dave Dickens and Bill Eagle, a plan will be form ulated to seek access to state and/or federal grants or loans. So, what else is needed? Beside the survey, the L.I.D. group needs people. Atten dance at the public meetings, thus far, has been 3-7 people. The area described is over 130 hom es. O bviously, to reach the goal of a district for mation, the group will require more people. Perhaps if you live in this area, you were not aware of the pre vio us m eeting tim e and place. The next meeting is Monday, Aug. 31, in the Evangelical Bible Church at 7:30 p..m. Dave Dickens and Bill Eagle are scheduled to be there. Come and help us "put a L .I.D ." on th is d ra in a g e problem. See you there. Sandy Welch Member, State Street L.I.D. Vernonia Bus lights explained To the Editor: School is starting soon so I thought I would try to help ev eryone understand the lights on the [school] bus. Like your car, school buses have turn signals in the mid dle, and they mean we are going to turn a comer or pull off the road. That means you do not have to stop. At the top of each bus is the student safety light sys tem. These are designed so we can safely load and un- bad students: 1. Yellow lights signal cau tion because the bus is get ting ready to stop. You may go through if it is safe to do so. 2. Red lights mean you m ust s to p and rem ain stopped until the red lights are turned off, so students m ay get on o r o ff th e bus safely. Thank you, Jo Ann Beamish School Bus Driver Vernonia Thanks for the help To the Editor: Thank you, Vernonia, foi all the help and cooperation during the Jamboree. Thank you to all the volun teers who provided the work to the fun. Thank you, Terry, for all y o u r le vity, g u id an ce and calmness. God Bless! Carol Senn Vernonia Thanks to sponsors To the Editor: As organizers of the third annual Vernonia Friendship Ja m b o re e Tennis T ou rn a ment, we would like to say a Please see page 12
