An inexpensive help
for home heating
very well. They are a credit and
asset to our community.
D & R Towing
Vernonia
To the Editor:
Most of us who heat with
wood noticed, a few years Be responsible, spay
back, when the other paper
changed to a paper stock with and neuter your cats
less wood pulp and more clay. To the Editor:
It doesn’t burn. But The Inde
Recently, my family had the
pendent has not so changed. opportunity (again) to rescue a
In fact, our local paper has kitten. This poor creature is
added a new feature, that some about 12 weeks old - a cute lit
of the editorials (and the letters tle tortoise shell grey kitty. The
about them) are so incendiary little guy’s eyes are stuck shut
that one doesn’t need matches with discharge, and it breaths
- just roll the paper up and blow with such difficulty, that you can
gently - it will light itself!
hear each breath rattling its
Cordially, lungs. Surprisingly, this sick cat
Frazier Rohm has an appetite too - he ate
Vernonia like it was his first meal in days.
We have four cats - all res
Vernonia emergency cues, and cannot add another
to our family. No local vets
response impressive cat
could donate their services to
To the Editor:
help this kitty - understandably
I just wanted to write to ex so, because there are so many
press my observations on the strays. The Humane Society in
Vernonia Fire Department.
St. Helens would not take him,
We responded to a rollover since he is sick, and they do not
accident last week with our tow have the funds to take care of
truck. I was impressed with the sick animals. Apparently, Co
professionalism and action tak lumbia County Animal Control
en by the EMT/Rescue and does not deal with cats - just
Volunteer firefighters. Fire dogs.
Kitty is sleeping in a box on
Chief Paul Epler and his crew
handled the traffic and situation my porch now, with at least
some food, milk, and a comfy
towel. We can’t let him in the
house and risk our other cats’
health. Tomorrow morning we
will take him to the Bonnie
Hays Animal Shelter in Hills
boro. He will probably be euth
anized.
This could have been avoid
ed, if people would take re
sponsibility and have pets
spayed or neutered. I am sick
of seeing people in this town let
their animals reproduce when
they know that there are not
enough homes for all of these
animals.
Pets are not born to be
thrown away - just tossed
aside when you are tired of
them. Pet ownership is a long
term commitment and respon
sibility. If you have a cat, get it
spayed or neutered - please,
don’t just let it reproduce more
inbred, ill kittens.
I’ve spent a whole day on
the phone, trying to find out
what could be done for this
abandoned, sick cat. My kids
are heartbroken to see it suffer.
It is very difficult for them to un
derstand how people can be so
irresponsible. My animals are
now at risk of catching whatev
er this kitten has - all due to an
inconsiderate member of this
Between the Bookends
just my opinion). We also have three of this se
ries - The Princess Diaries, Princess in the
Spotlight, and Princess in Love.
Sign ups for the Sum
In the non-fiction department, try reading the
mer Reading Program biography of Tony Hawk called Hawk: Occupa
started Tuesday, June 3rd. tion Skateboarder. Tony Hawk has skated for
Summer Programs for over 20 years, invented more than 80 tricks and
school age children are on won twice as many professional contests as any
Thursdays at 2:00 p.m. other skater. This book tells the story of the de
starting June 19th.
velopment of the sport of skateboarding, and his
The schedule is as fol own story as well, from being a hyperactive child
lows:
with a demon temper and a high IQ, to his acci
dental start into skateboarding and the people
June 1 9 - Arthur Atsma- magic etc.
he considers legends and his mentors in the
June 26 - Leapin’ Louie
sport. Even for a non-skater, like myself, this is
July 1 0 - Reptile Man
an interesting book. But if skating is your pas
July 17 - BJ the Clown
sion, you have to check this book out; it has lots
July 24 - Celeste Rose Puppets
of photographs, too. Then check out our sub
July 31 - Elizabeth Falcon
scription to ‘Thrasher,” a skateboard magazine.
On Thursday, August 7th, from 2:00-4:00
Need to do some recycling? Take advantage
p.m., come to Camp READ. This is the only pro of Recycle Saturday, sponsored by the Friends
gram that requires pre-registration due to a limit of the Banks Library on the second Saturday of
of 30. It is geared for children grade 3-6.
each month, from 9:00 a.m. to 3:00 p.m. at the
The library has been anticipating a lot of sum SWATCO yard on Sellers Road.
mer reading by our teens and we have bought
many new titles. If you enjoy the television show
Banks P ublic Library: 111 Market Street
“Alias" you’ll want to read the series of the same
Hours: Tues., Wed., Thurs., 11 a.m, - 7 p.m.;
name, based on the hit TV series. The library
Fri. and Sat. 11 a.m. - 5 p.m.
has three of the series - A Secret Life, Recruit
Preschool Story Time: Wednesdays, 10:15
ed and Disappeared. All three are original pre
a.m., through July.
quel novels written by Lynn Mason.
Phone: (503 ) 324-1382
If you enjoyed the movie “The Princess Di
Internet: www.WILInet.wccls.llb.or.us.
aries,’’ try reading the book! Usually the books
to browse library resources or to
are far superior to the movie (though not always,
reserve materials electronically.
By Ann Krutsinger, Library Assistant
Banks Public Library
community.
made locally by Farmwoman's
Bottom line - If you aren’t Nursery.
going to spay your cat, then
We hope you are all enjoying
you should be the one paying our new garbage receptacles.
to care for the sick kittens that These were purchased by Ver
result from your negligence. nonia Pride. Some of the busi
You should not rely on others to nesses have provided flowers
take care of this problem for for their garbage receptacles
you. This kitten did not ask to and all of the businesses have
come into this world, and it cer agreed to keep them watered
tainly did not deserve to be for us. A BIG THANK YOU for
abandoned, starving and sick.
that time consuming task. The
Please give some thought to receptacles were made by Alan
pet ownership and spay or Hein and the silhouettes by
neuter your dogs and cats. Ani Wolfgang Forge with designs
mals are not possessions; they donated by Vernonia Mercan
are companions that rely on us tile.
for love and care.
Donna Webb for
Kim Sebring
Vernonia Pride
Vernonia
Special thanks to all
Successful day to volunteers, donors
Make Vernonia Shine To the Editor:
To the Editor:
Vernonia Pride would like to
thank everyone who showed
up on clean up day. Though the
weather could have been bet
ter, about 150 people showed
up to Make Vernonia Shine.
There were people all over
town picking up litter, planting,
sweeping, etc., even a group
from Starbucks in St. Helens. It
is always nice to see new
faces.
We would like to thank SOLV
and all of the support that they
give to this project. Thanks also
to all of the food helpers—what
is clean up day without good
food at the end? Thanks to
everyone who donated materi
als and time. Farmwoman’s
Nursery donated plants for the
theme sign. The city public
works and city hall employees
always put forth lots of help and
equipment towards this effort.
Thanks to Providence Health
Center for the use of the park
ing lot for registration. Most of
all thanks to all of you Vernoni-
ans for caring about your town.
We all live here and we can all
make it a better place to be.
Since the high school could
not participate in April, they
made their showing on May 22
as part of their Spring Fling.
There were kids all over town,
sprucing it up. I would like to
personally thank the group at
the museum.They were totally
awesome. They were very or
ganized and we were very hap
py with their work. Kudos to you
all.
This year there will be real
flowers in the hanging baskets
purchased by Vernonia Pride
and the Vernonia Chamber of
Commerce. The baskets were
These are difficult times for
our county and state. At no time
in recent memory have we
faced such difficult choices,
and experienced such deep
cuts in our public schools, in
our helping agencies and in the
public safety fabric we have all
come to count on. Every day
hundreds in our midst go hun
gry and hundreds more worry
where their next meal will come
from. We all worry whether the
schools will operate a full year
next year and some fear that a
crime wave will sweep through
our communities now that
some types of crimes can no
longer be prosecuted or pun
ished.
In the midst of all the gloom
and doom we are facing, I want
to take a moment to publicly
thank those who continue to
volunteer their time and their
money to help their communi
ties in these trying times. It is
fun to be on boards and in lead
ership positions when times are
good and the money is there to
meet most of the needs of the
community, and everyone is
grateful and happy. It is far
more difficult and a lot less fun
to volunteer in a leadership role
when the hard choices need to
be made, when there is not
enough money to address even
the most basic needs, and
when your best efforts are often
greeted with unhappiness and
even hostility.
Recently, we at Riverside re
ceived notification of our annu
al allocation from the United
Way of Columbia County. As
you can imagine, it was down
significantly from last year, as
were the allocations of all of the
Please see page 17