The INDEPENDENT, January 15, 2004
Mr. Reliable takes a rest…
After nearly 30 years of delivering mail to the residents
and businesses of Vernonia, Dick Aldrich has taken a
well-earned retirement. During a brief ceremony on his
last working day, retired Vernonia Postmaster Dan Fletch-
er, a long-time co-worker, presented Aldrich with a plaque
for his years of reliable service. He will be missed not only
by his human clients, but by every dog in town because
they all knew there were treats in those pockets.
Update on Lewis & Clark Bridge
The full weekend closure of
the Lewis and Clark Bridge
originally scheduled for Janu-
ary 16 – 19 has been resched-
uled for January 30-February 2.
Rescheduling is required be-
cause last week’s winter storm
made it impossible to complete
necessary preparation work.
The rescheduled closure will
begin at 11 p.m. on Friday, Jan-
uary 30, and remain until the
bridge reopens to traffic at 5:30
a.m. on Monday, February 2.
Please note that I-5 in both
directions between NE 134th
Street and NE 99th Street in
Clark County will also be
closed to all traffic during this
same weekend as part of an in-
terstate widening project in that
area. The Washington Depart-
ment of Transportation offers
three suggestions for motorists
wishing to cross the Columbia
River:
• The Puget Island/Cath-
lamet ferry, which will operate
24-hours-a-day without charge
during the bridge closure
hours.
• The U.S. 101/Astoria-
Megler Bridge
Contact numbers for
Lewis & Clark Bridge
– Toll Free Lewis & Clark Bridge
Deck Replacement Project Hot-
line: 1-866-427-4630
– Project Web Page: (Follow the
Project Update link to the
monthly calendar)
www.wsdot.wa.gov/projects/lewi
sclarkbridge
– Lewis & Clark Bridge Deck Re-
placement Project E-mail: lewis
clarkbridge@wsdot.wa.gov
– Highway Advisory Radios:
• Kelso, WA AM 1580
• Rainier, OR AM 530
Page 5
Remember to check family tax credits
Oregonians missed out on
nearly $30 million in federal tax
credits last year because they
didn’t claim them, according to
the Oregon Child Care Re-
source & Referral Network, a
statewide association of 17
programs helping families find
child care.
This year, significant in-
creases in federal and state tax
credits can put thousands of
dollars in the pockets of Orego-
nians. That’s why the Oregon
Child Care Resource & Refer-
ral Network is working in part-
nership with the National
Women’s Law Center to urge
working parents to file for these
credits to lower their taxes or
increase their refunds.
As a result of the federal in-
creases, families may be eligi-
ble for:
– The federal Child and De-
pendent Care Credit, designed
to offset some of the child or
dependent care costs that fam-
ilies incur in order to work. The
maximum value of the credit is
$2,100.
– The federal Child Tax
Credit has increased from $600
to $1,000 per child.
– The federal Earned In-
come Tax Credit, which helps
provide a wage supplement for
low-income families (those
earning less than $34,692 an-
nually), has increased slightly,
from $4,140 to $4,204.
Oregon child care credits
have also increased:
– The state Child and De-
pendent Care Credit increased
from a maximum of $1,440 to a
maximum of $1,800.
– For the first time the state
Working Family Child Care
Credit, which is worth up to 40
percent of qualifying child care
expenses, is refundable, giving
more tax assistance to low-in-
come filers.
– The state Earned Income
Credit may be as much as
$210.
In an attempt to reach thou-
sands of Oregon families with
information about tax credits,
the Network is also working
with the Association of Oregon
Broadcasters and its member
television and radio stations to
air public service announce-
ments during February and
March 2004. The tax credit
campaign will also distribute
user-friendly materials in Eng-
lish and Spanish to local child
care providers, day care cen-
ters and other area organiza-
tions.
In addition, free tax help is
available on the Network’s web
site <www.OregonChildCare.
org> or by calling toll-free 1-
800-342-6712.