Image provided by: University of Oregon Libraries; Eugene, OR
About The independent. (Vernonia, Or.) 1986-current | View Entire Issue (Oct. 6, 2005)
Page 20 The INDEPENDENT, October 6, 2005 Letters From page 3 fee and ended up working an 8 hour shift. Many other busi- nesses also did well. Cycle Oregon staff and vol- unteers were very professional to work with. When we saw that long line of trucks come in all at once, we got a little scared. They took care of it and every- one and every truck fell into place. Amazing the organiza- tion it takes. These are just a few stories of the excitement and commit- ment of the day. I must say the only damper we had on the event was the little bit of rain, but all in all it was a huge suc- cess. Thanks again to all who helped without you we could not have pulled it off. I would like to extend a special round of thanks to Barb Carr, Dan and Heidi Brown, Marla Rethwill, Marci Gwin, Burt Tschache, Ri- etta Behnke, Mary Kornegay, the City of Vernonia, Police Chief Matt Workman and Fire Chief Paul Epler, who were all instrumental in the planning process here in Vernonia. Donna Webb Vernonia Chamber of Commerce Support needed for Sheriff’s funding To the Editor: The measure on the ballot in Cowlitz County to increase funds for fighting the meth epi- demic failed last week, but only by a very narrow margin. It is clear that many voters felt the A GALIS N ETWORK S ERVICES county sheriff needed more money in order to fight the steadily increasing problems surrounding the use of methamphetamines. One questioner found, however, that some who voted against the measure felt that simply jailing offenders would not solve the problem. The enhanced sheriff’s oper- ating fund being requested on the November ballot in Colum- bia County includes a 90-day treatment component in the jail, designed to coincide with the usual length of sentence for a second meth use offense. Citi- zens working to put the meas- ure on the ballot came to the same conclusion as those who opposed the measure in Cowlitz County; that is, a re- volving door with no attempt to break the cycle was not the an- swer. In addition to providing treat- ment, the sheriff’s staff will be enhanced by fifteen members, and among other goals, will more than double the current four deputies now available to patrol the roads of the county. The coverage currently pro- vides for one deputy on the day shift and three on nights (forget such niceties as swing and graveyard; it’s just nights here). The night men are on call all night, from 5 p.m. to 8 a.m., and if anyone is sick or on vacation, some of those shifts last even longer. All that overtime doesn’t save taxpayers any money be- cause all that overtime has to paid for. The deputies haven’t actually received that pay due High Speed Wireless Internet. As fast as DSL for less cost. Domain Services Low cost registration and hosting. Unlimited Dialup Surf up to 5x faster with dialup accelerator included FREE. Local Areas Wireless Internet Heather Ln. to Cherry St., Downtown Vernonia Timber Rd./Hwy 47 Jct. to the Golf Course Check your email from anywhere using Agalis' Webmail. All Agalis Internet accounts include: Email accounts, Email Virus & SPAM filtering, FREE Internet related support. Website: www.agalis.net Phone: 503-201-1846 Owned and Operated in Vernonia since 1998 to a shortage of funds, but it’s accruing and amounts to as much $60,000 for at least one of the deputies (which will have to be paid upon retirement if not before). The sheriff is required by law to provide policing in the court- house and now uses volun- teers due to understaffing. The civil deputy (legal paper server) position has been unstaffed for a couple of years. The sheriff serves papers personally, but admits he’s about six weeks behind most of the time. I could go on, but you get the idea. There isn’t time to mount a formal campaign prior to the ballots going out in the mail on or about October 21. I urge you to plan to vote for the measure when you receive yours without a formal campaign contact. Just do it because it needs to be done. Nancy Roche St Helens Thanks for response to PTA’s Katrina fund To the Editor: On behalf of the Vernonia Community PTA, I wold like to extend a great thank you to all of the students and staff of Washington Grade School, Vernonia Middle School, Ver- nonia High School, Mist Grade School and Vernonia Head Start for their contributions to “Bring your dollar to school day,” held on September 29. The PTA organized this fundraiser to benefit the recent victims of Hurricane Katrina. Together we raised $268.08 to send to the victims of the hurri- cane. All proceeds will be equally divided between the American Red Cross and Northwest Medical Teams. Thank you again for your contributions. Amy Cieloha Vernonia Community PTA L Send hugs by mail to military overseas To the Editor: October is Vernonia Hug a Soldier Month. Here is a great opportunity to show our military that we appreciate what they are going through and are sac- rificing to keep America free and to make the world a better and safer place. Our military personnel in- volved in Operation Iraqi Free- dom work in intense heat in the summer and miserable cold in the winter. The PXs at their bases are either non-existent or run out of basic hygiene ne- cessities and other small com- fort items. Our men and women are in constant danger of at- tacks from anybody, any place, and anytime. They are in a war and every day more are wounded and more pay the ul- timate price. The very least we can do is let them know we care about them. Many of the troops get no mail and no sup- port from their family and friends. I have had the privilege of corresponding with a number of Marines and soldiers in Iraq for the past nine months. For them to take some of their precious free time to write or email me is a great honor. It means so much to them to receive letters of appreciation and support from people they don’t know. I have sent banners, weekly let- ters, monthly care packages and a constant stream of emails to my “adoptees” for the past nine months. Some I nev- er heard from – that’s ok. The point is to let them know they are not forgotten over there. With some, I email them every couple of weeks, and I hear back every once in awhile. One wonderful young Marine and I emailed almost daily for eight months. He is now safely back in the states. As the holidays approach, e on e tt i ’s P iz z a & G r i l l 2 DOLLARS OFF LARGE COMBINATION PIZZA. Offer expires 10-20-05 721 Madison Ave.,Vernonia • 503-429-5018 please join me in writing letters of appreciation and Christmas cards to sent to these wonder- ful folks. There are drop boxes for your letters at US Bank, City Hall, NAPA Auto Parts, and dur- ing business hours, inside the US Post Office. Address the let- ters to “Dear Hero” or “Dear Friend.” Not sure what to write? It can be just a “Thanks” with our family’s signatures. Or a short or lengthy letter about your family and your life. Tell them about your kids, the school play, your work. The family dog and the car breaking down. Attach pictures, kids art- work. Soldiers LOVE letters and drawings from children. Use a store-bought card or make your own. Keep your let- ters upbeat and friendly. In Christmas cards, slip in a pic- ture of the family. I am also col- lecting un-used cards for all oc- casions to send to the troops, so they have nice cards to send to their families. You can put your address and/or email on the cards, but don’t expect to hear back. It is so great if you hear back, but they are in a war. And, even though they may not answer, they still ap- preciate the cards. No stamps needed – they will be mailed in with care packages. Envelopes aren’t necessary, but if you use them, please don’t seal them. Do you belong to a group or organization? How about get- ting your group together and taking an hour to make or write a couple dozen cards and let- ters? Would you like to help sponsor Christmas care pack- ages? Please give me a call. Thank you for helping sup- port our military who are in harm’s way. A few minutes of your time will bring enormous joy to a number of troops. If you would like to “adopt” your own Marine, Soldier, etc. please go to <www.AnySoldier.com>. This is a fantastic site, and where I have gotten many of my contacts. Another great site is <www.SoldiersAngels.com>. Sincerely, Cat Ross Vernonia