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The INDEPENDENT, February 1, 2007
Emergency food/shelter fund reduced
A 21 percent reduction in
federal National Emergency
Food and Shelter Program
(EFSP) funds left local agen-
cies with $10,860 in unfunded
requests. This is the second
consecutive year of reductions
in funds for this emergency pro-
gram.
United Way of Columbia
County administers the distri-
bution of EFSP funds, but the
allocation is determined by a lo-
cal board of volunteers repre-
senting American Red Cross,
VFW, City of Vernonia, home-
less, Columbia County Emer-
gency Services, Salvation
Army, Catholic Church, and re-
tired citizens.
Funding requests to the
EFSP board totaled $41,300.
Funds available for distribution
totaled $30,440.
“The decrease in funding
from this program for a second
year has made a difficult job
even more difficult,” the EFSP
Board stated. “We know that
requests from our community
for emergency services contin-
ue to increase. We […] hope
everyone understands that the
decisions we made were ex-
tremely difficult. Thank you for
all you do to improve the lives
of those in need in our county.”
The available funds were al-
located as follows:
A. Women’s
Resource
Center, $4,000 – to help defray
the cost of shelter for victims of
domestic violence.
B. Community
Action
Team, $6,000 – for Emergency
Homeless Assistance.
C. Columbia Pacific Food
Bank, $15,140 – to purchase
high protein and emergency
food products.
D. Turning Point Commu-
nity Center, $5,000 for Emer-
gency Homelessness Assis-
tance.
E. United Way of Colum-
bia County, $300 – for adminis-
trative costs associated with
EFSP Board support.
The money will be distrib-
uted directly from the national
board to each agency in 2007.
Columbia Circuit Court vacancy
Governor Ted Kulongoski is
accepting applications for ap-
pointment to the Columbia
County Circuit Court, due to the
retirement of Judge Berkeley
County unemployment rate is unchanged
Columbia County’s season-
ally-adjusted unemployment
rate was unchanged at 5.9 per-
cent in December and down
slightly from the year before
(6.3 percent). The rate was
higher than the statewide rate
(5.4 percent) and the national
rate (4.5 percent). Total em-
ployment dropped by 201 to
22,305 from the previous
Community Calendar
VERNONIA
Al-Anon
Fridays
7:00 p.m. Grange Hall
Alcoholics Anonymous
Mondays
6:30 p.m., Head Start Bldg.
Alcoholics Anonymous
Thursdays
6:30 p.m., Head Start Bldg.
American Legion Post #119
2nd Thursday
7:00 p.m., 627 Adams Avenue
Arts & Crafts Society
2nd Thursday
2:00 p.m., City Library
Booster Club
2nd Wednesday
7:00 p.m., VHS Library
Boy Scout Troop 201
Tuesdays
7:00 p.m., Scout Cabin
Boy Scout Troop 860
Wednesdays
7:00 p.m., LDS Church
Cemetery Beautification Comm.
2nd Thursday
7:00 p.m., Leonetti’s Grill
CERT
4th Wednesday
For Info Call 503-429-3018
Chamber of Commerce
2nd Wednesday
For Info Call 503-429-6081
Community Coalition
2nd Monday
12:30 p.m. School District Ofc.
Cub Scout Pack 201
Scout Cabin
For Info Call 503-429-4250
Friends of the Library
1st Tuesday
7:00 p.m., Vernonia Library
Girl Scouts, Neighborhood 4-2
For Info Call 503-429-8133
Hands On Art Committee
1st & 3rd Thursdays
4:00 p.m., City Hall
Izaak Walton League
3rd Thursday
For location call 503-429-7193
Lions Club
1st & 3rd Tuesdays 6:30 p.m., Buckhorn Restaurant
Narcotics Anonymous
Saturdays
7:00 p.m., Head Start Bldg.
Pioneer Museum
For Info Call 503-429-3713
Public Works Committee
2nd & 4th Wednesdays
7:00 p.m., City Hall
Venturing Crew 201
1st & 3rd Thursdays 5:30 p.m., Buckhorn Restaurant
Vernonia Cares Directors
For Info call 503-429-1414
Vernonia City Council
1st & 3rd Mondays
7:00 p.m., City Hall
Vernonia Community PTA
3rd Thursday
7:00 p.m., WGS Library
Vernonia Grange
3rd Monday
7:00 p.m., Grange Hall
Vernonia Health Center
2nd Monday
6:00 p.m., 510 Bridge St.
Vernonia Learning Center
1st Wednesday
7:00 p.m., VLC
Vernonia Parks Committee
3rd Wednesday
6:30 p.m., City Hall
Vernonia Planning Comm.
1st & 3rd Thursdays
7:00 p.m., City Hall
Vernonia Pride
3rd Thursday
1:00 p.m., City Hall
Vernonia Ridge Riders
Last Thursday
7:00 p.m., Senior Center
Vernonia RFPD Board
2nd Tuesday
7:00 p.m., Fire Station
Vernonia School Board
2nd Thursday
6:00 p.m., District Office
Vernonia Sr. Center Board
2nd Friday
1:00 p.m., Senior Center
Vern. Volunteer Ambulance Assoc. 1st Thursday
7:00 p.m., Fire Station
Vernonia Volunteer Firefighters
2nd Monday
7:00 p.m., Fire Station
WOEC Directors
3rd Tuesday
7:00 p.m., WOEC
month and the number of un-
employed people was essen-
tially unchanged (-4) at 1,359.
Total employment this Decem-
ber was 536 greater than one
year before and 60 fewer peo-
ple were unemployed.
Unemployment rates for oth-
er counties can be found at
http://www.qualityinfo.org/olmis
j/AllRates.
Happy
Valentine’s
Day
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Smith effective June 1, 2007.
Interested attorneys must
submit an Interest Form for Ju-
dicial Appointments to the Gov-
ernor’s office by 5:00 p.m. on
Friday, February 23. Mail forms
to: David Reese, Office of the
Governor, 900 Court Street NE,
Salem, OR 97301.
Governor Kulongoski fills ju-
dicial vacancies based on mer-
it. Applications from lawyers
with a wide variety of back-
grounds and experiences are
encouraged. ORS 3.041 and
3.050 provide that at the time of
appointment to the court, the
candidate must be a citizen of
the United States, a resident of
Oregon and a member of the
Oregon State Bar. ORS
3.041(5) provides the required
length of time for the residency
requirements.
For additional information,
call Cassie Tarr at 503-378-
6246 or go to www.governor.
oregon.gov.
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MIST-BIRKENFELD
M-BRFPD Board Business Mtg.
2nd Tuesday
M-BRFPD Board Workshop
4th Tuesday
M-B Ambulance Drill
1st & 2nd Thursdays
M-B Fire Drill
1st & 2nd Wednesdays
M-B Helping Circle
2nd Monday
M-B SAR Drill
3rd Wednesday
M-B Volunteer Assoc.
1st Tuesday
Natal Grange
2nd Wednesday
T.O.P.S.
Mondays
Upr Nehalem Watershed Council For date call 429-2401
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APRIL 2007
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7:00 p.m., Main Fire Station
7:00 p.m., Main Fire Station
7:00 p.m., Main Fire Station
7:00 p.m., Main Fire Station
7:00 p.m., Main Fire Station
7:00 p.m., Main Fire Station
7:00 p.m., Main Fire Station
7:30 p.m., Natal Grange Hall
6:00 p.m., Main Fire Station
7:00 p.m., Main Fire Station
BANKS
Alcoholics Anonymous
Fridays
7:00 p.m., Methodist Church
Alcoholics Anonymous
Wednesdays
7:30 p.m., Methodist Church
American Legion Post #90
2nd Tuesdays
7:30 p.m., Main Street Post
Banks City Council
2nd Tuesday
7:30 p.m., City Hall
Banks Fire District #13
2nd Wednesday
7:00 p.m., Station 13
Banks Planning Commission
Last Tuesday
7:00 p.m., City Hall
Banks School Board
2nd Monday
7:30 p.m., Jr. High Library
Banks Youth Group
Sundays, Wednesdays
7:00 p.m., UMC Youth Bldg.
Chamber of Commerce
1st Thursday
12:30 p.m., Fire District Office
CPO 14
3rd Monday
7:00 p.m., City Library
Friends of the Library
2nd Tuesday
7:00 p.m., City Library
Lions Club
1st & 3rd Mondays
7:00 p.m., Brown Derby
Sunset Park Assoc.
3rd Wednesday
8:00 p.m., Gun Club
T.O.P.S.
Wednesdays
7:00 p.m., Administration Bldg.
COLUMBIA COUNTY (All meet in St. Helens unless otherwise noted.)
Board of Commissioners
Wednesdays
10 a.m., Courthouse
Citizens for Senior Justice
2nd Tuesday
7:00 p.m., Sunset Park Church
Columbia Soil & Water District
3rd Wednesday
7:30 p.m., NRCS , 2514 Sykes
County Fair Board
2nd Monday
7:00 p.m., Fairgrounds 4-H Bldg.
County Parks Commission
3rd Monday
6:00 p.m., 1054 Oregon St.
Mental Health Advisory Comm.
3rd Tuesday
10 a.m., 2nd Floor, Courthouse
Comm. on Children & Families
3rd Thursday 5:30 p.m. OSU Ext., 550 N. Hwy. 30
Local Alcohol & Drug Plann. Comm. 2nd Tuesday
3:00 p.m., 2nd Floor, Courthouse
Organizations and meeting dates not listed may be included by calling 429-9410 or by mail to
The INDEPENDENT, 725 Bridge Street, Vernonia, OR 97064.