Image provided by: University of Oregon Libraries; Eugene, OR
About The independent. (Vernonia, Or.) 1986-current | View Entire Issue (Aug. 2, 2007)
PRESORTED STANDARD U.S. Postage Paid Vernonia, OR 97064 Permit No. 37 Vol. 22, No. 15 “Voice of the Upper Nehalem River Valley” Logging show brings look from film production crew Lest we forget Boots lined up in front of Vernonia High School were accompanied by the names of Ore- gon soldiers who lost their lives in Iraq and Afghanistan. Eyes Wide Open illustrates cost of war “Eyes Wide Open”, a power- ful exhibit on the human and economic cost of the Iraq War was in Vernonia on July 27 as part of a tour through Columbia County between July 26-29. The exhibit features boots to honor the fallen soldiers from Oregon and over 100 pairs of shoes to represent the more than 100,000 Iraqis who have died in the war. Blue hardhats represent the civilian contrac- tors from Oregon who have lost their lives in Iraq. Visitors could become par- ticipants by making prayer flags, reading the names and participating in a memorial vig- il. The exhibit has proven to be a very powerful symbol of the war. The Columbia County Citi- C AUTION N EEDED The annual MS Bike Ride will be on Hwy. 47 between U.S. 26 and Vernonia on Sat- urday, August 4. Please drive carefully. August 2, 2007 zens for Human Dignity (CC- CHD) hosted the exhibit which was originally created in Chica- go by the American Friends Service Committee (AFSC), a branch of the Quakers. The ex- hibit in Oregon was a modified state version created by AFSC in Portland, and launched in August of 2006. The Oregon exhibit sponsors include AFSC, Military Families Speak Out- Oregon, Rural Organizing Pro- ject and Veterans for Peace Chapter 72. Jeff Hunter, the AFSC repre- sentative, said that regardless of issues surrounding the be- ginning of the war, the exhibit hopes to get people to look and consider where we are now. He Please see page 4 Fire takes lives of Manning couple The cause of an early Sun- day morning fire near Manning that left two people dead has not yet been determined, ac- cording to Banks Fire District No. 13 Capt. Levi Eckhardt Violet Brown, 82, and Don- ald Benedict, 75, were identi- fied by the state medical exam- iner’s office Monday. Eckhardt said that firefight- ers were originally dispatched at about 3:00 a.m. Sunday to a brush fire at 46189 NW Sell Rd. That quickly changed when crews arrived to find a single- wide and double-wide trailer fully involved, with a third home partially involved. It took about 40 firefighters from five different agencies about 20 minutes to extinguish the blazes. The two fully-in- volved trailers were destroyed. Reports indicate the couple lived in the double-wide with several dogs, which also died in the fire. Both people were discovered in the same room. Investigators don’t believe any- one was living in the other two trailers. Original Productions, pro- ducers of the Emmy-nominated “Deadliest Catch” and The His- tory Channel’s “Ice Road Truckers”, is continuing its ex- ploration of the world of high stakes, hard work and adven- ture – and the rugged Ameri- cans who make their livings working on the edge – with a new project. “Timber Country,” a new se- ries about the men who make their living in the woods, will fol- low the logging process from falling to yarding to hauling and milling. Viewers will see the hard work that produces the lumber that builds this country. To maintain the quality-driv- en work that they are known for, producer Brandon Killion and his team will be looking for fallers, equipment operators, mill workers, truck drivers, etc., during the Jamboree Logging Show in Vernonia on Sunday, August 5. To tell the story right, ex- plained Killion, “We’re looking for both the seasoned veter- ans who’ve seen it all and have the scars to prove it, and the brash young choker setters and whistle punks who think they know it all. When viewers experience a greenhorn’s first day, they’ll see just how hard it can be trying to make a living in the woods. “By focusing on Oregon and Washington, we’ll see how far the industry has come from the old lumberjack days. The audi- ence will learn that sustainable forestry supplies the timber needs of the country while tak- ing care to preserve the forests.” The 8-10 part series will be there for it all – the fallers head- ing into a new stand, the yard- ing crew setting up the tower, the timber being hauled to the landing, logging trucks rolling out of the woods, and the final product being manufactured at the mill. The series will show tough men doing their jobs while contending with their sur- roundings and the elements, including scorching heat, threat of fire, torrential rain and even brutal cold. “Timber Country” will begin production in Fall 2007. Crash seriously injures VHS grad Rhiannon Meyer, who grad- uated in June from Vernonia High School, was seriously in- jured in a motor vehicle acci- dent on Pebble Creek Road early Sunday morning, July 29th. She was taken by Life- flight to Oregon Health Sci- ences University Hospital, where she is being treated for head trauma and a lumbar frac- ture. She will be kept in a drug-in- duced coma until the swelling in her head is reduced. Even in the coma, however, she was responsive to friends and fami- ly in the room, Because this created a negative effect on her progress, and to maintain minimal brain stimulation while she recovers, visitors have been limited to immediate fam- ily only. Rhiannon’s parents are Roger and Debi Meyer. A website, www.rhiannonup- date.blogspot.com, will have daily updates on Rhiannon’s condition. Additionally, an account in Rhiannon’s name has been set up at Wauna Federal Credit Union to help with medical and family expenses during her re- covery. Flowers and balloons aren’t allowed in the ICU but donations of any size would be greatly appreciated.
