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About The independent. (Vernonia, Or.) 1986-current | View Entire Issue (Aug. 16, 2007)
The INDEPENDENT, August 16, 2007 Page 3 Letters Another happy day for young anglers To the Editor: This year’s Jamboree Fish Derby went off well, everybody seems happy with the one hour fishing time. We did not have as many prizes as some past years, but maybe next year we will have more sponsors. A special thanks to The In- dependent , who has been a sponsor for years, True Value Hardware and the Old Mill Eatery. Bill Yeo auctioned off some items for us, and we had a few drawings for prizes. Thanks, Bill. We had sixty-four youths fishing this year, and had a lot of fun. They caught a total of 114 fish. Big thanks to those that helped measure and count the fish and pick the winners – Bob Scroggins, Marvin Long, Den- nis Nelson, DeDe Webb, Don- na Webb, and Gerie Reynolds. Don Webb Fish Derby Helper Nehalem Valley Chapter Izaak Walton League Principal apologizes, discloses sanctions To the Editor: To the Vernonia Community: Many of you know that I was cited for possession of marijua- na during a recent vacation. Al- though words do little to resolve this situation, let me take this opportunity to tell you how deeply sorry I am. I made a serious mistake – one that has affected many, many people. I have let down my family, my students, my staff, my co-workers, this won- derful community and myself. Several people expressed a desire for me to resign. Many more, however, have asked me to address the situation and continue my work here in Ver- nonia. Although it could be eas- ier to give up and move on, I have chosen to stay. Taking re- sponsibility for my actions and demonstrating that people learn from their mistakes is one of the most important things we teach our children – and this is what I plan to do. While I am the principal of an elementary school, I am also human. When students come into my office because they have made a mistake, erred in judgment or broken a rule, we talk a great deal about respon- sibility. “Yes. You made a mis- take. You can’t go back and change that, but you can take responsibility for the problem, try to make up for it, move on and learn from your mistake so that it doesn’t happen again.” It is now time for me to take my own advice. I will work for as long as it takes to restore your trust in me. You need to know that I plan to be the same hard-working, kid-focused indi- vidual who has served you for the past two years. You have Policy on Letters The INDEPENDENT will not publish letters that include per- sonal attacks on private citizens. Because of space limitations, preference will be given to brief letters, 300 words or less. All letters must be signed and include a verifiable address or phone number; all letters are subject to editing for clarity or length. Out of My Mind From page 2 with taxpayers paying $528.73. Oregon rates are a little different. High coverage premium for a family is $1044.38/month, with taxpayers picking up the tab for $697.43. Standard family coverage is $865.84/month, with gov- ernment paying $216.46. When you hear Congressmen express horror at the idea of “socialized medicine,” ask them to pay their own way. NOTICE The INDEPENDENT publishes on the first and third Thurs- day of each month. Because there are five Thursdays in Au- gust, the next issue will be published on September 6, 2007. The deadline for articles and ads for the September 6 is- sue will be Friday, August 31, 2007. my word – and my deepest commitment to make things right. I plan to begin the process of healing the wounds I have caused my family and the Dis- trict, and get back to the job at hand: educating the youth of Vernonia, a job that I love! While the School Board can- not legally discuss the sanc- tions they adopted, I can. My discipline includes being evalu- ated by a licensed professional in the drug rehabilitation field, following a prescribed treat- ment plan, and being regularly and/or randomly drug-tested to ensure that I am living up to the agreement. A merit raise that I had earned has been revoked. If I do not live up to these obli- gation I will no longer be em- ployed by the District. Our su- perintendent and school board have made this very clear, and I will not disappoint them. You can also be assured this mistake will not happen again. Besides apologizing for my error in judgment, I would also like to thank the dozens of peo- ple who have called my family and me with messages of sup- port. You have no idea how helpful your kind words have been as we work through this difficult time. Again, I apologize for the impact my actions have had on our community. I will do what needs to be done to help mend the rift I have caused. Sincerely, Aaron Miller Vernonia Thief uses dark to rob fruit of other’s labor To the Editor: Well, it’s that time of year again. You came by Sunday night (August 5) and stripped the plums off my tree. I don’t know if it’s all the colors on the grafted cultivar, the summer sweetness of the fruit or the ex- citement of a nighttime raid that drove you this time. I hope you’re at least eating them and enjoying them as opposed to having a fruit fight as has hap- pened in years past. It’s kind of funny, because if you had knocked on the door I would have been glad to load you up and I wouldn’t be left with this annual sickening feel- ing thinking, “Where the heck do I live anyway?” I prune those trees, fertilize them, water them faithfully and try to wait patient- ly for the summer reward. I share my fruit with the neigh- bors and kids, and try to can a few pints for next winter. And in a few minutes, slinking in at dusk or after dark, you come and take that away from us. It’s ridiculous. Just knock on the door and ask. Or leave my property alone. If you think about your behavior, skulking around like that, you know you shouldn’t be doing it. Stop by in the daylight like dozens of oth- er people during the summer. I’ve never had any reaction but to talk excitedly about my trees, and give away fruit. I do, how- ever, resent it immensely when I wake up and the first feeling of the morning is, “Here we go again; is this ever going to get better?’ Are you selfish, inconsider- ate or a thief? It feels like it’s got to be one of those when you come by after dark and help yourself to my work. Sincerely, James Brookins Vernonia — Correction — The August 2 issue of The IN- DEPENDENT should have said that Elroy Miner received a lump sum from the City of Vernonia, not a monthly pay- ment. Between the Bookends By Nancy Burch, Librarian Vernonia Public Library Although summer read- ing activities have ended, youngsters completing their reading goals have until September 1st to claim their prizes. This year’s theme of “Get a Clue @ Your Library” was one of the best I’ve seen in the variety of activities from which to choose—scavenger hunts, follow- ing clues, making pirate accessories, guessing by feel and smell, etc. Linda Johnston and Cam- rin Eyrrick are the ladies to thank for planning and implementing this year’s activities. I would also like to thank Sentry Market for the candy thrown by the summer readers during the Jam- boree parade and Brandon Eyrrick for once again driving the truck. Weekly preschool story time will resume on September 10th at 10:30. Each Monday some stories will be read, with a craft/activity following, and all preschoolers with an accompanying adult are invited to attend. Monday, August 20th will be the next meeting of the book discussion group with What Makes Sammy Run? by Budd Schulberg, being the book for August. New acquisitions include audio CDs of Ridley Pearson’s Killer Weekend , Cormac McCarthy’s The Road , Harper Lee’s To Kill a Mockingbird, Yann Martel’s Life of Pi , and George Orwell’s An- imal Farm . New books for adults include The Quickie by James Patterson, Eye of the Beholder by David Ellis, Up Close and Dangerous by Linda Howard, The Burnt House by Faye Kellerman, Beyond Reach by Karin Slaughter, Critical by Robin Cook, Still Summer by Jacquelyn Mitchard, Hard Row by Margaret Maron, and Justice Denied by J. A. Jance. New for young adults are Peak by Roland Smith, Bad Tickets by Kathleen O’Dell, and Dream Quest by Brent Hartinger. For youngsters, new purchases include Jun- gle Drums and Uno’s Garden by Australian au- thor and illustrator Graeme Base, and word puz- zles C D C and C D B by William Steig. Try these: I F-N N-E N-R-G and Y R U Y-N-N? (I haven’t any energy. Why are you whinin’?) D N (the end). Vernonia Public Library: 701 Weed Ave. Hours: Mon., Wed., Fri. 10 a.m. - 5:00 p.m. Tues., Thur. 1:00 p.m. - 7:00 p.m. Sat. 10 a.m. - 4:00 p.m. Preschool Story Time: Mondays, 10:30 a.m., when school is in session. Phone: 503-429-1818
