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About The independent. (Vernonia, Or.) 1986-current | View Entire Issue (Feb. 5, 2009)
The INDEPENDENT, February 5, 2009 Ike Says… From page 2 heavy, it was not as heavy as the hourly rainfall rates of De- cember ‘07, nor did it have the duration of that event. We had some snowmelt but, again, it did not all melt in a rush, if we had gotten the rainfall forecast, that might have happened. If we had caught the brunt of the rainfall, like our neighbors to the north, we could easily have had a repeat of the ‘07. We wouldn’t have had as much rain as ‘07, but we had more water content in snow and the river was already higher than at that time, two factors which would have made a difference. Vernonia is fortunate that we now have the USGS river gage near Clear Creek on the upper Nehalem; this gage gives us plenty of warning to a flood event. Our first warning sys- tem is the National Weather Service, which does a great job of giving us a heads up, then we can rely on the river gage and local spotters to give us re- fined readings of what is going on around us. During the sec- ond event, I made contact with Robert Wagner on the upper Nehalem at Timber, Bill Hansen on the Nehalem, Jim Buxton and Marty Van Dyken, both on Letters Rock Creek. These gentlemen were willing to monitor river lev- els, provide snow depth meas- urements and rainfall data, all crucial aspects of providing in- depth data with which to gauge how the rain-on-snow event is unfolding around us. The key to having adequate warning for a flood is having solid data and learning to use it. Over time, I envision we will become more comfortable with these events, we can lessen the fear and give people more lead time when an event is looming. If anybody else would like to volunteer weather reports during these events please give me a call. Some may question whether there was an overreaction on the last two snow-on-rain events, let me assure you, I am nothing but amazed at the pre- paredness that was displayed by our city. The threat was def- initely there and a minor change in where the weather hit could have had dire effects upon us. Let’s hope we don’t see any more of these events Izaak Walton League, Nehalem Valley Chapter meets monthly on the 3rd Thursday at 7:00 p.m. Call 503-428-7193 for location. Where to Find Them U.S. Senator Ron Wyden (Dem) 1220 SW 3rd Avenue, Suite 585 Portland OR 97232 Phone: 503-326-7525 223 Dirksen Senate Ofc. Bldg. Washington, D.C. 20510-0001 Phone: 202-224-5244 E-Mail: http://wyden.senate.gov/ contact Website: http://wyden.senate. gov U.S. Senator Jeff Merkley (Dem.) One World Trade Center 121 SW Salmon St., Suite 1250 Portland, OR 97204 Phone: 503-326-3386 B-40B Dirksen Senate Ofc. Bldg. Washington, DC 20510 Phone: (202) 224-3753 E-Mail: senator@merkley.senate. gov WebSite: http://www.senate.gov/ pagelayout/senators/one_item _and_teasers/merkley.htm U.S. Representative David Wu (Dem) OR Dist. 1 620 SW Main, Suite 606 Portland, OR 97205 Phone: 503-326-2901 2338 Rayburn House Ofc. Bldg. Washington, DC 20515 Phone: 202-225-0855 Website: http://house.gov/wu Page 3 Senator Betsy Johnson (Dem) Dist. 16 PO Box R, Scappoose, OR 97056 Phone: 503-543-4046 900 Court St. NE, S-314 Salem, OR 97301 Phone: 503-986-1716 E-mail: sen.betsyjohnson@ state.or.us Website: http//www.leg.state.or. us/johnson Rep. Brad Witt (Dem) Dist. 31 21740 Lindberg Road, Clatskanie, OR 97016 Phone: 503-728-4664 900 Court St. NE, H-373 Salem, OR 97301 Phone: 503-986-1431 E-mail: rep.bradwitt@state.or.us Website: http//www.leg.state.or. us/witt Rep. Deborah Boone (Dem) Dist. 32 PO Box 926 Cannon Beach, OR 97110 Phone: 503-717-9182 900 Court St. NE, H-375 Salem, OR 97301 Phone: 503-986-1432 E-mail: rep.deborahboone@ state.or.us Website: http//www.leg.state.or. us/boone in the future, but rest assured, the citizens of Vernonia have learned how to prepare and safeguard its citizens if an event does happen. Policy on Letters The INDEPENDENT will not publish letters that in- clude personal 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 ad- dress or phone number. Thanks for years of Swatco partnership To the Editor: The Friends of the Banks Public Library would like to thank Swatco for their many years of support. We have en- joyed a unique partnership. We provided them with staff for the Banks community recycling de- pot once a month and they pro- vided us with funds to help with library programs. Due to the downturn of the recycling mar- ket, Swatco can no longer con- tinue and we will miss them. We wish them well and hope the recycling future becomes brighter. Stephanie Jones, President Margaret Holland, Secretary Fran Todd, Treasurer Banks Gate keeps dog in To the Editor: I want to let everyone know that the gate on my bridge is there to keep my dog in – not to keep people (or shooters) out. The sign on the bridge gives in- structions for entry. Bill Sword Sword’s Place Vernonia Salem Scene By Representative Brad Witt Oregon District 31 Last session, I devoted part of a newsletter to a description of the Oregon Prescription Drug Pro- gram, but in this economic environment, it bears re- peating. This incredible program provides cover- age for many people who would not otherwise quali- fy. Following is a brief description of the program. Read on…you may see someone you know… Six years ago, the 72nd Legislative Assembly approved SB 875, which authorized the forma- tion of the Oregon Prescription Drug Program (OPDP). The program actually launched on March 1, 2005. In July 2006, the OPDP joined with Washington’s Prescription Drug Program (WPDP) to form the NW Prescription Drug Con- sortium. Then, in November 2006, 78 percent of Oregon voters elected to open the pool to all uninsured Oregonians. The following spring of 2007, the 74th Assembly approved SB 362, opening the pool to all Oregon businesses, labor organizations and the underinsured. All Oregon residents are eligible to join the discount part of the OPDP if they are uninsured or underinsured. There is no age or income re- quirement and no paperwork necessary. Even Medicare Part D members may use their OPDP discount card during periods of 100 percent co- pay, like the donut hole or during deductible pe- riods. There are currently over 100,000 members on the individual side of the program. Any business in the public or private sector that offers prescription drug benefits to their em- ployees is also eligible to join the pool. They will benefit from competitive pricing, a completely transparent purchasing arrangement, and finan- cially backed performance guarantees. Labor organizations offering prescription drug benefits are also eligible to join the OPDP. Businesses that do not offer Rx benefits to their employees should encourage them to join the discount part of the OPDP. It is quick and easy to apply and there is no cost to enroll. Six groups currently participate in the program with a total group enrollment exceeding 118,000. I hope that you will pass this information on to anyone that you think may be able to use it. You can access the ODPD website at www.OPDP. org, where you will find more information and where you may sign up, if appropriate. Another topic of interest that I KNOW my dis- trict will be interested in is a web survey offered by the Oregon Task Force on Land Use Plan- ning, also known as The Big Look. The Task Force is conducting an evaluation of Oregon’s present land use planning program. One of the first steps is to survey Oregonians to identify ma- jor land use issues that the Task Force should study. You can access this survey at www.ore gon.gov/LCD/BIGLOOK/surveys.shtml. The deadline to complete the survey is July 10, 2009. Bills of Interest: • A package of six bills that will crackdown on educator misconduct. Briefly, they are as follows: 1. Make it a crime for an educator or person in authority to have sexual contact with a student through 12th grade, even if the student is 18. 2. Require newly hired school employees to provide a list of all previous employers and give permission for those employers to share person- nel files. 3. Prohibit districts from entering into union contracts or individual agreements that protect employees’ misconduct from disclosure. 4. Allow the state to deny a teaching license to an educator who lost his or her license in anoth- er jurisdiction. 5. Prohibit an educator whose license has been revoked from working for the same employ- er in a different position. 6. Allow the state to discipline student teach- ers who have not yet applied for a teaching li- cense. • HB 2365 Prohibits the sale of dangerous and deceptive novelty lighters, which often fall into the hands of small children. • SB 331 Prohibits a person from serving as chief petitioner of initiative, referendum or recall petition if that person has outstanding obligation to pay civil penalty for violation of election law or rule. That’s it for this week. Thanks for taking the time to read my newsletter.