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About The independent. (Vernonia, Or.) 1986-current | View Entire Issue (Feb. 19, 2009)
The INDEPENDENT, February 19, 2009 It’s the law: dim your fog lights The following is a news release from Oregon Department of Trans- portation: With steadily increasing numbers of vehicles on the road with auxiliary or fog lights, state transportation safety offi- cials are reminding people to use vehicle lighting correctly and safely. “Driving towards a car with both headlights and fog or aux- iliary lights on can be like driv- ing toward a car with its high headlight beams on, it can be blinding,” said Michele O’Leary with the Oregon Department of Transportation’s Safety Divi- sion. Fog lights are designed to be used at low speeds in fog, heavy mist and snow situations where visibility is significantly reduced. Front fog lights are generally aimed and mounted low to increase the illumination directed towards the road sur- face. In low visibility situations, fog lights should be dimmed or turned off when an oncoming vehicle approaches. In normal visibility conditions, fog or aux- iliary lights should be turned off. According to Oregon law, auxiliary and/or fog lights must be used like the high beam headlight system of your car. They must be dimmed or turned off within 500 feet of ap- proaching an oncoming vehicle and 350 feet when following another vehicle. The color of auxiliary and/or fog lights is also regulated. Fog lights may be either white or amber (yel- low). Rules prohibit other col- ors such as blue. If your car came equipped with auxiliary lighting, O’Leary recommends knowing where the switches are, and how to use them – at least to turn the lights off, and leave them off if you don’t want to deal with dim- ming. If you plan to install fog and/or auxiliary lights as an af- ter market feature, it is impor- tant to know that Oregon has adopted special rules that man- ufacturers must meet. Products are required to be labeled that the product is not to be used on the street. Manufacturers must meet or exceed SAE and/or DOT manufacturing standards to market their products for street use. For more information on Ve- hicle Equipment and Stan- dards, please visit ODOT’s Transportation Safety Web s i t e , http://www.oregon.gov/ODOT/ TS/Veh_Equipment.shtml, or see the Oregon Driver Manual online at: http://www.odot.state. or.uus/forms/dmv/37.pdf. Celebrate sausage at Wurstfest Wurstfest, a celebration of the German (wurst) sausage, will take place in Mt. Angel this weekend at the Oktoberfest Community Build- ing, 500 S Wilco Hwy. Hours are noon to 11:00 p.m on Saturday, February 21, and noon to 6:00 p.m. on Sunday, February 22. Included in the $10.00 adult ad- mission is a half liter, souvenir glass Bavarian beer mug. Area sausage makers will present the best of their wurst for sale. Beers from Munich, along with local wines and non- alcoholic beverages will also be available. Non-stop music will feature Mt. Angel’s own Z Musikmakers Family Band, among other musicians. Children, accompanied by an adult, are admitted free until 9:00 p.m. Saturday and all-day on Sunday. For more information, visit www.oktoberfest.org. Page 9 Bits & Bites By Jacqueline Ramsay I t seems that my idea for an item is always one or t w o weeks late. The first week of February, I read someplace that February is Doggie Month. I didn’t know there was such a month. Did you? Anyhow, Shadow was to see her doctor in December, but somehow it got side- tracked. Then her doctor went on vacation. Finally she (Shad- ow) took her trip to the Vet. No, she did not enjoy it at all – everything checked out – but she came home with clean teeth, short nails, sweet breath and a tube of pills. It seems what I feared is true. “Arthur- itus” has come to live with Shadow, too. So – each morn- ing we play the game of, “I don’t want to swallow that pill.” Don’t say crush it in her food, she has a nose that smells everything. My point…if you have a pet, and it’s been shut up with you all winter, maybe a check-up wouldn’t hurt (except in your pocket). You keep on top of your aches and pains – pets can’t talk, just mope around and sleep a lot. Getting ready for Spring training (house and yard work), I’ve noticed my brain says one thing and my body doesn’t obey. Something is being short- circuited. I think “step”, my foot says “huh” and I stumble and have one of those choices – your knees, your bony tush, or flat on your face – to pick your- self up from. Time to re-group and decide if you’ll be Flash Gordon or Slow Joe. Spring is coming – really. The ducks are beginning their Spring water sports, the trees are beginning to bud and my eyes are beginning to itch. So, I know there is more than snow and rain in the air. 50 Years Ago This Month The February 26, 1959, is- sue of the Vernonia Eagle in- cluded the following news story on the front page: Almost 800 new electrical ap- pliances will be purchased by the members of West Oregon Elec- tric Cooperative according to re- turns of the appliance survey made in January. This is a big in- crease from the 659 indicated in the 1955 survey. The survey made of all resi- dential members showed up the rapid electrical growth in this area. The cards were sent to 1550 residential members with 1050 returning their completed cards. Most rapid gain was made in electric heating. In 1955 only 2.5 per cent of the homes were elec- trically heated. Today 15.3 per cent have complete electrical heating and 12.25 per cent are partially electrically heated. About 425 homes have some de- gree of electrical heat. Also, 72 more people plan to put it in soon. A new item that is beginning to show increasing acceptance is the dish washer. Now, 5.3 per cent have dishwashers and 44 more indicate they plan to buy new dishwashers. Automatic laundry equipment continues to lead the way in ap- pliances being purchased and planned. Automatic washers jumped from 18 per cent in 1955 to 38 per cent in 1959. Clothes dryers jumped from 15 per cent to over 31 per cent today. More members plan to buy clothes dryers than anything else with 156 clothes dryers planned. There were 106 who indicated plans to buy automatic washers. Water heaters have increased from 58.5 per cent to 73 per cent, with 101 more members plan- ning to install them. Electric ranges have increased a relatively small percentage from 70 per cent in 1955 to 77 per cent today. Another 64 plan to buy electric ranges. Food freezers increased from 32 per cent in 1955 to 46 per cent today. An additional 129 food freezers are planned. One of the amazing things pointed out in the survey was the great range of appliances and special uses for electrical equip- ment. Over a hundred uses were listed from barn cleaners and egg washers to fish tank pumps, am- ateur radio equipment and lap- idary equipment. New production uses for elec- tricity are being tried every day. Two members indicated they have room air conditioners. As time goes on more will be added to the system. The survey pointed up the fact that members bought more than three times the equipment planned in 1955. More people are planning to “Live Better – Electrically” as indicative in this survey. We Are Moving Watch for us at the corner of Bridge & Rose Action Ads State Farm Providing Insurance and Financial Services Home Office, Bloomington, Illinois 61710 ® Bunny Girt, Agent 1229 N. Adair PO Box 543 Cornelius, OR 97113-0543 Bus 503-357-3131 Fax 503-357-9667 bunny.girt.b71g@statefarm.com INEXPENSIVE – EFFECTIVE 503-429-9410 $4.50 for the first 10 words, then just Open Mon. thru Sat. 10 a.m. - 6 p.m. 10¢ for each 503-429-TACK (8225) 736 Bridge St. Vernonia additional word