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About The independent. (Vernonia, Or.) 1986-current | View Entire Issue (April 16, 2009)
The INDEPENDENT, April 16, 2009 Page 3 Letters Funds are needed if we want fireworks To the Editor: Freedom is not free and nei- ther is the celebration of it. I first want to thank Vernon- ia Pride for raising the money for the fourth of July fireworks for all these years. Vernonia Pride made it perfectly clear that after last July they will no longer be raising the money for the fireworks. As far as I know no one has taken over raising money for the Fourth of July fireworks. Are we going to have a fireworks show this year, or is Vernonia going to add our- selves to the growing list of communities that are no longer 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. doing fireworks? Fort Vancou- ver, Hillsboro are both not do- ing fireworks shows this year. What does it cost you might ask? Last year’s fireworks show cost $4500. But the actual value was over $6000 because West- ern Display Fireworks donated an additional $1500 of fireworks to help our community out. Per- mit fees, transportation, and Py- rotechnician fees are donated to Vernonia by myself that would run about an extra $1000. I am still willing to do- nate the permit, transportation, and Pyrotechnician fees, how- ever I need money to purchase the fireworks. If we work together we can still have a fireworks show on July 4. I will work with whomev- er to make this happen, Cham- ber of Commerce, Jamboree NOTICE The INDEPENDENT pub- lishes on the first and third Thursday of each month, so the next iss ue of The INDE- PENDENT will be May 7. The deadline for that issue will be Friday, May 1, 2009. Where to Find Them U.S. Senator Ron Wyden Senator Betsy Johnson (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 (Dem) Senate District 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 U.S. Senator Jeff Merkley Representative Brad Witt (Dem.) One World Trade Center 121 SW Salmon St., Suite 1250 Portland, OR 97204 Phone: 503-326-3386 107 Russell Senate Ofc. Bldg. Washington, DC 20510 Phone: (202) 224-3753 E-Mail: senator@merkley.senate. gov WebSite: http://merkley.senate. gov (Dem) House District. 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 U.S. Representative David Wu (Dem) OR District 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 Representative Deborah Boone (Dem) House District 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 committee, Catching with KUPL, and any other civic groups – just call me. $2000- $6000 is the range of what we would need to have a decent show and the more money the bigger the show. Time is our enemy because of the require- ments to get permits and fire- works. I need to start the process no later than May 4th and the earlier the better. Thank you for your help. Tom D. Ramsey 503-429-4250 Home 503-475-1801 Cell Lead Pyrotechnician Vernonia fireworks crew Awareness of sexual assault is public goal To the Editor: April is Sexual Assault Awareness Month. It is critical to recognize this month, given that every 2 minutes, someone in America is sexually assault- ed. To raise awareness in Co- lumbia County, the Columbia County Women’s Resource Center (CCWRC) has set up a display, April 6-20, on the first floor of the courthouse in St. Helens. CCWRC provides ser- vices and support to victims of domestic violence, sexual as- sault, and stalking, as well as See Letters on page 20 Salem Scene By Representative Brad Witt Oregon District 31 This week I will review several bills that are mov- ing through the Legisla- ture and that have gener- ated a lot of interest from the district. The first one is HB 2529, a bill that Rep. Sara Gelser (D-Corvallis) and I introduced to include ani- mal fighting, dog fighting and cockfighting as an- imal mistreatment crimes. The bill also allows peace officers to provide emergency food, water and medical care to an animal for its own protec- tion. Animal fighting is a cruel and dangerous practice, and the owners of these animals are of- ten involved in other criminal activities at that site. HB 2529 may also prove to be a cost sav- ings for local jurisdictions because it allows the animals to be impounded on the premises and housed and fed there if it is the safest and most cost-effective solution. Removing and housing hundreds of fighting birds or fighting dogs during an investigation can be an overwhelming and dangerous task. On March 31st HB 2529 passed on a unanimous vote of 60-0; it now moves on to the Senate. I have also introduced two other anti-animal abuse bills: HB 2627, which would increase crim- inal penalties for engaging in animal abuse; and HB 2629, which would increase criminal penal- ties for assaulting a law enforcement animal. They are moving through the process and I will keep you posted on their progress. Another bill that I introduced, and am very en- thusiastic about, is HB 2820, which establishes an Initiative Petition Review Committee as a joint committee of the Legislature. I can’t tell you how many times I have been asked why the State of Oregon allows so many initiative petitions to be circulated that, after the fact, are found to be ille- gal, unconstitutional, or fiscally unsound. They cost the state and counties thousands of dollars in election costs only to be voted down by a con- fused electorate or reversed by the courts. The Petition Review Committee proposed by HB 2820, would review each initiative petition filed with the Secretary of State, clarify the pur- pose and effect of the proposed petition and pro- duce a report to the chief petitioners in a timely manner. The Committee’s report would identify potential faults with the prospective petition be- fore it goes out for signatures. It would also pro- vide the opportunity for public hearings, and for the petitioners to be able to amend the petition in response to identified problems. The bill received a positive response in the Rules Committee on Thursday and I am very hopeful that we will final- ly make some headway on this issue. Lastly, both the House and Senate passed significant consumer protection bills, SB 386 and SB 328. SB 328 gives the Attorney General au- thority to pursue legal action against debt collec- tors who use unlawful practices such as threat- ening arrest, using obscene language, or at- tempting to collect interest or fees in excess of the actual debt. The bill passed the House with an overwhelming majority and is now on its way to the Governor for his signature. SB 386 prohibits debt collectors from threat- ening to collect debt that the collector knows does not exist and it prohibits collectors from making false or misleading statements when they are collecting debts. Debt collectors have become particularly aggressive during these dif- ficult economic times, and some prey upon our most vulnerable citizens, especially seniors. This bill will help protect all of us from unscrupulous collection practices. SB 386 passed the Senate and is now on its way to the House. Additional Bills of Interest: HB 2045 Clarifies that a chiropractor who is serving as an attending physician at the time of a workers compensation claim closure can make findings regarding the injured worker’s impair- ment for purposes of evaluating their disability. HB 2238 Increases the penalty for refusing to take a breath test by increasing the period of time a person is ineligible to receive a hardship driving permit. HB 2491 Expands the offense of driving under the influence of intoxicants to include any sub- stance that adversely affects a person’s physical or mental faculties to noticeable or perceptible degree. HB 2794 Requires health benefit plans to pro- vide coverage of human papillomavirus vaccine for female beneficiaries who are 11 years of age or older. SB 552 Requires operators and passengers of Class II all-terrain vehicles to wear motorcycle helmets if under 18 years of age. Provides ex- ceptions. Thanks again for reading my newsletter. We are supposed to have some sunshine this week- end, so enjoy!