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About The independent. (Vernonia, Or.) 1986-current | View Entire Issue (Aug. 6, 2009)
PRESORTED STANDARD U.S. Postage Paid Vernonia, OR 97064 Permit No. 37 Vol. 24, No. 15 “Voice of the Upper Nehalem River Valley” August 6, 2009 Crisis fund set up to help alleviate cuts in housing assistance aid United Way of Columbia County has set up a crisis fund and is accepting contributions from the community to aid those families who were ad- versely affected by recent cut- backs in assistance from the Northwest Oregon Housing Au- thority (NOHA). The Housing Authority and Community Ac- tion Team (CAT) calculate it will cost approximately $140,000 to meet the housing needs of Co- lumbia County’s affected fami- lies over the next four months. Contributions designated to the 2009 Housing Crisis fund can be made by calling the United Way office at 503-556- 3614 to use your credit card or by sending check or money or- der to United Way of Columbia County, P.O. Box 538, Rainier, OR 97048. Be sure to indicate “2009 Housing Crisis Fund” on your donations. You may desig- nate your contribution for assis- tance in Columbia County. If you have any questions about this situation and the use of these funds, contact Rocky Johnson, Executive Director of CAT, at 503-397-3511 or Carol Snell, Executive Director of NOHA, at 503-861-0119, ext. 112. This photo, taken last year, is typical of the action at the Banks BBQ , Truck/Tractor Pull & Combine Demolition Derby. This year’s event will be August 14-16. Application process started for a Didn’t shave? Then bring your 64th annual Banks hospital to be built in St. Helens The Oregon Department of vant correspondence and may face to the Grange beard contest! BBQ August 14-16 Human Services (DHS) is be- be a party to any future infor- Remember way back to 1959 when Oregon was cele- brating the state’s centennial with a beard growing contest in different communities? In Ver- nonia that year, Marion Steers won with his magnificent and ‘bright red’ beard. Now that the state in 2009 is celebrating its sesquicentennial – that’s 150 years – Vernonia, during its annual Friendship Jamboree will be having one of those ‘Beard Contests’. On Sunday, August 9, the Vernonia Grange #305, 457 North Street, is sponsoring a Beard contest for those want- ing to show off their long-grow- ing facial hairs also known as ‘whiskers’! The judging will begin at 2:00 p.m. with a variety of cate- gories being judged (e.g. longest, ugliest, most colorful, best and worst kept, scraggli- est, people’s choice, etc.). There is even a category for that special lady! For more information, call 503-429-7731. It costs only a $1.00 donation for each cate- gory (to pay for the awards). County mandates furloughs for workers to help balance budget The Columbia County Board of Commissioners approved the implementation of furlough days throughout the rest of 2009 through June 2010 for county departments, with the exception of the Sheriff’s Office and the Road & Parks Depart- ment. All county offices, except the Road & Parks Department, will be closed to the public on these furlough days. This action is being taken as a result of budget shortfalls due to the recession that Oregon and the economy in general has been facing. Of the coun- See Furloughs, page 5 Get ready for fun and lots of action at this year’s 64th annu- al Banks BBQ, Truck/Tractor Pull and Combine Demolition Derby to be held August 14-16 at Banks Sunset Park. Many other events will make a weekend of fun, including a parade, lots of kids’ games, a beer hall and great barbecue. See page 28 for the full schedule of events. Vernonia Jamboree starting tomorrow A full weekend of activities and events will keep everyone busy during the 53rd annual Vernonia Friendship Jam- boree, August 7-9. There’s fun for everyone with a Kids Fish- ing Derby, art show & sale, pa- rade, horse gaming, logging show, motorcycle show, car show, concerts, drama, pet party, book sale, teen dance, lots of food and more. See page 13 for the full schedule of events. ginning its review of an applica- tion from Columbia Health Dis- trict for a state certificate of need to build a new hospital in St. Helens. The application is for a 12- bed general acute care hospital to be located at 35311 Millard Rd. in St. Helens (near the in- tersection of Millard Road and U.S. Highway 30). State law charges DHS offi- cials with reviewing proposals for new hospitals and nursing facilities to ensure health care consumers don’t pay for facili- ties not justified by community needs. Jana Fussell, DHS certifi- cate of need coordinator, said a proposed decision about need for the proposed St. Helens project will be issued no later than Oct. 22. Anyone who has a vested interest in the outcome of the DHS decision may request af- fected party status. Anyone designated as an affected per- son will receive copies of rele- mal or contested case hearing. A public meeting will be sched- uled at which affected parties and other individuals and or- ganizations may provide testi- mony regarding this applica- tion. DHS will make a copy of the application available for in- spection during normal busi- ness hours in suite 930 of the Portland State Office Building at 800 N.E. Oregon St., Port- land. For further information, contact Jana Fussell at 971- 673-1108. Fireworks Notice There will be about a 10- minute fireworks display on Saturday, August 8, after the concert on the Vernon- ia school grounds. This notice is to inform the community so those with pets can take ade- quate precautions to keep them safe during the loud noise associated with the fireworks.
