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About The independent. (Vernonia, Or.) 1986-current | View Entire Issue (March 18, 2010)
PRESORTED STANDARD U.S. Postage Paid Vernonia, OR 97064 Permit No. 37 Vol. 25, No. 6 THE INDEPENDENT The Voice of the Upper Nehalem River Valley for Over 25 years March 18, 2010 White named to head county Emergency Management Vernonia school marching band was a welcome addition to the St. Patrick’s Day Parade. Scope of tunnel repair is decided Schorzman fourth The Oregon Department of decided to design a specific in Hearst college Transportation (ODOT) an- public awareness campaign, in- nounced March 16 that they corporating the tourism indus- journalism awards have decided to remove the vertical clearance component from the needed repairs to the Dennis L. Edwards Tunnel on Hwy 26. The agency had not planned to make a decision on the proj- ect until mid-April. However, af- ter a strong, consistent outpour- ing of public input at a series of public meetings, ODOT recog- nized concerns about the fragile economic conditions along the coast, and potential impacts to tourism-dependent communities from a public perception of a lengthy road closure. “While we must ensure that the structure is safe and benefi- cial for all users,” Region 1 Man- ager Jason Tell said, “we also understand and appreciate the concerns of all who have con- tributed to this conversation. This decision allows us to move forward with the relining work, which must take place soon.” Construction needed for the reline is expected to begin at the end of this year. ODOT has FREE try, to remind the public that the coast is open for business. “We thank the public for the time and effort to share its views, comments, feedback and suggestions in helping ODOT make this decision,” Tell concluded. For more information on the project, go to www.Dennised wardstunnel.org and www.Get ToTheCoast.org. Most state offices will close on Friday Oregon’s state government sent out this reminder that due to budget reductions, most state agencies will be closed on Fri- day, March 19, for an unpaid fur- lough day. This closure day will save the state about $2 million. The closure does not affect the state court system, univer- sities, corrections, or public safety agencies. A complete list of open and closed agencies is available online, at Oregon.gov. Ben Schorzman of Vernonia was recently named as the fourth place winner in college sports writing in the 50th annu- al William Randolph Hearst Foundation Journalism Awards Program. Fifty-six universities participated in the sports writing competition. Schorzman, who attends the University of Oregon and is sports editor for the school pa- per, was named fourth out of 97 entries in the sports writing divi- sion. He will receive a $750 scholarship, and the university received a matching grant for the journalism department. Schorzman started his sports reporting career with The Inde- pendent while attending Ver- nonia High School. The first place winner was An- drew Astleford from the Universi- ty of Missouri, who received a $2,000 scholarship. Another Uni- versity of Oregon sports reporter, Patrick Malee, won fifth place and a $600 scholarship. The Columbia County Board of Commissioners has appoint- ed Derek White to the position of Emergency Management Di- rector for the Columbia Coun- ty’s Emergency Management Department. White began working in the Emergency Management De- partment as a temporary exer- cise and training grant employ- ee in October 2008, and was then hired as Emergency Man- agement Coordinator in De- cember of 2008. While at Co- lumbia County, White has been involved in a number of proj- ects, from holding training exer- cises around the county to reaching out to citizens and businesses through the depart- ment’s blog, Facebook and Twitter accounts. Derek has also been in- volved in a number of major emergencies, including three presidentially-declared disas- ters in the course of his current and previous emergency man- agement career. White’s experience includes working as emergency man- agement director for Carroll County, Iowa, and prior to that, in state park law enforcement and hospital public safety, also in Iowa. He has a Bachelor’s degree in criminal justice/politi- cal science from Buena Vista University and a Master of Pub- lic Administration (MPA) from Iowa State University. He and his wife, Samantha, live in St. Helens. Town Hall tonight for update on schools Vernonia Schools will hold a Town Hall tonight, March 18, at 7:00 p.m. to discuss the latest on the new schools project, in- cluding the newest cost estimates. The Town Hall will be held in the Vernonia Middle School cafeteria (the green building). Be sure Census representative is an actual government employee Better Business Bureau warns that law enforcement in several states has issued warn- ings that scammers are posing as Census Bureau employees and knocking on doors asking for donations and Social Secu- rity numbers. “Scam artists know the pub- lic needs to share information for the 2010 Census and will try to take advantage of the situa- tion,” said Robert W.G. Andrew, CEO of BBB serving Alaska, Oregon and Western Washing- ton. “Education about the Cen- sus process can help protect your identity and finances.” Participating in the 2010 Census is required by law, but to learn how to identify legiti- mate Census workers and avoid con artists, BBB offers the following tips: Avoid e-mail scams. Census workers may contact individu- als by telephone, mail or in per- son at a home. However, they will not solicit personal informa- tion by e-mail. Never click links or open attachments in an e- mail supposedly from the U.S. Census Bureau. Forward fraud- ulent messages to the Census Bureau at itso.fraud.reporting @census.gov. Know what questions to ex- pect. The U.S. Census Bureau will ask questions concerning household residents including name, date of birth, gender, race, phone number, house- hold relationship, and owner or See Census on page 5
