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About The independent. (Vernonia, Or.) 1986-current | View Entire Issue (April 1, 2010)
PRESORTED STANDARD U.S. Postage Paid Vernonia, OR 97064 Permit No. 37 Vol. 25, No. 7 THE FREE INDEPENDENT The Voice of the Upper Nehalem River Valley for Over 25 years April 1, 2010 Easter is a great time for fancy bonnets so the Vernonia Senior Center had an Easter Bonnet Contest. The winner from among all of these contestants was Faith Reynolds, who is seated front and center. Vernonia may be a “Living Laboratory” Catherine Mater, a Senior Fellow with the Pinchot Institute for Conservation, was in Ver- nonia, March 18, and gave three presentations on an idea to make Vernonia the nation’s first “Living Laboratory” in sus- tainable biomass and/or carbon sequestration. The final presen- tation was at the Vernonia School District Town Hall, held that evening. The mission of the Pinchot Institute is to advance conserva- tion and sustainable natural re- source management by devel- oping innovative, practical, and broadly-supported solutions to conservation challenges and opportunities. One area of their current focus is on sustainable bioenergy development. They accomplish their mission through research, education and technical assistance. Vernonia came to the atten- tion of the Institute in Washing- ton, D.C., after hearing from Columbia County Commission- er Tony Hyde and others about Governor Kulongoski’s Oregon Way project, the work of the Oregon Solutions team and the passage of the local school bond. Some components of the Studded Tire Season is extended The studded tire season has been extended until 12:01 a.m. on Sunday, April 11. Major Benefit Concert to aid Dennis Chadek A benefit concert for Ver- nonia resident Dennis Chadek will be held April 10, starting at 5:00 p.m., at the Vernonia Community Church. Chadek is recovering from a stroke and needs help with medical expenses. The concert will feature, Strand, Second Wind Jazz Ensemble and Disaster Relief. changes in the weather fore- cast, the ferocity of these storms and citizen input con- vinced the Oregon Department of Transportation (ODOT) to extend the deadline. Drivers should remain cautious while driving in snow zones! A similar extension has been announced in Washington, ac- cording to the Washington State Patrol. ODOT encourages drivers to consider other types of traction tires or chains because stud- ded tires cause at least $11 mil- lion damage each year on city See Weather on page 6 project in Vernonia might in- clude bulk storage of fuel pel- lets made of woody biomass from the surrounding privately owned forests. The pellets could be used to run furnaces for heating and cooling at the schools, public buildings and residences, and might be avail- able at half the price of normal pellet purchases. In combination with this, is potential use of flood plain land to raise hybrid poplar trees which could be used for the bio- mass and also help the waste- water treatment process. See Biomass on Page 4 Easter Egg Hunt on Saturday in Vernonia The annual Vernonia PTA Easter Egg Hunt will be on Saturday, April 3, at 10:00 a.m. in Hawkins Park, on Park Drive. Children aged 1-10 are invit- ed to bring their baskets and join the hunt. The Easter bunny is expected to make an appear- ance and children’s pictures can be taken with him. Don’t be late, as the hunt al- ways starts on time. Raymond Pultz and his son, Austin, had a good time and a good catch at Vernonia Lake during Spring Break. Photo courtesy of Garry Kinney. City reportedly settles lawsuit A lawsuit filed by Garry Kin- ney against the City of Vernon- ia has been settled, according to a source close to the case. The Independent was unable to obtain official verification from the city before press time. The suit alleged that, on August 22, 2009, Vernonia Police Officers Michael Kay and Jeff Dalrymple improperly and illegally de- tained Mr. Kinney, assaulted and battered him, illegally searched him and his property. According to the information obtained by The Independent, the City of Vernonia, through its insurer, settled the case with Mr. Kinney for the amount of $9,800. Mr. Kinney’s attorney stated in his letter of intent to sue, “In the view of Mr. Kinney and many of the citizens of Ver- nonia, there has been a sys- temic pattern of this type of abuse by the police department and this must be rectified.” Mr. Kinney was also “requesting that the Vernonia Police De- partment institute proper train- ing of officers so the harass- ment of the people of Vernonia does not continue in the future.” No information was available on any non-monetary settle- ment that may be included in the finalization of this lawsuit. K NOW THE CANDIDATES ! Interviews with all candidates for Columbia County Commissioner begin on Page 5
