PRESORTED STANDARD
U.S. Postage Paid
Vernonia, OR 97064
Permit No. 37
Vol. 25, No. 23
THE
FREE
INDEPENDENT
The Voice of the Upper Nehalem River Valley for Over 25 years
December 2, 2010
New mortgage assistance program
Oregon Housing and Com-
munity Services (OHCS) has
launched a new website
(www.oregonhomeownerhelp.o
rg) and identified Community
Action Team, Inc., to help deliv-
er the state’s Mortgage Pay-
ment Assistance (MPA) pro-
gram in Columbia, Clatsop and
Tillamook Counties. The fund-
ing for this program comes from
the U.S. Department of Trea-
sury’s Housing Finance Agency
Innovation Fund for the Hardest
Hit Housing Markets.
On December 10 OHCS will
open an online application for
the MPA program at www.ore
gonhomeownerhelp.org. Com-
munity Action Team will help
homeowners throughout the
application process.
For the most current infor-
mation about the program, in-
cluding eligibility criteria and
FAQs, go to www.oregonhome
ownerhelp.org. The website will
serve as the primary source of
information about the MPA pro-
gram and Oregon’s other fore-
closure prevention programs.
Homeowners who need im-
mediate help, should call Com-
munity Action Team at 800-325-
8098 or 503-325-8098 or e-mail
Cindy at cindkp@cat-team.org .
Winter came early this year as shown in this November 23 photo of Gladys and George Gans’
barn on Stoney Point Road.
A full day of fun
set in downtown
The first annual The Spirit of
Christmas in Vernonia Celebra-
tion will be held Saturday, De-
cember 4. It will be a nostalgic
day reminiscent of Christmases
long ago. The celebration will
run from 10:00 a.m. to 6:00
p.m. and will take place
throughout downtown Vernon-
ia’s Bridge Street.
Events of the family-friendly
day will include a live Nativity,
traveling carolers, hot cider,
music, a choir performance, hot
chocolate, period costumes,
Christmas storytelling, Vernon-
ia Coffee, and a holiday baked
goods competition. Pictures
with Santa and Mrs. Claus will
be available in the downtown
area. Local businesses will be
offering special discounts to as-
sist with your holiday shopping.
In addition to these events,
two fundraisers will be conduct-
ed; one for donations of non-
perishable foods for Vernonia
Cares food bank, the other for
cash donations for the Commu-
See Downtown, page 16
Vernonia Holiday Events
C HRISTMAS
IN THE
C OUNTRY B AZAAR
Dec. 4, 10 am-5 pm, Dec. 5, 12-5 pm, Vernonia Middle School
V ERNONIA S ENIOR C ENTER B AZAAR
Dec. 4-5, 9 am-5 pm
T HE S PIRIT OF C HRISTMAS
IN
V ERNONIA
Bridge St., Dec. 4, 10 am - 6 pm, then lighted parade
S CHOOL H OLIDAY P ROGRAMS
Vernonia Middle School, Dec. 7, 7:00 p.m.
Vernonia High School, Dec. 16, 7:00 p.m.
Mist School, Dec. 17, 7:00 p.m.
New law applies to motorcyclists
As of January 1, 2011, new
motorcyclists aged 30 and un-
der must complete an ODOT-
approved motorcycle safety
course before they can be is-
sued a motorcycle endorse-
ment by DMV.
This is part of a phased-in
law (Senate Bill 546) passed by
the 2009 Oregon Legislature.
Other motorcycle-related laws
were passed at the same time
and have already gone into ef-
fect.
ODOT-approved motorcycle
safety courses are provided by
the TEAM OREGON Motorcy-
cle Safety Program. Since
1997, Oregon law has required
all riders under 21 to complete
a TEAM OREGON Basic Rider
Training course as part of the
endorsement process. Starting
January 1, all new riders be-
tween the ages of 21-30 must
take either the Basic or Inter-
mediate Rider Training course.
Those under 21 are still re-
quired to take the Basic Rider
Training course. Under Senate
Bill 546, mandatory training is
being phased in for all new mo-
torcycle riders regardless of
age.
Beginning January 1, new
See Law on page 18
Columbia County Sheriff’s Deputy Ryan Dews and Vernonia
Police Officer Shawn Carnahan with the Medal of Valor
awards they received at the OPOA banquet in Newport. Photo
courtesy of Columbia County Sheriff’s Office
Officers receive medals for Valor
Vernonia Police Officer
Shawn Carnahan and Colum-
bia County Sheriff's Deputy
Ryan Dews each received the
Oregon Peace Officers Associ-
ation’s (OPOA) Medal of Valor
in a ceremony held in Newport
on November 19.
Carnahan and Dews re-
ceived their medals after risking
their lives to save the passen-
ger in a stolen vehicle involved
in a pursuit on Scappoose-Ver-
nonia Road on July 4.
The stolen car crashed when
the driver of the car attempted
to avoid a spike strip, lost con-
trol of the vehicle and left the
roadway, where it burst into
flames. Dews and Carnahan
reacted quickly to the burning
vehicle and were able to pull
Robert Regan, St. Helens, from
the flames. Dews and Carnahan
reacted quickly to the burning
vehicle and were able to pull
Robert Regan, St. Helens, from
the flames. The car quickly be-
came engulfed, making further
rescue attempts impossible,
and the driver of the stolen ve-
hicle – Brooks Anderson of St.
Helens – died at the scene.
See Valor on page 16