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About The independent. (Vernonia, Or.) 1986-current | View Entire Issue (Jan. 6, 2011)
The INDEPENDENT, January 6, 2011 Where to Find Them U.S. Senator Ron Wyden (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 U.S. Senator Jeff Merkley (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: http://merkley.senate. gov/contact WebSite: http://merkley.senate. gov 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 Senator Betsy Johnson (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 Representative Brad Witt (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 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 Page 3 Letters Christmas dinner was very enjoyable for all To the Editor: The James Family would like to thank all the volunteers and supporters of the Christmas Dinner held at the Vernonia Se- nior Center on December 25th. We had a great turnout with over 100 meals served and de- livered. Special thanks to Connie, Art and Georgia for bringing the diabetic desserts, Wes Lubbes who helped in the kitchen and with delivery, Jen and the Wag- ner family for serving and, of course, Pauline, who always pitches in for worthy causes. There were many more who helped make this event happen so thank you from all of us and from those who enjoyed the Christmas Dinner in 2010. Have a Happy New Year! The James Gang Vernonia Mortgage program is designed to help To the Editor: As the new MORTGAGE PAYMENT ASSISTANCE PRO- GRAM begins I would like to re- mind all homeowners who are unemployed or underemployed and/or finding it difficult to make their mortgage payment to check out www.oregonhome ownerhelp.org. The Mortgage Payment Assistance Program will be making 12 months of mortgage payments or up to $20,000, whichever comes first, for those eligible appli- cants who have applications submitted to the State of Ore- gon’s Oregon Housing and Community Services (OHCS) department. Community Action Team, Inc. (CAT) is the agency select- ed by OHCS to assist home- owners in Tillamook, Columbia and Clatsop Counties with the application process. The on- line application process started December 10, 2010, and will Salem Scene By Representative Brad Witt Oregon District 31 Some of you may have heard about the Oregon Homeownership Stabilization Initiative (OHSI), but here is a little more information so we can get the word out to anyone who has been trying to negotiate the mine fields associated with foreclosure. Oregon’s new foreclosure prevention program is funded by the U.S. Treasury Department, which provided 17 states – including Oregon – with funds for states hit hardest by the recession. Oregon is on the list because of its high unem- ployment rate. Our state’s Housing and Commu- nity Services created OHSI to deliver programs throughout the state to help stem the continuing onslaught of foreclosures. Foremost among these programs is the Mort- gage Payment Assistance Program (MPA). MPA will help at least 5,000 Oregon homeowners pay their mortgages for up to one year, or up to $20,000, whichever comes first. It is the largest of OHSI’s programs, funded at $100 million. I know that many of you will be anxious to learn more, so I am going to direct you to the OHSI website for answers to all of your questions re- garding eligibility, etc. The website is: www.ore gonhomeownerhelp.org. Last month, the Oregon Department of Trans- portation and the Columbia County Safety Com- mission held a public information meeting re- garding the traffic challenges along Highway 30. This route, which is heavily traveled especially during commuting hours, is a major public safety concern. In fact, the section between Scappoose and St. Helens is in the state’s top five percent for accidents. The purpose of the meeting, attended by well over 30 people, was to discuss alternatives for making this stretch of highway safer. ODOT’s ap- proach is multi-faceted, including installing rum- ble strips, lane reflectors, and making the five miles between Scappoose-Vernonia Road and Achilles Road a Safety Corridor. Under this des- ignation, speed limits would not change but en- forcement would increase, and traffic fines would double for those stopped for exceeding the speed limit. Public testimony was mixed, with some ex- pressing the opinion that speed has nothing to do with the accidents that occur, but rather it is the existence of intersections that allow motorists to turn left with no opportunity to wait in a center lane until the traffic clears. This applies to a par- ticularly deadly intersection, Bennett Road, which has seen three fatalities in the last couple of years. No decisions were made, but a Road Safety Audit is scheduled for early next year, which will lead to a project design in 2012 and implementation in 2014. Why so long? Because Bennett Road is one of 220 safety projects across the state that have been waiting for funding. I was honored to host a meeting with Gover- nor-elect John Kitzhaber and several other rural State Representatives in December. The focus of the meeting was to discuss issues important to those of us who represent largely rural districts. As Mr. Kitzhaber embarks upon the daunting task of setting his agenda for the next four years, we wanted to impress upon him the importance of supporting Oregon’s “heritage” industries of fishing, farming and timber. Each of these indus- tries has something to offer in our economic re- covery. Having grown up in Roseburg, the Gov- ernor-elect knows how important jobs are to the very existence of rural communities. I am en- couraged by our exchange of ideas and look for- ward to working with him to improve the econom- ic outlook for District 31 and all of Oregon. When the Legislature meets next in regular session, on January 10, 2011, the situation will be different from every possible perspective. Not only will Democrats and Republicans be sharing leadership in the House of Representatives be- cause of the 30/30 split in election results, but our fiscal condition is unparalleled in its gravity and complexity. In spite of this, I have every con- fidence that the leadership both parties have chosen is up to the task. run for approximately one month, allowing homeowners the opportunity to do their on- line application. Homeowners will then receive a call from a CAT intake staff member for an appointment to review their ap- plication for submission to the state. The state will do a random drawing in late January of the eligible applicants to determine those homeowners who re- ceive assistance. CAT has of- fices in Tillamook, St. Helens, Astoria and Vernonia to better assist homeowners. I encour- age everyone to check out this site, whether you are a home- owner or may have family or friends who could be helped with this information. For more information call Cindy at 503-325-8098, ext. 2303 or e-mail me at cindkp@cat-team.org. Cindy Peake Housing Center Manager Community Action Team, Inc. Policy on Letters The INDEPENDENT will not publish letters with per- sonal attacks on private citi- zens. Preference will be giv- en to brief letters, 300 words or less. All letters must be signed and include a verifiable ad- dress or phone number. About those New Year Resolutions Good resolutions are simply checks that men draw on a bank where they have no ac- count. — Oscar Wilde May all your troubles last as long as your New Year's reso- lutions! — Joey Adams Now there are more over- weight people in America than average-weight people. So overweight people are now av- erage…which means, you have met your New Year's res- olution. — Jay Leno A New Year's resolution is something that goes in one Year and out the other. — Anonymous
