PRESORTED STANDARD
U.S. Postage Paid
Vernonia, OR 97064
Permit No. 37
Vol. 26, No. 5
THE
FREE
INDEPENDENT
The Voice of the Upper Nehalem River Valley for Over 25 years
U.S. Supreme Court rules
against Four Square Church
Vernonia Lake again looked like a picture postcard as Old Man Winter returned for a stay.
Enjoy Sunday breakfast with Banks Volunteer Firefighters
Don’t forget, this Sunday, March 6, is the
Banks Volunteer Firefighters’ annual Breakfast.
Breakfast will be served in the Banks High
School cafeteria, 450 S. Main St. from 8:00 a.m.
to 1:00 p.m.
Ticket prices are $7 for adults, $5 for seniors,
March 3, 2011
$4 for children, and $25 for a family (maximum of
6). Breakfast includes pancakes or biscuits,
gravy, sausage or ham, eggs, fruit, coffee, milk,
and/or juice.
As always, kids get rides on the firetruck, and
Sparky will be on hand.
March came in like a polar bear and Vernonia Public Works helped dig out.
A fired pastor can keep the
$355,000 he was awarded in a
defamation suit against the
church that accused him of mis-
appropriating $3,000 and
demonstrating a “willingness to
lie and steal,” the U.S. Su-
preme Court ruled Monday.
While serving as interim pas-
tor of the Foursquare church in
Vernonia, Tim Tubra allegedly
accepted a gift of $3,000 to
help with health care premi-
ums. Though the church coun-
cil had approved the transac-
tion, Tubra said, it questioned
his motives when a new pastor
took over. The church charged
Tubra with misappropriation of
funds and ordered him to leave.
Ron Swor, the district super-
visor of the church, read a
statement to the Vernonia con-
gregation that stated, “It is now
evident that there has been, to
some extent, a financial misap-
propriation by former pastor
[Tubra]”.
ODFW to stock lake
with trout in March
Oregon Department of Fish
and Wildlife (ODFW) has an-
nounced that trout stocking in
Vernonia Lake will begin with
3,500 trout the week of March
7, and another 4,000 during the
week of March 14.
Sheriff sets local
monthly schedule
The Columbia County Sher-
iff’s Office (CCSO) is now avail-
able to the public in Vernonia
once a month. On the third
Wednesday of every month, a
representative from CCSO will
be at the Vernonia Police De-
part, from 1:00 to 4:00 p.m., to
process renewals and new con-
cealed handgun license appli-
cations, fingerprint individuals
(children for free), for prescrip-
tion turn-ins, and to answer
general questions.
Later, John Michael Cooke,
the church’s divisional superin-
tendent, wrote in an e-mail to
Swor’s secretary that Tubra
may have “want[ed] to stir up
trouble.” According to the court
filings, Cooke wrote, “He has
already demonstrated a willing-
ness to lie and steal, and to
purposely [sow] discord against
the division”.
Tubra sued Swor, Cooke
and the church for defamation.
The jury ruled for Tubra, but a
judge overruled the verdict and
agreed with the church that the
First
Amendment
barred
Tubra’s complaint.
In January of last year, the
Oregon Court of Appeals rein-
stated the verdict, finding that
the case was not so religious in
nature as to bar Tubra’s claim
and ruling that the International
Church of the Foursquare
Gospel was not protected from
the verdict under the First
Amendment.
“The alleged defamatory
statements - that the pastor had
misappropriated money and
had demonstrated a willingness
to lie - would not always and in
every context be religious in na-
ture,” Judge Rex Armstrong
wrote for the court. “Thus, even
though the statements related
to plaintiff’s conduct as pastor
of the church, that fact does not
render those statements ab-
solutely privileged as a matter
See Court on page 4
Join in
St. Pat’s
Parade
Join
Ver-
nonia’s 28th
annual St. Patrick’s Day Pa-
rade on Thursday, March 17,
starting at 5:15 p.m. at State
Ave. and Bridge St.
There are no entrance fees,
and everyone is welcome to be
part of the parade.