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 17, 2011
Public hearings scheduled on
redistricting for legislatures
Vernonia favorites, The Golden Oldies entertain frequently at the Vernonia Senior Center. Per-
forming yesterday were, from left to right, Art Jackson, Bob Eastman, Pat Ray, Al Shaeffer,
Duke Gortler, Elie Thompson and Pat Wheeler.
Many scammers pretend to aid Japan
Oregon Attorney General
John Kroger is warning Orego-
nians to be alert for scam artists
posing as Japan disaster relief
charities. While many legiti-
mate organizations are seeking
donations to aid victims of the
devastating earthquake and
tsunami in Japan, thieves are
sending e-mails, making phone
calls, and posting fake video
footage on social media sites to
steal money and personal infor-
mation.
Scam artists are becoming
increasingly adept at exploiting
disasters for personal gain. Af-
ter the 2010 earthquake in
Haiti, text messages became a
convenient and popular way to
donate to legitimate groups like
the American Red Cross. Scam
artists caught on to this trend
and started sending mass
“charity relief” text messages,
requesting credit card numbers
and other sensitive information.
In a new twist on the “emer-
gency” scam, hackers are now
using alleged video footage of
FREE
the disaster in Japan linked to
malware and online surveys
that are designed to extract
personal information. For ex-
ample, one report describes a
video linked to a scammer’s
Facebook account. By clicking
on the video, the viewer’s per-
sonal information shared on
Facebook becomes available
to the scammer.
Attorney General Kroger of-
fers the following tips to avoid
common emergency relief
scams:
• Be sure you are contribut-
ing to a legitimate organization
registered with the Attorney
General’s Office by searching
the Department's online data-
base or calling 971-673-1880.
You can also visit www.guide
star.org or www.charitynaviga
tor. org to get detailed informa-
tion about charities and their
performance.
• Give to established chari-
ties. Creating an efficient and
effective charity overnight is
nearly impossible, make sure
the charity was around before
the disaster.
• Do not respond to email re-
quests from supposed disaster
victims. Unless you know some-
one in Japan, these requests
are almost always scams. Also,
be wary of donation requests or
videos posted on social media
sites by alleged victims or unfa-
miliar charities.
• Do not give out personal in-
formation via phone, text or
email. Legitimate charities will
See Scammers on page 5
The House and Senate
Committees on Redistricting
announced a schedule of 12
joint public hearings across the
state to hear from local resi-
dents about how to redraw the
legislative and Congressional
district boundaries. Every 10
years, the Legislature is
charged with redrawing legisla-
tive and Congressional districts
to reflect the growth of Ore-
gon’s population and the move-
ment of people within the state.
The 2010 Census data re-
leased in late February shows
that Oregon has grown by
409,675 people since the last
census in 2000. The public
hearings will provide Oregoni-
ans across the state with an op-
portunity to discuss the redis-
tricting process and how leg-
islative and Congressional dis-
tricts may change as a result of
population changes since
2000.
“The Legislature has a
unique opportunity to pass a
St. Pat’s Parade
St. Patrick’s Day Parade,
tonight, 5:15 p.m., starting at
State Avenue and Bridge St.
Fishing Derby
Fishing Derby (Free) by Pio-
neer Baptist Fellowship, on
March 26, 10:00 a.m. to 2:00
p.m. at Vernonia Lake.
Help with First Friday planning
Call out to Artists, Crafters,
Musicians or anyone who is in-
terested in participating in the
Vernonia First Friday Events.
First Friday, a project of Hands
on Art, brings the community to-
gether to celebrate its local tal-
ent, have fun and maybe learn
something new. The 2011 Sea-
son begins the first Friday in
May and ends in October.
We are looking for people
who are interested in helping to
organize the event as well as
craft vendors, artists, musicians
or other talent.
Come to a planning meeting
on Thursday, March 31, at 6:00
p.m. at the Vernonia Pioneer
Museum. For more information
contact Catherine Helmer 503-
914-9525, or Kathy Larsen
503-449-3591, or email First-
FridayinVernonia@gmail.com.
fair and bipartisan redistricting
plan this year,” said House Re-
districting Committee Co-Chair
Shawn Lindsay (R-Hillsboro).
“To accomplish a fair and bipar-
tisan plan, Oregonians need to
be involved throughout the
process. We need Oregonians
to share their ideas and con-
cerns about their future repre-
sentation in Salem and Wash-
ington, D.C. With valuable citi-
zen input, I'm confident we can
produce a fair plan for Oregon
over the next ten years.
“Input from Oregon’s citizens
is always a critical part of the
Legislative process. In redis-
tricting, which takes place just
every 10 years, it’s even more
important,” said Senate Redis-
tricting
Committee
Chair
Suzanne Bonamici. “Oregoni-
ans know best how they want
and need to be represented.
These hearings are an opportu-
nity for the people of our state
to share their thoughts and con-
cerns with the committees that
will redraw the district lines.”
The first hearing was held in
Tillamook on Friday, March 11,
at Tillamook Bay Community
College, and provided an op-
portunity for citizens from Asto-
ria, Lincoln City, and Newport to
participate via video confer-
ence links in their communities.
Members of both the House
and Senate Redistricting Com-
mittees were on hand to listen
to testimony.
A hearing is scheduled for
the Portland Community Col-
lege, Rock Creek Campus on
April 8, from 9:00 a.m. to 12
noon. The room will be an-
nounced.
“Our goal is to ensure that
the redistricting process is fair,
open and transparent. I’m look-
ing forward to traveling across
Oregon to hear from all of our
communities on what we can
do to ensure better representa-
See Redistricting on page 5