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About The independent. (Vernonia, Or.) 1986-current | View Entire Issue (July 18, 2012)
The INDEPENDENT, July 18, 2012 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 313 Hart 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 Suzanne Bonamici, (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://bonamici.house. gov 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 Thanks to Terry’s Gym To the Editor: I would like to commend Ter- ry’s Gym for the courtesy and respect that the young men ex- tend to the older patrons. They are pleasant and helpful. Thanks to you all for making the gym experience a pleasant one. Lulu and Art Lamping Vernonia Don’t let coal money ruin our water & air To the Editor: Those of us who have spent most of our lives in and around Columbia County pretty much have spent a great deal of that time in and around county wa- terways. Think about it – a large share of the county fol- lows the course of the Colum- bia River and nearly every creek in the county flows into the river. I joined some dear friends last Sunday on the Nehalem River out of Vernonia. We packed some sandwiches and soft drinks and spent three hours walking up and down an area in the river. When I say “in the river” that is what I mean. We walked in water that some- times reached chest high look- ing for treasures – crawdads and bright colored rocks. I had a wonderful day. The water was clear and the woods spelled clean and fresh. My husband and I spent un- told hours on the Columbia in our various boats when our children were still at home. One incident remains in my mind and changed the way we felt about the river. Our daughter was water skiing behind the boat. She was an excellent ski- er and seldom ever fell. This time, however, she did fall and she fell right at the confluence of the Columbia River and the Willamette Slough – right near where the paper mill dumped their black liquor into the river. We pulled her out of the river and she was dripping with greasy slime which could only be washed off with warm water and soap. Needless to say, our boat outings no longer involved the Columbia River. We instead traveled to the lakes in Oregon and Washington. I do not know how much the beautiful Columbia River has been cleaned up since that time but I still hear warnings about overflow from sewage lines in Portland being dumped into the Willamette and thus into the Columbia and when I walk along the river, it still does not smell good. Now another black slime could contaminate our water- ways and our lands. Two coal companies, owned by people on another continent, want to fill barges and rail cars with coal and drag them through our county and down our river so that they can make money. The few jobs created by this fiasco are not worth the dam- age to our environment. If you have never gotten involved in something in your life, now is the time to do it. Stand up to your political leaders and to these billion dollar companies and tell them a resounding “NO”. Stop this back room dealing now. It has gone on for far too many years and it needs to end. Nancy Whitney St. Helens 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. Foreclosure mediation program law now in effect Since Senate Bill 1552 took effect July 12, homeowners threatened with foreclosure now have the right to meet with their mortgage servicer face-to- face in mediation before final foreclosure decisions are made. The new law also ad- dresses a common complaint known as “dual-tracking.” Mort- gage servicers will no longer be permitted to foreclose while ne- gotiations are ongoing for loan modifications or other foreclo- sure avoidance measures. “This important piece of leg- islation will hold loan servicers accountable and ensure that Oregonians have every oppor- tunity to stay in their homes,” said Senate Majority Leader Diane Rosenbaum. Delivering meaningful foreclosure assis- tance was one of the key ac- complishments of the 2012 Session and we are eager to begin helping more Oregon families keep a roof over their head.” As of July 11, homeowners who receive a notice of default will receive information on free foreclosure counseling and low-cost mediation services. Mediation services will be pro- vided to homeowners at a sub- sidized rate of no more than $200. Funding for the program comes from mortgage ser- vicers and from funds allocated by the Legislature from a na- tional settlement with five large banks. Homeowners who are at risk of foreclosure, but not in default, can also schedule me- diation. During mediation ses- sions homeowners will be able to explore alternatives to fore- closure including loan modifi- cations, refinancing, short sales and other options. “By sitting down with their servicer, and a neutral media- tor we’re ensuring homeown- ers will be well informed, and that they will be heard by banks,” said Representative Betty Komp. “We’ve passed a landmark bill that will give Ore- gon homeowners an important tool to help them remain in their homes. I’m excited that today middle class families and at- risk seniors can begin access- ing this program.” To implement this statewide mediation program, the Depart- ment of Justice convened a 15- member work group to develop program rules. The Depart- ment of Justice contracted with a mediation service provider, Collins Center for Public Policy http://collinscenter.org to man- age the mediation program. Attorney General Ellen Rosenblum praised the group’s efforts. “A tremendous amount of work has been done by com- munity advocates, mortgage servicers and state agencies to get this important program ready on time, and within budg- et. We’re glad that this new tool is available to homeowners and hope the program helps to turn around the foreclosure cri- sis that has held our state in such a tight grip for the last few years.” The Department of Justice coordinated efforts with other state agencies, including Ore- gon Housing and Community Services. OHCS is leading the effort to ensure that trained housing counselors are avail- able statewide to work with homeowners before and during mediation sessions. OHCS Di- rector Margaret Van Vliet said, “Our agency is hard at work with nonprofit organizations across the state developing in- novative ways for homeowners to work with a counselor to pre- pare for mediation, regardless of where they live. Counselors will serve all areas of the state, and services will be provided as efficiently and effectively as possible. We know that Orego- nians will be counting on these services, and are looking for- ward to having all of the new counselors on board.” Homeowners who want to participate in the mediation program should go to http://ww w.foreclosuremediationor.org/ or call 855-658-6733. Homeowners can find a HUD Certified counselor and learn more about foreclosure prevention by visiting www.fore closurehelp.oregon.gov or call- ing 1-800-SAFENET (1-800- 723-3638).