PRESORTED STANDARD
U.S. Postage Paid
Vernonia, OR 97064
Permit No. 37
Vol. 27, No. 20
THE
FREE
INDEPENDENT
The Voice
Voice of
of the Upper Nehalem River
The
River Valley
Valley for
for Over
Over 25
27 years
years
November 7, 2012
Unofficial early election
results for city and county
Because of printing dead-
lines, The Independent cannot
provide the final tally of votes
for yesterday’s general election
in this issue.
Following are the available
results for local elections as of
4:06 a.m., with 48 of 54 pre-
cincts counted.
Columbia Co. Commissioner
Position 1
Earl Fisher
Wayne Mayo
Position 3
The rain didn’t dampen the spirits of the participants of the Vernonia Costume Sidewalk Pa-
rade, held downtown. An estimated 300 children came trick or treating and collected good-
ies along Bridge Street.
“The thousand foot mission” needs you
If your heart is burdened
with the need to help out a local
mission, then opportunity is
knocking!
The Vernonia Seventh-Day
Adventist Church has served
the Vernonia community for 75
years. Whether members are
in the community passing out
water to a parade watcher at
Jamboree, or making children
smile with a grab bag from the
Jamboree “fishing pond”, or
helping those in need by show-
ing Christ’s love, members em-
brace the community and look
for ways to serve. So now op-
portunity is knocking at your
door.
It all began in 1935 in an old
deserted store on Bridge Street
in downtown Vernonia, where a
small group of Christians gath-
ered to worship and listen to a
sermon preached by Pastor
Ray Bagley. The church mem-
bers saw a need for a church
and began the provisions for
building it. It was then that the
ladies came together to make
and sell Fudge to raise money.
The lumber was donated by
Mr. Bennett, who at that time
owned and operated The Ore-
gon - American Sawmill.
The church was completed
in 1936. It was a state-of-the-
art building at that time, with its
10 foot ceilings, a bell tower
and a wood burning stove to
maintain a warm, comfortable
environment.
Now, 75 years later, the
church building is in need of
major repair. The cedar logs
that were placed as a founda-
tion have decomposed and a
major overhaul is needed. In
addition, the siding needs to be
replaced, as well as the old
windows, carpets, doors and
interior walls.
The members of the Ver-
nonia Seventh-Day Adventist
See Church on page 14
Seventh-day Adventist Church building needs some TLC.
7,258
6,930
Tony Hyde
Tammy Maygra
8,376
5,314
Columbia Co. Sheriff
Jeff Dickerson
8,655
Dave Fuller
5,665
Vernonia Mayor and Council
There were no contests for
Vernonia Mayor or City Coun-
cil. In the absence of a write-in
campaign, the incumbents –
Mayor Josette Mitchell, Coun-
cilor Randy Parrow and Coun-
cilor Kim Tierney – will be re-
elected.
Cutright to be honored
for heroism at house fire
Seth Cutright, the 12-year-
old Vernonia youth who res-
cued his grandmother from
their burning home, will be hon-
ored with a Life Saving Award
from the Oregon State Sheriff’s
Association. Cutright was nom-
inated by Columbia County
Sheriff Jeff Dickerson, and will
be recognized at the associa-
tion’s awards banquet in Bend
on December 5.
Seth and his grandmother,
64-year-old Rose Cutright,
were the only ones home, Oct.
12, when the house burst into
flames. He grabbed his grand-
mother, whose clothes were on
fire, and carried her outside, re-
ceiving serious burns to his
hands and face. By the time he
got his grandmother outside,
the flames on her body had
gone out. He then ran to a
neighbor’s home and told them
to call an ambulance.
When Vernonia Rural Fire
District arrived about 2:45 p.m.
the garage of the family’s home
on E. Bridge Street was fully
engulfed in flames, and the
house and shop were burning.
Seth and his grandmother were
outside. Firefighters rescued
the family’s kittens from the
home, as well as chickens in a
coop attached to the house.
One of the family’s dogs died in
the fire.
The explosion may have
been caused by a leaking
propane tank. Seth said he
smelled gas just before his
grandmother lit a cigarette.
They were both taken to the
Oregon Burn Center at Eman-
uel Hospital in Portland.
Vernonia Rural Fire was as-
sisted by Mist-Birkenfeld,
Banks and Scappoose fire dis-
tricts, as well as law enforce-
ment for traffic control.
Seth’s father, Roger Cut-
right, called his son “a hero”, a
sentiment echoed by Sheriff
Dickerson, who said, “Seth
Cutright’s valor and fearless-
ness in braving the inferno to
save his grandmother’s life is
an inspiring story.”
Veteran’s Day is
November 11