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CASA

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NONPROFIT GUIDE 2020

Nonprofit Guide 2020

Coronavirus monitoring Page A3

INSIDE

South Columbia County

Chamber of Commerce

Wednesday, February 26, 2020

The Chronicle

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thechronicleonline.com

Serving Columbia County since 1881

Cap and trade triggers emotions, debate, boycott The Columbia County Board of Commissioners approved a proclamation on Feb. 19, opposing the cap and trade legislation. The proclamation states that SB 1530 would increase the cost to provide critically needed services to residents, as well as services dependent on truck and rail transportation. Additionally, the Commissioners’ proclamation said the bill would further financially burden residents already burdened by other costs. Those costs include “higher rents, increasing costs to purchase a home and additional tax burdens placed on them by the State of Oregon,” the proclamation states. In addition to daily financial burdens, the proclamation states that SB 1530 would “significantly hamper the ability of the residents of Columbia County to attempt to recover from the economic devastation remaining from the last recession.” This past week, Oregon House Republicans did not attend a scheduled evening floor session, slowing up the 35-day short legislative session. House Republican Leader Christine Drazan of Canby said Tuesday, Feb. 18, that Oregon State Republicans would not attend the floor session that evening. If 21 of the 22 Republicans

CODY MANN headlightnews@countrymedia.net

O

regon Senate Republicans have announced plans to block a Democrat cap and trade bill after it advanced out of the budget committee Monday, Feb. 24 and onto the House Floor. Senate Bill 1530 puts an increasing cap on carbon emissions and requires the use of emissions allowances by polluters. Senate Republican Leader Senator Herman Baertschiger issued a statement that said Senate President Peter Courtney (D-Salem) left no other option for Senate Republicans but to “boycott and deny quorum because cap and trade is on the way to the Senate floor.” “Democrats refused to work with Republicans and denied every amendment that was presented. Pay attention Oregon – this is a true example of partisan politics,” Baertschiger said in the statement. “Instead of referring this legislation to let the people decide, the Democrats are willfully ignoring 26 counties and one district, representing nearly 2 million Oregonians that have signed proclamations against cap-and-trade, to push their agenda,” Baertschiger said. The Oregonian reported that the amendments Senate Republicans offered up Monday and were voted down by Democrats included send-

Courtesy photo

Democrats and Republicans continue to be at odds over cap and trade during the Oregon Legislature’s short February session at the capitol building in Salem.

ing the bill to the voters. State Sen. Betsy Johnson (D-Scappoose) was the only Democrat who supported a citizen vote on the bill. House Speaker Tina Kotek (D-Portland) called out Senate Republicans for walking off the job a third time in a year. She said legislators shutting down the

government is a crisis for Oregon’s democracy. “This is not a game,” Kotek said. “Voters elected us to do our job. The members who refuse to show up and do their jobs are saying to a large majority of Oregonians: your vote doesn’t matter.” Senate Republicans recently

proclaimed that counties representing nearly 2 million Oregon residents have adopted resolutions opposing cap and trade or SB 1530. Baertschiger said resolutions against a “gas tax disguised as an environmental bill” speak to a majority of counties standing against cap and trade.

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See BILL Page A9

CC Rider driver saves a life CHRISTINE MENGES chronicle2@countrymedia.net

St. Helens resident Thelma Bonar is thankful to be alive and credits a CC Rider Bus driver with saving her life. The life-saving incident happened on Valentine’s Day after Bonar had scheduled a ride through CC Rider’s Dial-A-Ride service in advance to get to a personal appointment. Bonar regularly uses Dial-A-Ride to get to and from errands and various appointments and she is always consistent with confirming the appointment and the ride day of. When the driver, Roy Hettinga, arrived at Bonar’s house and knocked, nobody answered the door. He then called the CC Rider office to let them know no one had answered, and the dispatchers called the appointment place to confirm Bonar was not already there. They also then realized

Christine Menges / The Chronicle

CC Rider bus driver Roy Hettinga saved a scheduled passenger’s life after discovering she was having a medical emergency.

Bonar had not confirmed her ride that morning like she usually does. Realizing this, CC Rider called for a welfare check through the Columbia County

Sheriff’s Office. When the sheriff deputy arrived, Bonar was discovered to be having a medical emergency. Through quick

action by the deputy, she was able to get the emergency medical attention she needed. Dial-A-Ride is a curb to curb service and doesn’t follow the same route every day. Instead, the driver comes to the passengers’ homes, often taking senior citizens and the disabled to medical and other appointments. The service receives ride requests in two ways. One is through a brokerage called Northwest Rides, which helps people covered by Medicaid. CC Rider’s dispatchers offer the second way through a shared online portal. Rides can be used for medical appointments or for other personal appointments. “Our priority is medical, because there’s a huge demand for it,” CC Rider administrative assistant Angela Garrett said. Bonar’s appointment on the bus was a regularly scheduled ride in the south county, Garrett said, describing Bonar as a long-time passenger who

is well-liked and who often chats with dispatchers when she makes calls. She is consistent and reliable, always making sure to call and confirm her appointment the day of with the dispatchers, Garrett added. On this day, Bonar hadn’t done that and the bus driver was not able to get Bonar to come to the door. Hettinga immediately knew something was off. “I knew something wasn’t right when my passenger didn’t come out to the bus. I gave a her few minutes and then went to ring her doorbell. There was no answer and so I contacted dispatch and they then called her phone. I had also knocked on a different door and wondered why her dog wasn’t barking. All of it was not normal and knew from past contacts with her that she had been having problems with falling,” Hettinga said.

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See DRIVER Page A5

Site selected for new police station CHRISTINE MENGES chronicle2@countrymedia.net

City councilors have chosen the intersection at Kaster Road and Old Portland Road as the site for the new police station. The decision comes on the heels of the completion of a feasibility study by Macken-

News Brief: ...............A4 Poll: ...........................A4 Cartoon: ...................A4 Obituaries: ...............A6 Community Events: A6 TV Guide: ................A7 Classified Ads: .........A8 Legals: .......................A9 Weekly Events: .......A10 Blotters: ..................A10 Sports: .....................A11

Vol. 138, No. 9

zie, Inc. the consultant the city contracted with in March of last year to determine the site for the relocation and re-build of a new police station. That feasibility study examined four sites for the new facility, and the city council narrowed down those options to two different sites; one at the intersection of Kaster Road and Old Portland Road, and one on Columbia Boulevard, near 18th Street. City officials and St. Helens Police Department (SHPD) Police Chief Brian Greenway went over the pros and cons of each site at the city council work session on Feb. 19. Greenway said he had 100 percent agreement from officers on the location of the new police station, reasons being that it would give them greater ability to cross the railway and it would provide room for future growth.

2 MORE WEEKS !

Jeremy C. Ruark / The Chronicle

traffic system that will be installed at the intersection soon. As a critical facility, the police station would be required to be elevated at that site, according to the flood plain ordinance, Graichen said. The site is also away from the main hub of town and the shopping district, Greenway said. At the site at 18th and Columbia, those situations would not be a concern. However, Greenway said the site is landlocked for future growth and that one-way streets would be a hindrance to the police officers. In the end, councilors decided to go with the police officers, who all want the building to be located at Kaster Road and Old Portland Road. “It sounds like there’s pretty

City officials say the current St. Helens Police station, at 150 S. 13th Street, is too small and outdated, and a new more efficient building is needed.

However, there are a few drawbacks to the site on Kaster Road, according to City Planner Jacob Graichen. One of the drawbacks

is having what Graichen termed more “surprises” to the site, because the site is located near wetlands and because of the new

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See STATION Page A11

Truckload Meat Sale

Save the date March 12th and 13th

1111 Columbia Blvd, St Helens, OR 97051 • 7 a.m. to 10 p.m. • (503) 397-2288


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