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Law enforcement gets active shooter training

JEREMY C. RUARK Country Media, Inc.

In

the Columbia County Sheriff’s Office (CCSO) is hosting active shooter training in Rainier.

Specific details about the loca tion of the training had not been released as of press time by the CCSO.

The training is designed to give law enforcement officers the skills needed to effectively deal with an active shooter and to help prevent mass shootings.

The nonprofit research group, Gun Violence Archive, defines a mass shooting as one in which at least four people were killed or injured, according to a report earlier this month in The New York Times.

Gun Violence Archive tracks gun violence using police reports, news coverage and other public sources, The Gun Violence Ar chive has counted at least 531 mass shootings so far this year, through mid-October, The New York Times report states.

The five-day instruction level course began Oct. 24 in Rainier. It is being taught by four Advanced Law Enforcement Rapid Response Training (ALERRT) instructors and

one FBI Agent. Those who attend will then train the deputies or of ficers in their department.

“This course was developed through Texas State University and will bring cutting edge ac tive shooter training to Columbia County,” Columbia County Sheriff Brian Pixley said. “We are honored to host this highly acclaimed course in Columbia County.”

Since this is the first course in a series of seven, there may be op portunities for additional training in the future, according to Pixley.

The class is federally funded. There is no cost to CCSO.

CCSO will be joined at this training by other local agencies:

• St. Helens Police Department

• Rainier Police Department

• Kelso Police Department

• Cowlitz County Sheriff’s Of fice

In a release from the CCSO, the training is described as a dynamic course of instruction designed to teach instructors how to prepare the first responder to isolate, distract, and neutralize an active shooter.

The course will cover:

• Shooting and moving

• Threshold evaluation

• Concepts and principles of team movement

• Setting up for and room entry techniques

• Approach and breaching the crisis site

•

responder tactics

•

explosive devices

to prepare law enforcement for an actual event.

• Post engagement priorities of work

The course will culminate with dynamic force on force scenarios and include instructor-required teach-backs to ensure the quality of instruction taught back to first

Jeremy C. Ruark / The Chief

responders. CCSO is the agency contracted by the City of Clatskanie for the city’s law enforcement services.

Jeremy C. Ruark may be reached at jruark@countrymedia. net.

Earth’s Climate Emergency: Vital signs at ‘record extremes’

STEVE LUNDEBERG Chief Guest Article

The earth’s vital signs have worsened to the point that “hu manity is unequivocally facing a climate emergency,” according to a just-published report by an interna tional coalition of researchers.

The report, “World Scientists’ Warning of a Climate Emergency 2022,” published in the journal BioScience, notes that 16 of 35 planetary vital signs the authors use to track climate change are at record extremes.

The report’s authors share new data illustrating increasing fre quency of extreme heat events, ris ing global tree cover loss because of fires, and a greater prevalence of the mosquito-borne dengue virus.

They also note large increases in fossil fuel energy consumption following COVID-19 pandemic shutdowns – despite an upswing in commitments for fossil fuel divest ment – and a rise in atmospheric

carbon dioxide levels to 418 parts per million, the highest on record.

William Ripple, a distinguished professor in the OSU College of

Forestry, and postdoctoral re searcher Christopher Wolf are the lead authors of the report, and 10 other U.S. and global scientists are

co-authors. The report follows by five years the “World Scientists’ Warning to Humanity: A Second Notice” published by Ripple in in BioScience and co-signed by more than 15,000 scientists in 184 countries.

“As we can see by the annual surges in climate disasters, we are now in the midst of a major climate crisis, with far worse to come if we keep doing things the way we’ve been doing them,” Wolf said. “We implore our fellow scientists to join us in advocat ing for research-based approaches to climate and environmental decision-making.”

Other co-authors of the report are from UCLA, the University of Sydney, Independent Univer sity Bangladesh, the University of Cambridge, the University of Exeter, Bezos Earth Fund and the Potsdam Institute for Climate Impact Research.

“Climate change is not a standalone issue,” said Saleemul

Huq of Independent University Bangladesh. “It is part of a larger systemic problem of ecological overshoot where human demand is exceeding the regenerative capac ity of the biosphere. To avoid more untold human suffering, we need to protect nature, eliminate most fossil fuel emissions and support socially just climate adaptations with a focus on low-income areas that are most vulnerable.”

The report points out that in the three decades since more than 1,700 scientists signed the original “World Scientists’ Warn ing to Humanity” in 1992, global greenhouse gas emissions have increased by 40%.

“As earth’s temperatures are creeping up, the frequency or mag nitude of some types of climate disasters may actually be leaping up,” said the University of Syd ney’s Thomas Newsome. “We urge

Appeal withdrawn in NEXT Fuels permitting process

JEREMY C. RUARK jruark@countrymedia.net

There are new developments in the proposal to build a $2 billion

facility at Port Westward.

The Beaver Drainage Improve ment Company has passed a reso lution to immediately withdraw an appeal filed against the Department of State Lands’ Removal/Fill per mit issued to NEXT Renewables. The permit was granted by the Oregon Department of State Lands (DSL) in March 2022 and is a key state permit needed to construct

and operate a clean fuels facility and wetland restoration project proposed for Port Westward, ac cording to a release from NEXT spokesman Michael Hinrichs.

The resolution was passed dur ing a meeting Oct. 21.

“We are thrilled to learn that the BDIC Board passed a resolution to immediately withdraw their appeal of our DSL Removal Fill permit,” NEXT CEO and Chair Chris Efird said. “This is a win for NEXT, and

to maintaining

Courtesy photo from OSU

The

Courtesy from NEXT

Drazan wants to reverse Gov. Brown’s policies

Abortion

Christine Drazan is seek ing to become the first Re publican governor of Oregon since Vic Atiyeh.

A former minority leader of the Oregon House of Rep resentatives, the 51-year-old Republican is a native of Klamath Falls now living in Canby. She is a graduate of George Fox University and served in the House from 2019 through most of 2022. Recent surveys have shown her widening her leads over Democrat Tina Kotek and independent Betsy Johnson.

Drazan said she thinks Or egon is moving in the wrong direction in several ways.

“I want to fix our schools, keep our communities safe, and make Oregon more liv able,” she has said. “When I talk to Oregonians, the issues they want me to address are affordability, education, congestion, homelessness, crime.”

Education

“As a mom of three, I saw first-hand the impacts of the shutdowns on my kids and their friends and neighbors. Those shutdowns hurt their academic progress.”

Drazan has opposed lock downs related to the COVID pandemic. Regarding any future public health crisis, she has said, “I’ll lead with facts, not fear.”

For students who are struggling, she calls for “in terventions and supports that are necessary to bring them up to grade level.”

Homelessness and housing

“We have a crisis in our streets that is driven by homelessness issues,” Drazan said. “Handing this down to municipalities, I don’t think is the best approach for full responsibility. Homeless populations, by the nature of being unhoused, move be tween jurisdictions. It will be for support for shelter space, it will be additional invest ments, and it will be support for workforce that will back up the mental and behavioral health needs that we have as a state. You will see in my first budget a prioritization of that with dollars that are otherwise being directed right now to programs that are not as essential and critical.

“When I talk about af fordable housing, builders, people on the private sector side, they are saying, ‘I can build houses, I can build apartments, I need local governments to work with me, I need to be able to move through the regulatory pro cess in two years.’ I’ve com mitted to reviewing rules and regulations across the board and revising, repealing, or rolling back the ones that are an impediment or a barrier.”

When asked about racial disparities in housing today due to past discriminatory policies, Drazan replied, “My administration will have a zero-tolerance policy for rac ism of any kind by continuing to support key affordability measures like the mortgage interest deduction and firsttime home buyer program.”

Describing the results of Oregon’s greatly increased

spending on housing “under whelming,” Drazan called for incentives to accomplish public policy goals and said, “I am supportive of private entities providing resources to accomplish housing goals.”

Crime and safety

Drazan wants Measure 110, which decriminalized possession of certain recre ational drugs, repealed.

Regarding the lack of addiction treatment facilities, she said the state now has the ability to cooperate with non-profit partners to make sure they have the support to keep expanding their services to meet demand.

“Portland residents deserve to be safe from violent crime, but our leaders continue to fail us,” she said. “I’ve been endorsed by law enforcement. As governor, I will fight to ensure safe streets for all who call our state home.”

The environment

“Oregon is already among the greenest states in the country, due in large part to our ability to access renewable hydropower and other clean power sources,” Drazan said. With respect to transportation, consumers should have the option to purchase an electric vehicle. It shouldn’t be a requirement, and our current energy grid cannot support a prohibition on gas- or diesel-powered vehicles. I support widening our highways by building more lanes.

“I believe we can both reduce traffic times and reduce emissions from idling engines, but this is an incom plete solution unless we ad dress jobs. We need to ensure that people can access work within a reasonable distance from the home that they can afford. As long as we place housing and jobs at opposite ends of the metro area, we will face congestion chal lenges. We must take a more holistic approach and provide economic opportunity to all communities.”

Turning to land use and congestion, Drazan called the state’s land use system “one of a kind,” and noted that it has prevented urban sprawl by letting suburbs transi tion into farmland, but also “extraordinarily complex,” very slow-moving, and often “very expensive to navigate.”

“The Land Conservation and Development Commis sion,” she said, “must be nimble, more accessible for everyday Oregonians, and should not hold future devel

opment hostage in bureau cratic purgatory.”

On urban growth bound aries, Drazan said they are important in protecting farmland but there must be opportunities to accelerate development in the right places.

“I’m committed to bringing people together and ensuring the voices of all impacted stakeholders are involved as we consider adjustments to our land use system and urban growth boundaries,” she said.

Regarding small lo calities, Drazan said, “I am committed to restoring local control and to ensuring our rural communities have a voice in their state govern ment again. What works in Portland doesn’t always work in smaller rural communities. Enough with the one-sizefits-all mandates. Local communities must have the ability to determine the most appropriate policy decisions whenever appropriate.”

Health care

Drazan has expressed disappointment that “big overhaul” health bills have moved forward without bipartisanship but is hopeful that it can be achieved.

“We can achieve bal ance in our legislation,” she said, “even if we don’t have balance politically, when we create the leverage to force that conversation. And it’s not always pretty, and those who might wield the power don’t want to pull up a seat at the tale, but it is really the right thing to do.”

Drazan, who has expressed general opposition to abortion, has shown more concern with upholding the law. Regarding the Oregon law codifying a right to abortion, she said, “I would have vetoed legislation which would put Oregon fur ther outside the mainstream, including taxpayer funding and abortion on demand until the moment of birth.”

Asked whether she would support legislation banning abortion, she said, “I will not comment on legislation that has not reached my desk nor even been drafted yet, but I support common-sense regu lations, including protecting life in the third trimester.”

Trey Rosser, Drazan’s campaign manager, has said this about entrepreneur Phil Knight’s $1 million contribution to the Drazan campaign several weeks after he contributed to Johnson’s campaign:

“Phil Knight is a pioneer ing and reputed leader, not just in Oregon but across the globe. It’s a tremendous honor to have his support as well as the support of so many Oregonians from across our state.”

Drazan is running for Oregon governor against Democrat Tina Kotek and independent Betsy Johnson.

Follow Election 2022 at thechiefnews.com and in the Friday print editions of The Chief.

Herb Swett may be reached at chronicle1@coun trymedia.net.

Kotek talks homelessness, mental health issues

forcement.

She also said that as governor she would sup port expansion of the state police, which she noted is particularly important in rural communities.

Other issues Kotek men tioned were gun control and the environment. Kotek said that she supported respon sible gun ownership but was in favor of more measures to keep firearms out of the hands of dangerous indi viduals.

She said the environment was also a priority, men tioning her commitment to net-zero carbon emissions for Oregon by 2040.

career, traveling around the state, saying it had given her an appreciation for Oregon’s rural communities.

“Your way of life and what you do matters to me,” she said, addressing Tilla mook voters.

While saying that she would support affordable housing development in smaller towns, she expressed a strong commitment to making sure it didn’t come at the expense of farmland.

“We have to maintain our farms,” Kotek said.

She pointed to town houses next to the campaign event as a good middle ground between singlefamily homes and apartment buildings for suburban and rural areas.

Kotek said that while her opponents claim she is unre sponsive to rural concerns, that is not the case and she understands the different challenges facing rural areas in the state.

“I want to make sure that every part of the state can be successful,” Kotek said.

to fizzle.

With just days before the Oregon Nov. 8 general elec tion, candidates are ramping up their campaign efforts.

Democratic gubernato rial candidate Tina Kotek brought her efforts to the Oregon Coast, visiting As toria, Seaside, Lincoln City and Newport.

Addressing supporters in Newport Sunday, Oct. 23, Kotek acknowledged the housing, homelessness, addiction and mental health crises facing the state but focused on her plans to ad

dress them.

“Oregonians know how to solve their problems,” Kotek said. “What they need is a governor and a state government that’s going to be by their side helping them solve their problems so we can move our state forward.”

Kotek pointed to her 2019 call to declare home lessness an emergency in the state and her support of legislation to protect access to housing during the pan demic as the types of action she would take as governor. Both of these calls failed to gain support from Gov. Kate Brown, leading them

“We have the resources, we have the know-how, we just need to coordinate things better; that’s where a governor comes in,” Kotek said.

She pointed out that she was the only candidate who has published plans to address these issues, saying her opponents are more con cerned with partisan attacks, especially around law and order issues.

Kotek pushed back against opponents’ attacks on her record on crime, saying that she has always supported the Oregon State Police and other law en

Kotek acknowledged that the race is very tight and will come down to the last two weeks of campaigning.

When asked about her message for Tillamook County voters, Kotek em phasized her commitment to building better commu nication between Salem and rural communities.

“I want to make sure we have much more customer service-oriented state agen cies,” Kotek said, saying that she would try to speed up permit processing and other bureaucratic functions as governor.

She also highlighted her time working for the Oregon Food Bank early in her

County fire season ends, burn ban lifted

Media,

The Oregon Department of Forestry has determined that Columbia County’s 2022 wildland fire season ended Monday, Oct. 24.

The recent rainfall and our upcoming fall weather are allowing local fire districts to terminate the burn ban in the county. Debris burning will be allowed again with a valid burning permit as decided by local fire districts. Please contact your local fire district to obtain a permit.

Due to drought conditions

and recent wildfires through out Oregon, fire officials are urging that any outdoor burning is conducted as safely as possible. Recreational campfires, fire pits, and back yard debris burning are now permitted on Department of Environmental Quality (DEQ) approved burn days.

Yard debris and open burn ing are only permitted in the City of St. Helens and the City of Columbia City on given burn days. Please be sure you check the regulations in your specific fire district before burning. Burning household garbage, plastics, petroleum products, construction waste,

animal remains, and sand rub ber products is not allowed.

Those burning are encour aged to use caution when burning debris piles. Any open burning must be attended by a non-impaired, responsible adult. A water source and hand tool to suppress any escaped fires should also be kept on site during any open burning.

The public is encouraged to remain vigilant for chang ing weather conditions and use caution when burning. It is the individual prop erty owner’s responsibility to check daily to ensure it is a burn day by dialing the fire district’s burn line as listed on

your burn permit.

Escaped fires of any kind resulting in property dam age or requiring suppression efforts from a fire agency may result in fines and individual financial responsibility for damages caused. You must obtain a permit from the Or egon Department of Forestry if you want to burn any wood material “slash” left over from a logging operation on your property.

For additional information regarding 2022 fire season please visit https://www. oregon.gov/ODF/Fire/Pages/ Restrictions.aspx.

Courtesy photo Christine Drazan

WILL CHAPPELL

Country Media, Inc.

Will Chappell / Country Media, Inc.

Democratic gubernatorial candidate Tina Kotek chats with folks during a campaign swing in Newport.

for

Oct.

crossword

Courtesy photo

STAFF REPORT

Mayors Association issues statewide homelessness solution

Homelessness isn’t as visibility evident in Colum bia County as it is in the metropolitan areas, such as Portland and Eugene. But the issue is a growing statewide concern for all cities.

The Oregon Mayors As sociation has issued a plan to successfully address the current statewide homeless ness crisis.

The plan calls for a part nership between the state and Oregon’s 241 incorporated cities to provide compre hensive funding for local homelessness response and prevention programs.

This would require direct allocations to each incorpo rated city in Oregon, totaling $123,575,800 annually. In addition to direct annual al locations, coordinated capital construction investments for specific shelter and transi tional housing projects state wide would also be required.

The Oregon Mayors As sociation formed a task force in May of 25 mayors from across the state to develop a response to homelessness that would help all commu nities statewide, regardless of size or location, to address

the issue.

The task force has sent the following letter to the Oregon gubernatorial can didates and to the Oregon Legislature for review.

“We write to you as leaders, partners and voters seeking collaboration and action. Cities are facing a crisis as we respond to the emergency of homelessness across Oregon.

“Last week at the League of Oregon Cities confer ence, mayors came together from across the state to discuss critical policies

and programs that impact Oregonians. The number one issue throughout Oregon – in both rural and urban com munities, large and small – is homelessness. We know this humanitarian crisis is im pacting both the individuals directly experiencing home lessness as well as communi ties at large.

“Many jurisdictions have developed new programs, expanded service efforts, built regional partnerships, and are making substantial investments of local general fund and American Rescue

Oregon gets $2.6M for anti-hunger projects

port producers of color and provide fresh, locally-grown food to people experiencing hunger,” Oregon Food Bank CEO Susannah Morgan said. “With as many as 1.5 million people seeking food assistance this year, govern ment investments like these are critical to our shared effort to end hunger and its root causes.”

Plan Act (ARPA) funds to respond to the unhoused emergency. Yet this hu manitarian crisis exceeds our individual capacity. While active projects, programs, and partnerships are in place in many cities in Oregon, the state has an opportunity to partner with local govern ments to build upon these efforts to make an immediate and impactful difference.

“Cities cannot be left to solve this statewide crisis by ourselves. No one single ap proach is effective without a collaborative and coordinat

ed strategy to work together to create the quality of life we all want for everyone who lives in our cities and state. Cities are one part of what must be a statewide approach. We need state leadership to allocate direct funding that is scaled to respond to the gravity of this crisis facing cities statewide.

This past May, the Oregon Mayors Associa tion formed a Taskforce on Homelessness. Twenty-five mayors, representing cities of all sizes from around the state, studied Oregon’s homelessness crisis.

And while the crisis may seem insurmountable, given that the symptoms and solu tions look different between urban and rural communi ties and vary based on a city’s size, geography and available service providers, local government leaders have developed a solution to Oregon’s crisis of the unhoused.

The solution is that the state of Oregon and its 241 cities must come together in partnership to establish and expand local, communitybased responses. Time and time again, local programs, which are community-cen tered, are the programs that

provide immediate shelter, needed services, and secure safety for unhoused Orego nians.

For this crisis to be humanely and timely ad dressed, the state must part ner with cities to fully fund local homelessness response and prevention programs. Fully funding local programs requires direct allocations to each incorporated city in Or egon, totally $123,575,800 annually. In addition to direct, annual allocations, coordinated capital construc tion investments for specific shelter and transitional hous ing projects, statewide, is also required.

Oregon’s mayors are leading the on-the-ground re sponse on homelessness, but we cannot do so alone and need joint leadership from state government to support cities and our county part ners. We call on Oregon’s next governor and Legisla ture to fund the services and housing needed to make an impact on Oregon’s home lessness crisis.”

The Oregon Mayors As sociation’s task force of 25 mayors from across the state did not include any from Columbia County. The letter was sent Oct. 14.

Nina Mae Burch

Local food banks in Clatskanie and Rainier and across the state could benefit from a $2.6 million federal grant.

The Oregon Department of Human Services (ODHS) and Oregon Food Bank (OFB) today announced the investment in anti-hunger efforts through local food purchases.

ODHS and OFB said part of the U.S. Department of Agriculture’s Local Food Purchase Assistance Coop erative Agreement Program, the grant will significantly expand the food bank’s Community Grower Support Fund — investing in histori cally underserved producers while also addressing rising food insecurity in urban, ru ral and remote communities that have faced dispropor tionate hunger and poverty for generations.

“As communities in Or egon continue to be impact ed by COVID-19 and the

CLIMATE

From Page A1

our fellow scientists around the world to speak out on climate change.”

In addition to Wolf and Ripple, three other OSU scientists are co-authors of the paper: Jillian Gregg, Matthew Betts and Beverly Law.

“World Scientists’ Warn ing of a Climate Emergency 2022” is an update of a pa per published in BioScience three years ago. The Alli ance of World Scientists, an independent organization formed to be a collective voice on environmental sustainability and human well-being, continues to collect co-signers on the 2019 paper. To date more

From Page A1

our positive and collabora tive relationship with the BDIC board of directors and members.”

Efird said with the ap peal withdrawal, NEXT has secured its Removal Fill permit permanently and without objection.

This underpins DSL’s definitive conclusion that “the proposed removal-fill activity is consistent with the protection, conserva

rising cost of food, we know that many are experiencing hardship and are struggling to get enough healthy food for themselves and their children,” ODHS SelfSufficiency Program Interim Director Jana McLellan said. “We are grateful to play a part in connecting in dividuals and families with fresh, nutritious food grown by local producers.”

Authorized by the Amer ican Rescue Plan, Local Food Purchase Assistance provides opportunities for state and tribal governments to strengthen local and regional food systems.

Through grants like the $2.6 million awarded to the Oregon Department of Hu man Services in partnership with the Oregon Food Bank and Oregon Department of Agriculture, the pro gram supports farmers and producers to establish or ex pand partnerships with area food distribution networks.

“This grant is a triple win for Oregon communi ties: it allows us to strength en local food systems, sup

than 14,000 scientists from 158 countries have signed.

Ongoing work to spur climate change action by scientists around the world is chronicled in a new 35-minute documentary film “The Scientist’s Warn ing.” The film, by Oregon State Productions, is now available for free online viewing following its Oct. 14 premiere at the Newport Beach Film Festival in Newport Beach, California.

“The Scientist’s Warn ing” also chronicles Ripple’s personal journey: from a rural, low-income childhood in South Dakota in the 1950s to becoming an ecologist in Yellowstone to assuming a role as a global advocate for using science to make informed policy decisions.

“Look at all of these

tion, and best use of the water resources of this state” (Christopher Castelli, Northern Operations Man ager for Aquatic Resource Management at DSL, March 2022) and that the design of the wetland res toration will not adversely impact the local drainage district, according to the release.

Securing the Removal Fill permit without objec tion also reinforces fun damental environmental considerations currently be ing reviewed by the Army Corps of Engineers as they

The grant funds will pro vide a boost to local econo mies through expansion of the Community Grower Support Fund, which pur chases food directly from socially disadvantaged farmers and ranchers — a U.S. Department of Agri culture classification that includes groups that have been subject to systemic racial or ethnic prejudice.

This locally produced food is distributed to urban, rural and remote underserved communities throughout the state. Funds will also improve storage and transportation infra structure, helping to build more resilient local food systems for the long-term.

Turning Point, the Clatskanie food bank and social service center, is located at 220 E Columbia River Highway and may be reached by calling, 503728-3126.

HOPE of Rainier oper ates a food pantry at 404 E A Street in Rainier. It may be reached at 503-5560701.

fires, floods and massive storms,” Ripple said. “The specter of climate change is at the door and pounding hard.”

Oregon State Produc tions makes films as part of the university’s mis sion to educate the public about critical issues facing our planet and highlight those working to make a difference. Its portfolio includes the feature-length documentary “Saving Atlantis,” which tells the story of the world’s declin ing coral reefs and some of the people working to save them.

Steve Lundeberg is a researcher and writer for Oregon State University Relations and Marketing. He may be reached at steve. lundeberg@oregonstate.edu

develop an Environmental Impact Statement,

A key opponent of the proposed NEXT Renewable Fuels facility is the envi ronmental watchdog group, Columbia Riverkeeper, which has been contesting the state and federal per mits for the facility.

Follow developments with this story at thechief news.com and in the Friday print editions of The Chief.

Jeremy C. Ruark may be reached at jruark@country media.net.

North Columbia County’s trusted local news source

Metro Creative Connection

The plan calls for a partnership between the state and Oregon’s 241 incorporated cities to provide compre hensive funding for local homelessness response and prevention programs.

STAFF REPORT Country Media, Inc.

Courtesy photo

Nina Mae Burch, 77, of Rainier, Oregon, passed away Feb. 25, 2022.

1944 ~

25, 2022

You saddle up next to your honey in the car. You’re off to a much-needed romantic night out danc ing. You look fabulous. You feel excited and ready to get moving on the floor. You smile at the possibility of a good evening.

On the ride to the club, your partner chides you on your appearance, just a little, but enough to make you wonder if you really do look so fabulous. You’re used to this, though, so you let a small thing go. You really want to have a good time tonight.

At the club, you’re both enjoying yourselves. Laughing, having a couple of drinks, enjoying the music, and then—everything changes. Your partner stomps off the dance floor angrily and gives you the silent treatment. Your heart sinks. You try to appease them and apologize for whatever you might’ve done wrong. You try to figure out what is going on. You cajole and en courage without luck. You’re blindsided again.

Your partner walks out. You follow, still trying to fix the situation. On the ride home, they accuse you of flirting with someone on the dance floor. You deny it. It isn’t true. Then the insults come, one after another and completely unrelated to the evening.

You feel devastated. You feel defeated. You’re ex hausted, but you can’t sleep.

The next day, your part ner brings you coffee in bed and says, “Good morning, sweetheart,” as though noth ing had happened the night before. You breathe a sigh of relief, but a shiver runs down your spine.

1. Understand the problem

You are experiencing emotional abuse, which is a non-physical form of power and control. Emotional abuse occurs when a significant other, parent, or other close person uses your thoughts and feelings against you. Belittling, twisting words, contempt, and passive ag gression are all forms of emotional abuse.

Not all emotional abuse is created equal, and that’s

to free yourself from emotional abuse

one reason why it is often denied, explained away or minimized. Don’t compare what is happening to you to someone else’s abuse. Don’t explain it away. Any abuse is unacceptable! No one de serves it. You do not deserve to be treated badly, regard less of anything you may or may not have done.

All forms of emotional abuse take a huge toll on the mental health of the victim. Playing mind games and using the good nature of a person to manipulate them is deeply insidious and destruc tive.

It’s sometimes difficult to acknowledge when you’re being emotionally abused. It happens slowly over a period of time and is always interspersed with the “good times” and positive behavior. You can’t easily put your finger on it. Emotional abuse doesn’t leave visible scars, but its impact upon the mind, body and spirit are still im mense.

If you think that you are experiencing emotional abuse, seek assistance from a domestic and sexual violence advocate or a counselor. Learn as much as you can about emotional abuse and arm yourself with tools of knowledge.

2. Know thyself

The second step to overcoming the impact of emotional abuse in your life is to understand your history. Knowing your susceptibility to manipulation and control will help you gain awareness of yourself. Change is only possible with self-awareness. What in your past has left you susceptible to emotional abuse? The stage for any type of abuse is most often set in childhood. Childhood factors include:

• Bullying; name-calling and being the subject of jokes by peers or adults

• Narcissistic or addicted parents

• Abuse of any type in the home

• Sexual abuse or exploi tation in or outside of the home

Children who learn that it is necessary to be respon sive to the needs of others in order to be loved are ripe to become targets of abuse. Children who are scape

goated or victims of covert abuse by caregivers, teachers or peers struggle emotion ally and doubt the validity of their feelings.

A note to the wise: Knowing your past and susceptibility is not about blaming others in your past. Knowing yourself is like reading a book and gaining information. You need the information in order to create a different outcome. Look at the facts objectively. Feel the feels, but don’t waste time with blame or shame. Keep moving forward with a clearer understanding of where you came from and where you want to go.

Celebrate that you’re still here. Celebrate your resil ience.

3. Examine your agenda with power

At the root of all abuse is a need for power and control. Years of research on domestic and sexual violence have taught us that abuse is a pattern of coercive control used by one person against another. The Duluth Abuse Intervention Project’s Power and Control Wheel first dem onstrated this fact almost 40 years ago.

The wheel shows dif ferent strategies used by abusers to gain control over potential victims. Emotional abuse is one spoke of the wheel.

Look at the ways power and control have affected your life. Additionally, look at the ways in which you may have used power and control against others. As humans, we often use control tactics as a means of try ing to protect ourselves or others.

It’s always tempting to focus on the abuse and the abuser, but we can’t fix any one but ourselves. Overcom ing abuse is about focusing on you and your response.

Knowing your agenda with power is an important step in overcoming the abuse you may inflict upon your self, as well as the abuse in flicted upon you by another.

4. Observe the emotional games

When you become the observer rather than the reactive person in a situation, you allow yourself to gain more insight.

Emotional games are exhausting! Pull yourself out of the game and watch it un fold as you would a movie. Observe, but don’t engage in the scenario. Like an actor in improvisational theater, you decide what your next input will be based on what is going on around you. This strategy allows you to see choices of response that you miss when your mind is in a reactive state.

Gaslighting is a tech nique often used by abusers to control and frighten their victims. Gaslighting is a mind game that twists your emotional response into a pretzel, if you fall prey to it. It can only be overcome when it is observed and understood. The term comes from a 1944 movie, of the same name. Gaslight, the movie, captures the essence of emotional abuse perfectly.

Abuse is cyclical and inconsistent. Relationships are never all good or all bad. The reasons people stay in harmful relationships are due to this cyclical quality. It’s easy to question your version of reality. “Did this really happen or is it my imagina tion?”

Chronic disrespect and cruelty start out slowly. If you throw a frog into a pot of boiling water, it will jump out immediately. If you put a frog into a pot of water and turn the temperature up slowly until it boils, you will kill the frog.

Recognize the tempera ture of the water around you. Give yourself permission to acknowledge what you see and feel. Trust yourself.

When you take the heat out of the moment and watch it unfold, you will gain insights into how the game works. From that vantage point, you can make new decisions.

For safety reasons, it’s important not to announce what you are doing to the abuser. Become the observer quietly. Become an actor in the improvisation, putting all reactivity aside.

Taking charge of your reactions is a potent way to gain a sense of power over the situation. Once you fully comprehend that you can change your relationship by changing your response, you will gain your first foothold into removing yourself from people that disrespect and disempower you.

5. Engage your inner sleuth

Knowing how the abuse has affected you will help you focus on your own heal ing. It might not be readily apparent at first, so it’s neces sary to pay attention to the clues. Like an old-fashioned detective with a magnifying glass in hand, learn about the ways that emotional abuse has impacted your wellbeing.

• Are you taking respon sibility for the behavior of others?

• Do you find yourself numbing out with alcohol or drugs?

• Do you have issues with attachment—are you needy or avoidant?

• Are you challenged by decision-making tasks?

• Do you find yourself walking on eggshells, always paying more attention to the needs of others over your needs?

• Do you say yes when you want to say no?

• Are you struggling with anxiety and/or depression?

• Do you find yourself engaging in critical self-talk?

These are just a few of the clues that you might explore in your in-depth inquiry. The goal is not to blame or focus outward, but to focus inward at what you can control and what you can do to improve your wellbeing.

Knowing how you are impacted by abusive behav ior you can choose to get assistance to help you make changes in your life.

6. Practice empathy toward yourself

Face your fear with a little kindness. Honestly, this will go a long way. Overcoming bondage to emotional abuse and mov ing on with your life begins with learning to be kind to you. All of these strategies at some point converge on the necessity to be patient and kind with yourself as you practice them.

If you’re in a marriage or a long-term abusive relation ship, you are working to overcome years of patterned responses. You can do this. Treat yourself as a friend or family member you’re help ing. Show yourself the same love and care as you would a stranger you agreed to help. Go out of your way to find

answers as you would for another.

Honoring yourself reaffirms your dignity and right to live free from abuse. Before you know it, you’ll wonder why you ever stayed in a relationship that didn’t treat you with the respect you deserve. Allow yourself to become authentically and wholly you, imperfect, but without apologies.

7. Forge a new path

Where do you want to go from here? Do you want to stay in the relationship or do you want to leave? Whatever your choice, choose con sciously. If you’re planning on staying, have a safety plan for both emotional and physi cal safety. Decide how you will make changes. If at any point you choose to leave, do it deliberately.

Envision the path ahead of you. Know who you are and who you want to be come. Embody and celebrate your good character traits. Work on mending your bro ken places. Get clear about your strengths and intentions. It isn’t necessary to know five steps ahead, just plan the first step and take it.

This path is unique to you and your journey. Acknowledge what you’re going through, journal, note your progress and victories. You might try some positive reframing of old nega tive thinking. Reframe the thought, “I’ll never get better. He/she is not going to let me change,” with “I’m working on changing my responses. I’m not responsible for other people’s behavior.”

Messing up, making mis takes, and forgetting are all part of the healing process. Healing is a spiral journey to be embraced.

Plan ahead, but let your path unfold as you move forward. Notice all of the diligence you’ve exhibited. Notice the resilience that you have built. Pretty quickly, you’ll be well on your way. Keep moving forward and don’t look back.

By the way, you’re look ing fabulous.

SAFE of Columbia Coun ty offers a 24-hour crisis line, advocacy and shelter to those seeking an assistance. Call 503-397-6161. Ellyn Bell is the executive director of SAFE of Columbia County.

The Chief (USPS 116-360) is published weekly by Country Media, Inc. 1805 Columbia Blvd, St. Helens, OR 97051

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PORT OF COLUMBIA COUNTY

The Port is hiring for the following positions: Finance Manager, Property Manager. To learn more and apply, please visit our website www.portof columbiacounty .org/job. EOE

Community Health Nurse Supervisor

Columbia County, OR EOE Deadline: Open Until Filled Apply at Columbia CountyOR.gov.

Road, Richfield, Washington, off I-5, exit 9, 15 min utes north of Port land.

8 a.m.5 p.m., adults: $7, early bird admis sion: 7 a.m., $20.

under 12: free. www.nwgsales. com or call 360907-5919.

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CHIEF FINANCIAL

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hir ing

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informa tion can be found on our website or by calling 503-366-6978.

702 Garage Sales

600 Indoor Garage and vintage sales on Nov. 5th Northwest largest garage sale and vintage sale at the Clark County Fairgrounds and event center. 17402 NE Delfel

P. O.

of

459,

97048,

additional information from the records of the Court, the personal representative or the attorney for the per sonal representative. Dated and first pub lished October 21, 2022. Amanda Lilya Personal Represen tative. STEPHEN D. PETERSEN, L.L.C. Attorney at Law P.O. Box 459 Rainier, OR 97048.

Camp Host and/or

IN THE CIRCUIT COURT OF THE STATE OF OREGON FOR THE

Columbia County Pub lic Health is providing

and

from Moderna, Pfizer, and Novavax, as well as monkeypox.

are available from noon - 7 p.m. at the Columbia County Fairgrounds 4-H Building, 58892 Saulser Road, St. Helens. People needing transportation may call 503-366-0159 or email CCRiderinfo@ columbiacountyor.gov.

October 29 Kiwanis Daybreakers 31st Annual Children’s Fair

The Kiwanis Daybreakers

Children’s Fair will be held from 10 a.m. - 4 p.m. at McBride School, 2774 Co lumbia Blvd. in St. Helens.

There will be children’s activities and programs all day long, including a hay ride, petting zoo, and K-9 dog. This is a free event.

Little Trick or Treaters Costume Parade

The Little Trick or Treaters Costume Parade, pre sented by The Chronicle and sponsored by the St. Helens Grocery Outlet, as sembles at 12:30 p.m. at 1st and S. Helens Streets and begins at 1 p.m. The parade travels down S. 1st to Cowlitz Street to the riverfront. Children and their families are encour aged to dress in Hallow een costumes and bring a bag for trick-or-treating.

November 8 Annual Veterans Breakfast

8 a.m. to 10 a.m. at Scap poose High School (SHS), 33700 SE High School Way in Scappoose. Food and live music by the SHS Band and Choir to be featured. RSVP requested to khagen@scappoose. k12.or.us or call SHS at 971-200-8005.

November 12 Arts & Crafts Faire

The 48th Annual Arts & Crafts Faire will be held from 9 a.m. – 4 p.m. at Christ Episcopal Church, 35350 E. Division Rd., off Hwy. 30, in St. Helens. This faire features unique handcrafted items and a bake table with cookies, pies, breads and more.

November 12 Autumn Bazaar hosted by Mizpah OES

The Autumn Bazaar will be held from 10 a.m. – 3 p.m. at Columbia County Shrine Center, 315 N. 18th St. in St. Helens.

November 12 and 13 Caples House Museum Holiday Bazaar

The Caples House Mu seum Holiday Bazaar will be held from 10 a.m. – 4 p.m. at 1925 First St. in Columbia City.

November 19 St. Helens

Senior Center Christmas Bazaar

The St. Helens Christmas Bazaar will be held from 11 a.m. – 5 p.m. at 375 S. 15th St., in St. Helens.

December 3 Sunset Park Community Church An nual Bazaar

Bazaar will be held from 9 a.m. – 3 p.m. at 174 Sun set Blvd. in St. Helens.

December 3 and 4 Co lumbia City Elementary PTO Holiday Bazaar

The Holiday Bazaar will be held from 9 a.m. – 4 p.m. at Columbia City Elemen tary School, 2000 Second St. in Columbia City. Stop by for holiday décor and gifts.

December 5 Holiday Concert

6 p.m. Michael Allen Har rison Holiday Concert at Columbia City Community Hall, 1850 Second Street in Columbia City. Doors open at 5:30 p.m. Pro ceeds from this event will go to Michael’s Snowman Foundation. Tickets are $20 and will be sold at Columbia City Hall, 1840 Second Street. Food and beverages will be sold at this event.

December 10 St. Helens Band Patrons Lions Holiday Bazaar

The bazaar will be held from 10 a.m. – 4 p.m. at the St. Helens High School commons.

December 17 Spirit of Christmas in Scappoose

The Christmas market will be open from 9:30 a.m. – 3:30 p.m. in the Scap poose annex gym. Santa and the Grinch will be there throughout the day.

December 17 and 18 Holiday Bazaar for Columbia River Fire and Rescue Scholarship Fund

The Holiday Bazaar, put on by the Columbia River Fire & Rescue Volun teer Association, will be held from 10 a.m. – 4 p.m. at Columbia County Fairgrounds Pavilion, 58892 Saulser Rd. in St. Helens. Door prizes on Saturday and a visit from the Grinch from noon – 2 p.m. on Sunday.

Ongoing Events

Caples Evening Programs

Evening fireside chats of fering a different program at 7 p.m. on the third Tuesday of each month at 1925 First Street in Columbia City. For more information, call 503397-5390.

Lower Columbia River Watershed Council Meets at 7 p.m. every other second Tuesday. Meetings are currently held electronically by Zoom. For more informa tion, contact Council Co ordinator Allan Whiting at E-mail: allan@whitingenv. com, or call 503-7899240. Visit the council’s website for agenda post ings and Zoom at www. lowercolumbiariver.org/ events-page.

The Rainier Oregon His torical Museum (ROHM) is open from noon - 4 p.m. Saturday (except major holidays week ends). ROHM is located inside Rainier City Hall at 106 W B Street. For more information, call 360751-7039.

The Rainier Public Li brary is open from 9 a.m. to 4:30 p.m. Tuesdays, Wednesdays and Thurs days, 10:30 a.m. to 4:30 p.m. on Fridays and 10:30 a.m. to 2:30 p.m. on Sat urdays. It will be closed Sundays and Mondays.

Avamere at St. Helens hosts a Virtual Dementia Support Group – 3rd Wednesday of each month from 2 to 3 p.m. For more details, contact Jenny Hicks/Avamere at St. Helens at 503-3668070.

To list an event in the Community Calendar, email details with a phone number that may be pub lished, to chronicleclassi fieds@countrymedia.net, or call 503-397-0116.

Clatskanie Grows: Fall, winter in the garden

Winter gardens should be covered, either with a tarp, mulch or a cover crop. All will add organic matter and improve soil tilth.

Cover crop roots can break up soil “plow pans.” The roots and leaves trap and hold nutrients and legumes in the mix fix nitrogen. However, cover crops grow very lushly over the winter and often are 3-4’ tall by the mid-spring, especially if you plant grain along with legumes.

I generally recommend just legumes like crimson clover, Austrian winter peas, or hairy vetch for most situ ations. You may have to wait for a dry spell next spring before you can till the cover in and start gardening. Gardeners are also experimenting with tarps combined with mulch and/or compost as a winter treatment. This reduces weeds and allows you to manage soil moisture for early planting.

Mulches may add as much organic matter, though they can’t trap nutrients and fix ni trogen. Worms are stimulated by a mulch blanket and do great work in aerating the soil profile under the mulch. The biggest advantage to mulches is that they can be pulled back in the spring and transplants put in with a minimum of fuss.

If you till or spade your garden area at all in the fall, add some lime. A good ap plication rate is 10-15 lb. per 100 square feet of vegetable garden. Lime takes about six months to fully react with the soil so the benefits will be ready when you start spring gardening. Gardens only need to be limed once every four years.

With as dry as it has been, it may not be too late to plant a lawn but get right on it. Most grass seed mixtures are sown at the rate of five pounds per 1000 square feet. Add one pound of seed for each week past Sept. 15 to ensure a solid stand. This would also be an excellent time to fertilize your lawn. Use lawn products with a mix of slow and quick release nitrogen.

Copper is a great fall fungicide for fruit and berry plants. There are several trade names commonly available

and the list of diseases slowed by this treatment is impres sive. Apples, pears, cherries, peaches, blueberries, mari onberries and boysenberries, and other species benefit. The copper should be applied before the fall rains and prior to leaf drop.

What are those large holes?

One day, you notice some large holes in the ground that weren’t there before. You see nothing coming out of them or going in. But it isn’t comfort ing. So, what might be making these holes? There are several possibilities, two more likely than the others.

Rats make holes that are two and a half to four inches wide. The holes generally connect to a modest tunnel system, sometimes old mole runs are used, or end under a protective concrete slab. Rats need three things in life: food, water, and shelter. But these items don’t need to be on the same property.

Since rats are active at night, you might never see them. I advise my clients to look carefully for food sources, first on your property and then to adjacent proper ties. Rat project success often involves good neighborhood communication. Compost piles, with fruit and vegetable waste, and bird feeders are often their menu. When food is removed, rats may leave on their own. If not, trapping and baiting are really the only options and you have to be so careful not to injure wildlife, humans, or pets. Call me for more information on how to do either or both safely.

The next possibility is ground squirrels. These squir rels live in the ground though they can climb trees. But tree climbing is not generally how they find food, which includes succulent vegetation, fruit, seeds, insects, carrion, and other odd things. Their populations have increased dramatically over the last 15 years. They make holes similar in size and location as rats. You may see them, if you observe stealthily, going in and out of the holes during the day. Their tunnels are more extensive than rats’ and have been known to undermine house supports and especially concrete blocks that hold deck posts.

This is a native species, unlike the rat, and used to be common in Columbia County. But since they can affect crops, farmers (with the help of the Extension Office from the 1940s to the late 60s) baited them aggressively and knocked the population back to almost nothing. For the first 15 years I was here, I rarely saw them. But they are back with a vengeance. Their main control now is coyotes. For homeowners, control mea sures are basically the same as for rats, i.e., appropriate baits and traps with proper safety measures.

Two other possibilities are rabbits and mountain beaver. Rabbits seem to be increasing and do make holes, but the holes are commonly hid den in dense brush. Moun tain beaver, also known as “boomers,” and they are not true beavers, are only found on properties nestled next to forests.

Local events

Columbia County Beekeepers event 6 p.m. Thursday, Nov. 3. The CCOB will host a hybrid meeting on zoom and in person at the OSU Extension Office. The topic will be winter clustering and how honeybees survive winter. Everyone is welcome. For information about joining by Zoom, email Columbia CountyOregonBeekeepers@ gmail.com.

Food Preservation: You can get up-to-date and ac curate answers to your food preservation questions by calling our office at 503-3973462 and asking to speak to Jenny Rudolph.

Important notes

• The OSU Extension Of fice is fully open from 8 a.m. to 5 p.m.

• Donate extra garden produce and/or money to the food bank, senior centers, or community meals programs. It is greatly appreciated.

• The Extension Service offers its programs and mate rials equally to all people.

Have questions?

If you have questions on any of these topics or other home garden and/or farm questions, please contact Chip Bubl, Oregon State University Extension office in St. Helens at 503-397-3462 or at chip. bubl@oregonstate.edu. The office is open from 8 a.m.-5 p.m. Monday through Friday.

Free newsletter

The Oregon State Uni versity Extension office in Columbia County publishes a monthly newsletter on gardening and farming topics, called County Living, written/ edited by yours truly. All you need to do is ask for it and it will be mailed or emailed to you. Call 503-397-3462 to be put on the list. Alternatively, you can find it on the web at http://extension.oregonstate. edu/columbia/ and click on newsletters.

Contact resource

Oregon State University Extension Service – Colum bia County 505 N. Columbia River Highway

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