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Wednesday, November 22, 2023
Ringing the bell for a cause
St. Helens Kiwanis Club hopes to raise enough funds to deliver meals to local families in need
Contributed by Judy Thompson
Through the Salvation Army bell ringing, members like Pat Trapp and Sandy Trapp can help raise enough money for the St. Helens Kiwanis Club’s Holiday Hope Christmas Food Program to deliver food baskets to local families in need. Originally published in The Chronicle Vol. 141 November 15, 2023 BY SARAH KELLY Chronicle Guest Article
With the holiday season upon us, many organizations, looking to offer a helping hand to those in need, are gearing up for their yearly fundraisers. The St. Helens Kiwanis Club is one of those organizations, actively partaking in the annual Salvation Army bell ringing. Volunteers will brave the cold weather to ring bells from November 21 through
December 23, standing proudly outside the St. Helens Safeway, located at 795 Lower Columbia River Highway. A portion of the funds raised during this time will go directly toward the St. Helens Kiwanis Club’s Holiday Hope Christmas Food Program. Founded in 1926, the Kiwanis Club was the first service organization in Columbia County. The club has been doing its Holiday Hope Christmas Food Program, helping the local community for decades. Jack Graff, with the St. Helens Kiwanis Club, has been in the area since 1985
Courtesy photo from Judy Thompson
Contributed by Judy Thompson
Jason Moon was one of many volunteers who braved the cold weather from past years to help ring the bell, raising funds for important local outreach programs.
Long-time St. Helens Kiwanis Club member, Jack Graff enjoys being able to help his local community by ringing the bell for the Salvation Army, bringing in vital donations for the club’s local holiday food program.
and stated that the food program had already been running at that time. The food program delivers baskets full of food to needy people within the community. “This year we are partnering with the local volunteer firefighter group to identify families in need of our assistance,” said Graff. “The names go to them and then they provide that information to us.” The Kiwanis Club is given the number of individuals in a nominated family, allowing them to provide enough food for each family. Last year the program
remainder of the raised money, after the portion has been donated to the Holiday Hope Christmas Food Program, is then applied to other needs county-wide by the Salvation Army. Helping their community through bell ringing is a yearly event that Graff and many others of the Kiwanis Club enjoy participating in. Seeing a parent hand their child donation money to place in the red kettle, is a heart-warming site. “I thank them for letting [their child] understand what this is all about,” said Graff. “[It’s] helping give people a hand up at this time of year.”
was able to provide food baskets to approximately 180 community members and with enough donations they hope to meet or exceed that number this year. The St. Helens Kiwanis Club pairs with many organizations to help spread joy during the holiday season. “We have partners in this endeavor. Our partners in this are the Toy N Joy committee and the Columbia Pacific Food Bank, which is the food bank here in the local area. The Toy N Joy is also local,” said Graff. “We all kind of support each other in this thing.” According to Graff, the
The Kiwanis Club still has many open time slots for the Salvation Army bell ringing that need community volunteers to fill. While many of the hours are taken up by the St. Helens Kiwanis Club members, it still relies on help from additional volunteers. Time slots range from two hours to three hours and have openings on various days. To look at their sign-up sheet please visit the St. Helens Kiwanis Club website: StHelensOR.KiwanisOne.org. Click on the ‘Events’ tab and look for ‘Bell ringing 2023’ to view the sheet.
Incident at Port Westward narrowly avoids oil spill Originally published in The Chief Vol. 132 November 17, 2023 WILL LOHRE Country Media, Inc.
A vessel that strayed from its course while traveling upriver and collided with the Beaver Dock, causing damage to the downriver approach and infrastructure, which nearly resulted in the spill of thousands of gallons of oil into the Columbia River. The Port of Columbia County released the following information in response to the event on Nov. 13: “The morning of Nov. 12, a vessel (unaffiliated with Port Westward users) was underway, traveling upriver. The vessel navigated off course and collided with the Beaver Dock causing damage to the downriver approach and infrastructure. At this time there are no known injuries or spills. The site has been secured with booming out of precaution.” “The Port worked in close collaboration with Port Westward dock users, who responded immediately, to make all notifications per the facility Incident Response Plan. U.S. Coast Guard and other agencies have been onsite. We are currently working with an engineer to assess the extent of the damage and necessary repairs and hope to have the dock back in operation as soon as possible.” Input from the DEQ The incident, which took
Courtesy photo from Lauren Wirtis
The “sucker truck” suctioning fuel out of the pipeline.
place on the morning of Nov. 12, saw a tugboat collide with the dock. The Chief spoke with the Communications Manager for the Oregon Department of Environmental Quality (DEQ), Lauren Wirtis, for an update on the situation. “There is a pipe that goes from Columbia Pacific Bio Refinery (CPBR) out along that dock. It got pretty significantly damaged but fortunately did not break, and in DEQ’s and U.S. Coast Guard’s time monitoring the incident, we haven’t seen any oil on the water, which is really great news,” Wirtis said. The pipe is connected to a tank that holds 25,000 gallons of renewable diesel, according to Wirtis. The pipe transfers oil from the refinery to ships on the dock. Because the valve that connects the tank to the pipe was already closed, Wirtis said that the maximum amount of oil
that could have spilled was 9,450 gallons. “Some of the valves were already closed, so it wouldn’t have been possible for more than 9,450 to spill,” Wirtis said. “And then CPBR kept closing the valves to reduce the potential to spill.” The 9,450 gallons refers to the amount that was in the pipe at the time of the collision. In order to minimize the threat of oil leaking from the pipe, CPBR sent out consultants with a “spud barge” to “pull the remaining oil out of the pipe,” according to Wirtis. Wirtis said that CPBR acted quickly to take steps to mitigate the risk of a spill. While they acted rapidly in the aftermath of the event, there was no ability to prevent the tugboat from actually hitting the dock. If the pipe had broken, it would have resulted in “thousands of gallons of oil in the river.”
Courtesy photo from Lauren Wirtis
The damaged pipe.
Preparing for emergencies Wirtis said that CPBR participates in “spill drills” in collaboration with the DEQ to best implement “spill response” plans. The drills are “essentially a tabletop exercise” where participants can practice what to do in the event of an emergency. “What I can tell you about that is there are a lot of really sensitive environmental areas on the Columbia River, and the water moves really fast. So,
that means oil travels really quickly, and can impact all of these sensitive environmental and cultural resources,” Wirtis said. “So, it can, very quickly, have a really large impact.” Wirtis said that events like this are why they do the spill response drills. She said that she thought that everyone “played their role really well” in response to the incident. “When things happen, or get really close to happening, we’re able to respond in a timely manner to minimize the impact on the
environment. That worked really well. We’re also really fortunate with what happened with the pipe,” Wirtis said. The Chief reached out to the Port of Columbia County and CPBR owners Global Partners LP for comment on the incident. Both referred to the statement on the Port of Columbia County website. Follow this developing story at thechiefnews.com and in the Friday print editions of the Chief.
Below is a list of WHERE to pick up a FREE copy of the print edition of the News-Advertiser. Also available every week at: thechronicleonline.com and at thechiefnews.com CLATSKANIE • CLATSKANIE SAFEWAY • HI SCHOOL PHARMACY IN CLATSKANIE • CLATSKANIE MARKET SCAPPOOSE • ROAD RUNNER GAS & GROCERY
• JACKPOT 76 • ENGSTROM CHEVRON • B&B MARKET • FRED MEYER • SMOKE SHOP • NELSON NEIGHBORHOOD MARKET • ACE • GROCERY OUTLET
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Classifieds
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Wednesday, November 22, 2023
Listings are updated daily at thechronicleonline.com and thechiefnews.com
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Alcoholics Anonymous Info-line, (503) 366-0667 www.pdxaa.org
can be found on our website at www. columbia911.com/ careers or by calling 503-366-6978. Online applications will be accepted until 11:45pm on December 31st, 2023.
to Apply: 12/8/23. Equal Opportunity Employer.
info needed. We have collectables, vintage perfume bottles, Coach & DB purses, coins, stamps, butter churns, Betty Boop, toys, Christmas room, glassware, lots of fishing, vintage tools, factory sealed VHS, movies, books, clothes, a ton of outdoor decor, plants, vintage pipes, crafts, furniture, towels, kitchen, sewing, fountains, art. House full, shop full, back deck full and 2nd house full.
502
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Dispatchers (Communications Specialists) Columbia 9-1-1 Communications District (C911CD) is conducting a hiring process for fulltime Dispatchers (Communications Specialists). Additional information and job description
Custodian The City of St. Helens is hiring a Custodian. Regular Full-Time. Starting at $3,544.33/ month. Excellent Benefits Package. Apply online at www.sthelensoregon.gov. Deadline
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Estate Sales
EDM Estate Sales presents a Rainier Estate Sale Dec. 1, 2 & 3 from 10-4, 10-4 & 10- 3. 4 miles up Fern Hill. Follow signs. We are at it again. We have a great estate sale in Rainier which has a little bit of something for everyone. Download Estatesales. net to get all the
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Your family is invited to...
A Candlelight Service of Remembrance When: Saturday, December 9, 2023 Time: 2:00 p.m.
Holidays are a time reflection. Although some memories bring pain, they can also be a source of joy and comfort. Memories hold us close to those we love. With this in mind, we will be honoring your loved ones with a Candle Lighting Ceremony. It would be wonderful to have your family present for the reading of the names. In addition to lighting candles, words of comfort by Justin Bruner and keepsake ornament that may be taken home. Refreshments will be served after the ceremony. Our commitment to the families we serve does not end with the funeral. We sincerely hope you will be able to join us, and that this will be a time of peace and comfort. Best wishes to you during this holiday season. Holly Houston, Bryan Nabors, Trinyty Howard, Russ Crawford, and Chelsea Chick
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Wednesday, November 22, 2023
Growing a healthy child Protective shots Your baby counts on you for everything from cuddles to health care. Keep them safe from childhood diseases by staying up-to-date on vaccines.
Wellness exams It’s easy to see preschoolers get taller. But they grow in all kinds of ways. A yearly well-child visit helps you keep on top of their development.
Healthy teeth Brushing is great! And kids 1-14 years old also need to see a dentist at least once a year. Strong teeth are part of success in school and life.
Absolutely everyone means healthy kids, too. For 5 questions to ask your child’s primary care provider at a well-child exam, scan the code or visit colpachealth.org/kids
Absolutely Everyone