Scappoose senior achieving softball dream
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Chronicle & Chief THE COLUMBIA COUNTY
Wednesday, May 8, 2024 | Columbia County, Oregon
Q&A with candidates for Columbia County Commission WILL LOHRE
Country Media, Inc.
T
he 2024 Oregon Primary Election is approaching, and in Columbia County there are two positions on the ballot for the county’s commission. The election will be on May 21, and two incumbent candidates are seeking to retain their seats. Casey Garrett is running unopposed for Position 3. Margaret Magruder is seeking reelection in Position 1, but is running against Brian Brust and Alex Tardif for the seat. The Columbia County Chronicle & Chief reached out to the candidates vying for Position 1 for their insight on issues and what they will bring to the office if chosen. The following are the candidates’ responses to our questions. Margaret Magruder, Incumbent, Position 1
Lamb Board. During my 20 years as coordinator of the Lower Columbia River Watershed Council I led the effort to find solutions that met the needs of property owners, environmentalists, and industry. As an entrepreneur, I developed an environmentally-friendly wool insulation business. Since January of 2017, when I took office as a county commissioner, I have been part of an effective management team that has worked to address the many challenges that face county government. I am currently serving on the National Association of Counties’ Environment, Energy and Land Use Steering Committee and the Rural Action Caucus. Recently, I was appointed as a member of the Oregon delegation to study Industrial Symbiosis, a ground-breaking approach to infrastructure and economic development, pioneered in Denmark. The Chronicle & Chief: What do you see as the greatest challenges facing the county you hope to address if elected?
Margaret Magruder
COURTESY PHOTO
The Chronicle & Chief: Why did you decide to run, and what skills will you bring to the Commission if elected? Magruder: I was raised in a family that has a very strong public service ethic. The idea that you should serve your community, county, state, and nation in whatever way you can has always been an important part of my life. I’m a third generation Columbia County farmer, mother, grandmother, and entrepreneur. I graduated from Clatskanie High School, earned a bachelor’s degree at Willamette University, and a master’s degree at Syracuse University. I am a member of the Oregon Farm Bureau, the Warren Grange, Chapter T P.E.O., the Rainier Oregon Historical Museum, the Clatskanie Historical Society, the Columbia County Museum Association, the Mt. St. Helens Chapter of DAR, and the St. Helens Elks Lodge. My various leadership roles have included teaching young people cooperation and responsibility through 4-H, serving on the Columbia 5J School District board, and working with farmers across the state, nation, and internationally as a member of the Oregon State Board of Agriculture and the American
Magruder: Over 70 percent of Columbia County residents who are employed must travel outside of the county to their workplaces. Long commutes mean spending more on gas, less time with families and communities. People who work outside the county are more likely to shop outside the county. That translates into a less than prosperous climate for small businesses. The solution is to bring family-wage-paying industries to Columbia County. I will continue to ensure that the county responds appropriately to permitting issues, and works cooperatively with the Columbia Economic Team, the Port of Columbia County, and other entities on economic development. Industries not only provide jobs, their taxes fund public services. Another challenge which has recently come to light is that there are limitations to our electrical supply, and that the transmission system needs to be expanded. I have joined other leaders and utility providers to investigate this issue. More and more, we are dependent on good quality Internet service. To meet that challenge, I am working with the Columbia-Pacific Economic Development District, to develop a plan and acquire funding to extend Broadband to parts of the region which are not now wellserved. While water is very much a part of our lives - whether falling from the sky or flowing by - we need more information about the quantity and quality of groundwater in order to plan for economic and residential growth. I convened a community leaders group to discuss the issue, and we will be seeking funding to develop a place-based water planning program. See Q&A, Page A8
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BREAKING GROUND ON HISTORY!
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At long last, and after more than eight years of hard work, the Rainier Oregon Historical Museum (ROHM) broke ground on its new home. On May 6, more than 100 people came out to the site of the new museum, which is located at 700 West A St. in Rainier. The event was attended by County Commissioners Casey Garrett and Margaret Magruder. Former State Senator Betsy Johnson was Master of Ceremonies, and the event featured several guest speakers, including Senator Suzanne Weber. Following the ceremony, the ROHM board dug symbolic shovels into the freshly cleared dirt as a symbol of the progress and start of construction. ROHM President Kay Heflin was speechless after the event, but found words to express her excitement. “We had such a good turnout today. It was amazing how many people turned out for our groundbreaking,” Heflin said. “We’ll be moving forward getting the museum built, and hopefully, by the end of next summer, we’ll be in our new building and have a grand opening and see the museum and the collection we’ve put together.” Following the groundbreaking, the Rainier Eagles presented the ROHM with a $5,000 donation. Betsy Johnson encouraged people to donate to support the museum’s ongoing progress. Rainier Mayor Jerry Cole gave praise to present and past ROHM board members for their steadfast determination in getting to this point. Cole said there is no better event than the groundbreaking to symbolize “mission accomplished.” Cole also spoke about what the museum will mean to the community. “Anytime that we can preserve history is great. Right now, we’re currently making history right? To be able to preserve it for generations down the road is always important,” Cole said. “This will be a centrifuge of that, not only for Rainier, for the region.”
Honoring the missing and the murdered
Marchers hold signs of loved ones who have either gone missing or been murdered. WILL LOHRE
Country Media, Inc.
I
n remembrance of missing and murdered indigenous relatives, women, brothers, and children, more than 60 people dressed in red took to the streets of St. Helens to raise attention ahead of Missing and Murdered Indigenous Women’s (MMIW) Day of Awareness on May 5. The march on May 3 started at
Medicine Wheel Recovery Services at 115 Church St. in St. Helens and went in a loop. The marchers consisted largely of clients and staff of Medicine Wheel Recovery Services. The marchers carried signs bearing the names of people who were family members or people they knew who went missing or were murdered. Cecil Bettles is an Alcohol and Drug Counselor at Medicine
WILL LOHRE / COUNTRY MEDIA, INC.
Wheel Recovery Services, and he explained the importance of the march. “We march today to bring awareness to the missing and murdered indigenous women and indigenous people across the nation,” Bettles said. “There’s been too many cases where native indigenous people go missing and there’s no awareness about it.” See HONORING, Page A5
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