CCSO announces round two of Hometown Heroes
Local couple donates food from two-acre garden
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The Chronicle
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Wednesday, September 18, 2019
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Serving Columbia County since 1881
Two County Commission positions open for election, three candidates file
Courtesy photo
Photo: CCSO
Sarah Elizabeth Zuber.
Zuber investigation ongoing CCSO seeks public assistance, family releases statement JULIE THOMPSON chronicle1@countrymedia.net
It has now been six months since the community of Rainier and surrounding areas were rocked by the discovery of 18-year-old Sarah Elizabeth Zuber’s body off of Highway 30 by Neer City Road in Goble, Oregon. The Columbia County Sheriff’s Office (CCSO) is once again seeking the public’s assistance in the ongoing investigation, and said they have phone and online tip areas set up. According to District Attorney Jeff Auxier, Zuber’s case is currently a death investigation. At the time Zuber was found, investigators confirmed she was found with no visible injuries. Sheriff Brian Pixley said the CCSO has received Zuber’s autopsy report but said investigators could not speculate as to the cause of death. Pixley said there was still more follow-up to do. “Whenever there’s a loss of life under circumstances like this, it’s imperative that we do all that we possibly can to get to the truth of the matter, and we’re devoting all the resources we can to getting to the truth,” District Attorney Jeff Auxier said. “Every case is different, and I can assure everyone in this community that we’ll leave no stone unturned in our effort to get answers.” As questions still abound around the teen’s mysterious death, Auxier said he understood the community’s frustration with a lack of answers. “This is one that has required a lot of patience from the com-
munity, from law enforcement, from the victim’s family, and it’s just really painful that we all have to be in the dark to the extent that we have,” Auxier added. “But we believe that’s in the best interest of the case and in the best interest of getting to the truth.” In a CCSO press release, officials said they are working the case with the help of the Oregon State Police (OSP), Rainier Police Department (RPD), Scappoose Police Department (SPD) and the St. Helens Police Department (SHPD) as they “continue to follow up on leads and investigate the death of our daughter, sister, and friend.” In March, investigators said they believed the “incident” which resulted in the teen’s death is believed to have occurred in the area of the intersection of Neer City Road and Nick Thomas Road in the Rainier area. The incident is believed to have occurred during the late evening hours of Tuesday, March 12, and the early morning hours of Wednesday, March 13. “Our office is asking the public for assistance in this investigation,” Pixley said. “If you have information about Sarah or the events leading up to her death, please call us immediately.”
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Brandee Dudzic, filed for Position 1.
Commissioner Alex Tardif, filed for Position 3.
Commissioner Margaret Magruder, filed for Position 1.
JULIE THOMPSON chronicle1@countrymedia.net
Magruder is a lifelong resident of Clatskanie and a thirdgeneration farmer, with more than two decades of public service involving Columbia County business, government and non-profits, according to her biography on Columbia County’s website. Her public sector experience has included serving on the Clatskanie-Quincy Citizens Planning Advisory Committee and the Columbia School District 5J board of directors. She also served as precinct committeeperson for the Columbia County Democratic Central Committee for approximately 10 years. “Being a county commissioner has provided me the opportunity to meet so many amazing new people and businesses. To work with them, to help solve problems and to advocate for those in need has been an honor and a privilege,” Magruder said. “I look forward to being able to continue my work on projects like economic development, watershed improvement, and getting the County’s inventory of foreclosed properties sold and back on the tax rolls.”
Challenger Dudzic filed for election alongside a colleague. She moved to St. Helens on New Year’s Eve in 2005. She works in Columbia County as a Legal Assistant to multiple Columbia County Public Defenders, a workshop facilitator, mediator, and is the incoming Columbia County Law Librarian as of Nov. 1. She is also the founder and Executive Director of Repatriate our Patriots, created to support those who have served in the US Armed Forces and are now facing deportation. The organization’s work has garnered the attention of national media in recent weeks. “Columbia County is experiencing significant challenges when it comes to dealing with its rural economy, affordable housing, and a vision for the future that we can all feel excited about. Our county is fragmented, and it feels like people are becoming more polarized by the day, but I know that underneath all that, our
There are two positions open for re-election on the Columbia County Board of Commissioners next year. Position 1, currently held by Commissioner Margaret Magruder who filed for re-eletion on Thursday, Sept. 12, will have a challenger. Local candidate Brandee Dudzic filed for the position on Monday, Sept. 16. Position 3 is currently held by Commissioner Alex Tardif who also filed for re-election on Thursday, and for now, he remains unopposed. The deadline to file is March 10, 2020. Position 1 Commissioner Magruder filed for re-election amid a crowd of family, friends and supporters, signing and handing in her completed candidate form making her bid for a second term in office official.
See CANDIDATES Page A5
Sauvie Island Jubilee honors 75th anniversary of conservation district
Zuber family releases statement Through a CCSO press release, the Zuber family is also asking for the public’s help in the investigation. They released the following statement: “Friday, 9/13/19, a palindrome, full moon, and six months since our beautiful Sarah Elizabeth Zuber was taken from this cruel earth. Around 12:30 in the afternoon, on March 13th, I received a hysterical phone call from Sarah’s younger sister. ‘Mom! Sarah is dead in the ditch!’ This is a phone call no parent should ever get. “Much like the rain soaked, overcast day of March 13th, a dark cloud of uncertainty permeates our thoughts as we are left with unanswered questions about the evening of March 12th. At times the grief is unbearable, so much so that only a groan escapes my airway, and the tears flow unceasingly through
See ZUBER Page A4
Photo: Metro
The Bybee-Howell House will be open for tours for the first time in 25 years. CHRISTINE MENGES chronicle2@countrymedia.net
The Sauvie Island Jubilee, the first of its kind, is coming up on Saturday, Sept. 28, from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. at Howell Territorial Park on the island. The celebration is in part a celebration of an anniversary: This year marks the 75th anniversary of the West Multnomah Soil & Water Conservation District (WMSWCD). Co-organizers Eric Jones, an anthropologist and professor from Oregon State University and Renee Magyar, Communications and Outreach Manager of WMSWCD, have been working on the Sauvie Island Jubilee for a little over a year. The organizers said the jubilee celebrates both the district’s anniversary and the island community where the district was originally founded as the Sauvie Island Conservation District. The event is free and according
to Magyar, it will be a community festival in the spirit of past “Wintering In” harvest festivals. During those events, participants were invited to do activities such as candle making and iron work. This year’s event, according to Magyar, will have a lot of those types of activities. According to Jones, many different partners will be participating. Those partners include the Scappoose Historical Society, the Columbia County Historical Society and Museum Association and the Sauvie Island Center, among others. Les Watters, curator for the Columbia County Museum, will be displaying photos that will educate onlookers about shipbuilding that occurred on the north part of Sauvie Island in Columbia County during World War II. “I’ve seen some of the pictures and they’re just terrific. And you know, it doesn’t take too many decades and generations for people to
forget that there was all that infrastructure down there,” Jones said. Watters said the pictures displayed will range from the years 1916 through 1920 and will feature ships that the St. Helens Shipbuilding Company, owned by the McCormick family, built during that time period. According to Watters, ships were often used for the lumber trade, and would often carry both lumber and passengers from Portland to San Francisco on a regular route. One of the ships that will be displayed in a photo will be the Wapama, a ship that was featured for many years in the San Francisco Maritime National Historical Park. The booth will be stationed near the rear entrance of the Bybee-Howell House, an old house built right before Oregon was granted statehood in 1859 that will be open for groups
See JUBILEE Page A2
Save the date October 10th and 11th
Vol. 137, No. 38
Truckload Meat Sale centerplacemarket.com/sthelens.html • 1111 Columbia Blvd, St Helens, OR 97051 • 7 a.m. to 10 p.m.