CMHS Spring sports
Sight to see Page A6
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FRIDAY, APRIL 7, 2023
VOL. 131, NO. 48 Serving the Lower Columbia Region since 1891
Courtesy photo
Easter Tulip Sale, April 7-8, Evergreen Shopping Center, 401 W Columbia River Highway, Clatskanie.
Tulips for scholarships currently active members, was founded in 1919. It is the oldest of the three chapters in Columbia County. There are also chapters in St. Helens and Vernonia.
JEREMY C. RUARK Country Media, Inc.
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local women’s group is again using tulips to raise funds for scholarships. The Clatskanie chapter of the Philanthropic Educational Organization (P.E.O. has been active since it was founded in 1869. To gain insight into the P.E.O. and its fundraising activities in Clatskanie, The Chief has reached out to member Deborah Hazen.
The Chief: Beyond the annual tulip sale, what other fundraisers does this group conduct and why? Hazen: In addition to building bonds of friendship, sisterhood, and mutual respect between its members, P.E.O. promotes educational opportunities for women worldwide through a series of scholarships and educational loan funds on the international, state, and local levels. P.E.O. also owns Cottey College, a private women’s college in Nevada, Missouri. The Clatskanie’s Chapter T gives a Character and Leadership Award to a graduating Clatskanie High School girl each year. In addition to the tulip sale, Chapter T stages the annual “Pie in the Park”
The Chief: Specifically, what is this group, when did the local chapter start, and how does it benefit our community?
Courtesy photo from Jan Johnson
The Clatskanie’s Chapter T P.E.O. Pictured front row from left are: Jeanne Kangas, Elva Groskopf, Jan Gillespie; middle row: Elsa Wooley, Estrella Brown, Margaret Magruder, Becki Horness, Kathy Engel; back row: Elizabeth Kruse, Pam Sigler, Megan Evenson, Connie Sims, Betty Palmrose, and Debbie Hazen.
Deborah Hazen: P.E.O. stands for Philanthropic Educational Organization. It is an international women’s organization founded in 1869 with chapters throughout the United States and Canada, and total membership of about 230,000. Clatskanie’s Chapter T, with 34
See TULIPS Page A3
Tradition continues with mEGGa Egg Hunt WILL LOHRE Country Media, Inc.
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eter Cottontail will return to St. Helens this weekend as the 2023 mEGGa Egg Hunt gets underway at the Columbia County Fairgrounds, 58892 Saulser Road in St. Helens, Saturday, April 8. The mEGGa Egg Hunt is a free family event that has become a tradition since its inception 23 years ago. Gates will open at 10:30 a.m., and the fun will last until 12:30 p.m. The mEGGa Hunt The main draw for the event is, of course, the hunt. About 36,000 pieces of candy have been bought for the young hunters, according to event organizer Heather Epperly. Organizers spread candy throughout the fairgrounds fields, and children split by age group have the chance to run around in the grass, collect candy, and win prizes. “The actual hunt starts exactly at 11 a.m., the fire engine will sound its siren, the kids will run out, [and] search for the candy,” Epperly said. “Each field will have 10 prize coins in them, and those coins can be turned in up at the booth to pick a prize.”
There will be five age groups participating in the hunt: 0-2 year olds, 3-4, 5-7, 8-9, and 10-12. The five groups will separated into different fields so kids are hunting with others their age. “We divide them off, we have a ribbon around them, and then we have a big flag in the middle that has the age on it, and so then each one is divided,” Epperly said. “We all go at the same time, but they each have their area.” To help folks get to the event, CC Rider, Columbia County’s bus service, has volunteered to offer a park and ride option from McBride Elementary School. “Normally, we shuttle people from the St. Helens High School, but because of the construction the high school has going on, we’re actually going to shuttle people from the McBride School this year,” Epperly said. “We are encouraging people to use that because we’ve had so much rain, we don’t know what the fields are going to be like to park in.” Shuttles will begin running from McBride to the fairgrounds at 10:15 a.m., ahead of the gate opening at 10:30. The final shuttle will return to McBride at 12:45, 15 minutes after the gates close. “It’s not possible without our
sponsors and our volunteers,” Epperly said. The main sponsor of the event is the Samuel S. Johnson Foundation. An organization also sponsors each age group’s hunting field. Richardson’s Furniture sponsors the 0-2 group, the 3-4 is sponsored by Re/Max Power Pros, the 5-7 by InRoads Credit Union, the 8-9 by Premier Restoration Partners, and the 10-12 is sponsored by Dr. Auto. Pamona Grange sponsors the plant-a-seed, and Warren Grange sponsors the food booth. Dyno Nobel and Scaptax - Scappoose Business & Tax Service, Inc sponsor the coloring contest. Activities beyond the hunt While the hunt for candy is the main attraction for kids of Columbia County, the event will also feature a petting zoo, a scavenger hunt, and even a chance for a photo with Peter Cottontail himself. There will also be a pavilion with food, coloring pages, and a plant-a-seed feature. A special needs area will also be provided, sponsored by Kiwanis.
Jeremy C. Ruark / Country Media, Inc.
See EASTER Page A6
Children fanned out over the grassy fields at the Columbia County Fairgrounds to find the hidden treasures during the 2022 mEGGa Egg Hunt.
Oregon hourly earnings on the rise Obituaries ................. A3 Opinions ................... A4 Classified Ads ......... A5 Legals ....................... A5 Easter ........................ A6 Crossword ............... A7 Sports.........................A8
Contact The Chief Phone: 503-397-0116 Fax: 503-397-4093 chiefnews@countrymedia.net 1805 Columbia Blvd., St. Helens, OR 97051
DAVID COOKE Chief Guest Article
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arnings in Oregon increased sharply over the past year, surpassing the high rate of inflation. Total private average hourly earnings increased by 9.1% between February 2022 and February 2023. This growth rate was much higher than the comparable national growth in private earnings of 4.6% in that same 12-month period, and faster than the U.S. Consumer Price Index for All Urban Consumers (U.S. CPI-U) which shot up by 6.2% during that time. The accompanying chart shows the percent growth in average hourly earnings for the major private-sector industries in Oregon. All of these industries saw rapid hourly earnings gains and all but one shot upward by between 6% and 13%. The slowest growth was still heady territory, as hourly earnings in trade, transportation, and utilities rose by 4.4%. The factors causing these rapid gains in hourly earnings is beyond the scope of this article. Suffice
Total private average hourly earnings increased by 9.1% between February 2022 and February 2023.
it to say that wages have spiked faster than we have been used to seeing over the past couple of decades. Looking back over about 10 years shows that private-sector average hourly earnings in Oregon rose from a little more than $22 per hour in 2013 to about $34 per hour in early 2023. Meanwhile, at the national level, hourly earnings
rose from about $24 to about $33 in that time. So, Oregon started out in 2013 below the U.S., but recently passed the U.S. average and has continued to increase, according to this metric that is based on the monthly survey of businesses. If wage increases in the U.S. had matched the rate of inflation throughout this period, wages would have only risen to about
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$31 per hour by early this year. This means that overall inflation was below the rate of wage gains between the starting point of 2013 and the end point in 2022. However, this pattern wasn’t consistent throughout the 10-year period. A careful study of the chart shows
See EARNINGS Page A8