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FRIDAY, MAY 19, 2023
VOL. 132, NO. 2
Family Stones rock the town Serving the Lower Columbia Region since 1891
LAUREY WHITE Chief Guest Article
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new business has opened in town, and it is just a stone’s throw from the Clatskanie River. The Family Stones LLC, located at 50 East Columbia River Highway, now occupies the long-shuttered Humps Restaurant, a family favorite in Clatskanie for several years. The nearly 6,000 square foot building now is home to the first local lapidary, the brainchild of local resident John Cooke. A lapidary is related to stone and gems and the work involved in engraving, cutting or polishing the stones. Lapidary dates to prehistoric times when humans began making tools and weapons from stone. While fashioning the stones, early man discovered that some rocks were harder than others, making them more difficult to cut. Since the very beginning of discovering the precious gemstones, they have also served as adornment, according to the American Gem Society. Cooke said he came by his love of rock collecting organically. “I grew up in Goble,” said Cooke. “My dad was a logger and I used to go with him to work and I started rock collecting as a kid.” Oregon sports many semiprecious gemstones, making it a go-to destination for rock collectors, or rockhounds. Oregon’s state gemstone is a sunstone, native only to the state. It originated from lava
flows in South and Central Oregon. Other gemstones found in Oregon are the agate, the opal, the amethyst and quartz. Gold has even been discovered. Hunting for these precious beauties, is best on the Oregon Coast but can also be found elsewhere, according to oregongeology.org website. Cooke also owns an agate mine, the Polka Dot Agate Mine, at Ashwood, in Central Oregon. The polka dot agate is named for the agate beds that produce gorgeous orbicular polka dot patterns of varying colors. According to Cooke, The Family Stones sees most of its business online and hosts live Facebook shows for “rough rocks” from Sunday - Thursday every week. The shows are alternated with Facebook Live “finished goods” shows. A lot of work has gone into opening the shop. The amount of merchandise is spectacular and quite plentiful. Assembling and displaying the massive collection was a formidable job and each task had to be reviewed carefully to efficiently maximize space. And Cooke said he has big plans for the rest of the building. “Lately we have been rebuilding the docks, and plan to use the inviting outdoor space for kayak and paddle boarding,” he said.
Courtesy photo from Laurey White
The rock shop is located inside the former Humps Restaurant in Clatskanie.
The rock shop hours are Friday, Saturday and Sunday 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. The website is thefamilystonelapidary.com.
Courtesy photo from Laurey White
Oregon taxpayers to see $5.5B kicker JEREMY C. RUARK Country Media, Inc.
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he Oregon Office of Economic Analysis has issued the latest revenue forecast, projecting an additional $1.96 billion in state revenue. The outlook for personal and corporate income taxes has risen by $1.5 to $2 billion over the forecast horizon due to the updated model methodology. The 2021-23 personal kicker is now estimated to be $5.5 billion, and the corporate kicker is estimated to be $1.8 billion. The kicker tax credit goes into effect when the actual state revenue exceeds the forecasted revenue by at least 2%. An amount is then returned to the taxpayers through a credit on their tax returns. Inflationary economic booms have not traditionally ended well, meaning not without a recession. As such it is easy to be pessimistic about the outlook for the economy,
Metro Creative Connection
The 2021-23 personal kicker is now estimated to be $5.5 billion, and the corporate kicker is now estimated to be $1.8 billion.
according to the Oregon Revenue Forecast Summary. “Economic developments like last year’s goods recession, and the banking turmoil earlier this year add more fear to the outlook. However, a near-term recession is far from a slam dunk. The reasons include some nascent signs that inflation is cooling and the Federal Reserve
is looking to pause its interest rate increases which limits the potential for overtightening. Furthermore, the economy is showing some signs of renewed strength as housing and manufacturing stabilize, and income growth is again outpacing inflation. All of these indicate a sudden stop in the economy in the short- term is unlikely,” the Oregon Economic
short story writer was born 85 years ago. Centered at the Clatskanie Cultural Center (CCC), 75 S. Nehalem Street, the RCWF’s guest of honor will be Anis Mojgani, Oregon’s Poet Laureate. He will read poetry during Friday’s evening reception from 6 to 9 p.m. in the CCC ballroom. The reception also will feature presentations on Carver and his connection to Clatskanie, informational displays by the Writer’s Guild of Astoria, Salal Review, Columbia River Writers, and C.C. Stern Type Foundry. Those attending will have the opportunity to visit with RCWF presenters and purchase their books. Refreshments will be served. Posters and shirts will be available for sale along with a small selection of Raymond Carver books. Saturday morning, May 20, Mojgani will speak on “Collaboration with oneself - between the finding and the creating” from 10:15 a.m. to 11 a.m. in the ballroom. With one exception, all RCWF events are free and open to the public. A dinner on Saturday, May 20, is open to the public, but there is a $20 charge. Reservations may be made at www.raymondcarverwritingfestival.org. The festival will begin Friday, May 19, with “Parking Lot Poetry” in the Safeway parking lot alongside Highway 30 in Clatskanie. That event is inspired by what Raymond Carver (19381988) and his wife Tess Gallagher did on Carver’s only visit back to
his birthplace in August of 1984. Available at the outdoor poetry reading will be festival information, maps for a self-guided walking tour of Carver’s birthplace, mural and sculpture, the Clatskanie Library, and the Clatskanie Historical Museum at the Castle where Carver memorabilia is on display. Also available for purchase will be keepsake posters and t-shirts, while supplies last. “Short Cuts,” a movie based on Carver’s works, will be shown beginning at 2 p.m. in the Birkenfeld Theatre at the CCC. There is no charge for admission to the movie, and free popcorn will be available. “Short Cuts” is rated R. Following Mojgani’s presentation Saturday, RCWF participants are invited to attend workshops offered by Pacific Northwest writers including: 11:15 a.m.-12:15 p.m., “Carver: Beyond Short Fiction,” presented in the CCC’s Birkenfeld Theatre by Michael Mills, a professor at Peninsula College in Port Angeles, Wash., or “Beating Writer’s Block and Generating New Ideas,” presented in the ballroom by Longview author K.A. Ralston; 1:30-2:30 p.m.”Beginning Haiku,” presented in the ballroom by Clatskanie poet Estrella Brown, or “That Elusive Thing Called Voice,” presented in the theatre by Astoria author Marianne Monson. 2:45-3:45 p.m.: “How to Get Published,” presented in the theatre by poet Joseph Green, professor emeritus of Lower Columbia College in Longview, or “Mini Zines for Writers,” presented
Forecast Summary states. The Forecast’s Revenue Outlook states: “Available resources are expected to be up sharply relative to what was assumed in the March 2023 forecast, both in the near term and over the extended horizon. The upward revision in the outlook is based both on a stronger than expected tax filing season, as well as methodological changes made in light of fundamental shifts seen in recent years.” Reaction Gov. Tina Kotek said the Oregon Legislature must use the incoming revenue to address the pressing spending needs of the state. “Oregonians have clear expectations for legislators to address our housing crisis, ensure that our behavioral health system is accessible in every part of the state, and set up our youngest students for success,”
Kotek said. “The revenue forecast lays the path for bold leadership. We cannot afford to squander this opportunity, and I look forward to a continued partnership with legislative leaders to deliver results for all regions of the state.” The Governor restated her call for focusing on the state’s top priorities: • $316 million to continue and expand on the state’s response to homelessness prevention and unsheltered homelessness, and $1 billion in bonding to build and preserve more affordable housing. • $280 million dollar investment to address the behavioral health crisis playing out across Oregon communities and support a more accessible, better staffed system of care no matter where people live. • $120 million to improve early
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Poet Laureate to be featured at Writing Festival T
he Raymond Carver Writing Festival (RCWF), a free celebration of the art of writing and of one of its greatest practitioners, is set for Friday and Saturday, May 19 and 20, in Clatskanie, Oregon where the world-renowned poet and
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Contact The Chief Phone: 503-397-0116 Fax: 503-397-4093 chiefnews@countrymedia.net 1805 Columbia Blvd., St. Helens, OR 97051
Courtesy photo
This is a mural along Nehalem Street in Clatskanie of world-famous poet and short story writer Raymond Carver.
in the ballroom by Cathlamet poet Dayle Olson. Winners of the RCWF youth poetry contest, held during the month of April, will be announced and presentations of awards made in the Birkenfeld Theatre at 4:30 p.m. Saturday, followed by the dinner in the ballroom at 5:30 p.m. The closing event of the 2023 RCWF will be the presentation of awards for the adult and Haiku poetry contests in the ballroom at 7 p.m., followed by a Poetry Jam, at which an open mic will be offered to those wishing to share their poetry. Sponsors of the RCWF are: the Oregon Arts Commission, Oregon
Humanities, Oregon Heritage Commission, Oregon Historical Society, State Historical Preservation Office, Columbia County Cultural Coalition, Oregon Cultural Trust, Clatskanie Foundation, Clatskanie Library, Wauna Credit Union, Writer’s Guild of Astoria, C.C. Stern Type Foundry, Clatskanie Arts Commission, Jerome White, Clatskanie Friends of the Library, Clatskanie Historical Society, Portland General Electric (PGE) - Port Westward and Beaver Plants. More information is at https:// www.raymondcarverwritingfestival. org.