Illegal truck trips:
Sauvie Island Jubilee
Enforcement efforts stepped up at Cornelius Pass Project
honors 75th anniversary of conservation district Page A2
Page A2
Obituaries-A3 • Opinions-A4 • Police Blotters-A5 • Market Place-A6 • Public Notices-A6 • Out and About-A7 • Sports-A8
Friday, September 20, 2019
The Chief
$1 Vol. 128, No. 19 8 Pages
Serving the Lower Columbia Region since 1891
Zuber investigation ongoing CCSO seeks public assistance, family releases statement
A group takes an exercise class at the Briarcliff Pool in 2016.
Credit: Jeremy Ruark
While Briarcliff Pool remains closed, efforts mount to re-open CHRISTINE MENGES chronicle2@countrymedia.net
Photo: CCSO
Sarah Elizabeth Zuber. 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 differ-
ent, 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 community, from law enforcement, from the victim’s family, and it’s just really painful that we all have to be
See ZUBER Page A5
Efforts are mounting to temporarily re-open Briarcliff Pool, which has remained closed since June of this year. “The pool is on furlough right now. It’s in a dormant state until we get enough money to open it back up, hopefully in November,” Michael Carter, Superintendent of Rainier School District (RSD), said. Budget cuts passed at the RSD school board and budget committee meeting on June 17 of this year necessitated the pool be furloughed until further notice. Located at Rainier Jr./Sr. High School (RJSHS) and operated by RSD, the pool has been “running in the red” for a few years now, according to pool officials. Operation of the pool costs approximately $180,000 per year, according to Kari Hollander, president of the newly founded Friends of the Rainier Pool, and member of the RSD board of directors. Those funds pay for the pool manager, several lifeguards, electricity and gas to heat and run the pool, as well as basic maintenance, according to Hollander. This past summer, the Friends of the Rainier Pool group worked on getting itself established. Now, they have a few different fundraisers on the horizon to help save the pool. The interim goal is to raise approximately $45,000 to open the pool from November of this year to February of 2020 in order to give swimming lessons to students in kindergarten through twelfth grade, Hollander said. One fundraiser on the calendar is
a dinner auction that will take place Oct. 26 at the Rainier Commons at RJSHS, according to Hollander. Friends of the Rainier Pool also has a few other fundraisers on the horizon, with no definite dates yet established, including a large raffle and a benefit concert during the winter. Another goal in the future is for the group to work with the Rainier Chamber of Commerce, local businesses and potentially local communities in order to start a campaign for fundraising. “The details are still being worked out on that,” Hollander said. A long-term goal includes handing over ownership of the pool from RSD to Friends of the Rainier Pool. According to Hollander, the group plans on presenting RSD with a Letter of Intent at the October school board meeting in order to start the process of exchanging ownership. Once under the operation of Friends of the Rainier Pool, the pool will be opened up more to the community, rather than just students at RSD, according to Hollander. “The use of the pool has diminished because the hours were not there for the community to be able to use it,” Hollander said. In the future, the pool will be opened for exercise classes, safety lessons and “baby and me” classes, among other activities, Hollander said. “If everything goes as planned, we’ll open the pool by November and start up swim lessons by then,” Hollander said. Hollander also said she would be in touch with The Chief for dates for fundraisers as soon as those dates have been finalized.
Two County Commission positions open for election, three candidates file JULIE THOMPSON chronicle1@countrymedia.net
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. Magruder is a lifelong resident of Clatskanie and a third-generation 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 ClatskanieQuincy 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.”
Courtesy photo
Courtesy photo
Courtesy photo
Brandee Dudzic, filed for Position 1.
Commissioner Alex Tardif, filed for Position 3.
Commissioner Margaret Magruder, filed for Position 1.
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 shared interests, needs, and goals are all quite common,” Dudzic said. “In order to be a good leader, one must first be willing to uncover that level of intersectionality. We need new leadership to address these challenges and be brave enough to start making better decisions about the future. I am that change.”
Scappoose School Board budget committee and has worked in the public sector as a tax auditory for the State of Oregon. Prior to becoming a commissioner, he worked at an international software company where he managed the tax and payroll departments. “I am honored to have served as commissioner and I filed to run again because I believe in Columbia County and what it is capable of,” Tardif said. “I’ve truly enjoyed serving my community over the last several years and would like to continue to serve them in a transparent and accountable way. I believe we have nothing but opportunity to build the life we all want here, but it takes work and continuing the work to completion that I’ve already started. I look forward to serving my community and continuing to be a voice for the residents of our county.”
Position 3 Commissioner Tardif filed for re-election alongside a colleague, making his bid for a second term in office official. A tax accountant by trade, Tardif is a lifelong resident of Columbia County and currently resides in Scappoose. According to Columbia County’s website, Tardif is a volunteer on the