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FRIDAY, DECEMBER 30, 2022
VOL. 131, NO. 34 Serving the Lower Columbia Region since 1891
ecial Report Sp
2022
Year in Review
Stories that made the front page T h e C hief
The Chief has assembled several of the top front page stories over the past year that we present in this special publication. These are stories about events that have occurred in our community during the past 12
months. Our team carefully reviewed the Chief’s front-page editions during 2022, and we have found the following stories to be the most impactful and of the most interest to our readers.
The Chief team is committed to presenting not only developing stories that impact our readers, but we strive to find the stories showing how people in our community are making a positive difference. Look for our exclusive
in-depth features, Who We Are and Where We Live, as well as special news reports and special advertising sections in upcoming editions this New Year. Follow daily news at thechief-
news.com with in depth reporting here in the Friday print editions of The Chief. Jeremy C. Ruark Regional Executive Editor
Local salon operator retires after 56 years LAUREY WHITE Chief Guest Article
K
arol Lee Byrnes is a homesteader, a horse tamer, a mother, a grandmother, an identical twin and the proprietor of Karol Lee’s Beauty Shop. The familiar sign, adorning Highway 30 since 1977, proclaiming “Karol Lees Beauty Shop” has come down and the furnishing have been packed up and moved. As of Dec. 13, Karol Lee has retired after 56 years, much to the disappointment of her many longtime customers. “Many of her customers have been with her for many, many years,” Karol Lee’s twin sister, Kay Heflin, President of the Rainier Oregon Historical Museum said. “They hate to see her leave.” Karol Lee agrees with her sister on what her absence will mean. “Some of my clients, I style their grandchildren’s hair,” she said. “And some of their children retired long before I’m retiring. But it is time.” When Karol Lee graduated high school, she immediately entered Longview Beauty College where she earned her cosmetology license. She worked for several years at Venus de Milo, a Rainier salon, before opening Karol Lee’s. Asked if she thought she would be practicing her profession for so long, she said, “Well, I really love what I do. I have always loved it. The best part of course, is all my wonderful customers,” she said, adding the only negative aspect of her long career is the many customers that she has come to know and love who have passed. “I have gone to many funerals of my customers who had become dear friends,” she said.
The shop stood proud and true since 1977 at 122 W B Street in Rainier.
Karol Lee has seen the business change over the years from shampoos and sets to more casual styles. And she has always kept up with the trends by attending cosmetology shows. “I did it all - from haircuts to highlights,” she said. Karol Lee is indeed a busy woman. She lives with her husband on Silver Lake, near Toutle, Washington about an hour away from Rainier, where she tends to her many animals, including the now tamed Mustang horses. “I work with them about a year until they are calmed down,” she said, her modesty at this foreboding
Courtesy photo
task intact. Her latest venture is the rehabilitation of miniature donkeys. “Some of their hooves were so bad they were said to be unsalvageable,” she said. But with her patience and skill, she has rehabbed the hooves so that the animals can once again walk unencumbered. Karol Lee said she is confident that her customers will find new hair salons and she said appreciates all the support she has received for the past 56 years. The new owners of the building will operate a gift and consignment shop and plan to open in January.
Karol Lee Byrnes
Courtesy photo
Brown forgives uncollected traffic fines, fees STAFF REPORT Country Media, Inc.
G
ov. Kate Brown has issued an order that remitted uncollected court fines and fees associated with certain traffic violation cases that resulted in debt-based driver’s license suspensions. This action creates a path for
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nearly 7,000 Oregonians to seek reinstatement of their suspended driver’s licenses through the DMV and removes the associated collateral burdens that disproportionately impacted low-income Oregonians and people of color from a state statute that has since been rewritten, according to a statement from Brown’s office. In 2020, acknowledging that suspending driver’s licenses for nonpayment can set off a cascade of compounding harms impacting people’s lives and livelihoods, particularly for low-income Oregonians, Brown signed into law House Bill 4210. While that legislation prohibited license suspensions for nonpayment of traffic fines moving forward, it left existing nonpayment-related license suspensions in place. Brown’s action conducted Dec. 21, granted these individuals a fresh start, removing a key financial barrier blocking many from being able to lawfully drive. “The inability to pay a traffic fine should not deprive a person of the ability to lawfully drive to work, school, health care appointments, or other locations to meet their daily needs,” Brown said. “We know that suspending driver’s licenses for unpaid traffic fines is bad public policy — it is inequitable, ineffective, and makes it harder for low-income Oregonians to get ahead. My action today will help alleviate the burden of legacy driver’s license suspensions imposed under a statutory scheme that the legislature has since overhauled.” Brown’s remission order af-
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Brown’s remission order affects only those people who were sanctioned in traffic violation cases over two years ago, prior to the effective date of HB 4210. The order expressly excludes misdemeanor or felony traffic offense cases, and it does not forgive restitution and compensatory fines owed to victims.
fects only those people who were sanctioned in traffic violation cases over two years ago, prior to the effective date of HB 4210. The order expressly excludes misdemeanor or felony traffic offense cases, and it does not forgive restitution and compensatory fines owed to victims. Beyond nonpayment-related sanctions, none of the affected individuals have suspended licenses due to public safety-related sanctions. Approximately $1,800,000 was remitted from circuit court cases
in Oregon. The total amount of unpaid fines and fees that was remitted from cases in Oregon municipal and justice courts is unknown because neither the DMV nor the Oregon Judicial Department (OJD) has access to this information. The vast majority of the fines and fees forgiven by the Governor’s order are considered uncollectible debt. According to OJD, about 84% of the liquidated debt on its books is uncollectible. Much of the debt forgiven by the Governor’s remission order is held by
OJD. The OJD collections data show that most people who can afford to pay their violation fines do so right away, but for cases like those included in the Governor’s order, collections rates drop to roughly 10% in the second year of delinquency, and to 4% or lower in year three and beyond. Much of the debt forgiven by the Governor’s remission order has remained unpaid for three or more years and, as a result, is considered uncollectible.