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The Chronicle
St. Helens school board passes new weapons ban BY SHARI PHIEL The Chronicle
ST. HELENS — Following a lengthy discussion in front of a standing room only audience, the St. Helens School District passed a new board policy – Policy GBJ – at its March 20 meeting prohibiting district employees, contractors and their employees, and volunteers from bringing weapons on to school grounds. The new policy was passed with board members Matt Freeman, Alan King and Nathan Helwig voting in favor of the policy and board members Marshall Porter and Ray Biggs opposed. As is happening across the country, much of the debate about the new policy centered on Second Amendment rights. According to the newly passed policy, “Employees, district contractors and/or their employees and district volunteers shall not possess a dangerous or deadly weapon or firearm on district property or at school-sponsored events. This prohibition includes those who may otherwise be permitted by law to carry such weapons.” However, the district superintendent may authorize other individuals to carry weapons on school grounds and may determine if special conditions or procedures are needed before providing that authorization. “Police GBJ has 17 lines that led to very lively discussion,” said Superintendent Mark Davalos of the school board’s prior discussion. Davalos further explained some of the limitations and exemptions included in the policy language. See BAN, Page A4
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$1.00 Vol. 131, No. 13 14 Pages
Youth sports rifle raffle sparks controversy MORE ONLINE
BY SHARI PHIEL and KYLE BOGGS The Chronicle
ST. HELENS — The ongoing debate over gun control turned its eye to St. Helens recently after some parents expressed concerns about a fundraiser raffle for the St. Helens Girls Softball League. The raffle was for an AR-15 semi-automatic rifle, valued at approximately $1,200, with two 30-round magazines and included payment for the required background check. At the heart of the debate were two clearly defined issues; the first being the association between youth sports and guns and the second being the process used by league president Devin Degraffenreid to approve the raffle. The AR-15 was classified as an assault weapon by the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco and Firearms and was included in the recently shelved assault weapons ban. A letter sent to several area media outlets and signed as Concerned Parents and Citizens of St. Helens said, “We have tons of concerned parents and citizens, pro gun people included, that feel that this type of raffle is unacceptable with regards to being linked to a youth sports organization.” Others said they were concerned the decision to raffle off the rifle was made by only one board member and did not involve the rest of the board or parents. But not everyone was opposed to the raffle. The 330 tickets available, which went on sale on March 18, sold out in just days. A community meeting was quickly scheduled for Thursday, March 21 to allow concerned parents, players and coaches an opportunity to voice their concerns. Some of the parents attending the meeting said they were planning on removing their children from the league and would look at possibly moving them to Scappoose. Parent Betty Bundy, who previous-
To listen to an audio interview with softball league president Devin Degraffenreid, go to www. TheChronicleOnline.com
KYLE BOGGS / The Chronicle
Raffle winner Allen Hays was presented with an AR-15 semi-automatic rifle and two 30-round magazines on March 25 as the winner of the St. Helens Girls Softball League raffle.
ly served on the board and has been an umpire, said during the meeting, “I personally am not anti gun… the deci-
sion was made without any regard to all of the board members, the parents or community input.”
Degraffenreid said he realized there might be some controversy but thought the benefit to the group would outweigh that. “I stepped up in a crisis. The league was about to get started and the presiding president stepped down right as the season started up… your board has the best interests at heart,” Degraffenreid said. “The bottom line is we are all here because we care. I think that’s what needs to be focused on.” Raffle winner Allen Hays, who lives in Skyline and owns a business in Hillsboro, learned of the raffle from an employee from St. Helens. He spent $100 for 12 tickets. “I saw an opportunity to help out a bunch of young kids. The fields are a mess. You gotta’ help with money or volunteering. In this case, it was money,” Hays said. Hays, an avid hunter and supporter of the National Rifle Association, said he felt “lucky” to be the winner and plans to use the gun to hunt “varmints,” specifically coyotes. “I thought it got blown way out of proportion,” said Hays. “I think a lot of people probably wanted to win the gun, but a lot of people probably also just wanted to help the kids. Kids are really the most important part in this. Unfortunately sometimes it gets caught up in adults being adults.” A second rifle is planned to be raffled off, this time through the Support St. Helens Softball Facebook page, rather than through the girls softball league. For the second raffle, 500 tickets will be sold and will go on sale during a kick-off for the raffle at Skinny’s Texaco on Columbia River Highway in St. Helens on March 30.
Crash on Highway 30 causes gas leak A husband and wife were uninjured when their vehicle left the roadway and crashed into a natural gas feeder line off of Highway 30 near Columbia City the evening of March 21. OSP Senior Trooper Jeromy Hasencamp said a 2011 Toyota Corolla driven by Sebastian Dudek, 40, of Rainier was headed west on Highway 30 when it the left the road near milepost 32 and crashed into the gas feeder line, which belongs to Northwest Natural Gas. “We had a significant gas leak caused by a single vehicle that veered off the road at about [milepost] 32 across from Dyno Nobel in Deer Island. The vehicle hit a natural gas valve assembly
on the east side of Highway 30 and caused a large, high-pressure leak,” said Columbia River Fire & Rescue Chief Jay Tappan. CRF&R crews were called to the scene just after 6 p.m. Also responding were personnel from Scappoose Rural Fire District. “No one was injured in the crash. It mainly became a traffic and law enforcement scene once we determined the gas blow-off was not going to cause a fire or environmental issue,” said Tappan. Officials learned during the course of their investigation that Dudek, along with his wife, Ashley Dudek, 29, also of Rainier, who was seated in the right front passenger seat, had been verbally
arguing for several minutes prior to the accident. Reportedly, Ashley Dudek grabbed the car’s steering wheel, which caused her husband to lose control of the vehicle, resulting in the collision. The highway was closed for about three Ashley Dudek hours; there was no detour route available in the immediate area. “No structures were threatened and the Dyno Nobel plant was not affected,” said Tappan.
Oregon Department of Transportation personnel were also called in to help and NW Natural responded to stop the leak and restore its system. Following OSP’s investigation into the accident, Sebastian Dudek was cited for reckless driving and Ashley Dudek was arrested and charged with recklessly endangering another person. Residents in the nearby area were without natural gas until NW Natural Gas crews could repair the damage. Initial estimates placed the damage to the natural gas feeder line at roughly $20,000. NW Natural Gas crews worked throughout the night to repair the feeder line.
Candidates ready for May elections Open enrollment deadline approaching BY SHARI PHIEL The Chronicle
Now that the filing deadline has passed for the upcoming May 21 election, voters will have no shortage of races to decide. However, most candidates for local school boards, fire districts and library boards are running unopposed. The Clatskanie School District board of directors has three positions open. Current board member Michael Moravec is running for Position 3; current board member Erick Holsey is running for Position 5 and Valerie King is
running for Position 4, a seat currently held by John Moore. The Rainier School District board has four of its seven seats open. Bill Scholten (Zone 1), Dale Archibald (Zone 2), and Chad Womack (Zone 5) are all running for another term while Monica Rea is running for the Zone 7 seat. In Scappoose, Phil Lager and Joe Lewis are on the ballot to serve another term on that district’s school board. Lisa Maloney joins them on the ballot in her run for the Zone 3 position. Unlike many of the See VOTE, Page A4
for Scappoose, St. Helens school districts BY SHARI PHIEL The Chronicle
Both the St. Helens and Scappoose school districts are accepting applications for open enrollment, but time is running out. The Scappoose School District board voted at its Feb. 11 meeting to all 20 open enrollment slots into the district. Open enrollment began March 1 and ends April 1. “It’s students who are not residents of the district. There are always some parents who request hardships and they have to go through a process where they seek permission from the residential superintendent to go to another school district,” said Scappoose Superintendent Stephen Jupe. Under House Bill 3681, Oregon school
districts have the option to participate in accepting non-district resident students through an open enrollment process in accordance with that bill. School districts typically will announce on March 1 the number of students it will accept for the next school Stephen Jupe year; April 1 is the deadline for students to seek consent from the district; and May 1 is the deadline for receiving district to provide written notice of consent of transfer to district of residence. See SCHOOL, Page A4
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