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Wednesday, July 31, 2013
2/21/12
3:24 PM
Plenty of participants make the 3rd annual Ralph Painter Memorial Run a success, Page A13
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The Chronicle
TODAY’S WEATHER Chance of Highs to 79 thunderstorms Lows to 54 Page A15
$1.00 Vol. 131, No. 31 16 Pages
www.thechronicleonline.com
MESO looks to expand to Columbia County BY SHARI PHIEL The Chronicle
Micro Enterprise Services of Oregon has been successfully providing finance and education services to Columbia County businesses for the past couple of years. Although the nonprofit group might not be known to many of the area’s local residents, the group’s mission to broaden economic opportunities for underserved entrepreneurs by providing business support to increase growth in income, assets, and business skills has been a boon for many local businesses. In fact, it’s been so successful the group is looking to contract with a business support consultant to work exclusively with local businesses. “We felt having a local person would facilitate a more effective delivery of services especially for Columbia County small businesses located in more remote communities e.g. Mist and Vernonia,” said Sanford Maddox, director of financing for MESO. “This position would be supported by the Portland staff, as we are currently working in Columbia County.” The contract position would help market and promote access to capital programs; identify eligible candidates; provide one-on-one business counseling and some technical support; help clients prepare for presentations; help set up and conduct small business training sessions; represent MESO at area meetings; and many others. While the position will initially only be a part-time position, Maddox is hopeful that will change. “Depending on the demand and economic impact, we are hoping that eventually this position could become full-time. I am certain if the position is creating jobs and tax revenues as a result of new and growing small businesses there would be funding to support for a full-time basis but that remains to be seen,” Maddox said. Currently, MESO representatives come to meet with Columbia County businesses See MESO, Page A7
INSIDE Classified Ads . . . A10-11 Legal Notices . . . . A11-12 Obituaries . . . . . . . . . . . A6 Opinions . . . . . . . . . . . . A5 Out & About . . . . . . . . A8 Records . . . . . . . . . . . . . A2 Sports . . . . . . . . . . A13-16 TV Guide . . . . . . . . . . . A9 Weather . . . . . . . . . . . A15
Fire alarm triggers messy courthouse cleanup BY SHARI PHIEL The Chronicle
ST. HELENS — What started as a simple response to a report of a burning smell at the Columbia County Courthouse has turned into a major cleanup event. On Friday, July 26, around 4:30 p.m., crews from Columbia River Fire & Rescue responded to a call regarding an unusual odor in the building. When officials arrived, they discovered something (later found to be a malfunctioning backup battery) was actually putting out a distinct smell. Division Chief Ron Youngberg tripped the fire alarm in an effort to clear out the building, which also activated a specialized fire suppression system in the computer server room, sending powder all over the room and into the air conditioning system (HVAC) and to the whole building. “At 4:30, we got a call for smoke in the structure. When we actually got down there, there was a rotten egg smell so it turned to more of a hazmat type incident. We weren’t sure if we were looking at a fire situation as well,” said Fire Chief Jay Tappan. See COURTHOUSE, Page A7
Courtesy photo
Firefighters enter the courthouse to investigate a report of something burning.
Motorcyclist killed in crash
Courtesy photo
First responders help a downed motorcyclist on Ross Road.
Names of officers, suspect involved in shooting are released BY SHARI PHIEL The Chronicle
ST. HELENS — Authorities have released the names of the officers involved in an early morning shooting near the Best Western Oak Meadows Inn. The officers and deputies involved in the shooting were identified as St. Helens Police Sergeant Rick Graham, St. Helens Police Officer Stephanie LaVallee, Columbia County Sheriff’s Deputy Bill Haas and Columbia County Reserve Deputy Tyler Miller. Graham, 48, has served the City of St. Helens since August 1990; LaVallee, 35, has served the City of St. Helens since November 2009; Haas, 32, has served with the Sheriff’s Office since September 2010; and Miller, 29, is a reserve volunteer deputy who has served with the Sheriff’s Office since November 2011. The man who was shot by the officers has been identified as Rogelio Rodriguez Martinez, 60, of St. Helens. Martinez is listed in critical condition at Emanuel Hospital in Portland. At just after 2 a.m. on July 20, St. Helens Police received a report of a despondent man armed with a long knife in the 2700 block of Sykes Road. Martinez’s last known address was listed as 2714 Sykes
Road. When the officers arrived at the scene, they were confronted and threatened by the man. Deputies from the Columbia County Sheriff’s Office were then called in to assist. Despite the presence of the officers, Martinez continued walking down towards the Best Western Inn on Columbia River Highway, which was filled with visitors from the Columbia County Fair and Rodeo. The officers attempted to communicate with Martinez several times to begin negotiations but Martinez remained unresponsive. As the officers attempted to calm Martinez and get him to surrender the knife he was carrying, he advanced on one of the officers. That officer retreated in an effort to put some space between himself and the suspect and to provide the other officers with an opportunity to use a Taser on the suspect. According to a statement released by St. Helens Police Chief Terry Moss, the Taser appeared to have no effect on Martinez, who did not respond to the officers. Moss said the suspect continued to approach the officers, and then aggressively charged them while wielding the long knife. See NAMES, Page A7
WARREN — A 36-yearold St. Helens man was killed the afternoon of July 29 when he reportedly lost control of the motorcycle he was riding on Ross Road near Millard Road in Columbia County. Columbia County Sheriff’s deputies responded to the scene of the crash just after 5:30 p.m., after a caller notified county 9-1-1 dispatch of the crash. The caller was administering CPR to the man when EMS arrived. A Lifeflight helicopter also arrived, but Aaron Michael Chappell was pronounced dead at the scene. Chappell was the owner of Outlaw Exhaust & Customs automotive in St. Helens and graduated from Scappoose
High School in 1995. The investigation into the crash is continuing. According to officials, deputies are considering speed and the possible presence of intoxicants as potential contributing factors. The Sheriff’s Office was also assisted by the St. Helens and Oregon State police departments at the scene of the crash. “Columbia 9-1-1 dispatchers also rendered important assistance in identifying the driver of the motorcycle in a very short amount of time,” said Sheriff Jeff Dickerson. “In all, public safety agencies worked well together to address this public safety emergency.”
KFC flies the coop BY SHARI PHIEL The Chronicle
ST. HELENS — Employees arriving for work at the KFC fast food restaurant on U.S. Highway 30 the morning of July 27 were in for an unwelcome surprise. A note on the door said the store had permanently closed its doors. The St. Helens restaurant is owned by KFC Dickinson Northwest, Inc., which operates other KFC franchise locations in Vancouver, Camas and Clark counties in Washington. Patrons visiting the store the prior evening said a sign was posted in the lobby apologizing for being out of several items and that the store was waiting for a supply delivery. Yet it seems that employees were left in the dark when it came to the closing. “I just want my job. I’m sorry a lot of people didn’t like it but I’m a single mom and got no notice of this happening,” said former manager Melody Sexton via Facebook. Company officials aren’t willing to talk about the closure. “We won’t be giving any information out,” said a company representative. “No, we won’t be issuing a press release.” KFC parent company Yum Brands has come under fire in the past few years for its animal processing
SHARI PHIEL / The Chronicle
A sign posted on the door of the St. Helens KFC restaurant is the only official notice from franchise owner KFC Dickinson Northwest that the location is now closed.
practices and allegations the company was using genetically modified chicken at its stores. While it’s not known why the store was closed, most readers on The Chronicle’s Facebook page didn’t seem surprised by the sudden closing. Here were just a few of the comments posted: “Sad, but it doesn’t surprise me,” — Cathy Stanton.
“They have been living off a reputation they lost years ago. Sorry for those who lost their jobs not a good thing in this climate,” — Marilyn Burns. “I think if folks here tasted actual fresh, hopefully organic foods, they wouldn’t go back! Fast food is cheap for all kinds of reasons and quality isn’t one of them... I do feel for the employees, though” — Beverly Finlay.