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The Chronicle
Wednesday, September 18, 2013
$1.00 Vol. 131, No. X 16 Pages
www.thechronicleonline.com
Former PGE employee recognized for volunteer efforts BY SHARI PHIEL The Chronicle
Despite being diagnosed with multiple sclerosis at age 22, Candy Cole is one of those people who doesn’t let anything slow her down. From getting married, raising her family and having a career with Portland General Electric, to giving back to her community, this Scappoose resident has done it all. It’s that willingness to keep moving forward and her dedication to volunteering that led to being named one of Portland General Electric’s 2013 Outstanding Volunteers. The award, created to honor the volunteer spirit of PGE’s employees and retirees, recognizes individuals who show extraordinary commitment to the causes they care about most. “I started volunteering back in the ‘70s at the Warren school and I soon learned I needed to start a couple of parent groups. Through the years I started three parent groups and ended up serving on the school board for 20 years,” Cole said. She also served on the Northwest Regional Education Service District board for roughly 18 years and started the Scappoose Parents Association, a foundation aimed at benefitting education, which she formed when the school district faced tough budget cuts. “The tireless dedication and generosity Candy brings her organizations is inspiring, and PGE is proud to contribute to her efforts,” said Dave Robertson, PGE vice president of public policy. PGE awarded Cole a $500 grant for her charity of choice. See VOLUNTEER Page A3
INSIDE
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Cascades Tissue looks to expand Boise Inc. likely to sell to PCA
BY SHARI PHIEL The Chronicle
An announcement that Cascades Tissue Group will be ramping up operations in St. Helens is expected this week. Chuck Daughtry, executive director for the Columbia County Economic Team, spoke before the Scappoose City Council on Sept. 16 in support of an application submitted by Cascades Tissue to extend fourth and fifth year zone benefits.
photo by Shari Phiel
Expansion and renovation at Cascades Tissue will likely result in more local jobs.
“All of the sponsors have approved the application by Cascades Tissue, and that leaves Scappoose,” said Daughtry.
In addition to Scappoose, the remaining co-sponsors for the South Columbia County Enterprise Zone are the City
of St. Helens, the City of Columbia City and the Port of St. Helens. “The enterprise zone benefits will create another
29 jobs. Cascades Tissue is re-opening [one of] the See BOISE Page A3
Sharing through food, decorations and stories
After 17 years of selling dishes out of food carts all over the state, Char Vansi and his family decided to switch to a stationary location. The family has been in Scappoose for more than 15 years, originally coming from Laos. Now, Vansi said he and his family are trying to share pieces of their home through food, through decorations and through stories. The walls at the newlyopened Simm Oriental Cuisine in Scappoose are adorned with tapestries handmade by Vansi’s friends and family, paintings and other authentic items from Southeast Asia. That personal touch isn’t only on the walls – it’s in the restaurant’s name as well. Simm is Vansi’s brother-inlaw’s last name. “We’re not professional. We’re learning to be professional. We’re families serving families,” Vansi said. Since starting to take food carts around to county fairs and Saturday markets all across Oregon in 1986, the family’s recipes have been finely tuned. Now with a larger location, the menu is able to expand from the abbreviated version necessary in a food cart.
Throughout the first two weeks that Simm has been open there have been some hiccups. Vansi said his serving staff is made up of about half high school students, some of whom have no experience in the industry. That, combined with language issues – the cook speaks only Lao and Thai – resulted in a handful of mixed up orders and long wait times. “Now we’re going at a good pace,” Vansi said. He said the restaurant has seen a few repeat customers already in just the two weeks it’s opened its doors, which he says is encouraging. He said the most popular items on the menu thus far have been the pad Thai and yakisoba noodles. The menu at Simm is unique to Scappoose, which is one of the reasons Vansi said he wanted to create a presence in the community. “I looked around and see McDonald’s, pizza places, a big long line at (Ixtapa). We have Lung Fung, but that’s strictly Chinese, not Southeast Asian,” Vansi said. For those uninitiated to Lao and Thai cuisine, Vansi said it differs from Chinese food in a handful of ways. There’s less oil used when
photo by Shari Phiel
After years of ‘carting’ cuisine around from place to place, Simm Oriental Cuisine in Scappoose now has a permanent home.
it’s stir-fried and there are more steamed vegetables. Instead of sweet and sour soups, the soups have a calmer flavor. In addition, each dish is cooked based on how spicy the individual wants it, on a scale with four different levels of heat. The steamed veggies come locally from Sauvie Is-
land. Vansi looks to continue the local theme when Simm opens its bar – which Vansi said should be around Oct. 1 – by stocking Oregon-made booze. Being a part of the community is one of the biggest points of concern for Vansi. He said eventually, as the restaurant grows, he’d like
to figure out a way to raise funds for schools or shelters in the area. He’s trying to partner with other local businesses to embark on this venture. In order to get where he wants to be, Vansi and staff are listening to suggestions from customers and trying to implement those tips.
Four arrests made in Clatskanie robberies Suspects are released due to jail bed shortage A weeks-long investigation netted the Columbia County Sheriff’s office with several suspects in a burglary ring, four arrests and thousands of dollars in recovered property from burglaries occurring in the Clatskanie area over the past few weeks. Deputies arrested Jennifer Vasey, 31, of Clatskanie; Brook Waits, 29, of Clatskanie; and Tiffany KellyEllis, 31, also of Clatskanie. All three woman were charged with first-degree burglary. Vasey was also charged with theft. The arrests came about after the
sheriff’s office arrested Clatskanie resident Gary Gressett, 35. Gressett was a suspect in a set of unrelated burglaries, but authorities soon make a connection between them. Gressett, who was the first to be arrested, is not alleged to be part of the burglary ring. Authorities claim Gressett committed separate burglaries and then fenced the stolen property through one of the members of the burglary ring. The sheriff’s office said Gressett’s arrest then led them to the stolen property and the other suspects. According to officials, the homes targeted by the burglars were primarily vacant homes belonging to the elderly. “Of the cases we’ve made, where
we’ve made arrests, the homeowners were deceased or they were no longer living in the homes because they’re living in nursing homes,” Dickerson said. Since their arrests, all have been released because of bed shortages at the jail. “We hold everybody as long as we can. They come in and they get scored. We’re at the place now where we’re going to have to kick somebody out if we bring anyone new in,” said Dickerson. But Dickerson said the chances of that happening are pretty slim because the scores for the inmates already in custody are high enough to outweigh many other charges. “We’re struggling to have an
impact on crime in the county,” Dickerson added. The sheriff said all of the 25 beds allocated to local inmates, eight of those are for parole and probation. The remaining 17 beds are filled. “Everybody we have now is a serious bad guy,” Dickerson added. The sheriff’s office said the investigation into the Clatskanie-area robberies will continue. In fact, deputies even have new burglaries on their hands to look into. “There are more going on. It’s hard to know if they’re related. When a group of criminals gets an idea that something works, they all start trying it,” said Dickerson. “It could be these guys going back out there again, but we just don’t know.”
Brooke Waits
Gary Gressett
Jennifer Vasey
Tiffany Kelly-Ellis
BY SHARI PHIEL The Chronicle