 Mark Twain once said “Never pick a fight
with someone who buys his ink by the barrel.”
The pages of The Newberg Graphic carry roughly 3,000 pounds of ink each year,
as figured by the quick number-punching of Paul Wickham, a pressroom maintenance worker at
Eagle Web Press. These figures are not meant as a threat; this newspaper tries its best to
withhold fighting words for the appropriate time and place — the Viewpoint page.
But the amount of ink spent on each news story is telling of its importance,
as well as of its effect on the community.
Some stories of 2003 soaked up more of The Graphic’s ink than others.
The top 10 are listed below. The stories do not appear in order of importance. Nor could
they have been put down in a truly chronological order, as stories don’t always have
beginnings and endings. Chronologically is how they have been arranged, though; the
stories that were ongoing are placed according to what seemed to be a climax.
Bunn fined $25,000
The Jan. 18 edition of The Graphic announced the end to what was a yearlong
ordeal for Stan Bunn, former state superintendent of public instruction.
Bunn, a Newberg resident and attorney, had 1,433 ethics violations charged
against him, claiming he had used state-issued phones and a car for personal use. He
maintained that state agencies allowed for such use.
He said in a released statement, “The dismissal of every one of the
charges against me by the Government Standards and Practices Commission shows that I did
not violate any ethics laws.”
However, ultimately he agreed to pay the $25,000 settlement and put the issue
behind him.
Newberg/Dundee bypass
An ongoing story, this future highway will funnel traffic around Newberg and
Dundee. Though it was named one of the top 10 stories of 2002, and will likely be named to
the list again next year, it’s as important an issue now as ever. There was progress
made, besides.
On Jan. 22, a preliminary route for the bypass was settled on. The decision
came after five years of deliberation by the Oregon Department of Transportation’s
project oversight steering team (POST), a collection of local and state elected and
appointed officials.
The POST recommended building a modified southern bypass with four
interchanges. Those interchanges will be at Highway 219, Rex Hill, east of Dundee and near
the Highway 18/99W intersection.
War rallies
For weeks in March through June, community members in Newberg
rallied in support for the troops and protested against the war itself.
Hundreds stood along the sides of the roads airing their views in peaceful displays
in crowds that swelled from a hundred or so in the beginning to more than double that
number a few months later.
Since the beginning of the war families in Newberg have sent mothers and
sons, fathers and sisters, uncles and friends on their way overseas to support the U.S.
effort. Memorial day events and remembrance’s of Sept. 11 took on new meaning as
people in the community remembered family members and friends.
Solution to PERS debt
The Aug. 2 edition of The Graphic announced the solution that the Newberg
School District had produced for dealing with its share of $2.5 billion of unfunded
liability — paying back the bonds.
Newberg was one of more than 60 Oregon districts to pool funds to make lump
sum payments to PERS (Public Employee Retirement System). The sum owed by the districts
grew exponentially since the economic downturn, largely because of the 8 percent rates of
return guaranteed to some PERS employees at a time of economic recession.
The bonds the district secured carried only an approximate 5.5 percent
interest.
With the $34.6 million in bonds the Newberg School District issued during the
summer, it expressed hope of saving $11.4 million during the 25-year life of the bond.PUD put on ballot
On Aug. 9, The Graphic ran the headline: “PUD will appear on March 2004
ballot; PGE vows to fight.”
The county clerk’s office received 816 signatures from supporters to
form a people’s utility district in Yamhill County. The petitioners said most of
these signatures were gathered in Newberg and Dundee.
Supporters said creation of a PUD would reduce rates on electricity. PGE
officials pointed to the security provided by a stable, longtime company, and decried
giving the business of a privately-owned entity to one that is government-run.
A similar attempt at starting a PUD was attempted this fall in Multnomah
County. It failed by a 3-to-1 margin.
The PUD for Yamhill County will be on the March 9 ballot.
Municipal golf course
On Sept. 15 the goal of the Chehalem Park and Recreation District to build a
municipal golf course came a step closer to becoming a reality.
The Newberg City Council that night gave its approval to bring into the
city’s urban growth boundary the 181 acres of CPRD land on Fernwood Road. There the
CPRD hopes to construct a 7,000-yard, tournament-level golf course.
CPRD came another step closer to realizing its goal in December, when the
Yamhill County Board of Commissioners gave Newberg their approval to amend the UGB.
The next step toward building a municipal golf course is at the mercy of
voters, as a vote is required before the city can annex any land.
New hospital groundbreaking
In the Guinness Book of World Records! Unlike the urban legend that Newberg
is listed for having the most churches, the city etched its name in the book of records
for most people to attend a groundbreaking.
The new facility for Providence Newberg Medical Center caused the hospital much
excitement, and prompted them to shoot for the record. Thus the stage was set for the
“Celebration of 1,000 Shovels.”
When more than 2,400 people showed up to break ground for the new hospital,
they shattered the record of 1,039 set by the groundbreaking for a Goodyear tire and
rubber factory in Sawton, Okla., in 2001.
Dundee reserve program cut
There was a changing of the guards in the Dundee Police Department this
summer. Dan Hess officially took the reins as chief of police in August.
Two months into the position, Hess made a move that sparked public outcry and
heated city council debates: he eliminated the reserve officer program.
At least two of the three reserve officers were vocally outraged at the
decision. And when their testimony conflicted with Hess,’ the city council called for
an investigation.
After City Administrator Eve Foote submitted a report about the events to the
city council, it dropped the investigation by a vote of 4-3 (Mayor Roger Worrall broke the
tie). In the same vote the council gave a vote of confidence for the city administrator
and the police chief.
County room tax defeated
The headline that ran on the front page of The Graphic on Nov. 8 read:
“Voters: Room tax? We don’t think so!”
By a 3-to-1 margin the voters of Yamhill County shot down the transient
occupancy tax. The 18,108 of the 42,263 registered voters were divided 13,844 to 4,264.
“You could see that people don’t like that tax ...” said Jo
McIntyre, a McMinnville woman who headed up the No Room Tax Committee. Her committee
claimed the tax targeted owners of lodges, as well as occupants of their rooms.
The Yamhill Valley Visitor’s Association argued that the tax would
ultimately bolster the tourist market in the county, using the funds raised from the tax
for advertising the county as a tourist destination.
County clerk dies
The county was shocked in early November to learn that Charles Stern, the
62-year-old Yamhill County clerk that served since 1982, died unexpectedly.
Stern had spoken at a funeral for a family member in Spokane the weekend
before his own death Nov. 11.
His memorial service packed the McMinnville Community Center, and invoked
fond memories of the man. Many a colleague and friend said they had never known Stern to
have an enemy; he was respected by everyone who knew him, and loved by most of them, they
said.
Out of respect for Stern, the Board of Commissioners waited a month before
deciding how to replace the clerk. On Dec. 15 they appointed Jan Coleman, a long-time
deputy clerk under Stern, to fill his shoes.
Newberg School Board censures Corder
Disciplinary actions against a Newberg School Board member warranted a lot of
ink, the most recent of the articles being published Dec. 17.
The board accused member Doug Corder in February of rude and abusive
behavior, as well as sexual harassment. In November the board censured him for the second
time since February. In December it released the directives against him that it had issued
in February.
In essence, these actions stripped Corder of his member duties. Throughout
the story Corder has maintained his innocence and has said the board singled him out for
expressing unpopular ideas. |
