Time for smoke alarm battery check

As the fall time change approaches on Sunday, the Corvallis Fire Department reminds residents to change the batteries in their smoke alarms.

An average of three children a day die in home fires and 82 percent of those occur in homes without working smoke alarms, officials noted in a news release. The most commonly cited cause of nonworking smoke alarms is worn or missing batteries.

Changing smoke alarm batteries at least once a year is one of the simplest, most effective ways to prevent deaths and injuries from home fires.

Jim Patton, Corvallis fire prevention officer, recommends residents use the extra hour they save from the time change to test smoke alarms by pushing the test button, planning "two ways out" and practicing escape routes with the entire family. Families also should prepare a fire safety kit that includes a working flashlight and fresh batteries.

Free 9-volt smoke alarm batteries are available at the main fire station at 400 N.W. Harrison Blvd.

For more information about fire safety, call the Corvallis Fire Department at 766-6961.

Fund-raiser aids parenting program

The Parent Enhancement Program will be the beneficiary of a fund-raiser today and Saturday at the Baja Fresh restaurant at 845 N.W. Ninth St.

Between 11 a.m. and 9 p.m. customers can designate 15 percent of proceeds to the local nonprofit group by placing receipts in the checkered box on the counter.

The Parent Enhancement Program provides pregnant, parenting teens and young families with mentors, classes and other services. For information, call 758-8292 or see pep.peak.org.

Volunteers spruce up Chip Ross Park

A group of volunteers is uniting Saturday to improve hiking/biking trails at Chip Ross Park. The group will work from 9 a.m. to noon.

There will be light-duty tasks so everyone can help, according to organizers. No experience is necessary, and tools will be provided. Register to ensure adequate tools and materials can be provided. Call Debbie O'Rourke at 223-1218.

The Chip Ross Park trailhead is off Northwest Highland Drive.

The group will hold a celebration potluck afterwards.

The activity is being hosted by Unity Church of Corvallis (www.unityofcorvallis.org) in cooperation with Corvallis Parks and Recreation.

Easy-to-read voter guide available

The League of Women Voters of Oregon Education Fund, Oregon Advocacy Center and Oregon Literacy Inc. have partnered to develop an Easy-to-Read Voting Guide for the November election.

If you work with students, clients, or know someone who would answer yes to any of the following questions, you may want to order the Easy-to-Read Voting Guide:

• Do you ever have a hard time understanding what you are voting on?

• Do you wish ballot measures were easier to read?

• Do you want people running for office to use words you can read and understand?

The guide uses easier words and pictures to help people better understand the issues. It also provides information about the people who are running for office and what they think is important.

It provides clear and unbiased information so voters can make up their own mind, according to an Oregon Literacy news release.

Get a free copy of the guide, available in English or Spanish, by calling 800-322-8715. Or download the guide from www.oregonliteracy.org or www.oradvocacy.org (and click on "voting"). To get a copy on cassette tape, or CD call 1-800-452-0292.

Nominate influential, interesting Corvallis residents

Early next year, the Gazette-Times will help mark the 150th birthday of Corvallis by publishing a list of the city's most influential and interesting residents during the city's history.

We'd like your help.

Nominate as many people as you'd like to be included on the Corvallis Top 150 list.

Send us your nominees as well as a one-sentence reason why they should be on the list. Keep in mind, this list isn't exclusive to folks who've been mayor or president of OSU.

We'll also be looking at neighborhoods around Corvallis, their histories and most prominent attributes. Again, send us your favorites, along with a one-line note on why they rate.

Send nominees by e-mail to rob.priewe@lee.net; by mail to Corvallis Top 150, in care of the Corvallis Gazette-Times, P.O. Box 368, Corvallis, OR 97339; or drop them off at the newspaper's office at 600 S.W. Jefferson Ave. For more information, call 758-9525.

- Gazette-Times