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Keeping it all in the family
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Chuck Ritchie greeted customers at the retail window of The Dalles Post Office for the last time on Friday. He retired this week after 37 years of service there. Jade McDowell photo |
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Keeping it all in the family
A familiar face retires
after literally a lifetime
of postal service
Some people plan for their careers. Others just fall into them. Chuck Ritchie was born into his.
Ritchie retired Friday after 37 years at the post office in The Dalles. The figure is an impressive one, but Chuck has actually been involved in the postal business for much longer than that.
He and his identical twin Bill, who recently retired after nearly as many years of service in Vancouver, grew up in the Tygh Valley post office. Their mother was the post master and the office was attached to their house.
“We were kind of raised in the post office,” Chuck said. “As a matter of fact, when we were kids we used to help Mom dump the big sacks of mail.” 
Report: green jobs top 51,000
Green jobs account for 3 percent of private workers
EUGENE (AP) — An estimated 51,400 Oregonians worked in so-called green jobs last year, according to a new report from the state Employment Department.
The recently released report, based on a survey of employers, found that green jobs accounted for nearly 3 percent of employment in the private sector and in state and local government. That's roughly equivalent to the number of people who work in hospitals in Oregon, said Charlie Johnson, an economist with the Employment Department.
Military eyes algae for jet fuel
LOGAN, Utah — Somewhere among the beakers and the bubbling green-tinged tanks in this Utah State University lab, Jeff Muhs is searching for champion pond scum for the U.S. government.
If he and others like him around the country are successful, algae-based biofuel could one day power one of the world's biggest gas guzzlers: the U.S. military.
Friday, July 3, 2009
Protocol aids cherry exporters
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Celebrate Independence Day July 4th!
Local Independence Day celebrations take on a variety of forms this weekend. For a complete list of the events being offered Saturday around the Mid-Columbia, see our ENTERTAINMENT CALENDAR.
Please note:
THE CHRONICLE OFFICE WILL BE CLOSED MONDAY, JULY 6
in observation of the Independence Day holiday, and our news stories will not be updated on the web Monday. Have a fun and safe Independence Day.
