Sweet Charges Dropped
    The Lake County district attorney announced today that drug charges against Germaine resident Zachary Sweet have been dropped.
    Sweet was arrested by Lakeview police last summer on accusations of burglary and theft.
    Sweet was released on bail on condition that he be under strict supervision by his father, Wilbur County Sheriff, Tony Sweet.
    The case has been winding its way through the Lake County justice system for the past several months, but was dismissed when key witnesses “disappeared”, according to assistant Lake County D.A. Elizabeth Hellman.

Wildman Spotted
    The almost mythical Wildman of the Ochocos was reportedly spotted near North Plains Junction by two young women from the Double-T Ranch, according to Deputy Sheriff Shawn Hinterteil.
    Hinterteil said the girls called him to the scene, about a half mile from the Double T, on North Plains Road with a cellphone.
    “On the phone they sounded kind of frightened,” said Hinterteil, but when he arrived the girls were in a good mood.
    “They claimed they saw a disheveled man run from the road up into the hills.” According to Hinterteil, the man did not actually threaten the girls.
    “They treated it kind of like a joke.” said the deputy. He then lectured them about wasting the departments time.
    According to Double T owners, Cedar Ring and Estrella Luna, the girls were not supposed to be off of the premises and would be locked down for a week.
    “We have to be tough,” said Ms. Luna, “or these girls will walk all over you.”
    The Double T is a facility for troubled girls, many from Portland and other cities in the northwest.

by Howard Applegate
    The Truth learned this afternoon that human bones have been found in rural Wilbur County.
    In a dramatic display, a disgruntled Harlan McCoy literally deposited a bag of bones in Sheriff Tony Sweet’s lap. At the time, the Sheriff was being interviewed for Radio Germaine for a Martin Luther King Day broadcast about the problem of hate crimes in Central Oregon.
    According to stunned radio host, Patty Jo Mac, McCoy burst into the usually quiet Germaine Cafe carrying a gunny sack which he dropped on the table in front of Sweet.
    “He was real huffy,” said Mac, “He mumbled ‘I think these might have fallen out of your closet, Sheriff,’ and stomped out. I’ve never seen the Sheriff so furious.”
    Mac said some of the bones tumbled out into the Sheriff’s lap. Sweet then gathered up the remains and left.
    “Didn’t even say a word,” said Tsalagi Red, Mac’s co-host, “needless to say, that was the end of the interview.”
    Sheriff Sweet refused to return calls from The Germaine Truth. Deputy Shawn Hinterteil said the bones would be examined, probably at the forensics lab in Bend. McCoy will also be questioned about the circumstances in which the bones were found.
    “We’re also looking at possible charges against Harlan McCoy,” said Hinterteil. “These remains seem to be fairly recent, and it’s a serious offense to disrupt a possible crime scene.”
    By recent, Hinterteil said he meant within the past fifty or sixty years.
    The deputy refused to elaborate further, only saying that Sheriff Sweet would hold a press conference within a week.
    Efforts to contact Harlan McCoy were unsuccessful.

by Doris Mae Johanssen
    Our own Century June Walkingstick has won top prize in the Central Oregon Budding Scientist contest in the Junior Scientist category (for ages six to nine). We all know how special Century June is and now everyone in Central Oregon knows it too. Century June’s amazing collection of frogs and toads was by far the most intriguing display in her category.
    The Truth obtained an exclusive interview with our local celebrity just after she was handed the big blue ribbon and a check for $25.
    “I’ve been collecting frogs since I was three years-old. My daddy taught me how to catch tadpoles in Nine Mile Creek and how to grow them up,” Walkingstick said.
    Her entire collection is in hibernation at this time and she was able to display them in a cooler supplied by John Arratola. The cooler has a glass top for viewing and a thermostat to regulate the temperature. Once the science contest is over Walkingstick said she will put the specimens back in the pond out in her family’s back yard. Come Spring she will have to start all over again.

A sleeping bag for the Wildman

Dear Editor,
    I saw in Thelma McCoy’s column that someone has seen that poor wild man again. Folks, the weather has been bitter cold as we all know. I can’t help but think about that poor man and how he is faring in the woods. Now I know he has been in the woods for a long time and must have made shelter or found some kind of cave to live in. Maybe he is okay, but the Christmas season just past should remind us that we are our brother’s keeper and whoever this wildman is, he is our brother. I just want him know, if he reads the paper, that there is a warm sleeping bag out behind The Little Shop of the Grotto. It’s in a good strong garbage bag to keep it dry.
    Happy New Year, Germaine.
Patricia La Plante

Wildman or Bogeyman?

Dear Howard/Editor
    What part of myth don’t you people understand? There is no “Wildman of the Ochocos”. Like the bogeyman of the Black Forest, he is an invention to keep children from wandering too far into the woods or anywhere else without adult supervision. Watch out, the Wildman will get you!
Jane Arnold

Tigers or Bears?

Dear Mr Editor,
    In India we have similar story. In the village where my family comes from the children are warned about the tiger. There really are tigers and sometimes children are eaten by them. Perhaps the Wildman is a bear. Maybe the men of this county should form a band of hunters. I would go with such a group into the forest to hunt this bear.
Roy Patel

Dangerous Criminal?

Dear Editor,
    This is the second sighting in just two months of this crazy man. He’s becoming dangerous and must be stopped before he hurts someone. I say we get up a posse and comb the forest. We’ll find him if we have enough men willing to spend a Saturday looking. What do you say Sheriff Sweet? Isn’t it time we brought this freeloading outlaw to justice?
Buck Rawlins

Decom… What?

Dear Editor,
    I am not a psychiatrist, but I have studied psychiatric cases and I would have to say that this Wildman is decompensating. In other words, the recent sightings indicate that a change in his mental stability has taken place and he may be in danger of hurting himself. I hesitate to say that he is a danger to others. As modern people, we should be more concerned about his well-being than that he is living outside of our narrow definition of society.
Cherie Renoir

by Misty Carmichael, 4-H Correspondent
    In Wilbur County we have lots of 4-H Clubs. Almost anyone 9 or older can find one to belong to. You can find out how to sign up by calling the Wilbur County Extension Service. Don’t call me because I don’t have all that information.
    Dawn of the Dairy Club has a new leader, Hilda Decker. They met for the first time out at her Dairy Farm on West Bradford Lane on January 6th. There are six members in that club. They elected officers. Sandra Ellersby is President, Parker Decker is Vice-President, Marci Sheridan is Secretary, Kristofer Johnson is Treasurer, other members of the club are: Carl Duncan and Benjamin Morris. Kris Johnson brought a pie for refreshment. Parker reported that his three year-old Guernsey Ada birthed a heifer calf on New Year’s day. Now he has four dairy animals, three cows and one calf. Two of his other cows are also calving this year. Their next meeting is February 10th at 6 pm out at the Decker place.
    Ed Plum, biology teacher at Old Paiute High School has agreed to lead a new goat club. There’s lots of interest in it and they had their first meeting last week, but didn’t elect anyone. They plan to call the club The Grumpy Goat Club. Mr Plum said they will elect officers at the next meeting. They watched a video about goats and how important they have been in human history. The video was called Goats & People.
    I don’t have any news from any of the other clubs. So far the list of clubs is this: The Cross-Eyed Ewe, led by John Miller; Wilbur County Steer Club led by Charley Spengler; The Sky is Falling Chicken Club, led by Bodhi Hedrick; and the Alice Rabbit Club led by Patricia La Plante.
    If you want news about your club in the paper, contact me in care of The Germaine Truth or stop by The Singing Firs and give it to my Dad.

by Thelma Louise McCoy

“You know I can’t reveal my sources, honey, so there’s no use asking.”

    From what I hear there has been another sighting of the Wildman of the Ochocos. He was seen running practically naked through the woods carrying a gunney sack. According to a source close to the matter, he may have been wearing a moss loincloth and nothing else. Kind of cold for that nonsense!
    I see that young Bodhi Hedrick has got a new style. Hey, he didn’t get it from me. Orange! And a ring in his eyebrow too! Bodhi, your parents have to live in this town too.
    Looks to me like Shu Arlington is renovating his house. He was seen down at the Feed & Seed picking up some lumber that came in for him. I’ll find out more when Regina comes in next week for a cut and perm. I know she has been wanting a family room.
    A friend reports that Cynthia McCoy was seen coming out of the Harney County Courthouse in Burns. I hope everything is okay out there on the McCoy spread.
    Have you seen that crystal necklace Daniella Arlington has been wearing about town these days? I hear she got it up there at the Cherokee Nation where she gets those herbs she likes to brew up that she says are good for the immune system.
    Saw Lucy Charlebois and Rita Budreau having lunch at the Germaine Coffeehouse & Cyber Cafe looking thick as thieves.
    There is a rumour going around that Christine Bradford is visiting with the McCoys. Now do you think Cynthia’s visit to Burns has anything to do with Christine being in town?

In general, the stars over Germaine are Perseverating.

Aries
(March 21-April 20)

Big old jovial Jupiter is with you all month and beyond and expands your options. Some of you will give up smoking, find faith and take up a hobby like knitting. You may want to be careful about where you place your trust–there may be a problem later in the year with your new friends. You may get a column, letter or song lyrics published. One of the most sedentary among us makes a new friend and is carried away on a short journey. Your desire to explore creative potential and enjoy your bursting good health will cause you to take long meditative hikes in the woods and you will see a wild man running half-naked along Nine-Mile Creek, wearing only a loincloth made of moss, a gunney sack is slung across his back and you hear a faint rattle coming from the sack. He runs soundlessly and is gone almost as soon as you see him and you’re not certain you saw him at all.

Taurus
(April 21-May 20)

For you Jupiter is magnanimous where money is concerned. You find a new investor, or discover a lucrative tax deduction. If you’ve been feeling abandoned by your parents you will turn to your own family and begin making your own home more comfortable for them. It is okay to seek that professional help, depression is nothing to be ashamed of and believe me you have things to be depressed about after what your parents did to your sister. Change is good, but not everyone is going to like that new piercing– never mind you did it for yourself, didn’t you?

Gemini
(May 21-June 20)

You will feel pressure to come up with new ways to move your product and will establish a stronger partnership arrangement with your associates. A small legal matter involving the car parts you found in Maupin and sold in Klamath Falls will turn out okay.

Cancer
(June 21-July 22)

Suddenly everyone notices what exceptional skills you have. Everything you do seems to have wings, takes off and flies true. Even that knee replacement surgery goes off without a hitch and you heal in record time. You’ve gained a few pounds over the holidays. In spite of all your successes, none of it really satisfies you. It is time to look within for the answers to that nagging dissatisfaction.

Leo
(July 23-Aug. 22)

You finally begin to accept that your profit margin is narrowing, but you still don’t want to raise prices. Your wife accuses you of taking your troubles out on her, says you are too critical and have unrealistic expectations when she is just trying to make the money you can’t seem to bring yourself to make. You’re not sure what you want from her, but you don’t think she is behaving right where that piece of property is concerned.

Virgo
(Aug. 23-Sept. 22)

You’ve been feeling restless lately, wanting more out of life. That feeling is passing away and you are determined to clear out the old junk in your life. You are very tempted to leave that cheating son of a b—–, before you find yourself having to add protease inhibitors to the pile of pills you are already taking in the misguided hope that the vitamins and herbs will protect you. I’m not sure you are going to find what you are looking for among those wannabees up in the north of the county even if one of them is particularly attractive and is paying kind attention to you.

Libra
(Sept. 23-Oct. 22)

The friendship which began last year will deepen as you find more and more in common. But this friend may have some disturbing information for you that will rather overwhelm you. Postpone that trip to Winnemucca, not for the weather, but it’s best you don’t gamble much this year. Be totally honest with yourself about this compulsion. That candlelight dinner you are planning for your husband will be every bit as wonderful as you want it to be. Your imagination might spur you into yet another creative pursuit.

Scorpio
(Oct. 23-Nov. 21)

Jupiter is your friend this month, helping you increase your income. Food and garbage are lucrative right now. But you are kicking against the traces right now wanting to work less and enjoy more. Nothing wrong with that. You will discover that you can combine business and pleasure and really start doing what you love for a living. Word of warning: reaping what you sow can apply to the good and the bad. You were stubborn about that land deal and now you are sitting on top of it–make something of it or get off the hill. If it stinks, light a match.

Sagittarius
(Nov. 22-Dec. 21)

So, Germaine isn’t everyone’s bottle of brew. It sure isn’t yours. It may have taken awhile for that light to streak your sky, but now that you’ve had your epiphany you may as well go ahead and accept that free property in Bottineau. With your internet savvy you will continue to make a good living online and Bottineau couldn’t be more than 150 miles from Bismarck. Good luck. Write, you hear?

Capricorn
(Dec.22-Jan. 19)

Things don’t appear to be going well for you right now. Recent news has caused you to rethink the path you have taken and you are looking deep inside and discovering strength you didn’t know you had. Careful how you spend your resources, you may live longer than you think. Sometime around mid-month you will meet an old acquaintance and this could have amazing dividends.

Aquarius
(Jan. 20-Feb. 18)

This year marks a profound change for you and January is where it starts. The bonds you thought severed so long ago begin to materialize and you reach out to someone kind and safe. There is in you a desire to come back to the world, but you have been away so long. You may be recognized by someone whom you thought had forgotten you long ago. You find something important and are seen carrying it by someone whom you have never met.

Pisces
(Feb. 19-March 20)

Uranus is stirring up your life, laying coincidence in your path. At the beginning of the month you will come across a reference to someone you knew long ago and you will cross the mountains for the first time in more than 30 years to try to lay to rest something that has caused you sorrow all these years.

If Your Birthday Is in January
As you know you are either Capricorn or Aquarius, a goat or a water bearer, sure-footed or sublime. If you are a Capricorn you are likely butting heads with someone somewhere. It’s a lifelong habit and all you can do is try to choose your battles carefully, an art that improves with age. If you are an Aquarian you are likely wondering when Pisces is going to admit it’s age is over and gracefully back off the stage. You’ve been carrying water for too many for too long. Time to dip into the fountain of youth and pour it over your head. Just be careful you don’t drown in it.

Disclaimer: This horoscope is presented for entertainment purposes only. The Germaine Truth does not endorse any particular system of divination.