Not Surprised

    I remember Charles LaFontaine as though it were yesterday. It was such an exciting time for Germaine to have such a talented musician in our town. He played that saxophone like it was the air he breathed. And those times when Faith Applegate would sing with Charley playing at the church or grange hall, it was magic. But some of those boys were really jealous. I could see the embers in their eyes. Doesn’t surprise me one bit.
Arlene Charlebois

by Rachel Angelina Valazques
    Many of you know me as the custodian at Old Paiute High School. I have not lived in Germaine for very long –about two years– so I hope you do not think me too forward about commenting on community affairs.
    It has come to my attention that a very bad corporate citizen has set up a research facility in Wilbur County. This company, a huge transnational conglomerate, is called Malsanto. Let me tell you about Malsanto.
    My grandparents on my mother’s side of the family farmed for many years in the area around Ontario, Oregon. They grew alfalfa and corn and melons, among other things. They are dead now, but my uncle kept the farm going until three years ago, when he took his own life, and those of his wife and three children.
    Why did he kill himself and his family? One word: Malsanto. Now you may think that this is hyperbole, but let me tell you what Malsanto did.
    You see, my uncle was struggling, as most small farmers do. Six years ago, the company which sells him seed offered to give him some melon seed at half price, if he would try this new variety.
    Now, my uncle is not the most well read man, and he is a farmer, not a lawyer. So he didn’t read the fine print, which said that the crops would yield sterile seed. Now that is not such a big deal with melons, as many varieties are seedless.
    But my uncle was a poor man. A portion of his crop always goes to seed production. They didn’t tell him that although the seed was sterile, the pollen was not. And that when the new varieties cross-pollinated with his seed crop, then all of his seed would be rendered sterile.
    My uncle’s business, and his life, were ruined by this company, Malsanto.
    And his cousin in Idaho was driven from business when his organic corn crop was contaminated by Malsanto’s genetically-engineered corn from his neighbor’s field. Not only did it destroy his organic farm, but Malsanto then sued him for “stealing” their G-E seed stock.
    This is evil, and it is unconscionable. But let me tell you one more thing about Malsanto which you might not know.
    This company is not only in the seed business. For decades they have produced pesticides and chemical defoliants which have been tied to cancers and other human ailments. They have produced horrible weapons for use in war. This is not a company which is out to better humanity. They are not a company which we should welcome here in Wilbur County.
    If you care about this, then you should join a group of people who will be discussing Malsanto at the Germaine Public Library on March 3rd at 1 pm.

by Howard Applegate
    Personally traveling to Wilbur County for the announcement, Central Oregon Forensics Laboratory’s Chief Medical Examiner, Dr. Alicia Azura, confirmed that the bones found in a wash north of Germaine, were those of Charles Sevigny LaFontaine, a New Orleans jazz musician and WWII veteran who lived in Germaine briefly in the post war years.
    Speaking at a news conference in the Wilbur County courthouse, Azura said, “The evidence is conclusive. The remains are those of a young African-American male, closely related to our sample doner.”
    The donor, Rita Budreau, temporarily living in Germaine as a refugee from Hurricane Katrina, is the niece of Charles LaFontaine. Although a young child when LaFontaine disappeared, Ms. Budreau remembers the family stories and her mother’s deep sense of loss.
    â€œMama cried all of the time over Charles,” said Budreau. “She knew he’d been killed. He never would have just gone off and never wrote or nothing to anyone again. We were family.”
    Budreau has carried a letter with her all of these years from her Uncle Charley. The letter, dated 1949 and postmarked Germaine, Oregon tells of meeting a young woman, a fellow musician. It also mentions LaFontaine’s fear of their relationship being discovered.
    In 1949, Faith Chastity Applegate, a distant relative of this reporter, gave birth to Rochelle LaFontaine.
    â€œCharles just up and disappeared a couple of days after Rochelle was born,” said Faith Applegate, “I hadn’t seen him in weeks, and I just thought at the time that he moved on.”
    But Faith has never been totally convinced that Charles left. At least not alive. Now her fears have been confirmed.
    â€œI’m saddened, of course,” said Applegate, “and angry. But there’s been too much tragedy in my life to let it get under my skin.”
    Applegate was referring to the death of her and LaFontaine’s daughter Rochelle, who died in a automobile collision in 1966. Rochelle was pregnant at the time, and the incident sent ripples through the town of Germaine. Facing a mental breakdown, Faith Chastity moved to Eugene, where she has lived for the past forty years.
    Now, at the age of seventy-five, Faith has returned to Germaine. “I knew when I saw it in the Register-Guard it was Charley that they found. I knew it was time to come back and help put this story to an end.”

by Howard Applegate
    Central Oregon Forensic Laboratory has reported that the human remains found in a north Wilbur County wash, were those of a murder victim. The lab determined that the bones, approximately forty to sixty years old, are those of an African or African-American male, whose body had been subjected to “a considerable amount of trauma,” according to Dr. Alicia Azura, the facilities Chief Medical Examiner.
    The victim’s remains were discovered by a migrant worker employed by McCoy Industries. The worker is no longer in the area, according to Harlan McCoy, and he claims he has no idea how to reach him.
    Speculation in Germaine immediately turned to Charles Sevigny LaFontaine, a WWII veteran who spent time in the area in the late 1940s. Although no evidence of foul play ever surfaced regarding LaFontaine’s sudden disappearance, some Germainites believe LaFontaine was murdered after becoming involved with a local high school girl.
    â€œRumors have been floating around for years,” said City Councillor Willie Walkingstick. “Germaine has a very racist past, and the KKK was active around here back in those days.”
    According to Sheriff Anthony Sweet, a thorough investigation will commence. Sweet cautioned about jumping to conclusions. “We don’t know if this is LaFontaine, or if anyone from Wilbur County is involved,” said Sweet. “It might have been someone traveling through the area, down highway 20. The killer and victim might have been traveling together.”
    According to the crime lab, it will take another week or so before the DNA analysis is finished. A relative of LaFontaine has volunteered to submit a DNA sample for comparison.

In general, the stars over Germaine are oscillating.
Aries
(March 21-April 20)

Jupiter is still lifting you up, expanding your mind. some of you subscribe to online abstract services and begin reading science journals. You compare string theory to throat singing and you are almost sure you have a coherent thesis. your friends are baffled by your enthusiasm and not entirely supportive. For those born later in the sign your awakening will be like a stroke of lightning. Everything will become clear and your confidence will increase along with our absolute faith in the beneficence of the universe even in the face of opposition. Your friends may also tend to want to discourage you, but you are on the right track. Be cautious where contracts are concerned around and following the 13th.

Taurus
(April 21-May 20)
You are really beginning to feel like a new person. You are finally beginning to heal after that difficult time almost two years ago when you thought the world had ended for you. You are still feeling frustrated that you can’t be closer to your parents, but it is just not possible at this time. Try not to blame them for your loneliness. They would be here to support you if they could. Remember that you have a family of your own and keep working on that remodel. You don’t have to be brave, just be serious.

Gemini
(May 21-June 20)
A relative of your spouse will leave you a tidy sum of money. You will be able to pay off those parking tickets you got in Salem when you were up there trying to borrow money from your cousin. You will be able to patch things up with your cousin, too. There is a possibility that you will gain in popularity and some will even seek your advise. The new money will grease our relationship with your spouse and you will feel all warm and fuzzy, just please this time don’t take that feeling down to the Pioneer and pick up some stray. Be careful when you are taking to your boss, he doesn’t care about your windfall and your coworkers are tired of hearing about the trip to Hawaii you plan to take, which by the way, is going to be delayed.

Cancer
(June 21-July 22)

Your excellent skills working with children are being recognized. Both your coworkers and employers are effusive in their praise. You find yourself enjoying your work more and more. some of you receive job offers, but decline them. Others find your ground-breaking work gaining recognition and begin thinking about franchising. Saturn helps you realize that the results are not quite commensurate with the praise and this causes you to spend a couple of days fasting and meditating from which your draw considerable strength and a renewed sense of purpose. You will want to be careful when traveling and I’m afraid your tax experience this year is not going to be real pleasant.

Leo
(July 23-Aug. 22)

I know you are on a mission, but you need to be more understanding of your husband. He is doing the best he can and it is quite a lot. He’s finding you a bit critical and you know that hurts. Saturn is in Leo and you have the opportunity to really see what you can do and what you can’t. Towards the end of the month, you will take a trip to Bend that will have big results. Be careful not to spend too much money while you are there.

Virgo
(Aug. 23-Sept. 22)

There will be plenty of time to change partners later in the year. It is probably best if you just hang on for a little while longer. Try to ignore him, he’s never home, anyway. So the children are almost all grown, too bad they keep coming back. This month is supposed to be a time when you enjoy your home life and find fulfillment in domesticity. Sorry, I just don’t think it’s going to happen that way. Whatever happens, it’s going to be dramatic. Hang onto your hat.

Libra
(Sept. 23-Oct. 22)

February will find you being more selective about how you spend your time. You will spend less and less time with your school friends and more time developing your ability to write and research. Your eagerness to find out every last little thing could lead to frustration and danger. It is very important that you don’t jump to conclusions. Think things over two or three times before you tell our mother about what you found out down at the cafe that day in January.

Scorpio
(Oct. 23-Nov. 21)

Aren’t you glad you got into garbage when you did? Jupiter is going to bring you money and money and you’ll be doing fine if yo don’t blow it all on your sister’s obsession. There is a real possibility that you might find yourself possibly drawn to a someone who might be a love interest somewhere around the 8th. This will work out for you if you can bring yourself to be agreeable and stop treating your feelings like an alien universe. Try not to be judgmental with your parents. They were doing the best they knew how. It hasn’t turned out so good and a lot of people got hurt, but it was the times.

Sagittarius
(Nov. 22-Dec. 21)

Your computer is in imminent danger. Back up, back up–now. So they sent you to Brazil and The Congo, Darfur and Delaware, you’ll be coming back soon. Ease up a bit. You will find what you are looking for though it is likely to turn out badly for one or both of you. There will be further delays and the train you will take from Andalucia to Navarre will go off track north of Bilboa and you will suffer a broken leg and be in the hospital for a week.

Capricorn
(Dec.22-Jan. 19)

Your dreams have always been very big and so far you have had extraordinary success in making them come true. Always you are ahead of our times. Now your age is beginning to worry you. Don’t fret, you come from a long line of long-lived, vigorous people. All that tramping around in the mountains when you were a child made you even stronger. You might be thinking about starting a new project, but it would be best to make sure the one you started in December has a chance to grow a bit before you go off in a new direction. There is time enough. Your nemesis will be delayed awhile yet.

Aquarius
(Jan. 20-Feb. 18)

You are plagued by loneliness and have an urge to reconnect with the world. Are you ready to exchange freedom for what the world has to offer? You will find the courage you need and your new friend can help you. Lately, you have let down your guard and more people have seen you around. He will never tell anyone this, but sometimes your father dreams about you and when he wakes up just after he hears the rap on this door and before the maid sets his morning tray on the table by the window, he feels the pain of your loss like a searing toothache.

Pisces
(Feb. 19-March 20)

You have come to peace with the past which doesn’t mean you have let go of it or are going to let those people get away with what they did. The path you are on is a path of justice, not retribution. After all these years, that is what you want. Events are moving quickly and you may want to manipulate them. A certain amount of manipulation may pay off. Be careful that you don’t hurt that wonderful new friend you have found. Finding her makes it almost possible to forgive them if you didn’t stop and remember that the one she reminds you of wouldn’t be gone if it weren’t for the world those men created.

If Your Birthday Is in February

Water, water everywhere from the water-bearer to the fish swimming in it and all in the coldest months of the year. You are the kind of person who can take advantage of the surroundings. If you can’t swim, you’ll skate. (Skating has been good lately.) Maybe it is the time of year or maybe it is the stars above, or maybe you just got used to getting the short end of the stick and learned how to make toothepicks. Whatever, the sun is rising earlier and setting later and you are on your way to somewhere.

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