“The new cash crop,” by Team Hymas. Wind turbines dotting the landscape near the stonehenge memorial in the Columbia River Gorge.

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HOOD RIVER—Bill Neal has no problem explaining what the state should do with David Ryan and his juice company.

“They need to come up here and shut his ass down,” Neal said. “This has been a problem for 15 years.”

Ryan, the founder and CEO of Hood River Juice Company, was charged in late October with two misdemeanor counts of water pollution. This came as no surprise to Neal and a number of other farmers, ranchers and homeowners who reside near the business. After all, Ryan is already awaiting trial for six alleged felony acts of pollution tied to 16 separate charges. In addition, Ryan, 46, faces penalties for two felony counts of supplying false information to a regulatory agent, according to documents obtained by employees of this publication.

Deputy District Attorney Kate Stebbins is representing the state of Oregon in the case. Although she declined to comment specifically about Ryan and the charges, Stebbins did say it is unique for the D.A. office to become involved in an issue such as this. Stebbins is also working with the state Department of Environmental Quality and the county health department on the case.

For most of us functioning adults, we just can’t start the day without that steaming mug of joe. It’s not just the caffeine, but it’s also the ritual, the comfort of the warm cup between the hands, the jolt of heat and aromatic bitterness with every sip. There’s also the communal aspect, taking a little time between work crises to slurp a little mud with your coworkers and talk about who got beat up and/or lucky over the weekend.

So when there’s no coffee, there’s no life. There’s no light. There’s no liftoff. I’ve run out of coffee before, but there’s always been some backup plan, some forgotten stash, some workable alternative. Run out of filters? Use a paper towel. Sugar’s gone? Honey will do in a pinch. Last time I ran out of coffee beans, I rooted through the camping box until I found a packet of instant. The kids were asking their mother why daddy was swearing at the camping box.