COTTAGE GROVE - My wife and I escaped some of the heat that has tormented the Willamette Valley this past week. We went camping. There was a reason behind this movement to the wilderness. My wife’s old husband had passed away and their kids wanted to take his ashes to a place they had enjoyed camping together as a family when they were small.

In a friendly competition that has spanned the summer months, the Creswell Library and the Fern Ridge Library are vying to compile the most reading hours during their summer programs.

Springfield Public Schools Superintendent Todd Hamilton and other school leaders explained their “back-to-school blueprint” during an Aug. 10 board meeting, detailing several aspects of the Comprehensive Distance Learning model. Hamilton, assistant superintendent David Collins and chief operations officer Brett Yancey discussed the CDL plan, and the prospects of transitioning into a hybrid model, especially for K-3, who have the potential to return to schools sooner.

COTTAGE GROVE — There have been no board meetings since the June meeting in which South Lane County fire chief John Wooten was reinstated without disciplinary leave after the controversy around his social media posts. Both July and August meetings were canceled; there was no specified reason for the July board cancelation and the meeting in August was canceled because there was no quorum, said Leesa Martindale at the district.

Monday evening, in an online public forum, Creswell School District Superintendent Mike Johnson and his senior leadership team did their best to provide clarity and direction under the most uncertain of situations. In fact, by Tuesday afternoon the state released updated guidelines specifically for rural and remote schools. During the 90-minute, multimedia presentation on Monday – streamed live across Zoom and a YouTube channel – Johnson et al downloaded much more than information. They spoke with sincerity, and were open and transparent with their audience. Their unequivocal North Star is “safety for all involved.” When confronted with hard questions, they admitted there were no easy answers, and in fact, sometimes there were no answers.

SPRINGFIELD – Concerns for children’s safety sparks the start of construction projects in three Springfield school locations. According to Jeff Paschall, City Engineer for the City of Springfield, the first of the safety projects will be a raised crossing out front of Two Rivers-Dos Rios Elementary School, 1084 G Street. The City of Springfield received the Federal Community Block Grant to ensure that pedestrians would have a safe place to cross the street safely and meet the current American with Disabilities Act (ADA) standards, which contributes to the ramp upgrades Hamlin Middle School, 326 Centennial Blvd. will have. The 22-foot raised crossing at Two Rivers-Dos Rios Elementary School will keep speeds down in the school zone.

This article is part of a series with PeaceHealth Medical Center, Cottage Grove. Greetings! I recently took on the role of medical director of PeaceHealth Cottage Grove Community Medical Center. I have worked in the emergency departments at PeaceHealth hospitals for 18 years, and grew up in a rural farming community in Oregon. I know from first-hand experience the importance of access to care in our smaller communities and I’m committed to making sure we’re here for you when you need us.

COTTAGE GROVE — Vickie Harrison of Creswell uses an electrostatic sprayer to disinfect used on playgrounds and tables in the parks in Cottage Grove. The City recevied COVID-19 funding from the state to help pay for the cleaning program.

CRESWELL – Along with a new school year and new learning requirements, Creswell School District is also introducing two new administrators to the schools, Julie Johansen and Jennifer Jesch Collins. Johansen will replace former Middle School Principal Shirley Burrus, who retired at the end of last year after 41 years in education, and Collins will replace High School Principal Adam Watkins.

CRESWELL – After the city council declined the renewal of the Creswell Chamber of Commerce’s contract to spend hotel room tax dollars for tourism activities, the City is looking to use that money instead to support tourism at Hobby Field Airport. The Creswell Chamber was projected to receive $31,225 from the transient room tax for the 2020-21 fiscal year, city finance director Jim Piper said at a February council meeting. The City’s prior contract with the Chamber provided the budget so that the business organization could encourage tourism through traditional events such as the citywide yard sale, Fourth of July parade and fireworks, and the December tree-lighting ceremony.

May 17, 1932 - July 28, 2020

Oct. 8, 1968 - July 2, 2020

Oct. 29, 1944 - Aug. 1, 2020

Feb. 12, 1943 - July 23, 2020

July 13, 1952 - Aug. 1, 2020

May 4, 1934 - July 27, 2020

Jan. 17. 1932 - Aug. 3, 2020

I would like to take a moment of the readers’ time and thank the wonderful donors to the recent fundraising drive for BMD at Coiner Park. You donated over $1,600! My special thanks to those who put money in the boot to pay expenses, advertising, phone bills, etc., until we can achieve a much-needed get-together in 2021.

I started wearing a camera around my neck when I was 15, and for 25 years, I took pictures. Faces interested me most. I studied portrait photographers and learned that the best portrait comes when you are close to the subject, sometimes too close, which means the subject doesn’t know you’re there, or trusts you and wants you to be close. I’ve known a few shy photographers who tried to beat that by using a telephoto lens, but that kind of voyeurism never appealed to me. I have tens of thousands of photos and a collection of faces, each with a story behind it.

July is harvest time for the Pleasant Hill Humble Bee Honey beekeepers. Since March, when the bees returned from annual pollination duty in California’s almond groves, the beekeepers have cared for hives by treating for mites, control for swarming, and installing stronger queens who produce the tens of thousands of bees that are the hive’s workforce. Finally, on a 90-degree day, Humble Bee Honey’s co-owner, Ronnie Ellis, arrives with his crew to harvest the product of millions of bees onto flatbed trucks for transport to the company’s extraction facility near Highway 58.

Because of COVID-19, the 2nd annual Tacos & Tequila Festival, which had been scheduled to run today through Sunday, Aug. 9 at PublicHouse, has been scrapped. “Unfortunately, we have canceled all of our large events for the year,” PublicHouse manager Brenna Foerster said. “We are currently just having live music featuring small acts every Wednesday.”

SPRINGFIELD – Bonnie Smith joked that writing her memoir was a better solution than going to a psychiatrist. The 93-year-old Springfield author’s debut follows Smith coming up in an impoverished background in Northern Mississippi during the Great Depression and how she persevered to living a fulfilling life. The book, “Black-eyed Peas and Turnip Greens,” was released on July 31, and serves as a “coming-of-age” and “rags-to-riches” story.

August is a great month for Springfield and a great month for The Chronicle. In just a few days, The Chronicle, formerly the Creswell Chronicle for over 100 years, will open an office in Springfield.

With all this talk of the United States Postal Service on the verge of extinction, I can’t help but recall the Seinfeld episode where Jerry agrees to deliver mail for his neighbor, Newman, a postal carrier. Jerry takes on the task like a 10-year-old who gets to put on a uniform and pretend to be an astronaut or firefighter. He joyfully and gleefully delivered the mail with punctuality and efficiency. Newman was “found out” when his bosses became suspicious following an outpouring of compliments regarding the sudden change in service level.

The Oregon Department of Education proposed three different models for Oregon school districts to choose from to best fit the needs of the population: In-person instruction, hybrid instruction, or comprehensive distance learning, and districts have until Aug. 15 to create an operational blueprint for reopening.

CRESWELL — The derelict motel that burned up over a year ago in Creswell is being turned into apartments as new owners draft plans for the 2.2-acre property just off Interstate 5. Before its purchase in June, the Super 8 Motel at 345 E. Oregon Ave. sat neglected, disheveled and burned. A pitiful eyesore and a prominent presence in town, the building attracted criminal mischief, squatting and subsequent routine police patrol for over a year and a half.

Creswell School district students will begin the 2020-21 school year under a comprehensive distance-learning program, Superintendent Mike Johnson announced Tuesday afternoon. “CSD, along with the majority of the school districts in Oregon, do not meet the requirements to reopen with in-person learning on campus therefore, we will begin the school year with Comprehensive Distance Learning (CDL),” he stated in message posted on the district website.

Howard Thurman, a world-renowned early 20th Century author, thought leader and civil rights pioneer, likely never saw an alpaca. But his words, published above and posted on the Aragon Alpacas website, have inspired Anne and Mike Dockendorf. The couple first encountered alpacas by happenstance on a weekend drive and were immediately smitten. Anne and Mike followed their passions and came to Oregon from California in 2007, finding a home for themselves, and a robust business breeding and boarding alpacas.