Lorane: A new start and an old writing style

Noel Nash, the new owner and publisher of The Creswell Chronicle, asked me to drop by the office the other day to discuss what new and exciting changes they are planning for the paper. Part of his plan involves my column, ”Sweet Lorane Community News.” I welcome his suggestions because they will lift the onus of having to make upcoming events seem interesting each week.
Future issues will include an events calendar for the Lorane and Crow areas next to my column so I don’t have to include them unless they are something I wish to discuss in more detail. I am being encouraged to ”write from the heart” for the actual content of my contributions. This is the kind of writing that I have always loved to do and it is what seems to flow naturally once I get started. My most recent columns about Jim’s and my struggles and our trip to the East Coast have apparently been well-received and Noel is encouraging me to continue to write, not only about personal issues, but about life in general, current events, nostalgia and even local history.
I am excited to be able to explore what I can come up with. I am well aware that my best writing is that which comes naturally – that seems to flow from my fingers. The drawback to this is that there may be times when it just doesn’t happen. In this case, I’ve been assured that I can take off a week or so occasionally.
The column won’t necessarily be about Lorane each time, but much of it will be and I’m really looking forward to spreading my wings a bit on a regular basis.
With that said, I want to mention again a very important meeting for the Lorane area that is Thursday, June 20, at 8 p.m. Members of the Lane County Department of Transportation will be meeting with the public at the Lorane Grange to discuss the plans and ramifications of the realignment of the seven miles of Territorial Highway between Gillespie Corners and Lorane. As anyone knows who has driven that section, the road is narrow, curvy and has no shoulders. The fog lines are right at the edge of the pavement, which immediately slopes down into a ditch on both sides.
For years, the major uphill curves of Stony Point have been dropping – giving way under the weight of traffic heading south. That section of the formerly state-owned and maintained road has, for years, needed to be filled and repaved often to keep the low, sinking pavement level with the rest of the surface.
Lane County has taken over the ownership and maintenance of Territorial Highway and has received a large, multi-million-dollar grant that will pay for needed work on Territorial – much of it dedicated to the Lorane project.
Be sure and attend the meeting if you have any questions or concerns about what is being planned. A lot of us will be impacted by the process.