Oct 5 2020 thru Oct 11 2020

To best help families with their childcare needs during this trying time, Willamalane is asking for community input to best shape their child-care programs by assessing their current needs. “We want to ensure that our childcare programs continue to meet the needs of our community, especially as those needs may rapidly shift this season,” said Caitlin Esping, Willamalane Youth Programs Supervisor.

The late erudite news anchor, Peter Jennings, once said, “Presidents come and go, usually doing less good than you hoped they might, and less harm than you feared they could.” My first lesson in political science came in the seventh grade at a Friday school assembly. Two candidates earnestly spoke about rights, obligations, reform and giving voice to the unrepresented. The only platform the third candidate ran on was a promise to bring chocolate milk to the student cafeteria. Chocolate milk won in a landslide.

City Manager Nancy Newton has selected use-of-force expert Rick Braziel to lead an investigation and review into events surrounding a protest in Thurston on July 29. Braziel is on contract through Jan. 31, 2021 to complete this work. Newton ordered an external review to provide an impartial evaluation – a critical step to provide clarity, understanding, and meaningful change, she said.

Cottage Grove Mayor Jeff Gowing was born under the sun sign Sagittarius during the lunar Year of the Ox. Ox-born individuals are strong leaders who seek to influence change in the world. They are determined warriors who lean toward careers in military service, government, politics, and leadership of any type. Linda LaZar, an expert in Chinese astrology, will focus on the signs of area candidates. This is the first of the series.

A flyover of Lane County leaves little doubt that fall has come to western Oregon. The rain that fell last week broke the cycle of summer-like days into late September. More rain and cooler temperatures are in this weekend’s weather forecast, too. Over on the Lane County coast most anglers have turned their attention to chasing the fall chinook salmon that are staged throughout the Siuslaw River estuary, with the largest concentration of chinook upstream of Cushmen. The forecasted rainfall will move some of those salmon further up the estuary to Mapleton and into the lower river near Tide, where they will finally become reachable to bank anglers and pontoon floaters.

“The show must go on” has never been more apt as a group of local high school students from Eugene and Springfield came together for a socially distanced performance at the Fifth Street Market on Oct. 4. The group, called The Nonstop Players, is made up of students Matthew Michaels, Siena Staunau-Reicher, Wilder Teague, Jordan Andreasen, Stefan Schroffner Jr., Wyatt Tubbs, and Riley Giben. Directed by Karen Olson and Vocal Director Jeanette Engel, their mission is to bring “happiness and normalcy” back to the community, according to Schroffner and the show was completely free.

Robert Baguio says he’s always been an “idea guy,” with all kinds of cool and practical products popping into his head. His latest idea is more than just a passing fancy – he already has taken it to market in a matter of weeks. “It’s moved really fast,” Baguio said Sunday. “It’s important to not only have a great idea, but then getting it quickly into the marketplace is crucial.”

Ruth Linoz, running for a seat in the state House of Representatives, stressed fiscal accountability and personal responsibility during her appearance at the candidate rountable Tuesday, Sept. 29. The interactive session is the third this year, and is sponsored by the Springfield Area Chamber of Commerce and the Government Issues and Economic Development committees. Linoz (R, D-12) is challenging incumbent Democrat John Lively.

Extra help is available for students at Creslane Elementary School and Creswell Middle School. The middle school is offering a new club, “Opportunity to Improve,” for students who need extra help completing their assignments, and they can get help from three certified staff members.

Police Chief Rick Lewis asked city councilors for feedback regarding in-car video cameras to complement officers’ body cameras. “We recognized the value of what you see with it that you won’t with a body-worn camera,” Lewis said, adding that the main goal is accountability and transparency. The conversation was a continuation of June’s council decision to move forward with money for body cameras. During the department’s research, Lewis said that in-car video cameras benefits were repeatedly demonstrated and he felt it was an “important” addition.

Ahhhh. The early 1990s. Everything felt pretty new and exciting as a young journalist, working in the sports department at The Palm Beach Post, and starting a marriage and a family all at the same time. At The Post, we considered ourselves the upstarts, competing with the more-established, larger daily newspapers in Miami and Fort Lauderdale. We were a little farther away from the pro franchises in Miami – the Dolphins and Heat – and had to work a little harder to cover them better for our community. The Post was the fastest-growing major daily newspaper in America at the time, and we wanted to perform at the highest levels – and be judged the same way.

A group of friends and family of Bob Ehler joined Cottage Grove officials down by the City Corporate Yard for remembrance and to unveil the bicycle repair station named in his honor. Ehler, who was serving as City Councilor for Ward 2, passed away May 10 this year after a battle with cancer. In addition to his many civic contributions, he was especially proud of wearing the star of the Bohemia City Marshall. As Mayor Jeff Gowing was speaking he mentioned Ehler was a natural for the marshall’s role because, “For him he didn’t have to dress up because that’s kinda the way he was every day.”

Only three months before his term was to expire, Creswell Mayor Richard Zettervall resigned Sept. 30, citing adversarial responses to an equity resolution he and city councilors were discussing the past few months. “I now feel unable to represent the city council and the Creswell citizens due to all the negativity that the equity and inclusion conversation has created,” Zettervall said in his resignation email to city staff. The equity topic was first discussed with optimism at a July council meeting, prompted by community member Shelly Clark, now a city council candidate. In a letter, she asked city leaders to consider clarifying their views on race, white supremacy and social justice.

April 19, 1923 – June 9, 2020

Sept. 15, 1927 – Sept. 29, 2020

June 29, 1939 – Sept. 13, 2020

June 26, 1920 – Sept. 24, 2020

March 15, 1947 – Sept. 29, 2020

Aug. 1, 1932 – Sept. 27, 2020

June 20, 1931 – Sept. 30, 2020

The weekly newspaper, led by executive editor Erin Tierney, competed against larger weekly and daily newspapers in the annual journalism contest this year due to the pandemic.