Cottage Grove claims the title, “Covered Bridge Capital of the West,” in part since it has one of the highest concentrations of covered bridges in this area while also possessing the only covered railroad bridge west of the Mississippi River. Local business leaders working under…

Safe burning practices key to fire protection ■ May is Wildfire Awareness Month, which is a great time to trim trees, bushes, and tidy up plants around your home that could catch fire. This is what we call creating a “defensible space” around your home…

“We honor the dead by helping the living,” said Bob Beck commander of the Creswell VFW during Monday’s Memorial Day ceremony. Willamette Leadership Academy Veterans look onward during the Springfield ceremony. The 73rd annual Memorial Day Ceremony was hosted by the Springfield American Legion Post…

The Port of Siuslaw on a recent spring day, about what you would expect. By September the port is normally bustling but a recent ruling by the ODFW has closed salmon fishing in the bay and river for the entire 2022 season. The Port of…

The Creswell High School jazz band performs this past Tuesday in its spring concert. Cardenas CRESWELL – Gonzalo Cardenas no longer looks at his trombone as a “big slidey thing.”  “On the first day of band we had to choose instruments,” Cardenas recalled Tuesday, May…

On a cold, windy and rainy day, the 2022 Rainy Day Blues Festival was moved from Island Park in Springfield to Mac’s in Eugene, and the festival was a smash hit.  Only days before the event, there was talk of canceling the festival after Rainy…

For just the second time since the Covid shutdown, members of the Cottage Grove community gathered on Monday, May 30 at the historic Armory to honor local veterans in a ceremony marking Memorial Day. As in the past, the remembrance was a joint effort by…

Ike Olsson, co-owner of the Drifters, and Tim Hertzog, project manager, oversee last-minute touches to the field last week before the wooden-bat team’s home opener. “We’ve got a lot of guys that want to prove themselves,” said Richards, who will lead the Drifters into their…

Burglary suspect assaults neighbor, attempts to flee   ■ Watchful neighbors on Valentine Ct. in Springfield called the Lane County Sheriff’s Office late Thursday night about three unknown people actively stealing from an adjacent property. The bystanders confronted the suspects and one bystander was tossed…