EMMA ROUTLEY/THE CHRONICLELeft, Anni Piper performs at the Village Green Resort in Cottage Grove during the inaugural Blues Festival.  COTTAGE GROVE – Aussie-born blues artist Anni Piper’s rebellious spirit seems like a nice fit here in Oregon. “People in the Pacific Northwest don’t give…

Photo courtesy of EWEBLeaburg Canal runs full all winter with stormwater runoff complicating the future of the canal for both power generation and stormwater conveyance. The Leaburg Dam and the Leaburg Canal Project, built by the Eugene Water and Electric Board during the 1930s, have…

PHOTO BY EMMA ROUTLEY/THE CHRONICLE … Air quality is at dangerous levels in the southern Willamette Valley. The direction from area medical experts could not be clearer: Stay indoors as much as possible. And if you must go out, make it brief and wear a…

Smoke from the McKenzie River fires devastates the valley on Sept. 8. BOB WILLIAMS/FOR THE CHRONICLE Thousands of Oregonians have been evacuated due to wildfires, and those who fled to safety are in shock from the loss of their homesteads, their pets, and their missing…

A sad pup and its owner at Thurston High School, which is being used as an emergency center for those affected by the McKenzie River fires that began Sept. 7. Between 80-100 homes and businesses are expected to be lost, and loss of life is…

Somewhere along the way, alleys picked up a bad reputation. “Don’t get caught in a dark alley,” is a saying many can picture in their mind as a thing to avoid, having a clandestine, shady, or even dangerous aspect. They have been around for a long time…

Nick and his son practice poses – a family tradition. Whether you’re deeply in or have brushed up against the fitness or bodybuilding world in the lower Willamette Valley, you have probably heard the name Nick The Trainer Dude. “NTTD” is Nick Hammond, a longtime…