Weekly Clips for Jan. 29

Hyper Local Highlights

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This week’s top headlines

By Ron Hartman – Reporter

Creswell’s Col. Richard ‘Dick’ Heyman dies at 101

Colonel Richard “Dick” Michael Heyman Jr.: May 25, 1924 – Jan. 25, 2026 Fighter pilot extraordinaire Colonel Richard “Dick” Michael Heyman Jr., 101, of Creswell, died on Sunday, Jan. 25,…

By Ashlin Sanderson

Teacher cuts hit hard in Springfield

SPRINGFIELD – Due to a $2.34 million budget deficit for the 2025-26 school year, Springfield Public Schools (SPS) will implement a massive staffing reduction effective Jan. 30, eliminating 36 positions,…

By Chronicle Staff Report

Freeze frame: Lane County faces cold front

Frost has been coating the southern Willamette Valley, with a record low of 18 degrees on Jan. 25. High temperatures have been hovering around the mid- to high-40s. Chronicle photographer…

By Chronicle Staff Report

Concerns of SPS voiced in letters to the editor

Springfield School Board needs a reset Dear Editor: In a close 3–2 vote, the Springfield Board of Education approved a $2.34 million midyear reduction-in-force that will eliminate 27 licensed full-time-equivalent…

By Ashlin Sanderson

$5K awarded for Creswell Museum roof

CRESWELL – The Creswell Area Historical Society received a $5,000 grant from the Weyerhaeuser Giving Fund to go toward the museum’s new roof.In late 2025, the building at 55 N.…

By Chronicle News Service

FEMA updates flood maps, opens appeal period

LANE COUNTY – The Federal Emergency Management Agency last week announced it has revised preliminary flood maps for Lane County and the Cities of Creswell, Cottage Grove, Eugene, and Springfield.…

In case you missed it…

Robotics team earns 3rd in state event

Seventh grader Madeline Hatfield practices running her robotics program before the big competition. ASHLIN SANDERSON / THE CHRONICLE

SPRINGFIELD – A group of seventh graders in the Springfield area has been building a functioning robot out of Legos, motors, and a sensor since last August. Last Saturday, they put their work to the test for the 2025-26 Intel Oregon FIRST LEGO Challenge Championship Tournament in Hillsboro.

The six children in the Springfield Robotics Club come from neighboring schools, including Pleasant Hill, Kennedy, and charter schools in Cottage Grove. Christy Stone, their coach, said they typically join because their school does not have its own robotics team. They meet after school to design, program, and test their robots’ abilities.

Seventh-grader Madeline Hatfield expressed concerns about working in a shared space where other teams also build robots.

“One time I came and found my entire set completely apart, and some of the pieces completely missing,” Hatfield said. “I was so mad because some of those pieces you only have one of.”