Make the McKenzie Connection!

Articles from the March 28, 2024 edition


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  • McKenzie district signs "Split-Load" deal with loggers

    Mar 28, 2024

    FINN ROCK: One solution to the challenge of hiring and retaining bus drivers - locally and regionally - got underway this month. Dubbed “Split-Load,” the new program has more than doubled the number of district vehicles on the road and provided a new income source for school financing. “In addition, it has created a new training program for students,” according to a press release from the district, “as well as taking some of the stigma away from those who are seen riding a ‘short bus.’” On r...

  • Fish on drugs more likely to drop out of schools

    Mar 28, 2024

    CARMEN SMITH RESERVOIR: This month, an inventory of local fish populations took a turn for the extraordinary at the eastern end of the McKenzie Valley. Researchers from the Oregon Department of Fish & Wildlife’s fish health lab had noticed strange behaviors and increased mortality in several rainbow trout. Anglers had found the live fish floating in the Carmen Smith Reservoir. Initial tests didn’t detect any typical pathogens. By chance, one researcher forwarded their samples to the Oregon Sta...

  • Tortoise theft leaves hatchery shell-shocked

    Mar 28, 2024

    LEABURG: “Waldo,” a key attraction on the grounds of the Leaburg Fish Hatchery, has gone missing. Long thought to be one of the offspring of specimens brought back by naturalist Charles Darwin’s historic voyage to the Galápagos Islands, Waldo’s long legs helped him climb some small hills at the Leaburg Hatchery when searching out areas to stretch his neck to eat from shrubs and bushes. On one of those hills, hatchery staff discovered tracks from a vehicle. They led away from a spot where Wa...

  • Anti-apathy rally draws small crowd

    Mar 28, 2024

    WALTERVILLE: Community involvement has exhibited low interest with an ongoing downward trend. A list of recent disappointments has included: The Vida Fortune Tellers Group canceled this month due to unforeseen circumstances. An Act of God forced the cancellation of the Nimrod Atheists Club’s March meeting. The Solipsist Society scheduled an April 1st meeting at 7 p.m., but attendance would neither be taken nor known. And, the Time Travelers Rally will be held in Finn Rock last Wednesday at 6 a...

  • McKenzie Pass is getting an upgrade

    Mar 28, 2024

    OLD MCKENZIE PASS: Crews have already begun working on a project to improve conditions for drivers and cyclists using Hwy. 242. The resurfacing work extends between the Dee Wright Observatory and U.​S. Route 20. It will include rebuilding degraded or substandard shoulders and bike lanes, removing safety hazards, updating some ADA curb ramps, and replacing or repairing signs and warning systems throughout the corridor. The project also involves the installation of more accessible bathrooms at C...

  • 2023: A historic year of U.S. billion-dollar weather

    Mar 28, 2024

    Following January’s “Iceathon” winter storm, Governor Tina Kotek requested as much as $48 million in federal major disaster relief for Benton, Clackamas, Coos, Hood River, Lane, Lincoln, Linn, Multnomah, Sherman, Tillamook, and Wasco counties, along with the Confederated Tribes of Siletz Indians. That figure pales in comparison to the National Oceanic and Atmospheric’s 2023 billion-dollar disaster report, which confirms a historic year in the number of costly disasters and extremes through...

  • News Briefs

    Mar 28, 2024

    Dental care People in Veneta, Mapleton, Junction City, Cottage Grove, Florence, Creswell, Dexter, and the McKenzie area have benefitted from an outreach program for oral health care. Every second Tuesday of the month, the Tiny Dental Van stops in at the Orchid McKenzie River Clinic in Rainbow. Sponsored by the Rural Oregon Outreach Program, a first visit will include a patient assessment, intraoral photos, teeth cleaning, charting, and X-rays. To schedule new patient appointments or teeth...

  • JP Doodles

    Barry McWilliams|Mar 28, 2024

  • McKenzie Sports Report - March 28

    Cliff Richardson|Mar 28, 2024

    McKenzie Varsity Sports Schedule This Week The McKenzie Varsity Track and Field teams will participate in the Aaron and Marie Jones Invitational track meet on Saturday, April 6. The AMJ Invite will be held at the Aaron and Marie Jones Community Track, with field events starting at 10:00 am and track events beginning at 11:00 am. McKenzie Community Track and Field host the AMJ Invite. McKenzie Track Opens Season At Reedsport McKenzie's Varsity Track and Field teams opened their 2024 season down South on the Oregon Coast last Thursday, March 14....

  • Central Oregon's range wars were all about shooting sheep

    Finn J.D. John|Mar 28, 2024

    Signs and threats like the “COMITEE” warnings in the Klickitat Valley showed that this threat was being taken very seriously. Fortunately, though, the worst-case scenario was very rare. There were a few sheepherders who insisted on their right to plunder the public domain regardless of how the neighbors felt about it; but on the Western frontier, disagreements like this had a tendency to get worked out with fists and sometimes pistols. Overall, everyone grumbled, but they all managed to coe...

  • With the right care, asparagus beds will last decades

    Kym Pokorny|Mar 28, 2024

    Growing asparagus requires patience—from planting to harvest, it takes two to three years—but the wait is well worth the reward. Homegrown asparagus is one of the earliest vegetables of spring. Its quality is much better than store-bought spears and less expensive. Once established, this vegetable is easy to grow. And asparagus is beautiful. A member of the lily family, its fern-like foliage turns from green to gold in fall and can be a backdrop to chrysanthemums or other late-season flo...

  • Sheriff's Report - March 28

    Mar 28, 2024

    March 16: 9:43 a.m: Disturbance, Dispute - 90400 blk, Mountain View Ln. A deputy contacted a neighbor who had questions regarding their property line dispute, which was determined to be a civil issue. March 17: 10:38 a.m: Motor Vehicle Accident, Unknown Injury - 90700 blk, Hill Rd. 10:50 a.m: Abandoned Vehicle - 91100 blk, Hill Rd. 2:00 p.m: Motor Vehicle Accident, Unknown Injury - 89100 blk, Marcola Rd. 4:16 p.m: Assist Oregon State Police - 42800 blk, Leaburg Dr. 5:48 p.m: Stranded Boater - 44500 blk, McK. Hwy. Fire personnel responded to a...

  • OSP Report - March 28

    Mar 28, 2024

    March 22: 21:14: Assault, Domestic – Hwy. 126 E, Milepost 36. Troopers received a report of a domestic disturbance with possible kidnapping. One involved party called in screaming on the phone and indicated they were in distress. A third party also called in, reporting similar concerns. After a multi-agency alert and investigation, the involved parties were located, an investigation was conducted, and the original allegations were unfounded. Complainant: 36-year-old female from Sherwood. March 25: 19:19: Driving Under the Influence of I...

  • McK Fire Report - March 28

    Mar 28, 2024

    March 18: 13:05: 37000 block, Worth Rd. Medical, General. Patient Assessed, Refusal Obtained. 13:29: 44000 blk, McK. Hwy. Medical, Trauma. Patient Assessed, Refusal Obtained. March 20: 14:05: 900 blk, 63rd St. Medical, General. Canceled On Scene. 14:16: 7000 blk, Thurston Rd Medical, General. Canceled On Scene. 19:48: 88000 blk, Miller Ave Medical, General. Patient Assessed, 1 Transported. March 21: 15:19: 9000 blk, Thurston Rd. Medical, General. Patient Assessed, Refusal Obtained. March 22: 2:22: 44000 blk, McK. Hwy. Medical, Heart. Deceased....

  • Upper McK Fire Report - March 28

    Mar 28, 2024

    March 25: 15:48: Medical – 48000 block, McK. Hwy. Male, Conscious, Breathing....

  • SHAKESPEARE

    Mar 28, 2024

    ACROSS 1. Type of help center 6. Fake tooth 9. What geysers do 13. Lagoon wall 14. Acronym, in brief 15. Syrup producer 16. Papal court 17. It often comes with Aloha! 18. External 19. *Richard III: "A horse! A horse! My ____ for a horse!" 21. *Romeo and Juliet: "Parting is such sweet ____" 23. Animal's nose 24. Fail to mention 25. Capone's family 28. *Hamlet: "O, this is the poison of ____ grief" 30. Soap froth 35. Iris holder 37. "He ____, She Said" 39. ____ Apso 40. Cheap form of payment? 41....

  • SHAKESPEARE - Solution

    Mar 28, 2024

  • Sudoku, March 28

    Mar 28, 2024

  • Sudoku, March 28 - Solution

    Mar 28, 2024

  • Time Enough

    Wayne and Tamara Mitchell|Mar 28, 2024

    I am 36 and exclusively dating someone, 41, for almost a year now. I feel, given our age, we should have enough experience to know whether we would like to pursue a serious relationship. When I ask my boyfriend about a future commitment, which means he wants me in his future and is committed to making it work, his response is, "Let's take it slow." Frankly, I don't know how much slower I can take it. I am not insinuating marriage or even living together. I would like to know if he is committed t...

  • Vrbo promised to cover my $21,014 rental bill in Hawaii. Why won't it?

    Christopher Elliott|Mar 28, 2024

    When Cheryl Mander's Vrbo rental in Hawaii is uninhabitable, the rental platform agrees to cover her new accommodations. But then it backs out. What happened? My family and I recently rented a house through Vrbo for a vacation stay in Hawaii. When we entered the home, we were immediately hit with a strong smell of mold. Upon further inspection, we took pictures of black mold on the smoke detector, the pictures hanging on the walls, the shower stall, and the windowsills. One of the members of my...

  • AAA homeowner's insurance problem: They never told me I had to fix the roof!

    Christopher Elliott|Mar 28, 2024

    Jan Hustler lost her AAA homeowner's insurance because she didn't repair her roof on time. But the company didn't tell her about the requirement until it was too late. Can she get her insurance coverage back? Q: I recently received a notification from AAA, my home insurance company, that it would not renew my coverage for this year. The reason? The AAA underwriting department said my roof had "exceeded its useful life” and needed to be replaced by September. AAA said I could reapply for a h...