Make the McKenzie Connection!
Make the McKenzie Connection!
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“When the library burned, even the angels folded their wings and sulked.” Those words from a poem read by John Witte reflected the impact the loss of the O’Brien Memorial Library made. Yet, similar to “words flying off like seeds” in the flames of the Holiday Farm Fire, he noted, hope can “take root in the ashes, sprouting new trees, new leaves, new books.” The shoulder-to-shoulder crowd that packed the library Saturday afternoon echoed the feeling of rebirth. All were there to celebrate the...
On Tuesday, October 22, 2024, at about 8 a.m., detectives with the Lane County Sheriff’s Office served a search warrant at a residence in the 43000 block of McKenzie Hwy. The search warrant was the result of a months-long investigation by the Internet Crimes Against Children (ICAC) Task Force, focusing on child exploitation. The suspect, William Harold Berry III, was a registered sex offender on post-prison supervision for a prior felony conviction of Unlawful Penetration in the First Degree. Berry was arrested during the service of the w...
Oct. 10: 9:49 a.m: Suspicious Vehicle - McGowan Creek Rd. Mp. 7. A deputy responded to a report of a suspicious vehicle in the area, and determined it was a contractor working for an area timber company. 8:40 p.m: Suspicious Conditions - 38000 blk, Camp Creek Rd. Deputies responded to a report of police vehicles and a shooting. No area police agencies had matching calls. Investigation found evidence of a deer being poached at the location where shots were heard. 9:59 p.m: Suspicious Conditions – Hwy. 242 & Mp. 59 to 60. Suspicious object on t...
The climactic scene is the main thing people talk about in South Lane County when this movie comes up. It was literally a train wreck, although metaphorically, it was anything but. Buster wanted the movie's climax to involve a locomotive falling through a burning bridge into a river. With this in mind, although he borrowed the two main lakes from local logging shows, he purchased the third outright. He had plans for that third locomotive that probably would not be approved by its owner unless...
Tracy Joselson and her husband booked a Windstar cruise with a promised all-inclusive package. But then the cruise line takes away the package. Can they cancel their cruise? While my husband and I were on a recent Windstar cruise, we made reservations with the onboard cruise coordinator for a seven-night cruise to Costa Rica and Panama next year. As an incentive to sign up for a future cruise, the coordinator promised an additional shipboard credit of $100 per person, and at no extra cost, an...
EUGENE: This month the Lane County Board of Commissioners added their support for improved area communications by authorizing a $500,000 transfer to the Lane Council of Governments to support the McKenzie Broadband Intergovernmental Agreement. A staff report on the proposal noted that land-based internet service is already available on utility poles above ground that are exposed to disruption from natural hazards common in the Cascades such as snowstorms, windstorms, and wildfires. The report went on to add that “an added benefit of this p...
After last year’s success, they had to do it again. The Army Corps Of Engineers has released its 2024 giant Cats and Infrastructure calendar. Last year it was an internet sensation, going beyond being viral to being featured on TV talk shows. This year they decided to time the release of their calendar with National Cat Day and it appears to have a gentler approach, compared to last year, when giant cats appeared to be trying to destroy infrastructure. Also new to this year is a dog calendar. T...
Reality can get skewed when there are so many sources of information - books, magazines, newspapers, nurseries, and, most of all, the internet and social media open up lots of room for contradiction. So, how do you find the right answer to gardening questions? Experts from Oregon State University Extension Service stepped up to bust some common gardening myths. Read on to get some research-based answers to 10 common misconceptions. For additional questions, call the OSU Extension Master...
Close to 75 people turned out for a meeting at Fish Lake last week, including many of McKenzie River Ranger District employees. Besides camaraderie, there was plenty of maintenance work as well as restoration or replacement of structures to attend to. Part of the projects people took on included scraping and painting, fence replacement, and restoration of decayed log ends on the cabins. While that was underway, other work ranged from general cleaning of inside buildings, plumbing repair,...
The stage is set for a massive investment in Oregon’s plans to bring high-speed internet to everyone in the state. The second volume of Oregon’s Broadband Equity, Access, and Deployment proposal has been approved by the National Telecommunications and Information Administration, laying out its plan for investing nearly $700 million in federal funding. Nick Batz, Oregon Broadband office director says the goal is internet for all. “This is a historic investment. We’ve never seen this much money i...
On April 24, 2024, President Biden signed as part of a foreign aid package passed by Congress a law that could ban the video app TikTok. But can the federal government ban an entire social media platform or other form of communication? Or does that violate the First Amendment? Because it’s almost certain that one or more lawsuits will be filed, we explore whether banning TikTok violates the First Amendment. What does the TikTok law do? The law was originally proposed as HR 7521, the Protecting Americans from Foreign Adversary Controlled A...
EUGENE: EWEB reports it is modernizing utility infrastructure to enhance efficiency, reliability, and sustainability. The initiative includes upgrading to smart meters, which commenced in 2018, as part of ongoing efforts to improve service delivery and meet evolving industry standards. However, the utility says a small but vocal faction of smart grid opponents is obstructing EWEB’s ability to install the new meters on their properties, resorting to threats against utility workers and tactics t...
McKenzie Fire & Rescue is asking us to maintain current emergency responses by approving a levy of $1.05 per $1,000 assessed property value for five years starting in 2025. This would replace - not add on to the current levy of 60 cents per $1,000 which our community approved in 2018. There were 804 emergent calls to the stations during 2023! Fires, vehicle accidents, and medical assistance were responded to by skilled personnel- in all kinds of weather, day and night. These calls for help have more than doubled during the past ten years! Our...
Not every yard is suited for in-the-ground gardening. Sometimes containers or raised beds are better options. In rental situations or areas with poor or thin soil, garden space must sometimes be “created.” Internet articles often make both sound incredibly easy, possibly because the content creators were gardening in a different climate. Like many horticultural dilemmas, no one answer fits every situation. Considering the pros and cons from a variety of gardening perspectives may help the ind...
Reality can get skewed when there are so many sources of information – books, magazines, newspapers, nurseries, and, most of all, the internet and social media open up lots of room for contradiction. So, how do you find the right answer to gardening questions? Nine experts from Oregon State University Extension Service stepped up to bust some common gardening myths. Read on to get some research-based answers to 10 common misconceptions. MYTH: You should top a tree to control its height. R...
American robins are a favorite harbinger of spring, but most people take this ubiquitous Oregon native for granted. Though still abundant, robins are declining in urban settings and could use some help from homeowners. Oregon State University Extension Service wildlife experts encourage Oregonians to learn about these underappreciated native birds. They’ve developed the following information to help people foster robins in their landscape. * Robins (Turdus migratorius) seen in the winter months...
March 11: 11:19 a.m: Welfare Check - 55600 blk, McK. River Dr. 12:23 p.m: Attempt To Locate Drunk Driver - Marcola Rd. & Camp Creek Rd. 6:12 p.m: Criminal Mischief - 89500 blk, Douthit Dr. Fiber optic lines were cut, causing over $8,000 in damage. Criminals have continued to target these lines for scrap metal since the ice storm, causing severe disruptions to internet and phone service, including access to 911. Residents are encouraged to call in any suspicious activity around phone or power lines. March 12: 11:50 a.m: Citizen Contact - 91500...
RAINBOW: “We thought it would be a great idea to get together as a community and try to figure out what went wrong and what we could do better,” was the way Upper McKenzie Community Center president John Carlile kicked off a “Disaster Debriefing” last Saturday. He also detailed some challenges the organization faced when it was decided to open the building as a warming center following a severe ice storm that delivered a hard hit to the region. “All the redundancies that we thought were in p...
A COVID-era program allowed 22.5 million low-income households across the country to get discounts on internet services. But, the funds allocated for it are running out and if Congress doesn’t take action, the program may end this spring. The Affordable Connectivity Program, a high-speed internet initiative, provides discounts of $30 to $75 a month on internet bills. It also allows a one-time discount on the purchase of a laptop, desktop, or tablet computer. Oregon has received nearly $100 m...
Day before birthday, man survives 300-Foot plunge off Highway 20 SANTIAM PASS: A Salem man survived a morning crash last Thursday in the Santiam Pass area in which he lost control of his sport utility vehicle, crashed through a guardrail, and traveled approximately 300 feet down an embankment before coming to a stop. He was extricated from his vehicle and brought back up to the highway by fire and medical personnel before being transported for non-life-threatening injuries. According to Oregon S...
McKenzie Varsity Sports Schedule This Week The McKenzie Varsity Boys and Girls Varsity Basketball teams host Eddyville Charter on Tuesday, January 30 with the Boys game starting at 5:30 pm and the Girls following at 7:00 pm. The Eagle Boys team travel to Siletz Valley on Thursday, February 3 for a game tipping off at 6:00 pm. The McKenzie Girls game with Siletz Valley has been canceled. The McKenzie teams host Triangle Lake on Saturday, February 3. The Boys game will begin at Noon and the Girls game will follow, starting at 1:30 pm. Eagle...
Spfd schools Most Springfield schools were to open on Tuesday for students. Only three will remain closed: Thurston High and Briggs and Agnes Stewart Middle Schools. Briggs, All three were expected to have power by Monday evening. Staff were to report to BMS, ASMS, and THS on Tuesday to prepare for an anticipated return to school for students on Wednesday. Transportation staff drove bus routes on Monday to check for any safety hazards. Most bus routes will run as normal on Tuesday. District...
I work in a factory, and we have supervisors who play favorites. They have about six girls who can do no wrong, and they have easier jobs than the rest of us. These girls go out after work to bars, and that is why they are in with the supervisors. The boss over these supervisors will not do anything because his boss is the father of one of these supervisors. So long as “Daddy boss” is still there, this boss will not do anything. One girl played around and made the machinery malfunction for an...
My sister and I are very close, and we don't keep things from one another. Recently she shared with me concerns about her sex life, or lack thereof. She feels like there is something wrong with her because her husband is not attracted to her. They have been married for 15 years. A couple of weeks ago I was on the Internet and highlighted my brother-in-law's name to send him a message. Well, when I did a box appeared, and it stated where he was online. At first, it said he was in a bisexual...
Oregon will receive $157 million from the federal government to help connect about 17,000 homes and businesses to the internet, the White House announced Wednesday. The money, which comes from the $1.9 trillion pandemic relief package passed by Congress in 2021, follows an earlier allocation of $688 million for broadband in Oregon through the $1.2 trillion infrastructure law, also passed in 2021. “Between those two programs, I would expect that we’re going to get all Oregonians that are cur...
