Make the McKenzie Connection!
Make the McKenzie Connection!
Sorted by date Results 1001 - 1025 of 1818
MCKENZIE BRIDGE: The McKenzie River Ranger District has a number of projects up for consideration for the future, ranging from work along Deer Creek to improvements at the Clear Lake Resort. At Deer Creek the project calls for re-routing the McKenzie River Trail out of the floodplain, using the 761-spur road and a installing new hiking bridge over the McKenzie River. It would also involve placement of boulders in strategic locations to protect riparian/wetland resources and limit vehicle access. Along Forest Service Roads 1501 and 1500104...
The Emergency Broadband Benefit is an FCC program to help families and households struggling to afford internet service during the COVID-19 pandemic. This new benefit will connect eligible households to jobs, critical healthcare services, virtual classrooms, and so much more. "We need to use all available tools to get 100% of us connected in this country and this program is an essential part of making that happen." Acting Chairwoman Jessica Rosenworcel The Emergency Broadband Benefit will...
"This is going to be directly infused into the community on the fire department's behalf," said Upper McKenzie Fire Chief Rainbow Plews. She was commenting after accepting a $150,000 check to help rebuild after the Holiday Farm Fire. "We are going to be looking at a long-term recovery effort starting with land acquisition in Blue River to start a new station," Plews added. "We lost everything there and this is going to go directly to that effort." The money was part of what Lane County agencies...
The Vida McKenzie Community Center is putting its fundraising efforts in high gear by inviting locals and “not so locals” to support the VMCC’s efforts to rebuild after the Holiday Farm Fire. From now until May 1st, people can order Butter Braids for $14. What does the money buy? According to organizers Gerry Aster, Walt Wilson, Tammy Pelton, Sherry Jones, Kim Esser or Kelly Gustafson you’ll receive a frozen pastry to rise at home, then bake and feed up to twenty people. The patries come in various flavors and can last in a freezer for up to s...
With juvenile chinook and sockeye salmon, as well as juvenile steelhead, beginning their migration from the Northwest tributaries and hatcheries, but with very low water in the river due to a late spring runoff, salmon managers have asked for augmentation flows. The managers asked hydro operators at the April 21st, interagency Technical Management Team meeting to raise flows from Chief Joseph Dam, just downstream of Grand Coulee, to 90,000 cubic feet per second beginning Monday, April 26th, through Saturday, May 2nd, to ensure the speedy outmig...
SANTIAM PASS: Snow, ice and poor rock were blamed for trapping a man attempting to scale the South Sister last Monday. According to the Deschutes County Sheriff's Office, the 49-year-old Beaverton man was climbing alone up the north side of the South Sister when he found himself in a precarious location. Stephen Lamb told the 911 operator he was unable to either continue up and or climb back down the mountain. Snow, ice and poor rock were preventing him from move away from a small ledge in very...
FINN ROCK: A 33-year-old Portland man was arrested last Friday after Oregon State Police and Lane County deputies were dispatched to McKenzie High School when a stolen vehicle was reported nearby. After an OSP Trooper cleared the area, he was contacted by school staff who had reviewed security footage and noticed the adult male associated with the stolen vehicle had earlier entered the main hallway of the building. Several staff members also reported seeing the subject wandering around the...
FINN ROCK: Students from McKenzie School District have partnered with Sheds of Hope, Lane Education Service District, and Northwest Youth Corps to build replacement sheds for people who lost a structure in the Holiday Farm Fire. The students will earn graduation credit in math and fine arts (construction). Now, nine students are working on the 8-foot x 8 foot sheds assembled as kits at the McKenzie River Community School shop. When completed, the sheds will be delivered to a property site for...
Groups are urging Northwest leaders to act on U.S. Rep. Mike Simpson's infrastructure and Snake River dam proposal. The plan would breach the four lower Snake River dams to help salmon, whose numbers have dwindled for years. It aims to restore what American Rivers calls in a report out this week, "the most endangered river in the country." Brett VandenHeuvel, executive director of Columbia Riverkeeper, said Northwest lawmakers are in leadership positions in Congress and the Biden administration...
EUGENE: In a five to zero vote last week, the Lane County Board of Commissioners moved to not collect permit fees for people rebuilding after the Holiday Farm Fire. The fee waivers will be in effect for five years. In explaining the waiver program, Land Management Divis-ion manager Keir Miller said, “The permits that would be waived would include all building permits, including electrical inspections, mechanical permits, anything associated with replacement of a dwelling, as well as associated septic permits for on site sanitation systems t...
“I’m feeling fantastic,” was Richard Hiatt;s reaction shortly after getting his second dose of the pfizer COVID-19 vaccine. He added that, “I’m pretty excited to be able to come to my own community to get it,” after having to go to Eugene initially to get his first shot. Julie Felix, a retired RN working at the Finn Rock site said, “This was a great opportunity to put my nursing skills to work again.” She and her husband, also a retired nurse and a Search & Rescue member both volunteers, alo...
Four Oregon business associations stepped up to raise funds to provide community-level support for displaced families and devastated businesses following the state’s 2020 wildfires. To date, the Oregon Business Wildfire Relief Fund – a joint effort of Oregon Business & industry (OBI), the Oregon State Chamber of Commerce (OSCC), the Oregon Business Council and the Oregon Bankers Association – has raised more than $180,000 from individuals, companies and associations in locations throughout Oregon – and the entire United States. “Oregon...
A half-year after the Holiday Farm Fire, volunteers from the Cascade Relief Team has racked up an impressive list of accomplishments. In addition to the huge amount of donated labor direct expenses have ranged from items like $18,000 in disposal costs to almost $4,000 in fuel or from $16,000 in rental fees to over $6,000 for asbestos removal. Although the Blue Rover project is moving forward an additional $12,00 is needed for anticipated disposal costs. People wishing to make a donation can go...
Oregonians have opportunities this month to find out how to protect themselves from fraud. The Oregon Scam Jam is taking place virtually each Friday this month, starting April 9. Doug Shadel, the AARP Washington state director and a former assistant attorney general in that state, is hosting the first session. He said the most common scams right now involve the COVID-19 vaccine. "It ranges from, 'We can get you an appointment tomorrow, but you've got to give us your personal information,' and...
Della Cantrell was at the coast when the Holiday Farm Fire started along the McKenzie River. It was a full week before she found out what happened to her house near Finn Rock, the one she bought to be close to her daughter and son-in-law (and, eventually, her first grandbaby), the one she'd spent 6 months remodeling with new hardwood floors and quartz countertops, the one with the sunny deck overlooking a side channel of the McKenzie River where she'd lived for just two and a half years. She...
LEABURG LAKE: The Oregon Dept. of Fish & Wildlife's Restoration and Enhancement Board has awarded a $20,000 grant to the McKenzie River Discovery Center for the restoration/conversion of the old hatchery pond into a community fishing pond. The money has been earmarked to provide increased angling and education/outreach opportunities for youth, the McKenzie River community, and underserved populations, as well as urban families. It will be used to create a safe place and controlled environment for anglers to catch stocked trout. Other goals of...
LEABURG: The eastbound lane of Hwy. 126 was blocked until 3:30 p.m. following a single vehicle wreck on April 31st. According to Oregon State Police reports the non-injury wreck happened at approximately 6:13 am, near milepost 20, when a westbound semi towing a trailer loaded with bags of sugar left the roadway and rolled onto its right side. Police said the operator displayed signs of impairment and consented to field sobriety tests that also indicated impairment. Douglas Roy Holliday, 51, was...
Seven businesses nominated by community members and the McKenzie River Chamber of Commerce have been recognized for the help they freely gave after September’s Holiday Farm Wildfire. $500 checks were give to five businesses: McKenzie Feed & Tackle owners Chris and Michelle Wright were nominated by Fire Chief, Darin Bucich. Darin said “once we felt we had control of the fire, at least around the houses, I assigned several of my crews to access the needs of the homes that had to be evacuated. We...
A $300,000 OVERCOME grant from US Ignite, the National Science Foundation, and Schmidt Futures has been approved to improve McKenzie Valley internet access. The program was designed to support underserved communities via novel broadband technology solutions. “Rural communities continue to see a lack of internet services, critical not only for basic daily tasks but also for emergency preparedness and recovery,” said East Lane County Commissioner, Heather Buch. “The OVERCOME grant provides an opportunity for consistent, reliable internet for the...
Within days after it was safe to enter fire-impacted areas, EWEB, McKenzie River Trust, McKenzie Watershed Council, and the Upper Willamette Soil & Water Conservation District, along with other Pure Water Partners, began working with landowners to identify high priority properties for intervention and stabilize them until the EPA and state agencies could respond to remove and dispose of the hazardous waste, ash/debris, asbestos, and other materials. In addition, the Pure Water Partners worked...
Orchid Health, which acquired the McKenzie River Clinic, has been named one of the “100 Best Companies to Work For” by Oregon Business Magazine. Companies make the list based on the scores from confidential surveys completed by employees who ranked aspects of their organization from corporate culture, to leadership, benefits, and more. Orchid Health ranked 29th overall for mid-sized companies. “Our organization’s wide-spread recognition is a testament to our first company pillar: Employee Happiness,” said Executive Director and Co-Founder Orion...
"A mentor once told me everything is about relationships," Ron Alexander told a courtyard full of people who agreed with that observation. He was speaking at a retirement party honoring his 33-year career working for the United Parcel Service. Reading from a book of memories submitted by people who came to know him, Alyssa Brownlee made it clear he will be missed. "He's a constant source of positivity and light in our world," was the way one woman explained why he was more than just a delivery...
Lane County no longer requires preregistration to schedule a COVID-19 vaccine appointment for those who are eligible. When you are eligible under Oregon Health Authority guidelines, you can go directly to the Lane County Vaccine Clinic website and check for an appointment. To schedule an appointment for a first or second dose: You must be eligible under currently Oregon Health Authority guidelines. If you are unsure, please visit https://covidvaccine.oregon.gov/#prioritization. Complete the scheduling form, including choosing first or second...
FINN ROCK: “It felt okay, it was just a tiny sting,” was Ellen Wilson’s just after getting her first coronavirus vaccination. She said she wasn’t apprehensive before getting her shot at Sunday’s clinic inside the McKenzie High School gym. “I’m very thankful this was available,” she added. “I wouldn’t have missed it for anything.” She was 615 other people walking around with sore arms this week after receiving a vaccination at either the school or at the McKenzie Fire & Rescue station in Lea...
A strategy for boosting salmon and steelhead numbers in the Columbia/Snake river basins supported by the Northwest Power and Conservation Council in its Fish and Wildlife Program, as well as by Northwest Tribes, is to reintroduce the fish into habitats where salmonids once existed historically but are now blocked by high head dams. Known as trap and haul, capturing fish below a dam and transporting them into, hopefully pristine habitat upstream, is one mechanism for expanding salmonids' ranges....
