Make the McKenzie Connection!
Make the McKenzie Connection!
Sorted by date Results 476 - 500 of 1812
The Oregon Housing and Community Services (OHCS) announced this week the approval of 34 new homeownership development projects that will lead to the creation of 337 new affordable homes. The goal is to increase homeownership opportunities of low- to moderate-income people and families in rural and urban communities over the next three years. In Blue River, a wildfire recovery area, Local Innovation and Fast Track (LIFT) funds will support a new community land trust (CLT) created by a group of residents with a mission to build affordable housing...
A wet winter is likely to delay wildfires, but ongoing drought in eastern Oregon could make for a worse fire season east of the Cascades, Gov. Tina Kotek and state fire officials said Tuesday. Kotek’s press briefing came just ahead of a forecasted heat wave bringing temperatures in the 90s to the Willamette Valley later this week. “Even this week, we are seeing how quickly the weather can turn hot and dry,” she said. “Oregonians should prepare for fire season. Prepare your yard, have an evacuat...
The Willamette National Forest is beginning prescribed burning across approximately 600 acres in the next few weeks, depending on how weather and fuels conditions develop. Officials say fire managers will be closely monitoring temperature, humidity, and winds to ensure specific conditions are met, and prescribed burns will only be implemented if all parameters are in accordance with the developed burn plans. They’ll also be working with State Smoke Management Forecasters to ensure favorable smoke management conditions, and to limit smoke i...
Finding a young wild animal alone does not mean that it’s been abandoned or orphaned, so leave them where you find them. The advice you are likely to hear if you pick up or bring young wildlife home is “put it back,” and you might get a warning or citation from Oregon State Police, too. Removing an animal from the wild is illegal under Oregon wildlife laws. (ORS 497.308 – No person shall remove from its natural habitat or acquire and hold in captivity any live wildlife in violation of the wildli...
A new survey found older Oregonians are concerned about the cost of living in many aspects of their lives. The Vital Voices research program from AARP dove into issues affecting Oregonians age 45 and older. Bandana Shrestha, state director for AARP Oregon, said the cost of health care and housing top the list of topics on people's minds. "One big takeaway from the survey is that Oregonians are really feeling affordability and the economic pressures in all aspects of their lives," Shrestha...
Everyone at the Oregon Capitol knew how an April committee vote on legislative Democrats’ sweeping measure to expand access to abortion and gender-affirming care would go. Democrats who hold the majority in the Legislature believe voters gave them a mandate to pass House Bill 2002, which would protect medical providers from prosecution for providing reproductive health care or gender-affirming care. Republicans adamantly opposed it, focusing most of their ire on provisions in the bill a...
The annual report and election of officers for McKenzie Valley Wellness (MVW) were on the agenda but blueprints took center stage at the non-profit’s meeting last Tuesday. “Our five-year vision is the McKenzie Valley region is sustainably renewed and rebuilt as a lively, robust destination community - not just as a place to visit, but as a place to live,” was the way MVW president Val Rapp described the group’s goals. “Job one for McKenzie Valley Wellness is to rebuild the medical clinic. O...
Traffic came to a halt Friday when equipment on a semi-trailer snagged utility lines. According to Oregon State Police reports, Glen Yadon, 59, told investigators he was entering Hwy.126 from a driveway in the 49600 block around 11:16 a.m. when the rear of his trailer hit the low-hanging wires. Yadon came to an immediate stop and Charter/Spectrum utility crews were called to the scene to move the pole and wires to the right shoulder. The Peterbilt truck and its load were not damaged and were...
LEABURG: Next week, the Eugene Water & Electric Board Commissioners plan to provide an overview of what is likely to occur as plans move forward to permanently discontinuing generating electricity at the Leaburg Hydroelectric Project. Issues sure to be aired at their May 16th upriver meeting include when work to remove Leaburg Dam could get underway and if the utility’s federal license to operate the project will also require removing the Walterville project. At the board’s May 2nd meeting, gen...
The Willamette National Forest will receive a total of $14,700,000 to implement fuel breaks on boundaries of potential operational delineations (PODs) as part of the Wildfire Crisis Strategy implementation. Officials say the Forest was chosen based on opportunities to work with industry partners to accelerate vegetation management projects that integrate fuels reduction objectives and commercial treatments. In a POD, roads or natural features can be used as control lines in a wildfire. Funds...
A power transmission grid can be destabilized by hackers who manipulate smart meters to create an oscillation in electricity demand, researchers at the Oregon State University College of Engineering have shown. The study is important because understanding where a grid’s vulnerabilities lie and what they look like is the first step in designing protection mechanisms, says associate professor of electrical engineering and computer science Eduardo Cotilla-Sanchez, who led the project with g...
EUGENE: Lane Community College (LCC) will host its annual Job Fair, taking place on Thursday, May 18th, from 1 to 5 p.m. The event is free and open to the public. Organizers say the Job Fair aims to connect employers with job seekers from both the college and the community. Gold Sponsors for this year’s event include Eugene Area Radio Stations, Grape Solar, PacificSource, and Willamette Family, Inc. Silver Sponsors are Lane Council of Governments, SERVPRO, and SunWize. Tina Hunter, S...
FINN ROCK: The seats of three incumbent McKenzie school board members are being contested and one open position has attracted two candidates for the May 16th Special District Election. Candidates for the McKenzie School Board are: Position 1 - Danna Brownell and Taya Brock, Position 2 - Kail Hardback and Sarah Mackenzie, Postion 3 - Max Metcalfe and Alyssa Brownlee, Position 5 - Jason Wickizer and Justin Barker. Last Friday voters had a chance to hear from four of the eight candidates at a...
EUGENE: Last week, Blue River Drive joined the ranks of Territorial Highway, East 30th Avenue, and Gilham Road. How? A unanimous vote by the Lane County Board of Commissioners put a stamp of approval on the creation of a “Design Concept” that will allow downtown rebuilding plans to mirror the way the town’s streets were configured for over 100 years. At their April 25th meeting, commissioners were updated on ways that could help people rebuild homes and businesses that had been delayed by restr...
It’s likely to be hot again this summer in Oregon, and that trend is likely to continue. An Oregon State University study on climate change released earlier this year estimates that temperatures will rise 5 degrees Fahrenheit by the 2050s, with more surges ahead. ”Heatwaves are becoming more frequent,” said Erica Fleishman, director of OSU’s Oregon Climate Change Research Institute, which produced the report. “They’re becoming longer and more intense in temperature.” The study does not pred...
The Eugene Water & Electric Board (EWEB) met drinking water safety standards in 2022 for every type of contaminant regulated by the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) and the Oregon Health Authority. EWEB produces more than 23 million gallons of drinking water every day. The utility has never failed to meet the standards. Toxic chemicals from agricultural, urban development, waste disposal, and forestry practices can get into groundwater, lakes, and rivers, contaminating water for...
Boat builders were busy all week long at the McKenzie River Discovery Center. Turn to Page 2...
The Lane County Board of Commissioners unanimously approved the Blue River Code Amendments regarding right-of-way setbacks today (4-25-23). The ordinance was approved with an emergency clause for an immediate effective date....
FINN ROCK: The report of a single-vehicle crash on May 20th turned out to be a lucky break for Brandon Hanson, 25. He was westbound near Milepost 38 of the McKenzie Hwy. at 1:45 a.m. when he told police he collided with a large boulder that disabled the Peterbilt truck he was operating. The impact caused the semi’s cab and trailer to veer off the roadway, taking out 11 posts and 6 guardrail panels before dropping 6 to 8 feet into a wetland. The lucky part is that Hanson was uninjured. The O...
FINN ROCK: A public forum for candidates seeking seats on the McKenzie School Board hasn’t panned out as planned. On Tuesday morning the event’s sponsor, the McKenzie Educational Association, reported only four of the eight candidates had agreed to show up to answer six questions that had been sent in advance of the forum. The questions ranged from prior involvement with the school to challenges facing the district as well as any current courses or programs that should be added to or del...
Over the past twenty-five years, Jason Hayes has produced a specialized craft - the McKenzie River Drift Boat. How many? “Too many to count.,” Hayes says. “I lost track a long time ago. Somewhere between 70 to 80 boats.” Besides his own work, he’s spent time educating others, including local youth at McKenzie High School and other wood shops to expose and educate the younger generations about the design now known around the world. “I want to help bring up the next generation and the history her...
MCKENZIE BRIDGE: The work volunteers do isn’t apparent in the short posts that appear in the published weekly logs. Behind the many responses to fire, medical emergencies, or vehicular accidents though, are people who find the extra time to improve the lives of others. During a recognition ceremony last Saturday night, Upper McKenzie Rural Fire District Chief Rainbow Plews took the opportunity to tell a bit about the backstories of the people who show up when responding to calls for help. A...
There’s plenty of history associated with the town of Blue River, including its function as a collection station for the McKenzie Toll Road between Springfield and central Oregon from 1891 to 1895. Also playing a key role was the discovery of gold-bearing quartz ledges in the upper reaches of the Blue River drainage, and the boom when mining operations began in about 1890. Often at the center of that early activity was the Sparks family that built a cabin and a two-story log house, a sawmill, a...
A lot of careful measuring, sanding, and fitting of parts for iconic McKenzie River drift boats is set to wind up this week. The work, part of a boat-building class led by Jason Hayes of Hayes Custom Wooden Boats, has been quietly underway at the McKenzie River Discovery Center. Once again, the week-long class was fully booked and this year the student craftsmen are expected to complete two traditional boats on Friday. Fishing guides and wooden boat fans will gather also again on the opening day...
Under a proposal in the Legislature, Oregon’s service agencies could see spending cuts, which could hit hardest in rural areas. Under the Committee on Ways and Means co-chair budget, state agency spending would be cut by 2.5%. John Mullin, an advocate for the Human Services Coalition of Oregon, said the proposed budget could hurt health providers’ Medicaid reimbursement rates, which is bad news for rural Oregon. “There are really some very challenging issues about finding providers in rural...
