Make the McKenzie Connection!
Make the McKenzie Connection!
Sorted by date Results 776 - 800 of 1812
BLUE RIVER: The board of the O'Brien Memorial Library (OML) has chosen an architectural firm to work with them in designing the new OML in Blue River. The process to design the building and grounds is expected to result in construction. start sometime next year. In addition to the existing property, the libray has purchased two lots adjoining the old library site. That added acreage will allow the OML to be located on main street frontage at the intersection of Blue River and Dexter Street. The...
U.S. District Court Judge Marco Hernandez issued an interim injunction last year directing the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers to begin implementing actions intended to improve conditions for fish passage and water quality at some of its 13 Willamette Valley Projects. Hernandez’s directed the Corps “to avoid irreparable harm” to upper Willamette River fish. Wild spring chinook and wild winter steelhead, along with bull trout. All are listed as threatened under the federal Endangered Species Act. The court case was filed by conservation group...
The Postal Service Reform Act of 2022, HR 3076, cleared the U.S. Senate today, sending legislation to President Biden that would give the U.S. Postal Service relief from a 16-year-old requirement to pre-fund decades into the future. The mandate, unlike requirements for other federal agencies, beset the Postal Service with more than $58 billion in unpaid obligations. The bill passed by a vote of 79-19 with many rural Republicans voting with Democrats in favor. President Biden is expected to sign...
In an effort to boost workers in critical industries, Oregon lawmakers are considering a major investment in education and workforce development. Proposed by Gov. Kate Brown, the $200 million Future Ready bill is a package of proposals to lower barriers to construction, health care, manufacturing, and technology jobs. One of the proposals is $17 million for career pathways programs setting up short-term ways to earn credentials, with help from program navigators. Mark Mitsui, president of Portla...
A chase that stemmed from an incident near the intersection with Mill Creek Road and the McKenzie Highway ended 36 miles later last Tuesday. According to the Lane County Sheriff’s Office, the suspect’s vehicle, a white U-Haul box van, left the area westbound after striking a parked vehicle around 5 p.m. McKenzie District Sheriff’s Deputy Russ Olson observed the U-Haul still headed westbound in the Vida area about 10 minutes after receiving the report and initiated a traffic stop. At first, the d...
McKenzie Fire & Rescue volunteers and staff came together in February in a COVID mindful manner for a night of recognition and reflection for their 2021 Awards Ceremony. Awards for the 2021 year included Service Awards for 5-years, 10-years, 15-years, 20-years, 25-years, 30-years, 35-years, and even 45-years of service. Volunteer of the Year, a Chief's Award, and two special recognition awards were also given. Fire Chief Darren Bucich summed it up by saying, "We have amazing volunteers who keep...
Thanks to the Eugene Water & Electric Board’s McKenzie River Source Protection Program, the utility is working with the Pure Water Partners and local residents to plant 500,000 trees in areas that burned in the Holiday Farm Fire. The work is designed to safeguard drinking water for metro residents by addressing erosion from high burn areas, as well as longer-term resiliency to restore floodplain areas that are critical to water quality and habitat. “This is everyone’s water source. This is th...
FINN ROCK: Local students, staff and parents are all being asked for their opinions on proposed changes to Oregon’s indoor face-covering plan expected to be announced on March 31st. At last Wednesday’s McKenzie School Board meeting Superintendent Lane Tompkins noted that a key feature of the change will shift decisions about safeguarding against the spread of Covid-19 away from the state and to individual school districts. “Removing one layer - of masking - doesn’t mean the other layers will go away,” Tompkins said. He reminded the board tho...
MARCOLA: Last Sunday a Lane County Sheriff’s deputy patrolling Marcola Road spotted a truck that matched the description of one that had recently been stolen from the Junction City area. The deputy turned behind the truck and activated his emergency lights as the truck turned into a driveway on Old Mohawk Road. The deputy was able to confirm that the truck was the stolen truck from Junction City and took the driver, 35-year-old Rickey Lee Drummond Jr., into custody. Inside the truck the d...
For the last two months, almost every week in the McKenzie area Lane County Sheriff's Reports there's a listing for littering. Whether it's happening more frequently or is just being noticed more isn't clear according to Sgt. Tom Speldrich. Most often, dumping occurs in more remote areas, like those patrolled by the Sheriff's Office's BLM deputies. Speldrich said they deal quite a bit with people dumping off the beaten path intentionally. The ones who are caught are people who continue to use...
Research led by Oregon State University shows that fires are more likely to burn their way into national forests than out of them. The findings contradict the common narrative of a destructive wildfire igniting on remote public land before spreading to threaten communities, said Chris Dunn of the OSU College of Forestry. The study, which looked at more than 22,000 fires, found that those crossing jurisdictional boundaries are primarily caused by people on private property. It also showed that...
BLUE RIVER: Interest in plans to rebuild the Blue River Park appears to be strong, judging by the 80 responses received to an online survey. Answers to some of those comments were the focus of a Zoom meeting hosted by the park board last Saturday morning. During the meeting’s introductions, park board treasurer Tony Casad explained that it will take many years before the thick, forested park people were familiar with would be restored. Since the Holiday Farm Fire swept through the area, Casad s...
FINN ROCK: Last Monday night, Lane County staffers fielded questions about economic development and zoning regulations. In the more than hour-long session in the McKenzie Schools gym questions ranged from general topics to specific details that could impact individual business recoveries. A topic in that second category concerned re-placing business structures that had been lost in the Holiday Farm Fire. Asked if a different type of business could replace one that burned, Maryanne Note, the...
Over 100 neighbors showed up for the Community Chili Feed last Friday at the Walterville Community Center. Besides serving dinner to all those numbers, the Grange sponsored event also generated 50 pounds of canned goods for the valley's Food Pantries. Proceeds from the dinner will go for Community Service Projects in the area....
PORTLAND: Oregon will remove general mask requirements for indoor public places no later than March 31, state health officials announced last week. By late March, health scientists expect that about 400 or fewer Oregonians would be hospitalized with COVID-19, the level of hospitalizations the state experienced before the Omicron variant began to spread. Mask requirements for schools will be lifted on March 31. However, state health officials say Oregon needs to keep mask requirements in place for now as COVID-19 hospitalizations crest and...
House Bill 4130 would allocate $5 million for wildlife crossings in problem spots across the state. In Oregon, there are about 7,000 collisions with deer each year, costing Oregonians $44 million in total. State Rep. Ken Helm, D-Beaverton, a chief sponsor of the bill, said there's broad support for wildlife crossings, including some Republican co-sponsors. "These types of projects are not partisan," he said. "We've got Republicans and Democrats, senators and House reps on the bill already. It'll...
EUGENE: In a unanimous vote last Tuesday, the board of commissioners approved hiring more police and fixing Lane County's most dangerous roadway. With money that comes from the extension of federal Secure Rural Schools Act, the Sheriff's Office will add five deputy sheriffs, two detectives, and one sergeant. Public Works will receive money earmarked to deal with a 28-mile stretch of deteriorating pavement along Territorial Highway. During the February 1st virtual meeting, county administrator...
BLUE RIVER: People are invited to take part in a community discussion on plans for redeveloping the Blue River Park, which was severely damaged by the Holiday Farm Fire. Details of what may be possible are included in a 15-page master plan for the property developed by Audret Rycewicz, a student with the Masters of Landscape Architecture course at the University of Oregon. The Blue River Park Board says it will the virtual open house to learn gain more public input and "help redesign the park...
COUGAR DAM: The U.S. Army Corps of Engineers says it will delay refilling Cougar and Fall Creek reservoirs and conduct spill operations at Foster Dam because of recent litigation. The delay will impact boating and recreation activities. "However, because annual water year forecasts have high variability, it will be difficult to predict with certainty all potential impacts until later in the spring," according to a spokesman. "Every year, we strive to meet the public's expectations surrounding...
CAMP CREEK: A poacher fled the scene leaving behind both the buck deer he shot on private property, and the head he had just cut off the animal as a trophy. Oregon State Troopers are now asking the public to be on the lookout for a vehicle related to the December 9th incident. Troopers describe the subject as about 5'1" tall, with brown hair and a brown beard. He left the scene in a late 1990's white Chevy flatbed pickup. The truck is likely a 3500 diesel and a witness reported seeing several...
SOUTH SISTER: The U.S. Geological Survey has detected movement again at an uplift area on the South Sister, known as the "Bulge." Satellite data from June of 2020 through August of 2021 showed uplift grew by 0.85 inches. A number of small earthquakes have also been recorded in the 12 mile wide area which located about 3 miles west of the relatively dormant South Sister volcano. The area gained its nickname about 25 years ago when the upward growth was first recorded. Between 1995 and 2020,...
BLUE RIVER: 60 billion gallons of water is a lot. That's how much flows over Niagara Falls in 24 hours. It's also the volume in the reservoir formed by Cougar Dam. "If Cougar were to completely fail, that water would rush 60 miles down the McKenzie River, washing away everything in its path, until it reached the Eugene and Springfield area," according to Tom Conning with the Public Affairs Office of the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers. That image, and the desire to do everything possible to keep...
BLUE RIVER: Orchid Health McKenzie River Clinic has hired Elizabeth Cramer, MSN, FNP-C as their new health care provider. She is scheduled to start at the clinic on Monday, February 7th. Elizabeth and her family recently moved to the McKenzie River Valley after living and working in Kansas. Prior to Orchid Health, she worked at the Susan B. Allen Memorial Hospital where she helped out in urgent care and the family practice. Elizabeth has been working in healthcare since 2008, starting as a...
Oregonians can get free help with their income taxes once again this year. However, as in recent years, the pandemic is changing what the assistance looks like. Typically, the AARP Foundation's Tax-Aide program happens in-person, focusing specifically on people over age 50 or those who have low to moderate incomes. Kathy Goeddel, assistant state coordinator for the AARP Foundation's Tax-Aide program in the Portland Metro area, said the recent surge in COVID-19 cases means protocols are in place...
The Eugene Water & Electric Board has received an "Outstanding" performance rating from the Oregon Health Authority Drinking Water Services. To qualify for this rating, the health authority conducted a comprehensive on-site review of EWEB's drinking water source (the McKenzie River), treatment and storage facilities, distribution system, operation and maintenance procedures, and the utility's water quality monitoring program to evaluate EWEB's capability of providing safe water to the people of...
