Make the McKenzie Connection!
Make the McKenzie Connection!
Sorted by date Results 26 - 50 of 198
January 26 marked the 322nd anniversary of the last major Cascadia Subduction Zone (CSZ) earthquake. As a Community Emergency Response Team (CERT) member living in Salem, I’ve spent the past six years working to motivate community preparedness around this topic. You can see a tornado travel; you can watch it shift direction. You can see floodwaters rise and landslides and avalanches flow. You can watch a volcano spewing and wildfires and storms approaching. Earthquakes are different. They are s...
Conversations regarding Measure 110’s (M110) failure and the drug addiction crisis have been ongoing for well over a year and really began in earnest during January Legislative Days. The Joint Workgroup on Addiction and Community Safety Response (JASCR) held multiple public meetings beginning in October 2023 to hear testimony and develop policy recommendations and the corresponding budget request. When the short session begins on February 5th the discussions will continue and intensify as various policy options are vetted. I sit on both the H...
The debate over Measure 110, passed in 2020, was framed as “treatment over incarceration” for drug offenders. It seems all of us have now learned how wrong this framing was. What appeared to be a constructive debate about finding a better response to drug use was a ballot measure that made drug use a penalty-free behavior, in effect encouraging it. The failure of prior penalties for drug use does not mean that all penalties should be removed, as was done. At a conceptual level, treatment should be the penalty for drug use, rather than inc...
The U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service recently proposed plans to lethally remove 470,000 barred owls in our West Coast forests to try and help the spotted owl species survive. If the spotted owl sounds familiar, it’s probably because this problem was already supposed to have been solved—back in the 1980s. The spotted owl was the catalyst of environmental activists crippling our logging industry. They leveraged the plight of the spotted owl to result in drastic reductions in our ability to log and proactively manage our forests—all in the name...
When I received a text from a friend congratulating me for being named Woman of the Year, my reply was “News to me!” I confirmed it was true and instantly felt honored. But, when I read the names of the other women nominated, I felt humbled. So, I would like to propose a new McKenzie tradition: Everyone nominated for this honor march or ride together in the Walterville Parade in September. I love where I live and the people who live here. Thank you for this blessing in 2024 and Happy New Year to all. Gerry Aster...
Yikes, more bad news from the news business. There have been added concerns about the viability of Oregon’s weekly newspapers recently, with the worst being the announcement by the Eugene Weekly that it had laid off its staff and couldn’t afford to print another edition. The problems came about, they explained, after an employee had not only failed to make payments to the staff’s retirement accounts but had run up $70,00 in billings to the webpress owner that printed them. Even worse news - according to the Associated Press - the total hit m...
“Don’t let the fear of striking out hold you back.” —Babe Ruth The “Babe” was born George Herman Ruth in Baltimore, Maryland, in 1895. By age seven, he was known as an incorrigible child due to many counts of misbehavior. Perhaps due to his parents’ long work hours, they signed over custody of young George to the Xaverian Brothers at St. Mary’s Industrial School for Boys, which was both a reformatory school and an orphanage. St. Mary’s served as his home for the next 12 years. At St. Mary’s, George found a mentor in Brother Matthias, a man who...
December 20, 1812 There was once a shoemaker, who worked very hard and was very honest: but still he could not earn enough to live upon; and at last all he had in the world was gone, save just leather enough to make one pair of shoes. Then he cut his leather out, all ready to make up the next day, meaning to rise early in the morning to his work. His conscience was clear and his heart light amidst all his troubles; so he went peaceably to bed, left all his cares to Heaven, and soon fell asleep. In the morning after he had said his prayers, he...
The Upper McKenzie Community Center again hosted the Annual Belknap Bridge Lighting Ceremony where friends and neighbors came together to enjoy the season. There was a short walk from the UMCC to the bridge where we celebrated the lighting of the bridge while some sang their favorite Christmas carols. One of our newest river traditions, a flotilla of river rafts decorated with a Christmas tree and sparkling with lights, floated by with Santa and his many helpers. A special thanks to Horse Creek Lodge for the “floats” in the river parade. Bac...
Nearly 250 generic drugs are in critically short supply. These drugs range from cancer treatments to antibiotics to drugs that treat ADHD or irregular heartbeats. To end this crisis we must fix the structural issues that have long burdened the generic drug market. And we must also address the little-known new burdens that last year’s Inflation Reduction Act placed on generic manufacturing. Since the 1960s, pharmacy benefit managers, or PBMs, have served as middlemen between drug manufacturers and the pharmacies where patients fill p...
Come celebrate with us this Saturday, December 9th starting around 4:30 pm as we gather at the Upper McKenzie Community Center for the Annual Bridge Lighting Celebration. Watch for Santa and his helpers as they make their way down the river in festively lit river rafts in the Annual River Raft Parade, sponsored by Horse Creek Lodge. Sing your favorite Christmas songs as we walk to light the bridge to ring in the season. Hot Cocoa and cider will warm you up when we return. There will be crafts for the kids and great historical information, too....
The Bottle Boys “Dime at a Time” program has gifted McKenzie Fire & Rescue with a $500 donation for the Life Jacket Lending Program. McKenzie Fire & Rescue began the Life Jacket Lending Program in 2000 following a tragic incident and have since partnered with the McKenzie River Guides to ensure life jackets are available at no charge for daily use on the McKenzie River. Life jackets are distributed in the Spring to businesses in the McKenzie Valley, where they remain during the summer months. People enjoying the recreational value of the McK...
The Portland teacher's strike sent a message to state lawmakers who hold the purse strings for Portland and the state’s other 196 school districts: You can’t keep writing checks for our schools without getting more involved in how those checks are spent. Portland teachers managed to force changes in the district’s budget, boosting their salaries and highlighting the issue of unmanageable class sizes. But they had no way to deal with the state’s K-12 budget, which became the immovable object at the bargaining table and set the non-neg...
(And as far as we knew, things were going to stay that way.) We were free and white, as people in our town used to say, and about five years out from being 21, which would seal the deal. As far as we knew, there wasn’t much to worry about, except the damn Russians and sometimes the Chinese. And things stayed that way for guys like us, for decades. But things did start to change, over time, didn’t they? I’m glad to see America turn, however slow and painful it’s been before our time is completely...
I had to pinch myself when I stumbled across the opinion piece in the McKenzie River Reflections written by Rusty Bentz. I know Rusty and to hear him advocate for the four lower Snake River dams blew my mind. He and his brother made their living to a large extent on having access to a free-flowing river to run their boats through the rapids and take rubes fishing for steelhead. (The salmon had long since been destroyed by the dams). Rusty delved into several ideas as to how one could manage to get a few of the Frankin fish back upstream so...
Hello to all, especially those of you who may not know me. I’m Lane Tompkins, Superintendent/Principal of McKenzie School District and McKenzie River Community School. A native of McKenzie Bridge, I’m a proud alumnus of McKenzie Schools. Our district has seen transformative changes under my tenure. Notably: - We evolved our school into a community-centric charter, emphasizing place-based, project-based, and service learning. - We’ve inaugurated the first licensed child care center in the McKenzie corridor, a testament to our commitment to ea...
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 currently unserved access to service,” Oregon broad...
Americans have more media options than ever. We are inundated with stories, memes, videos, and promotions 24 hours a day. Most of us are on social media, which is built to provide an endless feed of content to keep us glued to our screens. Unfortunately, misinformation is prevalent, and much of that content isn’t fact-checked, verified, or professionally produced. The result is that we’re not always shown what we need to know, or the information that is most likely to impact our lives. That’s where local newspapers come in. Your local newsp...
Disclaimer: The views and opinions expressed in this op-ed are those of the author and do not reflect the official policy or position of the McKenzie Valley School District. The recent McKenzie School District board meeting illuminated a pressing issue: the critical need for qualified school bus drivers. Amidst the voices of concerned parents and experienced drivers, the board’s response highlighted a glaring gap in their approach. It’s essential to recognize that school board meetings are the proper place to address urgent matters like this on...
Growing up it was a festive month with plenty of cake to go around because we celebrated my Mom’s birthday, and five days later, mine. That was many years ago and now far away as I moved around the country before settling in Oregon. Three years ago COVID and the Holiday Farm Fire impacted all of us. It was devastating to Louise, my wife, who was already being battered by the negative impacts of Alzheimer’s. Her passing made me less likely to look forward to future arrivals of the ninth month of the year. That foreboding proved to be acc...
Today I heard the news that a vital part of our community is gone. Sue O’Brien passed away last week of heart failure. When her own heart was failing she continued to serve and lift others. For many years Sue was Sister John’s right hand. She helped Sister John feed this community. When Sister John was weak…Sue came along beside her and continued the mission and vision that Sister John had for those in need. She helped move the food being distributed out of the trunk of Sister John’s car to an actual Food Pantry that serves 43 families at this...
Life isn’t seamless, but some people swing that way. I’ve been working on a Substack piece that was getting kind of ponderous and it occurred to me just this morning that I really should be writing about golf lessons instead. The annual tournament, put on by the United States Golf Association and played over four days, is open to women over 50. Many of the competitors were international stars when they were younger. I’ll go ahead and tell you now that Trish, our favorite, won the U.S. Senior Wom...
We would like to send a special thanks to the Patio RV Park. They are allowing fire staff to use camping sites, showers and laundry. We can be a difficult group with loud trucks and dirty showers. We really appreciate the Patio Park. Lookout Fire Group...
As I sit here writing this, the hazy air brings up anxiety reminiscent of September 2020. It also brings up frustrations over the continued mismanagement of our federally managed state lands. I’m Melinda Montgomery. My roots in Lane County go back to the 1850s when my great-great-grandfather Parvin settled in Dexter. The Montgomery side arrived in Noti about 100 years ago and I am one of three generations living on the family timberlands today. We actively manage our property by maintaining l...
After much thought and consideration, the board members of the Vida McKenzie Community Center have decided to cancel the McKenzie River Poker Fundraising event scheduled for Saturday, August 19th. We believe our community will be best served without the added stress of this event during this time due to the two wildfires in our immediate area. We appreciate everyone’s support of this event, including those of you that had planned a fun day on the river while helping with the rebuilding process of our community center. Those who donated p...
