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Access granted: Judge rules water district can run tests in Victor Point

January 2015 Posted in News | Comments Off

By Kristine Thomas 

Chalk up a victory for the East Valley Water District in its quest to build an irrigation reservoir on the property of Victor Point landowners.

On Jan. 5, Marion County Circuit Judge Claudia Burton ruled in favor of the East Valley Water District’s request to be granted permission to go onto the property of Victor Point landowners along Drift Creek, to conduct tests to determine if the land is suitable to build the 12,000 acre foot reservoir.  Read more... (815 words, estimated 3:16 mins reading time)

Pettit property: City council approves sale

January 2015 Posted in Business, News | Comments Off

At its Jan. 5 meeting, the Silverton City Council agreed to sell 2.28 acres of the Pettit property to Moonstone Resort to be developed into a high end pub and restaurant.

Moonstone has agreed to pay $300,000 in cash for the property. Funds will go to into the sewer reimbursement fund, a combination of sewer system development charges funds and sewer capital project money, Silverton City Manager Bob Willoughby said, adding the fund is where the money was borrowed to obtain the property originally.  Read more... (358 words, estimated 1:26 mins reading time)

Bike friendly: City and citizens work together toward special designation

January 2015 Posted in Community, News | Comments Off

By Steve Ritchie 

Momentum is building for the citizen volunteer-driven effort to make Silverton a “Bicycle Friendly Community.”

At its meeting on Jan. 5, the Silverton City Council voted to accept the “Silverton Bike Report” and approved beginning the application process to obtain “Bicycle Friendly Community” designation, which is awarded to qualifying cities and towns around the country by the League of American Bicyclists.

The city council unanimous vote authorizes Jason Gottgetreu, Silverton Community Development Director, to prepare the lengthy application with the assistance of volunteers from the Friends of Eastside Trails, an advocacy group that has been working on bicycle-related issues with the city, the Silverton Chamber of Commerce and other organizations since the fall of 2013.  Read more... (837 words, 1 image, estimated 3:21 mins reading time)

Elderberry: Going back to basics

January 2015 Posted in Your Health | Comments Off

By Melissa Wagoner

Nicole Dennis is offering an old method to help keep people healthy during cold and flu season.

Dennis, who was born in Boston, said she grew up “totally not taking natural remedies” and that she “didn’t know there was another way” but several years ago she began exploring natural remedies and came upon elderberry syrup.

“Elderberries have been used throughout history to fight colds and flus,” Dennis said. “There’s actually a record of elderberries being used to treat a flu epidemic in Panama in 1995.”  Read more... (551 words, 2 images, estimated 2:12 mins reading time)

Farm life education: Growing informed

January 2015 Posted in Community | Comments Off

By Melissa Wagoner

GeerCrest Farm and Historical Society is bringing farming to life for hundreds of children every year through its Farm Life Experience Programs.

“We’re not trying to make farmers, we’re trying to make informed engaged individuals,” Adam McKinley, the manager of GeerCrest Farm and Historical Society, said.

McKinley, with the help of farm owners Erika and Jim Toler, offer programs ranging from a day-long field trip to a six-week young adult immersion program with the hopes of full-time youth education programs to come.  Read more... (393 words, 3 images, estimated 1:34 mins reading time)

Man About Town: Facebook – One page at a time…

January 2015 Posted in Columnists & Opinion | Comments Off

By Jim Kinghorn

A baby was born last month in Cleveland, OH at preciously 10:11 on 12/13/14…. No word on if it also had a birthmark in the shape of the winning lottery numbers…

Even if you missed Law Enforcement Appreciation Day last week it’s not too late to tell your local police officer thanks for all they do to keep us safe…and if he’ll let you go just this one time you promise to never, ever, ever speed again…  Read more... (633 words, 1 image, estimated 2:32 mins reading time)

Sports: Hoop season gears up

January 2015 Posted in School, Sports | Comments Off

By James Day

The Silverton High boys basketball is ranked ninth by the OSAA in Class 5A heading into Mid-Willamette Conference play.

“I feel like we’ve made a lot of progress in the last two weeks,” Coach Steve Roth told Our Town. Roth is back as the head coach for the first time since 2002 after serving as an assistant under Darren Shryock. “Execution is coming together on both ends of the court, as evidenced most recently against a very good Marist team.”  Read more... (641 words, 1 image, estimated 2:34 mins reading time)

The Forum: Letters to the Editor

January 2015 Posted in Columnists & Opinion | Comments Off

Garden Christmas a success

The Oregon Garden has just experienced its most exciting December yet, with the second Christmas in the Garden event. We are so happy to share with you that our attendance almost doubled from last year, with 22,587 people visiting. Thank you to each person who came and helped make Christmas in the Garden a magical experience – we had guests from throughout Oregon, Washington, California, British Columbia and even from Pennsylvania and Illinois. We know an event of this scale would not be possible without the support of the community and would like to thank you all. We would also like to thank every one of the volunteers who gave their time and assistance during the busy holiday season – we couldn’t do this without them.  Read more... (823 words, estimated 3:18 mins reading time)

People Out Loud: Uncensored

January 2015 Posted in Columnists & Opinion | Comments Off

By Dixon Bledsoe

It is difficult writing a column, even though only monthly. Those professionals who write a column weekly have my utmost respect, although most have a larger playing field.

As a political junkie, it would be easy to write about the host of presidential wannabes jockeying for position in Iowa ahead of the 2016 primaries and elections. As a true sports fan, I could write for hours on classy people like Russell Wilson, quarterback of the defending Super Bowl Champion Seattle Seahawks and Heisman Trophy winner Marcus Mariota of the Oregon Ducks, or their exact opposites – Jameis Winston of Florida State and Ray Rice. I could write about Kim Kardashian, one of the most followed and least consequential people in Hollywood that media has ever regurgitated onto our collective doorstep, or the apparent yet totally unexpected fall of Bill Cosby.  Read more... (640 words, 1 image, estimated 2:34 mins reading time)

Eminent domain?: East Valley Water District takes landowners to court

January 2015 Posted in News | Comments Off

By Kristine Thomas

East Valley Water District board members Duane Eder and Dave Bielenberg and Victor Point landowners Joel Rue and Bruce Jaquet all say they are farmers – not experts on legal matters.

Yet, all four are now immersed in learning as much as they can about land use laws due to the disagreement over EVWD’s proposal to build an 12,000 acre reservoir on the land of more than 10 Victor Point farmers, several of whom are fourth generation landowners. The property is outside the EVWD’s boundaries.  Read more... (1290 words, estimated 5:10 mins reading time)

Options on the table: School board faces many proposals

January 2015 Posted in News, School | Comments Off

Since the defeat of the $24.9 million bond measure in the November election, Silver Falls School District board members have listened to input, ideas and feedback from patrons and staff members.

As the board deliberates what to do next, it must weigh the pros and cons of each proposal.

The recurring question the board faces is when will Eugene Field School close. Although the board voted unanimously last May to shutter the 94-year-old facility, no time line was set. There have been arguments presented by patrons both in favor and against closing it.  Read more... (980 words, estimated 3:55 mins reading time)

New chapter: Dr. Sanford retires

January 2015 Posted in People | Comments Off

By Kristine Thomas

The clues throughout his house and yard reveal what’s important to Dr. Clint Sanford.

There’s a stethoscope hanging on the knob of a kitchen cabinet, a high chair in the corner of the kitchen nook, a putting green and garden in his backyard, books arranged neatly on shelves, and lots of photographs of his wife, Sandy, and their sons and daughters-in-law and four grandchildren.

A quiet man, Sanford would prefer to let his actions speak for him. He’s well known for his dedication to his family, friends, colleagues and patients.  Read more... (608 words, 1 image, estimated 2:26 mins reading time)

The love of sports…: Player, coach, fan, Ed Willig’s in the game

January 2015 Posted in People | Comments Off

By Brenna Wiegand

Ever wondered where Wooden Nickel’s “Big Eddie Burger” got its name?

Slight of frame, agile, tenacious and rabbit-fast, Silverton native Eddie Willig played men’s slow pitch softball with restaurant owner Glen “Cisco” Damewood who later sponsored the team. Willig kept going with softball, progressing to higher levels, racking up innumerable games and more than his share of wins in an amateur softball career spanning four decades.

Willig mentored, taught, coached, recruited and refereed scores of young people as a career-long teacher and coach, primarily but not limited to the girls basketball teams at Monitor Elementary and Silverton High School, his alma mater.  Read more... (1186 words, 2 images, estimated 4:45 mins reading time)

Strong finish: College update

January 2015 Posted in School, Sports | Comments Off

By James Day

Hannah Deede, the former two-sport standout at Silverton High, earned honorable mention all-Great Northwest Athletic Conference volleyball honors in her senior season at Western Oregon. The 6-2 Deede, who transferred to WOU after spending her freshman season at Gonzaga, led the Wolves in kills (224), kills per set (2.41), total points (265.5), points per set (2.85), and solo blocks (6).

The third-year player also finished in the top three on the team in four other statistical categories: total blocks (2nd – 77.0), blocks per set (2nd – 0.83), block assists (2nd – 71), and attack percentage (3rd – .181).

Here is a look at how other athletes with local ties fared in college action in the fall:  Read more... (662 words, 3 images, estimated 2:39 mins reading time)

What does it take to achieve a goal?

January 2015 Posted in People | Comments Off

We have all done it, whether we wish to admit it or not. As the clock strikes midnight to signal the New Year, we set a goal or two  for what we want to accomplish. And then sometime by January or March, we have watched that goal disappear.

Why do some people set goals and achieve them and others not? Often not, not having enough time is the excuse. In the book Life’s Little Instruction Book compiled by H. Jackson Brown, Jr., he writes, “Don’t say you don’t have enough time. You have exactly the same number of hours per day that were given to Helen Keller, Pasteur, Michelangelo, Mother Teresa, Leonardo da Vinci, Thomas Jefferson, and Albert Einstein.”  Read more... (2441 words, 7 images, estimated 9:46 mins reading time)

The Forum – Letters to the Editor

January 2015 Posted in Columnists & Opinion | Comments Off

Disappointed in The Man
I was appalled after reading the “Man About Town” article in Dec. 15 Our Town. The story he listed as his “favorite” Christmas story is both inappropriate and untrue. The inaccuracies include not only the actual name of the perpetrator but also the extent of the injuries and what occurred in the event. I would be interested to know what Mr. Kinghorn finds so “heartwarming” about the story. There is no justification for brutalizing another human being. There is no honor in besmirching the reputation of a group of Marines by portraying them as a vengeful mob intent upon harm. There is no positive reason to repeat this urban legend unless you are a champion of intolerance and ignorance. To scatter “hearsay and rumors” because it is entertaining is both irresponsible and reprehensible. Shame on you, Mr. Kinghorn. Your article is not even worthy of lining a parakeet’s cage.  Read more... (1545 words, estimated 6:11 mins reading time)

A Grin at the End: It’s going to be a great year

January 2015 Posted in Columnists & Opinion | Comments Off

It’s a whole new year and I’m pumped. I know that this will be the best year ever!

It’s not that I have a crystal ball or that I have a winning Power Ball ticket.

It’s just that I know this year will be up to me. Luck or fate or whatever else influences the events that surround me will certainly have an impact on me and my family, but I will have the biggest impact of all.

How I react to everything is 100 percent up to me.  Read more... (551 words, estimated 2:12 mins reading time)

Christmas spirit: Sharing memories and advice on catching and keeping it

December 2014 Posted in Arts, Culture & History, People | Comments Off

By Brenna Wiegand

Curiosity drew me to Mount Angel Towers to gather Christmas memories and advice from residents for getting into the holiday spirit. One idea is to join them in welcoming Victorian Era Christmas Carolers to the Towers for a performance Thurday, Dec. 18, 6 p.m. It’s free.


Jane Orange Harper, 85  Read more... (1366 words, 5 images, estimated 5:28 mins reading time)

Update: Hospital options

December 2014 Posted in News | Comments Off

By Kristine Thomas

Silverton Health Board of Directors Chair Gayle Goschie is hopeful she can announce by February who Silverton Health has chosen as its partner.

This fall, Goschie said the board made the decision Silverton Health can no longer operate independently and move forward to meet the needs of the community.

“The board realized it’s not fiscally responsible to stay independent,” Goschie said. “It was a tough decision for the board to make, but it was the right decision to make.”  Read more... (743 words, estimated 2:58 mins reading time)

Time travel: A cuckoo idea

December 2014 Posted in Arts, Culture & History | Comments Off

By Brenna Wiegand

If there’s any place a giant, unpredictable cuckoo clock might fly, it’s Mount Angel.

Knowing it includes a facade renovation for the building deemed “the shabbiest in downtown Mount Angel” by its owner makes it all the better.

Stu Rasmussen purchased Mount Angel Performing Arts Center in 1982.  Read more... (480 words, 1 image, estimated 1:55 mins reading time)

Man About Town: Warm and fuzzy… It gets me every time

December 2014 Posted in Columnists & Opinion | Comments Off

By Jim Kinghorn

Belgium is already known for horses, waffles and chocolates, but three Silvertonians want to add beer to that list. Local Belgians (well, one out of three isn’t bad), Sheldon Lesire, Eric Druliner and Dale Coleman started a “nano” brewery called Belgian Underground Brewing a while back and need your help to get to the next level.  bit.ly/BUBkick will take you to their Kickstarter page where you can contribute to the cause in return for many enticing rewards including stickers, t-shirts and the sure to be popular, Belgian kisses from men in beards….  Read more... (576 words, 1 image, estimated 2:18 mins reading time)

Sports update: Memorable season

December 2014 Posted in School, Sports | Comments Off

By James Day

Was Nov. 29 a bad day for the Mannion family? One might think so. The Silverton High football team, coached by John Mannion, lost 34-12 to Hermiston in the Class 5A state title game. Later that day Oregon State, quarterbacked by his son Sean Mannion, lost 47-19 to rival the University of Oregon in the annual Civil War game.

John Mannion just laughed when talking about the day in an Our Town interview in his classroom.  Read more... (623 words, 1 image, estimated 2:30 mins reading time)

The Old Curmudgeon: Different views – On politics

December 2014 Posted in Columnists & Opinion | Comments Off

By Vern Holmquist

I always am happy to hear from my readers. Even if their thinking differs from mine, it means they are thinking, which in the case of politics is somewhat rare. Frankly, I don’t think much about politics either, but once in awhile I sit back to take a good look at what’s happening. It appears that these are the facts:  Read more... (463 words, 1 image, estimated 1:51 mins reading time)

People Out Loud: Holiday cheer

December 2014 Posted in Columnists & Opinion | Comments Off

By Dixon Bledsoe  Read more... (843 words, 1 image, estimated 3:22 mins reading time)

75 years of service: Lions have a long list of community accomplishments

December 2014 Posted in Community | Comments Off

By Kristine Thomas

Several Silverton Lions Club members confessed they don’t always agree on politics or even about the Oregon State Beavers or the University of Oregon Ducks. They attend various churches and participate in different groups.

But while they may have their differences, there’s one thing they all agree on – they believe in the importance of serving their community.  Read more... (799 words, 1 image, estimated 3:12 mins reading time)