Ever evolving: More changes as Oregon Garden celebrates 10th anniversary

May 2011 Posted in Business | Comments Off

By Brenna Wiegand Since April Purdy set foot on Oregon Garden soil nearly a dozen years ago she has witnessed key elements in its evolution. The plants and trees have matured. Individual gardens have transformed into lush masterpieces that for years ...

‘Perfect fit’: Benjamin Merrill chosen as Kennedy High School principal

May 2011 Posted in People, School | Comments Off

By Kristine Thomas An average high school student, Benjamin Merrill’s motivation stems from people’s  willingness to accept his mediocrity. “I truly wish that I would have had someone push me more academically and expect more out of me,” Merrill said. Believing students are ...

Streetscape: More input sought

May 2011 Posted in News | 1 Comment »

Design presentation May 26, 7 p.m. Silverton High School auditorium, 1456 Pine St. Silverton’s Urban Renewal Agency / City Council is considering implementation of streetscape improvements recommended in the 2007 Downtown Master Plan. The goal is to enhance downtown for business, recreation and civic ...

Take two: Principals reshuffled

May 2011 Posted in School | Comments Off

By Kristine Thomas At the time, Silver Falls School District Superintendent Andy Bellando believed transferring three principals to new schools was in the best interest of the district’s students. Looking back, he said he realizes he misjudged the transfers. After careful consideration ...

D.C. bound: Elizabeth Leslie

May 2011 Posted in People, School | Comments Off

By Erin Kelley, SHS student Silverton High School senior Elizabeth Leslie’s interest in government and politics began when she saw the television show The West Wing for the first time. Since then, Leslie has become much more involved with government, and ...

Sharing city’s stories: JFK student creates Historical Society’s website

May 2011 Posted in People, School | Comments Off

By Steve Duda, JFK student Mount Angel’s storied past has finally made it onto the Internet. Thanks to the efforts of Eli Kloft, a student at John F. Kennedy High School, the Mount Angel Historical Society can now be found by web ...

Man About Town: That’s weird… One ear is longer than the other

May 2011 Posted in Columnists & Opinion | Comments Off

By Jim Kinghorn On May 26 you will have an opportunity to celebrate the birthday of an Old Goat. Vern Holmquist (a.k.a. The Old Curmudgeon) is turning 90 so the Glockenspiel Restaurant is throwing a no-host party from 5-7 p.m. Vern ...

Mission: playtime – Dog park planned

May 2011 Posted in Community | Comments Off

By Dixon Bledsoe Silverton resident Lonna Boucher wants a place for her best friend, Suki, to play. That’s why she is “gung-ho and going full throttle” to ensure Silverton has a dog park. The City of Silverton has a two-year plan and a ...

People Out Loud: Smiles abound

May 2011 Posted in Columnists & Opinion | Comments Off

By Dixon Bledsoe Robert Frost Elementary School fourth-grade students Ally LeBouef and Emily Candee were moved by the March 11 devastation in Japan, hit with a triple whammy of an earthquake, tsunami and nuclear disaster. They organized a coin drive at ...

The Old Curmudgeon: Starting to think small

May 2011 Posted in Columnists & Opinion | Comments Off

By Vern Holmquist For years our new homes have gotten bigger and bigger. Bigger is better.  Well, not necessarily. People across our country are living in smaller homes. Some are living in homes that are 400 sq.ft. and smaller – micro ...

Opting out: Successful retirement incentive avoids lay offs for Silver Falls teachers

May 2011 Posted in News, School | Comments Off

By Kristine ThomasA retirement incentive plan allowed the Silver Falls School District to avoid laying off teachers and reduce the number of classified employee layoffs necessitated by reductions in state school funding, Superintendent Andy Bellando said.Because 17 teachers agreed to ...

Nuns take on Goldman Sachs: Excessive compensation challenged

May 2011 Posted in Business, News | Comments Off

By Mary Owen A resolution filed recently with Goldman Sachs by a group of Catholic nuns has business Internet sites buzzing. The Benedictine Sisters of Mount Angel are one of four orders challenging the investment banking and securities firm of excessively compensating ...

Patchwork: Community of gardens

May 2011 Posted in Community | Comments Off

By Kristine Thomas Molly Ainsley, Bernadette Melé and Shannon Willis envision a patchwork of community gardens scattered throughout Silverton. Each community garden would be designed, planted, tended and harvested by people from each neighborhood. For example, one garden could be planted with ...

Valley bounty: Season begins

May 2011 Posted in Community | Comments Off

By Kristine Thomas If you want an inkling of what’s grown in the Willamette Valley or even at nearby farms, a stop at the Silverton Farmers’ Market is a good place to start. The market opens for the 2011 season Saturday, May ...

At your service: New Silver Creek Coffee House owners eager to please

May 2011 Posted in Business | Comments Off

By Kathy Cook Hunter Star and Greg Hart danced around one another in careful teamwork behind the counter at Silver Creek Coffee House. Owners of the espresso shop since January, the couple has made some changes and have planned additional ones. A major ...

Game plans: Three new businesses share their strategy for success

May 2011 Posted in Arts, Culture & History, Business, Other | Comments Off

By Dixon Bledsoe Take a stroll in downtown Silverton and you’ll discover once empty storefronts have transformed into businesses.  Our Town features three newcomers this issue, and three in the next. The Mercantile To make it as a business in a small town, ...

Never too busy: Dale Price lived his life to the fullest, to the end

May 2011 Posted in People | Comments Off

By Brenna Wiegand The term “icon” tends to come up in reference to Dale Price. In his 63 years on Earth, he personified the loving kindness, trustworthiness and glory of God, whether speaking before a crowd of 1,000, a small band of ...

Pilots, pyramids, P-47: Art Gregg recounts his life as a WWII pilot

May 2011 Posted in Arts, Culture & History, People | Comments Off

By Dixon Bledsoe When Tom Brokaw wrote The Greatest Generation, it became an instant best-seller because it moved people and reminded us of what made America so successful in meeting the challenges of the 20th Century. Art Gregg is someone Brokaw would ...

Manic May: You have to pace yourself to make it through

May 2011 Posted in Community, Other | Comments Off

By Don Murtha What do you like to do? Golf? Run? Hike? Drink tea? Listen to Jazz? Chances are there’s more than one special event to put on your schedule for May. Silverton Chamber Golf Tournament This year for the first time the ...

Diverse visions: Senior Center art show

May 2011 Posted in Arts, Culture & History | Comments Off

By Brenna Wiegand “There are paintings in every room – even the bathrooms,” Sandy Tiffee exhaled after hanging the last of 50 artworks throughout Silverton Senior Center. A visitor, perusing the exhibit, “Faces of Culture,” remarked, “It feels kind of like being ...

Immediate care: A lower cost alternative for after-hours medical treatment

May 2011 Posted in Your Health | Comments Off

By Don Murtha A 9-year-old boy is playing second base on a baseball team on a Friday evening. He dives to catch the baseball and in doing so lands hard on his right wrist. He stands up yelling his wrist hurts. When ...

Lori’s angels: New Mark Twain reader board a gift of gratitude from Lori’s family

May 2011 Posted in People | Comments Off

By Kristine Thomas Lori Knorr never saw her oldest daughter Kirstin graduate from Willamette University or her youngest daughter Lindly marry Andrew Watters. She died of a brain tumor on Dec. 3, 2004 when Kirstin was 19 and Lindly, 16. Although she ...

Company is coming: Volunteers needed to spruce up Silverton

May 2011 Posted in Community | Comments Off

By Aurora Ellison Spring Clean-up Day Saturday, May 7, 9 a.m - 3 p.m. Meet at Silverton Coffee Station, 206 S. Water St. Tools, food and cleaning supplies are needed. Gregg Sheesley, 503-873-2512 When pressure washers are involved, you know it’s serious spring cleaning. Silverton resident ...

Intimate setting: Christopher Wicks on piano opens Silverton Concert series

May 2011 Posted in Arts, Culture & History | Comments Off

Silverton resident Christopher Wicks will perform a solo piano recital of works by J. S. Bach, Wicks, Debussy, Mozart and Grieg 3 p.m. Sunday, May 15 at the home of Anne Shams and Jeff Klein, 405 N. Water St., Silverton. Wick’s ...

A Grin at the End: Fixing two problems with one idea

May 2011 Posted in Columnists & Opinion | Comments Off

By Carl Sampson I had a few minutes this afternoon, so I thought I’d not only solve the health care crisis but as a bonus, solve the problem of illegal immigration. First, here’s a quick reminder of how my health-care plan would ...