By Peggy Savage In the wake of the Feb. 14 mass shooting at a Parkland, Florida high school, a group of Silverton High School students are organizing a walkout to protest gun violence in schools and the lack of change that has occurred to stop the violence. Sophomore Orion White and senior Elijah Rakha-Sheketoff are coordinating the event as part […]
By Melissa Wagoner Thirty three years ago Sue Roessler wasn’t too sure about moving from her hometown of Salem to tiny Silverton, but her husband Craig, who was principal of Silverton High School at the time, managed to convince her. She has never looked back. “I remember him saying, ‘We need to live in the community. Principals live in the […]
By Paula Mabry The Oregon Garden Foundation and the City of Silverton have been offered a fiscal bouquet of debt forgiveness by Marion County. Think of it as a retroactive $6.1 million tourism grant out of Oregon Lottery funds. The proposal, if accepted by all parties, would free the foundation of indebtedness to the county, advance the city’s recovery of […]
During a shopping trip to Salem, my seven-year-old was sitting in the backseat and made a discovery. At seven, most kids are really developing their reading and writing skills and as a side effect, becoming more aware of signs. She had seen a woman next to the stop sign with a sign indicating she needed money and was homeless. “MOM!!! […]
By Nancy Jennings If you are picking up your mail or shipping a package at Silverton’s Postal Connections, there’s a good chance you will be greeted by Don Harteloo. Ask how he is doing on any given day and he will cheerfully reply, “Unbelievable, here.” Don, along with his wife, Sue, own and manage two Postal Connections stores. He runs […]
If you want to see happy people I can think of no better place to go than a graduation. Graduations are all about happy. Whether they celebrate a child’s “survival” of kindergarten, eighth grade, high school or college, every graduation is one big happy event. Whether the student was valedictorian or barely squeaked through with a D-minus average, everyone is […]
A visual arts studio tour and a music fest fill the first two weekends of Silverton’s June calendar. June 3-4 the Galleries & Artists Studio Tour spotlights local artists. Visitors can see artists at work in their studios or home, or in the Greenough room at the Silverton Arts Association building or White Oak Gallery. Works will be for sale […]
By Steve Ritchie Challengers in the May 16, 2017 Silver Falls School Board election successfully unseated at least one and possibly two incumbent board members. While results are still unofficial and votes from some unsigned ballots will be added to the totals on May 31, Zone 4 challenger Jennifer Traeger has an insurmountable 513 vote lead over Wally Lierman. Lierman, […]
By Melissa Wagoner Those who wish to experience the history and heritage of Mount Angel while getting in a good walk or bike ride will have a little help soon thanks to two grants which will provide informational plaques along the Mount Angel Heritage Trail. There will be “a series of markers noting the historical significance of locations throughout the […]
By Melissa Wagoner Michiel Nankman knows what it’s like to struggle in social situations. Originally from the Netherlands, the shift to life in the United States has often felt overwhelming. “When I came to the US I was like, ‘I don’t know how to do any of these things,’” he remembered. “I still feel that way sometimes. I go to […]
By Kristine Thomas Silverton resident Lindsey Atwell refers to her mother’s book about her life as “the good, the bad and the ugly.” “The ugly is my ex-boyfriends, the bad is what happened with my marriage and my ex-boyfriends,” Lindsey said, “and the good is my family. My mom and my dad do so much to take care of me […]
By Melissa Wagoner “Finding a balance of what works best for each child and remembering each child is an individual,” is the goal at Circle of Friends Daycare according to Marcus Clark who, together with wife Jennifer Clark, owns and runs the business. The Clarks opened Circle of Friends in 2008 when they had their third child. “We decided to […]
By Sheldon Traver When Dakota Parmley looked up at a replica of a 25-foot tsunami wave at Medical Teams International headquarters on March 1, he was awed at its size and capacity for destruction. When he learned the 2011 earthquake near Japan created a tsunami that was an estimated 90-feet high in some areas and destroyed entire cities, he knew […]
By Nancy Jennings When she isn’t volunteering around town, Kathy Wall loves to travel. She is known to hit the open road in her camper van with her devoted dog, Mara, a copper-colored Vizsla. “Once I drove 8,700 miles on a trip,” she said. The Mount Angel resident also enjoys golfing, walking, hiking and jogging. Having recently wrapped up the […]
By Melissa Wagoner When asked where they are from, Josh and Elisha Nightingale look at each other and laugh. The couple has lived in many different places over the years but they agree that Silverton is finally home. Owners of Silver Creek Coffee House in downtown Silverton, Josh recently left his full-time career as a manager for Safeway to open another […]
Is the Ways & Means Legislative Committee responsible for using honest methods for balanced budgeting? Or is it finding “ways” to avoid our impending tsunami wave of debt by making someone else pay the bill through “mean” political skulduggery? I’ve observed both in the Oregon Legislature but never served on “Ways & Means” until now. I confess, I was a high-school […]
By Nancy Jennings Out with the old, bad habits and in with the new, healthy habits. Thr thought is common every year as we make New Year’s resolutions. This year will be different, we promise ourselves. This will be the year I drop 25 pounds, quit smoking and begin exercising … or any of the other items on the long […]
By Nancy Jennings Diane Strutz loves to learn as much as she loves to teach. The Silverton resident believes “it’s very important to bring a person outside of his or her box and to think outside of that box.” Strutz, 69, is a certified teacher and tutor at Mount Angel Library providing free assistance to K-12 grades. She volunteers on […]
By Kristine Thomas Silver Falls Superintendent Andy Bellando is confident the dust will have settled by the time school begins on Sept. 6. From the construction projects at Scotts Mills, Pratum and Silverton Middle School to the hiring of new staff, it’s been a busy summer. Here are a few updates: Building projects Bellando knows some people may be skeptical […]
By Melissa Wagoner Silverton resident Ken Mulder was facing a long summer in a big empty house when he decided to check into the online vacation rental service Airbnb. “It was very simple to sign up and list the house,” he said. “Once it was listed, I can do almost everything from my phone.” Airbnb, established in 2008 in San […]
By Kristine Thomas Julia Kassell has the almost impossible task of trying to summarize her late husband’s work for an art show in August. The challenge before her is what work does she select that would give community members a glimpse of who the late Larry Kassell was as an artist, a man and a community member. “It’s going to […]
By Kristine Thomas Republican State Rep. Vic Gilliam of Silverton acknowledges his speech and gait are slower. But it’s evident from what he has to say about the changes in his life that his wit, faith and determination are as strong as ever. After having knee surgery in 2015, Gilliam began to suspect something wasn’t quite right with his health, […]
By Melissa Wagoner The events are so much more than a meal. They are a celebration of local cuisine. A way to educate people about how their food is grown and to explore new ways to prepare it. And the events help raise money for nonprofit organizations. This summer, community members have the opportunity to see for themselves what takes […]
While 75 REI employees from across the United States applied for the opportunity, only 15 were chosen. Including a resident of Mount Angel. Jennifer Hill is one of 15 REI employees selected to summit Mount Rainier in Washington with REI CEO Jerry Stritzke this July. Hill was the only Oregonian selected. The climb is part of the annual REI fundraising […]
By Kristine Thomas Francisco Frausto, 8, was hesitant to say what it’s like to share a bedroom with his 15-year-old brother, Jose, a freshman at Silverton High School and member of the soccer team. Glancing over at his older brother and then his parents, Francisco finally blurts it out. “Jose is messier than me,” Francisco said. “It was horrible sharing […]
