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 Kristine Thomas Lori Neufeld and Erica Young both said things might have turned out dramatically different after their delivery of their children if it weren’t for a machine that was recently installed at the Family Birth Center at Legacy Silverton Medical Center. Lori and Erica are grateful for TeleBaby along with the medical staff at the Family Birth Center […]
By Kristine Thomas Rubber bands, masking tape, gadgets that cut strings, a helium balloon, a parachute, a tiny camera and a satellite are a few of items Silverton High School students are using to create a once-in-a-lifetime experience. Teacher Creighton Helms said 35 students are participating on the SHS NASA High Altitude Balloon Project. There are seven high schools nationwide […]
By Kristine Thomas All it took was some encouragement for Noe Jines to begin taking small steps leading to larger steps to become more involved in his school and community. A Kennedy High School senior, Jines credits his older brother, Leo, for advising him to participate wherever he could. Following his brother’s advice, Jines’ resume includes being a mentor for “My […]
By Kristine Thomas What started as instructions to carefully remove the cornerstone dated 1947 at St. Paul’s Catholic Church in Silverton, turned into an unexpected historical discovery with a family connection. In January, a team began working on constructing a new narthex at the church. Bryan Pfeifer, a superintendent with Dalke Construction of Salem, recalled asking a co-worker to be […]
By Kristine Thomas Four-year-old Leah Martin reminded her dad, Andrew, about the dance in December. Three-year-old Avery Satern has mentioned the dance more than a few times to her parents, Brent and Kelly Satern. Megan Wavra, 5, and Brittyn Wavra, 4, eyes lit-up with excitement when their dad, Eric Wavra, told them he had bought tickets for this year. After […]
By Kristine Thomas It wasn’t until she saw it written down on paper that Lori Butsch Pavlicek became fully aware of all her volunteer work. And that realization occurred only after she received some unexpected but surprisingly good news. As Pavlicek was driving to the Portland Airport with her 16-year-old daughter, Olivia, to go to a volleyball tournament in Arizona, […]
By Kristine Thomas While Rick Lewis’ title has changed from Silverton mayor to Oregon House District 18 state representative, his commitment to serve others remains steadfast. “Throughout my public service career, I have always strived to maintain a healthy respect for all viewpoints, collaborate and compromise when possible, and put the interests of the public above all else,” Lewis said. […]
By Kristine Thomas The score doesn’t begin to tell the story of Silverton High School’s Unified Foxes basketball team’s first game. If points were given for smiles, enthusiasm, sportsmanship, hive fives, hugs and the pure joy of being on the court, it would have been impossible to tally the scores for both Unified teams, which are a division of the […]
By Kristine Thomas Silverton Public Works Director Christian Saxe had concerns about asking the council to raise utility rates. “As a public servant, you want to avoid raising rates whenever possible,” he said. However, he faced a choice – raise street, stormwater and water rates or watch those utilities continue to decline. When preparing the 2017-18 budget, Saxe knew increases […]
By Kristine Thomas Silverton High School senior Megan Mannion clearly followed the advice given to her by her parents, John and Inga Mannion. Whether it’s competing on the volleyball court or softball field, organizing an event for the Associated Student Body, studying to keep a 4.0 grade point average or working at Roth’s Grocery Store, Megan said her parents taught […]
By Kristine Thomas Lisa Lyver and Jessica Keudell have heard too many stories of women who ignored the warning signs of a heart attack. Lyver, a registered nurse, and Keudell, an exercise physiologist, both work for Legacy Silverton Health’s Cardiac Rehabilitation program in Woodburn. Heart disease is preventable for both men and women, especially if they take some simple steps. […]
By Kristine Thomas They could easily have been divided by political parties, or political preferences, or by peer groups are at school. Instead the 15 Silverton High School students who spent a week in Washington D.C. touring historical sights and attending the inauguration of President Donald J. Trump were united in celebrating “a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity” and seeing firsthand the history […]
By Kristine Thomas Christine Chorazy joined the Women’s March in Portland to show her daughters and son that sometimes it is necessary to “go outside your comfort zone to stand up, and try and change something you cannot tolerate.” Ann Altman traveled to the Women’s March in Washington D.C. to vocalize with others to the new president and his administration […]
By Kristine Thomas If Mother Nature decides to cooperate and quit having cold flashes that bring below freezing temperatures, snow and ice, the last day of school for the students in the Silver Falls School District still will be June 14. For students in the Mount Angel School District it looks like it will be June 15. With four days […]
By Kristine Thomas For Connie Hinsdale, it’s all about how you treat people. And if you treat them with respect, kindness and support, they in turn will do the same. While the name on the outside of the business may have changed a few times over the years, Hinsdale’s dedication to having her agents work as a team, giving back […]
By Kristine Thomas If you want to know something about Silverton resident Cindy Jones, the best bet is to ask her anyone but her. Or you could attend an event such as Homer Davenport Days, a Rotary event or the ASAP concert to witness her eagerly lending a hand. Laughing, Cindy admits she doesn’t like to talk about herself. Luckily, a […]
By Kristine Thomas It would have been understandable if Elsie Guenther had lost her faith in God. Or if she had given up on maintaining her 4.0 GPA or competing on Silverton High School’s equestrian team. Given everything that happened to her during her senior year, it would be almost expected her grades would suffer and she couldn’t compete. Except […]
By Kristine Thomas Weather forecasts predicting below freezing temperatures for a week sparked a conversation on Saturday. Further discussions took place Sunday. A meeting and a request for assistance took place on Monday. By Tuesday, a warming shelter opened for homeless people in Silverton. “It’s been a scrabble to pull it together but we did it because the need is […]
By Kristine Thomas Silverton resident Linda Riedman could have kept the conversation on the surface level as she shared about her new work as an equus coach. She works with a client and a horse in an arena to uncover unhealthy thought patterns and limiting beliefs that may be holding a client back or causing stress and anxiety. Riedman could have just […]
By Kristine Thomas It wasn’t in Oregon, where he grew up, where it happened. Or California, where he went to college. Both states well-known for their wineries and vineyards. Instead, it was Chicago where Mike Hinds tumbled down what he describes as the “wine rabbit hole.” Working as a website developer for the University of Illinois, Chicago’s School of Public Health, […]
By Nancy Jennings and Kristine Thomas He’s not jolly and so upset that he’s refusing to eat warm chocolate chip cookies and frothy, cold milk. In fact, according to Elf Eliza Doolittle, he’s a bit mystified at how rudely some people are behaving, especially with Christmas around the corner. The things people are posting on social media sites and saying […]
By Kristine Thomas A clearer line needs to be drawn to define what is harassment. Students need to know when the line has been crossed and what consequences they will face for crossing it. That, along with what defines appropriate conduct for a school board member communicating using social media, were the two messages shared by several people who attended […]
By Kristine Thomas While they agree on the challenges facing Silverton including funding, upgrading and maintaining its infrastructure, planning for the future development and financial planning, the four candidates to be the next city manager disagree on one thing. Who is best suited for the job, with each candidate saying they have the best skill set. On Nov. 9, the […]
By Kristine Thomas What started as an idea by several students to have a pro-Trump rally at Silverton High School, escalated into something they didn’t expect or intend. On Election Day, Nov. 8, Cole, a senior who asked his last name not be used, was one of the organizers for a pro-Trump rally were about 16 students parked their trucks […]
