I am an old man. Several times each week I cross West Main Street, near the corner of Welch, on my way to Safeway. I’ve done this for many years. Recently, a driver refused to yield to me – although it would have required little effort on his part. And he was nasty about it. Silverton drivers have traditionally been […]
Lurking in the hearts of most people is a secret entrepreneur. It’s not the Elon Musk or Jeff Bezos type. It’s more along the lines of the Ralph Kramden type. For those of you who lack adequate amounts of gray hair, Ralph was the main character of The Honeymooners, a 1950s television show that starred Jackie Gleason. Ralph was a […]
Five years ago, I attended my eldest daughter’s first swim meet, I was incredibly excited and equally unprepared. Sitting on the rock-hard metal bleachers with the sun beating down on my unprotected skin, I watched as other, more seasoned parents set up folding chairs, umbrellas, slathered on sunscreen and handed out snacks. Jealousy is perhaps too mild a word. But […]
I want to express my gratitude and pride in our community, which I experienced on the National Night Out on Tuesday, Aug. 6 in Mount Angel. Downtown Mt. Angel was filled with people enjoying friendly conversations, good food, and soft drinks. The downtown core was almost standing room only. I know that the event was organized and well coordinated by […]
I visited the park with my dogs today and there’s a lot of dog poop that is not being picked up. We are so fortunate to have such a nice dog park, [in Silverton] but if people don’t clean up after their pet, it’s a place that could breed disease and is unpleasant to visit. Please watch your dog and […]
I often get up early, and part of my typical morning routine is a walk. It’s usually dark when I go outside. The first thing I do is look up. There, among the searing stars and the bits of flotsam whirling through the universe, is our story. I don’t know much about astronomy. I could not name most constellations. To […]
This year, the parade was fun fun, fun. We laughed uproariously at the Oregon gnomes and their dunce – no – their gnome hats that bring luck and a closeness to the good earth. We applauded with Olympic-like fever at the skills of our gymnasts and we marveled at the precision of the Shriner motorcycle precision. All that in our […]
OK, fellas, gather around. We are approaching Code Red on the Social Media Reality Scale. Almost everything you see on social media is fake. Photos are fake, video is fake – nearly everything is either fake or the captions are phony. They either don’t accurately describe the photo or when and where the photo was taken. Even the spelling is […]
“What a difference a year makes.” I recently came across these words in an essay I wrote in April 2021. It was a valiant attempt to encapsulate the first 12 months of the Covid-19 pandemic, a time-period that could not – and still cannot – be summed up by one sentence, no matter how hard I try. There simply is […]
Dear Editor, As the Postmasters of Aumsville, Mount Angel, and Sublimity, we are writing to express the unwavering commitment of our postal staff to serving our wonderful communities. With the 4th of July approaching, a time when we celebrate our nation’s independence and the freedoms we cherish, it is also a fitting moment to reflect on the values that bind us together. […]
Everyone needs a cheerleader. I know I do. Nothing gets me more excited than someone saying something nice. Every once in a while someone will say something nice and I turn into the world’s biggest golden retriever. “Thank you for saying that,” I’ll say. “You just made my day.” If I had a tail, it would be wagging 90 mph. […]
Growing up, camping was my family’s main form of recreation. I still love it and, while I’m not a hard-core backpacker or even a tent camper anymore – thanks to our nifty pop-up tent trailer – I think there is still something to be said for just getting out of the house and spending time outside. But it does take […]
OK, it’s time for my annual joke. My birthday is this month. Yep, I’ll turn 17. And other than a slight case of dyslexia, I feel pretty good. With that out of the way, I have a few things to say about getting old. In summary, it’s not too bad. Other than an occasional time-out for heart surgery, let the […]
1,485 Respondents: During the May 2, 2024 (Silver Falls) school board “work session,” no comments were allowed. The board received collated documents from Superintendent Morelock for opinions on priority programs. Morelock was thanked for the extensive detail. This time-consuming, week-long, process was to determine the sacred cows. There were no surprises to scholastic or extra-curricular concerns. No insult intended to […]
During the past six weeks I have been dismayed by the harsh – and even sometimes hate-filled – comments I’ve read on social media. Hauntingly similar to the public divide created by the COVID shutdown and the subsequent roll out of safety protocols, the Silver Falls School District’s budget shortfall has once again filled the community with mistrust. I admit, […]
As a former board member who participated in hiring Scott Drue, I felt devasted listening to Jackie Olsen, OASBO executive director, explain to the current board about the overspending of this district, leading to a[n estimated] $9.9 million shortfall in the Silver Falls School District. After his second year in the school district, my concerns grew as I saw Scott […]
How can the Silver Falls School District reduce its 2024-25 budget by $8 million? All parties concerned (school board, district administration, staff and general public) may have to lower their expectations to some degree to make it happen. Bake sales and fundraisers certainly won’t. I am retired and have no connection with the district other than trying to be a […]
By Carl Sampson I’m not afraid of much. I’m not afraid of politicians. (OK, maybe a little.) Or terrorists. And for crying out loud, I’m not afraid of TikTok. Anything that Congress says I should fear I automatically ignore. But I am afraid of one thing: trees. I should explain. When I first moved to Stayton, I was working at […]
I grew up in a family, and community, which revered our small-town newspaper. We read it, we discussed it and we argued about it when we thought the viewpoint was flawed. We knew the writers. We saw them at gatherings, they were the friends of my parents and the parents of my classmates. In other words, they were people just […]
This is an open letter to the person and/or persons who came onto my property and stole the flag I had attached to a soffitt on my house. I can only assume that you removed the flag of Stu Rasmussen because you put him in a box of your prejudice. You didn’t ask why I have the flag. You didn’t […]
On the Silver Falls School District financial situation: Where was (Assistant Superintendent) Dan Busch during the last 12 months? … Where was the School Board? The School Board absence and neglect during the past 12 month is completely unacceptable. The “thank you note” delivered to Mr. Drue at the March 13 public meeting is totally incomprehensible. I invite you to visit […]
I work in a local nonprofit. It has been a wonderful experience that has allowed me to get to know members of the community who I otherwise wouldn’t have crossed paths with. I am grateful for this opportunity and for the privilege that it is to be able to live in Silverton. I am a transplant, like many of my […]
Your pharmacies are asking for your help: it only takes a few moments and it needs to be done ASAP please contact your state legislature about HB 4149 . Call your pharmacy or me if you need help or want more information. The State Legislature is the only body responsible for regulating Pharmacy Benefit Managers (PBMs) in Oregon; the only […]
By Melissa Wagoner If you want to buy a Christmas tree from a tree lot they’re going to accept only cash or a check. If you don’t have cash and haven’t carried checks since the turn of the century, you will decide to visit a nearby grocery store to buy eggnog (which the kids requested) and then you will get […]
By Carl Sampson The other day I was eavesdropping on a conversation about capitalism. The gist of it was that capitalism is bad and some people have too much money, while others don’t have enough. Furthermore, according to this discussion, rich people are not nice enough or generous enough. As Deion Sanders, my new favorite college football coach, would say, that’s a […]
