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Letter to the Editor: Pharmacy bill needs your immediate support

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 […]

Melissa Wagoner – A Slice of the Pie

A Slice of the Pie: Christmas mayhem – To a familiar tune

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 […]

Carl Sampson

A Grin at the End: Money – It’s not always the root of all evil

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 […]

Letter to the Editor: A ‘Yes’ vote accomplishes a lot

Please join the Silver Falls School Board in supporting a bright future for our kids! As volunteer School Board Members, we know schools build stronger communities, which is why this November’s Bond is so important for the future of our Silver Falls communities.  Our community has always come together to invest in education. Better schools help build a stronger community, […]

Letter to the Editor: It’s the right time to make the investment

I am so excited that our school district has the opportunity to make an investment in our schools! After a few years of hearing about extra difficult times for students and staff, we can gift them a promise of comfort and safety. In November, we get to vote to make a sound investment in our future. This bond will help […]

Letter to the Editor: School should be repaired, not replaced

Dear Editor, The proposed $142 million ($75M new; $63M rural; $4M contingency) expense of demolishing the entire Schlador Campus and construction of a new insufficient sized, extravagant school, is neglecting students, district owners and common sense. Once remediated, Schlador may hold 1,000 students, compared to 450 new. This disregards the soon-demand for an expansion of the new high school; another […]

Letter to the Editor: Neighbors in support of SFSD school bond

Dear Editor: We are three moms in the Silver Falls School District. As we are getting our kids – 10 between us – ready for school this fall, chief on our “School Supplies List” is a big YES for the Silver Falls School District Bond on the November 2023 ballot! Like many families in our district, we send our beloved […]

Carl Sampson

A Grin at the End: A heart full of thanks – A life-saving surprise

I recently turned 70 and got the best birthday present ever – a new lease on life. What I had self-diagnosed as industrial-strength heartburn turned out to be something else entirely. Only the persistence of my doctor led to the correct diagnosis. While I noticed the heartburn came and went, depending on whether I was walking uphill, she saw the […]

Melissa Wagoner – A Slice of the Pie

Packing – The art of preparation for kids and family

I’m no expert when it comes to packing. I’ve had my share of mishaps: inadvertently packing my husband’s donation pile instead of his clothes, driving five hours into the middle of nowhere only to discover the kids have no shoes – twice.  I’ve forgotten underwear, brought winter coats to hot places and summer clothes to cold. I’ve weathered diaper blowouts, […]

People Out Loud: Mom Power – The force that guides you for life

I am writing this as Mother’s Day quickly approaches. As you are reading this Mother’s Day 2023 has passed. The brunches have been served, the cards admired and the flowers adored. Truthfully, one day is not sufficient in celebrating our moms.  Motherhood is not restricted to biology. It is also displayed in that teacher who looked at you side eyed […]

A Slice of the Pie: Many hands – Make light work at Mount Angel Abbey

Walking along the path that winds through the grounds of Mount Angel Abbey one day, Father Ephrem Martinez noticed a family enjoying a picnic under the trees and thought how much more welcoming the space could be if the grounds – much of which were overgrown with blackberries – were cleaned up. “Everybody tries to keep their house nice for […]

A Grin at the End: The good, the bad… and the handy!

About 20 years ago I was ensconced in my La-Z-Boy trying to figure out some stuff. The immediate topic at hand was how to make television better. No, I wasn’t thinking about what shows folks would watch; I was thinking about when they could watch them. “Wouldn’t it be great to be able to go on the internet and pick […]

A Slice of the Pie: Sorting through memories – Mementos in mind

When I walked into my great grandmother’s house for the last time I was submerged by memories. The matriarch of our family, hers was the home in which we all gathered for holidays, after funerals and every day in between.  The house was small, simple and welcoming. There wasn’t a piece of furniture or a knick-knack we kids couldn’t touch, […]

People Out Loud: Like Frank said… A farewell to my readers

This is a bittersweet moment. After 42 years of writing professionally, new ideas are as rare as a polite campaign season. I’ve been called a Pollyanna for writing a lot of positive stories. But my mantra is simple when asked, “Is the glass half-full, or half-empty?” For me, it is always half-full, and I am grateful for the glass. When […]

Letter to the Editor: Complex histories – Artist weighs in on inclusion of controversial figure

Susan Bielenberg wrote to Our Town expressing her concern about the October 2022 cover photo (Vol. 19 No. 19) featuring my painting of Margaret Sanger, one of the women represented in my October exhibit at Lunaria Gallery, “Portraits of Inspiring Women in the Classical Style.” I’m very glad Susan wrote. She is correct to object to Margaret Sanger’s involvement in […]

People Out Loud: Firsts – Bearing witness to a growing nation

On a number of occasions acknowledgment has been given to “Firsts.” The first Black Supreme Court justice, the first Black QB in the NFL, the first Black president.  While many have celebrated these firsts, others have condemned these as “making things about a race.” My position is that these firsts are cause for celebration; an acknowledgment of positive change.  When […]