By James Day Ah, the Palace. You just can’t keep her down. Depression (remember, films were first shown at the site in 1909 and the theater was rebuilt in 1936 after being destroyed in 1935 by fire). Another fire in 2012. A pandemic. A closure in January. And now, it’s back. Property owner Marjorie Eng has announced the sale of […]
By Melissa Wagoner When Ibet Lopez opened the doors of her new restaurant, Mountain Burgers – located in the parking lot of Silverton’s Ace Hardware and Hi-School Pharmacy – she wasn’t sure what she should expect. But she needn’t have worried. “It was insane,” she recalled. “We sold out twice.” And it’s been busy ever since. Thankfully, Lopez is no stranger to […]
By Stephen Floyd Teachers won their class size targets and administrators kept their management flexibility in a tentative contract approved April 18 between The Silver Falls School District (SFSD) and Silver Falls Education Association (SFEA). The tentative contract was the result of a year of bargaining that saw the parties split on issues of class size, teacher pay, grievances and […]
By Stephen Floyd The Silver Falls School District (SFSD) has published a new Class Size Dashboard to increase transparency regarding teacher workloads. The dashboard went live April 11 and the district expects to update classroom figures weekly. Assistant Superintendent Dan Busch told the SFSD Board April 10 the dashboard was in direct response to recent union negotiations where class size […]
By James Day The City of Silverton began work on its 2023-24 budget amid a staff shakeup that has the City Council initiating a search for a new city manager. Ron Chandler, who took over the top administrative post in Silverton in May of 2021, is leaving effective May 12 and relocating to Utah. In an April 12 letter to […]
By James Day Silverton is facing a $42,130 fine from the state for illegal discharges of wastewater, and city officials have appealed the decision. Silverton was notified Feb. 7 by the Oregon Department of Environmental Quality (DEQ) that it had exceeded the permitted levels of ammonia 32 times and for total suspended solids 24 times between May 2021 and August […]
By Melissa Wagoner The Curbside Kitchen in downtown Silverton recently received an Italian makeover thanks to new owners, Giulia Burato and Pietro Sangiorgi, who purchased the business from founder Holly Bell. “I have an elderly mother in Southern California that I need to take care of,” Bell said of the impetus for the sale. “So, it’s semi-retirement, I guess. But […]
By James Day If you build it, other decisions will have to be made. That’s the challenge the City of Silverton faces as construction heads toward the home stretch on the new Civic Center on the former Eugene Field School property. The $19.5 million Civic Center project, which was opened to public tours March 16, is scheduled to be ready […]
By James Day The City of Silverton is considering a proposal that could add a 22-space recreational vehicle parking area on land just north of Mark Twain Elementary School. The 1.52-acre, triangular-shaped site, if the project is approved, would be used for temporary lodging for RVs and movable accessory dwellings. Approval of the project does not require Silverton City Council […]
By Stephen Floyd The Mt. Angel School District has placed a $7 million facilities bond on the May 16 ballot, with a $4 million state grant attached if the bond passes. The district board unanimously approved a resolution Feb. 13 to send the issue to voters based on a recommendation from the district’s Bond Oversight Committee. If the measure passes, […]
Local special districts will have open board positions during the May 16 Primary Election, and the deadline to apply as a candidate and appear on the ballot is March 16. Districts with open positions include: Mt. Angel School District (positions 1 and 4). Mt. Angel Fire District (positions 1, 2, and 3). Silver Falls School District (positions 1, 3, 6 […]
By James Day A Silverton-area nursery has received a $540,000 state grant to help it grow seedlings needed for Oregon fire restoration efforts. The funds from the Oregon Department of Forestry (ODF) will allow Drakes Crossing Nursery to expand its business into greenhouse plug production of seedlings and have more stock available for emergencies such as the state’s rash of […]
By Brenna Wiegand Legacy Health Auxiliary was named Service Group of the Year by Silverton Area Chamber of Commerce at its First Citizen Award Gala Feb. 25. The hospital auxiliary has been dedicated to raising funds for the Silverton Health Foundation and to serving the hospital, Legacy Silverton Medical Center, for 65 years and is still going strong. “The auxiliary […]
By Stephen Floyd Former Silverton Mayor Kyle Palmer said The Lucky Leaf was a shoo-in for 2022 Business of the Year. Though some may bristle at the notion of a cannabis dispensary being recognized for excellence, Palmer said the shop and co-owner Colby Jackson have risen above cynical stereotypes. “Colby [Jackson] is a Silverton native and chose to make an […]
By Stephen Floyd The Silver Falls School District (SFSD) is headed to a third mediation session with its teachers’ union as collective bargaining continues nearly a year after it began. Parties are scheduled to enter mediation again March 9 after sessions Feb. 7 and 13 did not result in finalized contract proposals. Both sides are allowed to declare an impasse […]
Silver Falls School District (SFSD) is inviting the community to a series of listening sessions as a Bond Advisory Committee considers the need for infrastructure funding. Sessions are scheduled at schools throughout the district and will feature a presentation from members of the committee and opportunities for public feedback. Three listening sessions have been held so far, with additional sessions […]
Local special districts will have open board positions during the May 16 Primary Election. The deadline to apply as a candidate and appear on the ballot is March 16. Districts with open positions include: • Mt. Angel School District (positions 1 and 4). • Mt. Angel Fire District (positions 1, 2 and 3). • Silver Falls School District (positions 1, […]
By James Day Silverton Area Community Aid will be moving soon into the building that has been occupied by Ratchet Brewing since 2019. Ratchet shut down its Silverton operation on Feb. 11, although its southeast Salem location on 25th Street remains open. Will Mary, one of the co-founders of Ratchet, meanwhile, has opened a restaurant called Palominos on Court Street […]
By Stephen Floyd Mount Angel Oktoberfest has paid off its loan for the community Festhalle five years ahead of schedule, following a record-setting year for revenue in 2022. During the Jan. 26 annual meeting of the group’s membership, it was announced that last year saw more income than ever before, with $342,611 received after expenses. This allowed the board to […]
By James Day Are Silverton Police Department officers being paid enough? Developer and long-time resident Rob Wood, who serves on the public policy committee at the Oregon Police Academy in Salem, doesn’t think so. Wood read off the names of ten Silverton officers who have left the force in the past five years to take positions with other agencies. He […]
By James Day Just like that, the Silverton City Council was whole again. New councilors Marie Traeger, April Newton and Eric Hammond were voted in on Nov. 8 to replace outgoing members Jim Sears, Dana Smith and Crystal Neideigh, with Jason Freilinger winning election as mayor, replacing Kyle Palmer. However, Freilinger’s ascension to the mayor’s post left his council seat […]
By Melissa Wagoner When it comes to preserving mementos of the past, especially printed photos, slides and VHS tapes, Kerry Drum has one suggestion – don’t wait! Initially a wedding videographer under the company heading, I.M. Strong Video Creations, Drum began dabbling in small gauge film and VHS tape conversion in 2016, when her grandmother turned 100. “I thought, I […]
By Stephen Floyd The Silver Falls School District (SFSD) has denied liability in a $369,501 personal injury lawsuit by a former Silverton Middle School student who broke a leg at school in 2017 after allegedly slipping on a wet floor. On Dec. 28, 2022, the district admitted the student attended the school during that time, and a tort claim was […]
By James Day Silverton installed a new mayor and four new councilors on Monday, Jan. 9, signaling the beginning of a new political era in town. Jason Freilinger, who had served as council president, was sworn in as mayor, replacing Kyle Palmer, whose elected office experience dates to 2004. In addition, outgoing councilors Jim Sears, Dana Smith and Crystal Neideigh […]
By James Day The iconic Palace Theatre (spelled “Theater” in recent years) in Silverton has shut down and its future is up in the air. Erik and Rachelle Gonterman, who have operated the theater since 2020, are engaged in an acrimonious dispute with the landlord, Marjorie Eng, and when their contractual obligation to show Avatar: The Way of Water ended […]
