By Kristine Thomas Lisa Samoilov and Stephanie Ayhan have three ideas on how to increase enrollment at Monitor Elementary School in order to keep the school open. To proceed with any one of them, they first need a commitment from Monitor parents and community members to help with the necessary work. “Everybody has to come together as a community if […]
By Kristine Thomas As a mother, Jodi Drescher knows there is no way to recapture a moment in her children’s life – once it’s gone, it’s gone. As the principal of Silverton High School she has frequently reminded her colleagues to put their families first. It’s time, she wrote in an email to colleagues, to listen to her own advice. […]
Mt. Angel’s Oktoberfest took six honors in The Statesman Journal’s 2009 search for the Best of the Mid-Valley contest. Sweeping all entertainment categories for which the festival was nominated, Oktoberfest was voted Best Annual Event, Best Family Attraction, Best Free Activity, Best Place to Dance, Best Live Music and Best Place to Take Out of Town Guests. Jerry Lauzon, director […]
The City of Silverton’s 2009-10 spending plan, proposed by the budget committee and scheduled for review by City Council June 15, will be approximately $33 million.
“Our new budget, which Council has to review and approve, is definitely a ‘hold-the-line’ one,” said Silverton City Manager Bryan Cosgrove. “We have no new expenses or personnel and are, in fact, leaving one position vacant in the sewer department.”
Budget Travel magazine recently conducted a contest to determine the coolest small towns in the America. Silverton placed in the top 10 – tying for eighth place. “We are the only town on the West Coast to get the honor so we like to think of ourselves as the Best of the West,” Chamber Executive Director Stacy Palmer said.
The magazine recently announced winners on the CBS Early Show and will publish a feature about Silverton in its October issue. This, Palmer acknowledges, will be too late for this year’s primary tourist season, but will be a boost for fall travel. The Chamber will use the designation in its promotions for the season’s advantages and activities.
The Silver Falls School District may have to eliminate 18 school days or as many as 32 teachers to balance its budget for 2009-10. How cuts are made will be determined by two factors, said Superintendent Craig Roessler.
By Kristine Thomas Kristen Beyer was hoping the Mt. Angel City Council would reduce the lease or at least keep it at $250 a month for the Littlest Angel Preschool in Mt. Angel. “I didn’t expect them to lower it to $50 a month,” said Beyer, who is the president of the preschool’s board of directors. On April 6, the […]
When Mt. Angel resident Marla Boen read a newspaper article in February that former Mt. Angel City Administrator Jim Hunt’s salary had increased from $68,278 to $74,487, she had to know why.
The Oregon Government Ethics Board of Commissioners voted March 13 to investigate whether Rick Schiedler may have violated ethics law while he served as a Mt. Angel city councilor between Feb. 5, 2007 and Jan. 1, 2009.
By Dixon Bledsoe 500 to 1 – those are the odds Silverton will become part of a reality show, said Stu Rasmussen who was elected as Silverton’s mayor in November. Rasmussen has received national press coverage, including a February article in People magazine, for being the nation’s first known transgender elected official. After the election, he said, “I was approached […]
Doom and gloom over the state’s proposed 3 percent drop in funding to colleges and universities has spawned a few rumors about possible impacts on Chemeketa Community College.
Severance contract negotiations between the city of Mt. Angel and former city administrator Jim Hunt ended Feb. 18 when Hunt received a letter from Mayor Rick Schiedler terminating his contract.
Beyond his duties of managing the city of Mt. Angel, Interim City Administrator Pete Wall has been given the responsibility for conducting the search for a new city administrator.
Mt. Angel Fire District is looking for a few good men and women to be volunteer firefighters. Applicants who are able to respond to emergency situations in the daytime are especially needed.
By Linda Whitmore On Jan. 5, Stu Rasmussen conducted his first council meeting as Silverton’s newly elected mayor. He served several terms as a councilor and also was elected mayor in 1988 and 1990. In addition to the mayor, re- elected incumbent councilors Sherry Hoefel, Kyle Palmer and newly elected Judy Schmidt took oaths of office. Former mayor Ken Hector […]
U.S. Census taker – an opportunity for retirees, students, homemakers and other jobseekers who want to receive competitive pay on a weekly basis as well as earn experience for future employment.
It’s going to take more than the current economic hard times to dampen Mayor-elect Stu Rasmussen’s enthusiasm to help lead Silverton residents further toward a vibrant and livable community.
An idea for a future housing development for “active seniors” on the Potter Automotive property in downtown Silverton was opened for public review and discussion Nov. 19.
Four protesters from an anti-gay Kansas church were outflanked by more than 100 picketing in support of Silverton mayor-elect Stu Rasmussen.
The protesters from Westboro Baptist Church, an independent church not affiliated with any know Baptist conventions or associations, gathered in front of Silverton City Hall on Monday, Nov. 24. They carried professionally made signs that condemned Rasmussen’s openly-transgender identity.
Plans are rolling along on Silverton’s new senior center and although money is coming in to fund the project, more is necessary to bring it to fruition. For several months Silverton Area Seniors’ board has met with Rowell Brokaw Architects of Salem to design the layout of the facility that will house programs and activities for people aged 55 and over.
The city of Silverton has a new mayor for the first time in 16 years. According to unofficial election results, Stu Rasmussen defeated incumbent Ken Hector by 1,988 votes to 1,512. Small business owner Jim Squires ran a distant third with 321 votes. Rasmussen has served as mayor twice before – 1988-1990 and 1990-92. He has been a city councilor […]
The Silver Falls Library presents a bright ’n’ shiny image these days in its exterior paint in a soft shade of gray accented with dark blue. Gone is the monochromatic beige and darker beige trim of the synthetic stucco siding that greeted library patrons since the building was finished nearly 12 years ago. And more change is ahead.
A project is under way to consider placing a Silverton neighborhood on the National Register of Historic Places. Heritage homes on Fiske, Coolidge and West Main streets have been proposed to become the Coolidge Neighborhood Historic District.
By Brenna Wiegand In his 10 years on Silverton’s Planning Commission, Eric Stroup has never seen an outpouring so large or so emotionally charged as that which arose in a matter of days in opposition to a land-use proposal by Quikrete Companies Inc. “When the public comes out en masse it’s our job to listen,” said Stroup. Yet responding to […]
By Linda Whitmore Six candidates are running in the Nov. 4 election to fill seats on the Silverton City Council. Filing for the three positions are Ronald J. Butcher, an insurance agent since 1981; Deborah “Deb” Harroun, who works in sales and membership at The Oregon Garden; Sherry Hoefel, director at Ingenix; Kyle Palmer, veterinary practice manager at Silver Creek […]
