By Melissa Wagoner An estimated 200 activists gathered in Silverton’s Town Square Park on Friday, Sept. 20 for what they hope will be the first of many Climate Strike Protests. “This is a global event, with strikes occurring in Salem, Corvallis, Eugene, and many other towns throughout Oregon and throughout the world,” 43 year-old mother of two Elyce Brown said […]
By Nancy Jennings Along with the popularity of consuming more probiotics in our diets, the quest to get and maintain a “healthy gut” can be a challenging feat. Sublimity resident Megan Templeman wants to help clients succeed and achieve ongoing optimal health. Templeman, 34, a certified functional and holistic nutritional therapist for women, specializes in chronic health problems such as […]
By Melissa Wagoner Diane Brooke likes everything about swimming. “[I]t makes me feel so joyful and good,” she explained. “The feeling of being in the water and weightless – it feels kind of magical. Swimming and flying are kind of similar – and flying is magical if you think about it.” A swimmer from an early age, Brooke took lessons […]
By Melissa Wagoner Laura Antonson and Tyler Boland have two fundamental things in common; they both love plants – Antonson is a Landscape Design Architect and Boland is the Horticulture Manager at the Oregon Garden – and they are both adopted – a fact they have both struggled with. “It’s uncomfortable growing up and copying someone else’s family tree, wondering […]
By Melissa Wagoner Christy Davis of Silverton recently had to say goodbye to her mother, Maxine Davis, for the last time – but first she had to say hello. “Immediately she was stressed out because she was supposed to know me,” Christy said of their initial greeting during her last annual visit. Suffering from Alzheimer’s disease (AD), Maxine’s memory was […]
Guest Opinion Mike Ashland One evening in 2001, while working online preparing for a parenting class, a chimey little AOL sound went off and a window popped up on the screen. One of my student leaders IM’d me, “I’m online with Sabeen (not her real name). Did an assessment. She’s suicidal and has the pills.” I sent back, “I have her […]
By Melissa Wagoner 19-year-old, Anna Koch is setting out on the journey of a lifetime – a 2,663 mile trek along the Pacific Crest Trail. “I’m starting in Idyllwild, [California,] which is the worst spot because they’re getting dumped on every day,” Koch shuddered. “I’m totally nervous because this year is a record snow year. I’d like to think I […]
By Nancy Jennings Effective April 1, Silverton Area Community Aid (SACA) began offering weekly food pantry visits rather than monthly ones – and added evening hours Thursdays from 6 p.m. to 8 p.m. According to SACA Communications/Events Coordinator Paul Scoville, “We went from a system where a person or family could come in for food once a month to now […]
By Melissa Wagoner When Angela Smith found out the foot clinic offered by Legacy Silverton Medical Center for the past 28 years was being discontinued she knew she had to do something. So she took a leap of faith and decided to open her own. “I just think it’s so important and these patients were in a panic,” she said. […]
By Melissa Wagoner Suicide is an often dreaded – and therefore avoided – conversation, but it is also one that is important for parents to have with their children, according to Psychiatrist Audry Van Houweling, who said there has been a sharp rise in suicide and suicide ideation among youth in recent years. “It’s risen 40 percent,” she noted sadly. “And just from the kids […]
By Melissa Wagoner Forty-five people walked a combined 6,000 miles of community roads last year as a part of the Silverton Immanuel Lutheran Church Walking Club. “We had a map up in the church where they would move their little person,” group founder Mary Miller explained. “There are some people who have never walked and now they are walking.” Miller […]
By Melissa Wagoner Gardening can be a great way to fight off seasonal blues, according to Heather Desmarteau-Fast, a horticulturist and the owner of Stamen and Pistil in Silverton. “The key is being outside and getting your lungs full of fresh air, exercise from moving and working the ground, raking or planting,” she listed. “There is now evidence that soil […]
By Melissa Wagoner “Since this has happened I’ve had these moments where I’m like, ‘Am I really alive?’” avid outdoorswoman Leslie Drapiza of Silverton said during a recent retelling of the harrowing rescue that saved her life in the early hours of Feb. 5. “I had gotten complacent,” she admitted. “I should have been better prepared.” Drapiza, who is […]
By Nancy Jennings A fun way to beat the winter doldrums can be found at Silverton’s YMCA. “Pickleball,” a sport with an odd name and originating from the Pacific Northwest, has found its way from larger cities to Oregon’s Garden City. Think of it as a kinder, gentler tennis game. Introduced on Dec. 27 at the Community Center, the paddle […]
By Nancy Jennings In 2014, Antonina Kuznetsov was a 15-year-old living in the small city of Fosston, Minnesota, on a mission – to become an entrepreneur. After taking the necessary steps, she secured a business license and made her dream come true – all before getting her driver’s license. Now 19, the Monitor resident and founder of “Antonina’s Naturals,” an […]
By Melissa Wagoner Childcare can be difficult for parents whose work schedule falls outside of regular business hours but many parents are finding the answer to their problem in the guise of an old-fashioned solution – multigenerational housing. “My husband and I are both physicians and we had our first child at the same time we started our intern year […]
By Melissa Wagoner “Whenever the seasons change is a good time to de-clutter,” Elyse McGowan-Kidd, owner of Kidd De-Clutter in Silverton said. “We are wired for change during the shift of the seasons. Each season has its own theme and therefore its own focus.” Although McGowan-Kidd has been a professional organizer for only two years, she has been helping family […]
A concert to benefit separated migrant families will be held Saturday, Aug. 25, 7:30 p.m. at St. Mark Lutheran Church in Salem. Performers will include Brian Kimmel, the Ayala Band, Daniel Colbert and Peter Bergel & Friends, who will offer a variety of folk music styles. Latino labor leader Ramon Ramirez will speak briefly about the separated migrant families issue […]
By Paula Mabry The Silverton City Council will once again take up the hearing on a proposal to amend city codes to set standards for transitional shelter for the homeless at its Sept. 10 meeting. The proposal, referred for approval to the council by the city planning commission after two sessions of public testimony in the spring, continues to generate […]
By Melissa Wagoner In 1992 Mary Coleman decided to take a hike. Normally an avid golfer, Coleman wanted to branch out but her husband and golfing partner wasn’t all that interested. Her hiking career could have ended there but then she discovered the Chemeketans – an outdoor club of over 600 members whose primary activity is day hiking. “My husband […]
By Melissa Wagoner Hilary Dumitrescu knew what postpartum depression was before she became a mom – she had heard stories of famous mothers who battled the illness and had a sister who suffered from its effects – but none of that knowledge prepared her for what she experienced after the birth of her first child. “I thought having the baby […]
By Melissa Wagoner Alexandra Samoilov’s family business is – quite literally – the berries. South Barlow Berries grows an enormous variety in their fields off South Barlow Road in Canby and every week they haul them to 10 farmer’s markets around the state. Recently they’ve added one more market to the list – the Mount Angel Wochenmarkt. “It’s small but […]
By Nancy Jennings Her white work van reads: “Paws For Love Therapy Dogs, Inc.: Teaching You to Safely Share Your Pet with Others.” Patty Storkel, 65, has been director of the Salem-based organization since 1999. A member of the Silver Falls Kennel Club, she hopes others will share even more of their pets – with the help of local supporters. […]
By Melissa Wagoner Dr. Tomas Gigena is stepping into a new career that taps into his Argentinian roots. “I grew up in a small town like Silverton,” Tomas said. In that town the doctor not only visited patients’ homes, he knew the name of every family member – even the pets. That level of care and attention inspired the young […]
It’s news you need to share with every member of your household – and remember when tempted to touch your phone when behind the wheel – beginning July 1, distracted driving penalties in Oregon will start adding up. Distracted driving is already exacting a high price – with fatalities and serious injuries occurring regularly in crashes where a driver is […]
