By James Day Two more meetings of a rulemaking advisory committee on updating the statewide wildfire hazard maps will be on Zoom in the coming weeks. The committee’s focus for these sessions will be to provide input on whether irrigation for farmland and agricultural crops should be incorporated into the calculations for wildfire hazard assessments. One meeting was held on […]
By James Day SALEM – Oregon Governor Tina Kotek, who is starting her second year in office, was the featured speaker at a Salem Chamber of Commerce event Jan. 8 at the Salem Convention Center. The event, which attracted a capacity crowd of 300 people, was part of the Chamber speakers series and was not intended to be viewed as a […]
By James Day It’s salmon season and the Marion Soil & Water Conservation has a series of events planned in the Santiam Canyon for August through October. The district is organizing Salmon Watch field trips for school kids from Sept. 20 through Oct. 18 at Packsaddle Park just east of Gates on Highway 22. Packsaddle is a known spawning ground […]
By James Day About 50 people gathered Saturday morning at The Oregon Garden to learn more about wildfire resiliency and emergency preparedness. Experts from the Silverton Fire District, the Office of the State Fire Marshal and Oregon State University Extension offered tips to the group, which consisted of local residents, environmental activists, fire officials and landscaping professionals. Key topics covered included wildfire risk evaluation, […]
Past acts enhance manslaughter case charges Prosecutors are seeking a stiff sentence for a Silverton man accused of vehicular homicide, claiming prior criminal sentences have had little impact on his behavior. Gustavo Sosa, 27, faces at least ten years in prison if convicted. He has been charged with first-degree manslaughter for a May 23 collision in Salem that killed Victor […]
By James Day Silverton native Ed Grambusch grew up wanting to be an air traffic controller. He tried work of a similar vein as a 9-1-1 emergency dispatcher. But once he hooked on as a volunteer with the Silverton Fire District, the career search was over. Grambusch continued his 9-1-1 work as he worked his way into a career as […]
By James Day The Marion County Parks Commission plans a January vote on a proposal to restore and update county parks damaged by the 2020 wildfires. County officials have been working with consultants Walker Macy and EcoNorthwest on the plan to address fire damage and upgrade Packsaddle, Minto and Niagara along Highway 22 and North Fork, Bear Creek and Salmon […]
By James Day Former Silverton Police Chief and Mayor Rick Lewis was re-elected in House District 18, according to early unofficial returns from the Secretary of State’s Office. Lewis was appointed to the position in 2017 when Rep. Vic Gilliam resigned because of ill health. He has previously been elected in 2018 and 2020 to full 2-year terms. Lewis, a […]
By Melissa Wagoner Long before the flames of the Labor Day 2020 wildfires were extinguished, Ward Frederick knew he had to do something to help those who had lost everything to the flames. “Besides being a Realtor and doing business up there, I have a restaurant background and am in the wholesale food business,” Frederick – a principal broker with John L […]
By Melissa Wagoner “The question – what happens after a fire? – is an important question,” retired US Forest Service Fire Ecologist Jane Kertis said when asked about 2020’s Beachie Creek Fire. It, along with the Lionshead Fire, burned through the Santiam Canyon last Labor Day leaving many favorite parks still closed for recovery. Kertis thinks the question of how […]
By Melissa Wagoner Recovering from a disaster like the one that devastated the Santiam Canyon during the Labor Day fires in 2020 is neither quick nor easy, a reality that was recognized early by the Santiam Canyon Wildfire Relief Fund (SCWRF) Advisory Committee, a nonprofit established on Sept. 11, 2020 to support the recovery and rebuilding of those communities most […]
