By Stephen Floyd The Silver Falls School District (SFSD) has started mapping out options to cut $8.8 million from next year’s budget, including layoffs in all departments and temporary school closures. During a special meeting May 8 of the SFSD Board, Interim Superintendent Joe Morelock presented options based on feedback from principals, employees and community members. Proposed reductions These included […]
By Melissa Wagoner In the spring of 2020 Patty and Mike Kloft learned their seven-year-old son, John, needed an emergency kidney transplant. “Stanford concluded his kidneys just never formed right,” Patty said, recalling the family’s trip from their home in Mount Angel to the teaching hospital where a team of specialists examined John. “Basically, they just said, we don’t know […]
By Stephen Floyd Mount Angel has issued the final occupancy permits for the Wachter Meadows subdivision, finalizing a six-year development process that brought 63 new single-family units to town. Administrative Services Director Colby Kemp said, as of the start of May, all inspections have been completed and permits issued, finalizing the city’s role in the development. He said all 63 […]
By James Day The bridge over the Pudding River on Hazelgreen Road NE between Silverton and Salem is being replaced and roads in the area will be closed for an extended period of time. Marion County is replacing the 1969 timber bridge near the intersection of Hazelgreen Road NE and Torvend Road NE. The bridge, and the two roads, closed […]
By James Day When Todd Engstrom joined the Silverton Police Department in 2021 “I knew Chief Anglemier was getting ready to retire and I knew taking his place as chief would be a possibility,” he told Our Town. Jim Anglemier knew it, too. “Todd is ready and will be a good chief,” Anglemier said. “He is tied to the community […]
By James Day The Silverton Budget Committee is moving toward approval of a $75 million budget for the 2024-25 fiscal year. The committee, which consists of Mayor Jason Freilinger, the six councilors and seven citizen members, heard the budget message from the city manager at a May 7 session and began its review of the document. Final passage could come […]
By James Day Memorial Day, which honors those Americans who died in the service of their country, will include observances in both Silverton and Mount Angel. The Silverton events, sponsored by Post 7 of the American Legion, begin Friday, May 24, with an 8 a.m. uncovering of the six service flags at Town Square Park. Included will be the Space […]
The streets of Silverton will be awash in pets on Saturday, May 18, as the Kiwanis Club puts on the annual Pet Parade. The event, which started in 1932, starts at 10 a.m. on Coolidge at Apple Street, turns right on Main Street, left on First Street and concludes at the new City Hall. The event is free and registration […]
By Melissa Wagoner David Brautigam’s writing career began unexpectedly in 2008 when he and his father went to the theater to watch The Happening, and ended up walking out before the end. “I was just fuming about this movie,” Brautigam – who thought the storyline lacked substance – said. “So, I went home and researched how to write a screenplay.” Then he sat […]
By Melissa Wagoner The Silverton Country Historical Society boasts numerous authors whose published works tell the story of Silverton and its citizens from its inception in 1854 to now. “It’s history from under the rugs and between the tracks,” Historical Society president Gus Frederick said. Now the community will get a chance to take some of that history home when […]
By Melissa Wagoner The Silverton High School Theater Department’s Spring One Acts hit the stage May 16 – 18 at 7 p.m. in the SHS auditorium. The lineup includes Little Women – an adaptation of the famous novel by Louisa May Alcott, directed by Maddy Rich; a short comedy drama titled, The Audition, directed by Don Zolidis and Sofia Miranda; […]
By James Day Silverton-area composer Christopher Wicks has debuted a short opera at an arts festival in Australia. Wicks’ piece, The Curse on Dyved, was inspired by his interest in Welsh music and folklore. It debuted at the Adelaide Fringe Festival, which Wicks described as “literally hundreds of events in many fields of performing and visual arts between mid-February and mid-March […]
By Melissa Wagoner The Silverton Arts Association’s gallery was packed with art enthusiasts admiring drawings, paintings and ceramics during the opening of the Teen Art Show on May 3. “The student show is something we look forward to each year,” Silverton High School’s ceramics instructor Banyon Boyd said, “our students spend a lot of time making and choosing a quality piece […]
Alleged assault leads to high-speed chase An Aumsville man is facing multiple charges after an alleged domestic violence incident near Silverton resulted in a high-speed pursuit. Matthew James Rodgers, 33, was arrested May 6 for an incident the previous evening on Hwy. 214 near Silver Falls State Park. Rodgers allegedly strangled a woman, threatened her with a hatchet and damaged […]
1,485 Respondents: During the May 2, 2024 (Silver Falls) school board “work session,” no comments were allowed. The board received collated documents from Superintendent Morelock for opinions on priority programs. Morelock was thanked for the extensive detail. This time-consuming, week-long, process was to determine the sacred cows. There were no surprises to scholastic or extra-curricular concerns. No insult intended to […]
By Melissa Wagoner Nabor Castro’s face was familiar to many Silvertonians, including Barbara Nusbaum Rivoli who, on Aug. 16, 2021, wrote in a Facebook post on Silverton Connections, “For many years I have been coming to the… YMCA building on Water Street in Silverton. There has been one consistently helpful, kind, friendly and hard-working city worker there tending to the maintenance […]
Carol Waggoner was born in Salem, Oregon on March 9, 1937, to Claude and Joyce Winegar. Raised in Monmouth, she graduated from Central High School in Independence. She married Don Earle, and they had two children, Don and Julie. Later in life she met her soul mate, Jim Waggoner, and they enjoyed almost 30 years together. She made her love […]
William Bryan Loftis passed away in his sleep, peacefully, around midnight on March 2, 2024 at his home in Scotts Mills, Oregon. Bill was born on Dec. 7, 1938 in suburban East Los Angeles, California to Howard and Katheryn Loftis. They raised Bill and his older brother, Kenneth, in a close, faith-based family with a strong work ethic. He graduated […]
Elvin Heintz was born May 11, 1935 in Silverton, Oregon. He passed away peacefully April 26, 2024 with family by his side. He was a loving father, grandfather, great-grandfather, uncle and friend. He worked for Weyerhaeuser for years, then with the Clackamas County Road Department, retiring in 1997. He was a proud member of the Scotts Mills Historical Society. Elvin […]
Our worst fears were recently realized upon confirmation from the U.S. Embassy in Belize that our dearly loved sister, Shannon, passed away Sept. 13, 2023. Shannon was born on May 3, 1961, in McMinnville, Oregon to Jud (James) and Donna Stillwell and was the youngest of five daughters. She was full of life and bubbling energy and with her long, brown curls and endearing personality she was the […]
A few years back I was at Kennedy to report on a Class 2A baseball playoff game. The Trojans won easily, and I figured it would be just a few minutes before coach Kevin Moffatt would be done talking with his team and I could interview people. I waited. And waited some more. The huddle in the outfield appeared to […]
By James Day Just a few short years ago Colton Meyer was playing football and baseball at Silverton High. Now, after a college career at Linfield and summer ball with the Corvallis Knights, Meyer, 24, is in charge of the Foxes baseball fortunes. Silverton is 9-14 overall and 6-9 in the Mid-Willamette Conference this season. It should be noted that […]
The longest running high school car show in Oregon will be making its return thanks to Silverton High School’s mechanical technology instructor, Daniel Rofelty. “The car show was always a great showcase of students planning, organizing, and hosting the event, bringing in community and getting to interact with other like-minded adults…” Rofelty said. “Due to COVID, and a change in […]
During the past six weeks I have been dismayed by the harsh – and even sometimes hate-filled – comments I’ve read on social media. Hauntingly similar to the public divide created by the COVID shutdown and the subsequent roll out of safety protocols, the Silver Falls School District’s budget shortfall has once again filled the community with mistrust. I admit, […]
By Stephen Floyd Staff at the Silver Falls School District (SFSD) are expected to receive notice of their job prospects within the next week-and-a-half, according to Interim Superintendent Joe Morelock. During an ongoing meeting tonight of the SFSD Board, Morelock said he hopes within the next 10 days to notify staff whose positions are being eliminated as part of steep […]
