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Articles from the March 31, 2022 edition


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  • No word on local missing man

    Mar 31, 2022

    11-year-old Blue River man who has been missing for almost five months still remains a mystery. His sister, Stacy Sprenger, says the family hopes that as the weather improves and snow melts people will help look in areas where he could possibly be found. Shane Sprenger's abandoned silver 2009 GMC Sierra was found near U.S. Forest Service Rd. 15 east of Blue River Reservoir last November 4th. Cellphone pings seemed to show Sprenger had been near the reservoir, but his phone had been turned off....

  • Another missing person's vehicle located in the Vida area

    Mar 31, 2022

    7-year-old Eric Ray Brazil was reported missing to the Springfield Police Department by a friend earlier this month after last being seen on March 14th. Yesterday Lane County Sheriff's deputies responded to a wooded area near the end of Goodpasture Road in Vida after a passerby reported finding Brazil's car unoccupied. Personnel fromLane County Sheriff's Search and Rescue responded and have been searching the area for him. Brazil is described as a Latino male adult approximately 5'11" and...

  • Highway logs weren't just surplus

    Mar 31, 2022

    McKenzie Locals Helping Locals vice president Cliff Richardson recalls that Joel Zeni, Project Manager for Suulutaaq, approached him last year with a novel idea. That proposal focused on what to do with hazard trees that were being removed from private properties. "A lot of those folks that did not want to market their logs, didn't have enough to market," Richardson says, or they didn't have marketable logs. Instead, under the plan, people could donate their resources to one of three...

  • Wooden Boat Festival returns

    Randy Dersham|Mar 31, 2022

    VIDA: For the last two years the McKenzie’s Woden Boat Festival has been canceled because of COVID restrictions. But this year it returns on April 23, 2022, at Eagle Rock Lodge which is located at 49198 McKenzie Hwy, Vida, Oregon. The Lodge is located on the McKenzie River between milepost 34 and 35 East of Eugene, Or. Come, relax, and learn about the river and the history of this influential double-ended boat from 10 am – 4 pm. Admission is free. The McKenzie River Guides Association will hav...

  • Grants will aid people "fire-harden" homes

    Mar 31, 2022

    EUGENE: Lane County is partnering with the Oregon Building Codes Division to launch a grant program to help owners of homes and businesses rebuild after the 2020 Oregon wildfires. Homeowners, including those with a manufactured home, or a business that was damaged or destroyed by the 2020 wildfires can receive money to cover the costs of using more fire-resistant methods and materials when they rebuild. People who have already rebuilt also qualify for the grants. Fire hardening is an important tool to help make homes more resistant to fire. It...

  • Red tape holds up new bridge

    Mar 31, 2022

    MCKENZIE BRI DGE: Efforts to construct a new access point for the McKenzie River Trail are moving forward - on the ground, at least. Three weeks ago members of the Dirt Dogs gravel cycling group completed leveling a pathway from the Clear Lake Cutoff to a ledge at the edge of Robinson Canyon. Sam Taylor, who's been leading the volunteer group's work party said they've reached the edge of a sharp dropoff where a new "We're ready," Taylor said, "and have already packed in the main cables and...

  • Shot off wife's leg helps local golfer go below par

    Mar 31, 2022

    RAINBOW: After a particularly bad round of golf, Robert Becker said he decided not to go to the nineteenth hole [the clubhouse bar] and started to go straight home. As he was walking to the golf car park to get his Range Rover, a Sheriff's Deputy stopped him and asked, "Did you tee off on the seventeenth hole about twenty minutes ago?' 'Yes', Robert answered 'Did you happen to slice your ball so that it went over the trees and out of bounds and completely out of sight?' "Yes, I did. How did you...

  • "Missing woman" mystery solved

    Mar 31, 2022

    CLEAR LAKE: A group of tourists spent almost four hours last Saturday night hunting for a missing woman near Clear Lake, only to find her among the search party. The group was traveling through the area on a tour bus and had made two prior stops at Koosah and Sahalie Falls. Soon after having an early lunch at the Clear Lake Resort, word spread that a female passenger was missing. The woman, who had changed clothes, didn’t recognize the description of herself and joined the volunteer party. But the search was called off about 3 p.m. when it b...

  • Some safety experts say school bus passengers should be belted

    Mar 31, 2022

    SPRINGFIELD: When it comes to hitching a ride to school, we're told by the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration that riding a school bus is the safest way to go about it. In fact, the NHTSA reports that while four to six school-age children die each year in school-owned vehicles, school buses are the safest roadway travel mode. While those kinds of statistics are impressive, the Springfield School District wanted to know, "if school buses really are safer than cars, why don't most...

  • Letter to the Editor

    Mar 31, 2022

    I have tried to get the members list to McKenzie Valley Wellness, it is information that all members should have access to. I have been provided the meeting minutes, but for some reason, the member list is not being released. To be a member you must have volunteered, or been part of the clinic situation, or been a patient. We have been all of that - helping remove debris after Snowmagedon etc, for the clinic. Valerie Rapp, MVW president, has refused to give me the list, even after providing the minutes of meetings. So how does one get the...

  • JP Doodles

    Barry McWilliams|Mar 31, 2022

  • Sheriff's Report - March 31

    Mar 31, 2022

    March 22: 8:47 a.m: Suspicious Subject - Marcola Rd. & Parsons Creek Rd. Deputies contacted a male walking along Marcola Rd., possibly disoriented. No crime was articulated and a welfare check was conducted. 7:58 p.m: Attempt to Locate Drunk Driver - Marcola Rd. & Camp Creek Rd. March 23: 11:34 a.m: Restraining Order Service - 5600 block, Thurston Rd. 3:31 p.m: Assist Motorist - McK. Hwy & Natures Garden St. 3:39 p.m: Repossessed Vehicle - 89700 blk, Upper Johnson Creek Rd. 3:39 p.m: Civil Service - 40300 blk, McK. Hwy. 3:44 p.m: Civil Service...

  • McKenzie Fire Report - March 31

    Mar 31, 2022

    March 21: 11:39: 42000 block, Holden Cr. Ln. Medical, General. Patient Refusal. 22:50: 42000 blk, McKenzie Hwy. Medical, General. Patient assessed, refusal. March 22: 2:05: 39000 blk, Deerhorn Rd. Medical, General. Patient Refusal.transported. 9:04: McK. Hwy. Milepost 18. Motor Vehicle Accident. Non-Injury/Non-Blocking. 19:58: 39000 blk, Hendricks Park Rd. Medical, General. Patient Assessed, 1 Transported. March 26: 14:42: McKenzie Hwy. Mp. 29. MVA. Disregarded. 17:51: 45000 blk, McK. Hwy. Medical, General. Patient Assessed, 1 Transported McK....

  • Upper McK. Fire Report - March 31

    Mar 31, 2022

    March 22: 15:34: Medical – 57000 block, McK. Hwy. Female, Conscious, Breathing. March 27: 03:58: Medical – 54000 blk, McK. River Dr. Female, Conscious, Breathing. The Upper McK. Fire District board of directors will hold its monthly meeting on Wednesday, April 20th, at the McK. Fire station, 56578 McK. Hwy. in McKenzie Bridge at 7 p.m....

  • McKenzie Sports Report - March 31

    Cliff Richardson|Mar 31, 2022

    McKenzie Sports Schedule This Week The McKenzie Varsity Track and Field teams will travel to Mapleton this Wednesday, March 30, to participate at the 1A-SD2 League Meet. Teams participating include Crow, Glendale, Mapleton, Riddle, Triangle Lake, and McKenzie. Field events start at 4:00 pm and Track events begin at 4:30 pm. The Eagle teams will participate in the 1A-SD2 League Meet held at the Aaron and Marie Jones Community Track venue on Saturday, April 2. Field events start at 11:00 am and Track events will begin at 12:00 pm. Teams...

  • Harry Lane resisted nation's rush into WWI

    Finn J.D. John|Mar 31, 2022

    Many historians, when asked to cite the single biggest and most far-reaching government misstep in American history, will immediately start talking about the First World War. By getting involved with that conflict - subtly at first, by lending money to the Allies, and later directly with American boots on French soil - we made it possible for one side to crush the other and impose its will, rather than simply fighting to an impasse and being forced to negotiate peace. The world is still trying...

  • Pump up your plant knowledge by learning family relationships

    Kym Pokarny|Mar 31, 2022

    Learning to recognize 400,000 species of plants is more than daunting; it's impossible. But making a start by learning how to identify family characteristics can help you manage a healthier garden. "It's important for gardeners to be aware of how to ID plants," said Karen Pleasant, Oregon State University Extension Service master gardener coordinator in Josephine County. "It will tell you what the correct cultural needs are, what kind of problems they may have. Knowing which plants you have...

  • Direct Answers

    wayne and Tamara Mitchell|Mar 31, 2022

    My history with relationships stinks. I chose the wrong men because I needed to feel needed. I thought if I could fix them, they would feel so grateful they would give me undying love. I’m not making that mistake this time. The man I’m engaged to has nothing to fix. He’s perfect for me. Sounds too good to be true, right? There is one glitch. His ex-wife. They met when he was 18, and she was 23, and they had two children. In their relationship, she was the boss, and he did what she wanted. They...

  • PROBLEM SOLVED

    Christopher Elliott|Mar 31, 2022

    Before Tom Moran buys his 58" Samsung Smart TV, he asks a representative if the unit is compatible with the MLB app. Samsung says it is -- but it isn't. Does he deserve a refund? I went on Samsung's website in November 2020 and requested a recommendation from their salesperson for a television that is compatible with the MLB app. I have a copy of the chat. I purchased a 58" Class TU7000 Crystal UHD 4K Smart TV based on the company's written recommendation. I could not test the television until A...

  • TRAVEL TROUBLESHOOTER

    Christopher Elliott|Mar 31, 2022

    Katherine Spokes has been waiting almost two years for a refund on her Britrail England Flexi Passes. Why won't her travel agency process her refund? In February 2020, I bought two Britrail England Flexi Passes through ACP Rail, a travel agency specializing in rail passes. A year later, it became clear that we would not use the passes. Since they were refundable, I asked ACP for a refund. It agreed to take the tickets back, and in February 2021, I mailed the tickets back to the company. I never...

  • Frank Engelman|Mar 31, 2022

    Now that "Zooming" is a verb, knowing how to make video calls via Zoom is becoming an important life skill. The truth is Zoom is extremely easy to use, which is why it became so popular during COVID. But some people still have difficulties with some aspects....