Make the McKenzie Connection!
Make the McKenzie Connection!
Sorted by date Results 1 - 25 of 27
BLUE RIVER: For nearly 20 years, ambulance service boundaries in Lane County have remained largely unchanged, with no new provider requests altering the system. But that stability was disrupted when the Upper McKenzie Rural Fire Protection District began asking a pressing question: "How to improve emergency medical response in a rural community where help can be far away/" Fire Chief Joel Zeni said the effort is rooted in a long-standing challenge in the Upper McKenzie Valley - distance....
MCKENZIE BRIDGE: A Sunday afternoon hike to one of Oregon's most iconic landmarks turned into a complex rescue operation involving multiple agencies from across the region. According to Linn County Sheriff Michelle Duncan, dispatchers received a call at approximately noon on May 3 reporting an injured hiker at Tamolitch Blue Pool, a heavily visited site along the McKenzie River Trail. The patient, a 53-year-old woman from Terrebonne, had sustained a severe knee injury while hiking. The rugged...
SANTIAM PASS: A Sunday afternoon crash on Route 20 claimed the life of a Scio man after a failed passing maneuver in a no-passing zone, according to the Oregon State Police. The collision occurred at approximately 4:17 p.m. on May 3 near milepost 81.5, about six miles east of the junction with Oregon Route 126 and Oregon Route 22. The crash site sits at roughly 3,750 feet in elevation along the winding Santiam Pass corridor. Investigators reported that a westbound Harley-Davidson FHX...
The story of the Lane Electric Cooperative is rooted in the grit and determination of rural Oregonians who, nearly a century ago, refused to accept life without electricity. Today, the member-owned utility serves nearly 13,000 electric accounts across 1,479 miles of power line in Lane County, including much of the McKenzie River Valley. But its beginnings trace back to a time when power lines stopped short of rural communities, leaving farms and homes in darkness. In the 1920s and early 1930s,...
Learn to be prepared at this Saturday's Disaster Preparedness Fair at the Upper McKenzie Community Center in Rainbow. On the agenda from 11 am to 3 pm: local emergency management agencies, businesses, and organizations will share information on communications, preparedness, and emergency supplies. There will also be great raffle prizes and giveaways, free food and drinks. Learn how to prepare for and respond to a disaster. Meet with local emergency management officials, organizations,...
Dear Commissioners, I watched your BOC meetings of March 31, 2026, and April 28, 2026. I have some observations concerning these meetings. In the March meeting Steve Mokrohisky demonized Sanipac and Waste Connections for being a “multinational” corporation and Commissioners Buch, Trieger and Farr, you continued to do the same thing in your comments. It was claimed that they don’t care about their customers and are gouging in their consumer rates. This has sent a very clear vision to all companies who are or would like to do business in Lane...
The Bonneville Power Administration, the federal agency that sells Columbia Basin hydropower, is required by law to make decisions that are economically beneficial for its customers. It also must protect and mitigate harm to our environment, including imperiled salmon and steelhead. BPA is failing at both, and using salmon protection as a distraction for its bad decisions and rising energy costs. Last week, BPA held a public workshop to begin planning for an expedited rate proceeding that would allow the federal agency to raise rates for its...
McKenzie Varsity Sports Schedule This Week The McKenzie Varsity Track and Field team travels to Junction City on Saturday, May 9, to participate in the Junction City Invitational. Field events start at 10:00 am and track events follow with a 12:00 pm start. The Eagle teams travel to St. Paul on Tuesday, May 12, to participate in the Austin Smith Thrower's Invite. Focus will be on field events, which will start at 3:00 pm. Eagle Boys Track Team Places Seventh At Harrisburg Twilight McKenzie Girls Take Ninth The Elkton boys won the annual...
April 27: 2:33 a.m: Harassment - 89200 blk, Old Mohawk Rd. 12:35 p.m: Drug Overdose - 42700 blk, McK. Hwy. 12:54 p.m: Unlawful Entry Motor Vehicle - 91800 blk, Mill Creek Rd. April 28: 9:21 a.m: Unlawful Entry Motor Vehicle - 88800 blk, Ruby Ln. 1:10 p.m: Disorderly Subject - McK. Hwy. 2:33 p.m: Civil Service - 50100 blk, McK. Hwy. 7:02 p.m: Suspicious Conditions - 40000 blk, McK. Hwy. April 29: 5:38 a.m: Alarm - 42800 blk, McK. Hwy. April 30: 8:34 a.m: Fraud - 92200 blk, Marcola Rd. 8:59 a.m: Attempt To Locate Drunk Driver - Camp Creek Rd....
April 20: 8:24: 41000 block, Madrone St. Medical, General. Patient Assessed, 1 Transported. 8:58: 87000 blk, Cedar Flat Rd. Medical, General. Patient Assessed, 1 Transported. 10:31: 88000 blk, Twin Firs Rd. Medical, Heart. Patient Assessed, 1 Transported. 13:22: Marcola Rd./Milepost 6. Mutual Aid. Disregarded Prior to En Route. 15:29: 37000 blk, Worth Rd. Medical, Heart. Patient Assessed, 1 Transported. April 21: 4:33: 89000 blk, Greenwood Dr. Medical, Heart. Patient Assessed, 1 Transported. 12:18: 54000 blk, Caddis Ln. Medical, General....
April 27: 14:52: Brush Fire – McK. Hwy./Milepost38. Caller reports small pile "size of a person" - not spreading, no one around. 17:46: Check Smoke – 57000 blk, McK. Hwy. Smoke blowing across the highway as complainant passed by, across the street from the ranger station. April 29: 08:03: Subject Down - McK. Hwy./Mp. 33. Male on side of road is hunched over, up against the road, not moving. 10:28: Medical – 55000 blk, McK. River Dr. Male, Conscious, Breathing. April 30: 15:46: Medical – 55000 blk, McK. River Dr. Female, conscious, not breathi...
Just off Highway 131, near the town of Tillamook, there's a scenic overlook from which you can gaze out over a long, barren peninsula, slender and low-lying and sandy, dotted with beach grass and Scotch broom. The name of the peninsula is Bayocean Spit. It's named after the posh resort town that once crowned it - a town that, over a 35-year-period, dropped house by house into the ocean. Today, nothing remains but beach sand, memories, and whatever's left of an old Bell System telephone cable,...
Gardeners hoping to conserve water can start by growing crops that naturally need less of it. Choosing drought-tolerant vegetables and matching irrigation to plant needs makes water-wise gardening both practical and productive. "Some vegetables, such as beans, are adapted to drought conditions at a very basic, cellular level," said Jim Myers. "Tepary beans grow successfully in desert and near-desert conditions. They're native to the American Southwest and have been a staple food crop there for...
The forsythia, along with the daffodils is blooming brightly in our yard. These blooms bring back memories. The daffodils were my son-in-law's favorite flower and he planted them when they moved here twelve years ago. The forsythia has an even longer history. And memories of my childhood, as well as building a home with my husband. Now the forsythia in my daughter's yard continues with new memories as we live together. The forsythia blooms are connected because the flowers bloom from the same...
I moved in with my boyfriend five months ago. We've been friends for two years, but only started being romantic a few months before I moved in. We have the same values and want the same things: starting a co-op, starting a family, running a farm, and promoting a better economic system. Big, big dreams! I've known him to be all the things I wanted in a partner-strong, supportive, and optimistic. But almost as soon as I moved in he started to fall apart. He's in university with straight A's, but...
Data show more than half the lower 48 states are currently experiencing drought, including two-thirds of the West and in Oregon, most of the state is already facing moderate to severe drought. Scientists are calling the situation historic. This winter tied 1934 as the warmest on record in Oregon, reducing the snowpack to about one third of its normal size. Peter Gleick, cofounder of the Pacific Institute in Oakland, explained there has been almost no snow in the West, and what little snow did...
Amateur photographers across the state are being invited to capture Oregon's landscapes, communities, and character as part of the 2027–2028 Oregon Blue Book Cover Photo Contest, announced Thursday by Tobias Read. The contest, held every two years by the Secretary of State's Office, will determine the front and back cover images for the next edition of the Oregon Blue Book, the state's official almanac. "The iconic covers of the Oregon Blue Book are part of what makes these books so special," R...
I booked a one-way car rental in Porto, Portugal, through Hotels.com. When I picked up the vehicle at the Europcar counter, the agent said I hadn't paid the one-way fee - even though my reservation clearly showed it was one-way. She added $155 to my bill. She also refused to accept the insurance I had purchased through my travel plan or my credit card, and forced me to buy Europcar's "Premium Protection" for another $155. On top of that, she added a $97 "Premium Station Surcharge," even though...
I don't understand why Airbnb deleted my account. I've been a responsible guest with excellent reviews. Airbnb says I violated its community standards, but I know I didn't. The only explanation I can think of is my location. I live in Zaporizhzhia, Ukraine, which is near the front line but remains under Ukrainian control. Airbnb will not do business in Russia. Some international services wrongly mark our entire region as "disputed," which feels discriminatory and unfair. Airbnb asked me to...
This week, we have an opportunity to recognize a group of individuals who make an extraordinary impact on our students every single day, our teachers. Teacher Appreciation Week gives us a chance to pause, reflect, and express our gratitude for the dedication, care, and professionalism our teaching staff brings to McKenzie schools. Teaching is a profession that goes far beyond delivering lessons. Our teachers build meaningful relationships, create safe and welcoming classroom environments, and inspire students to think critically, communicate ef...
I've had many jobs in my post-college career, ranging from newspaper reporter to overseas English-language teacher to entrepreneur to nonprofit fundraiser. But my favorite job, aside from being a temporary stay-at-home parent, is my current position as Lane County Waste Reduction Outreach Coordinator. The position affords me opportunities to share information about waste prevention and environmental sustainability, meet interesting folks, and live by the idea of "leaving the campsite better...
Crews have completed construction of a 61-foot concrete bridge, asphalt paving, and guardrail installation on Forest Service Road 19, also known as Aufderheide Drive, near milepost 55.5. These improvements were designed to make the road safer and more resilient for future significant weather events. The area has been subject to multiple large landslides, according to US Forest Service officials. The road is open to two-way traffic from Rainbow to Westfir with minimal road delays anticipated....
ACROSS 1. "____ Louise" 5. Unsolicited email 9. Parentheses, e.g. 13. Not mainstream, as in art 15. Heap 16. Chesterfield, e.g. 17. Not sharp 18. Katy Perry's hit 19. Grammy of sports 20. *Bachelor of Arts, e.g. 23. Autumn mo. 24. Opposite of outs 25. Muslim ruler, respectfully 28. Retirement safety net (2 words) 31. Completely isolate (2 words) 33. "That feels good!" exclamation 34. Programmer's bane 35. Mozart's "L'____ del Cairo" 36. *Same as #11 Down 40. #me____ 42. Paleozoic or Victorian,...
