Make the McKenzie Connection!
Make the McKenzie Connection!
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The founder of an Oregon disaster-relief organization that received public money for work connected to the Holiday Farm Fire and other major Oregon wildfires has been indicted on felony theft charges. The Oregon Department of Justice announced Sept. 2 that a Lincoln County grand jury indicted Marcus "Marc" Brooks, founder and executive director of the Cascade Relief Team, on two counts of aggravated theft in the first degree. The criminal charges center on a $326,000 American Red Cross grant...
A little rain and cooler weather may make it feel like fall is approaching, but Oregon fire officials are warning residents not to let their guard down. The Oregon Department of Forestry says Oregon remains in fire season, and dry vegetation can still ignite despite the recent change in weather. Several ODF districts have adjusted their fire danger levels and restrictions as conditions have changed. However, fuels remain dry in many areas, and warmer weather is expected to return. "Typically,...
A sweeping new Northwest electricity plan could eventually affect what McKenzie Valley residents pay for power — just months after some 2,500 local customers were transferred from Eugene Water & Electric Board to Lane Electric Cooperative. The Northwest Power and Conservation Council’s draft Ninth Power Plan says rapidly growing electricity demand will require the region to add more than 11,000 megawatts of new generating capacity, more than 5,000 megawatts of storage and more than 1,000 average megawatts of energy efficiency by 2032. The pro...
Likened to "an abandoned T-Rex record found tattered in a gutter," The Drowns plan to amp-up and tear down classic blues based rock riffage and drag it kicking and screaming into modern punk streets. They'll be marrying the rough and raw with the catchy and bouncy on the stage of the Wildish Theater starting at 7 pm on September 18. The Drowns bark feature former members of Dee Dee Ramone's band, Time Again, Success, Stone Sour, Madcap, Black Star Riders, The Chelsea Smiles, Strychnine Babies, a...
BLUE RIVER: Nearly six years after the Holiday Farm Fire swept through the McKenzie Valley, another piece of Blue River is taking shape again - this time with considerable help from volunteers who traveled across the country to lend a hand. The Living Water Family Fellowship envisions a new kind of church on the eight-acre Blue River property where crews are building a roughly 4,400-square-foot multipurpose parsonage with living quarters plus a large "family room" for worship, Bible teaching and...
The newly printed 2026 edition of the McKenzie Magazine aims to give visitors and locals alike a look at the people, places, history, and outdoor experiences that make this area distinctive. More than a traditional visitor guide, the publication pairs practical details on where to stay, eat, shop, and explore with stories about the river, its communities, and the people who've shaped life along our 60-Mile Main Street. This year's edition follows Highway 126 through the valley's communities,...
The McKenzie Community Chorus' first rehearsal of the season is set for September 9th from 6:30 - 8:30pm at McKenzie Bible Fellowship, 45061 McK. Hwy. in Waterville. The chorus invites people to discover the joy of collective song. With no auditions, the focus remains on musical delight and genuine connection. Under the guidance of Director Jamie Sieminski, the chorus is preparing for heartfelt seasonal concerts. The group offers a welcoming space to give back through song and shared bonds....
EUGENE: Following their August 18 meeting, the Lane County commissioners are evaluating two property-tax incentive proposals intended to spur new business investment, renewable-energy projects, and job creation in the county's rural communities. The board heard from staffers who laid out plans for a Rural Renewable Energy Development (RED) zone and a separate Enterprise Zone focused on the Goshen area. Neither designation has been established, and no formal action was taken. While commissioners...
After spending her morning flying across the state to observe active wildfires near Mount Hood and northeast Oregon, Gov. Tina Kotek warned Oregonians to stay alert as the state still has more than a month until the end of the fire season. "It's really horrifying to see the type of fire damage that's already occurred," Kotek said in a press conference Thursday afternoon. Oregon's wildfire peak typically lasts between July to September, but experts say dry winters and hot springs and summers are...
McKENZIE BRIDGE: Over four decades of McKenzie River Valley history can be searched from a computer screen through an online archive of McKenzie River Reflections. The archive contains thousands of pages documenting life along the McKenzie since Reflections began publication on August 23, 1978. The collection includes the big stories - floods, fires, elections and changes in the valley's economy - along with the everyday events that often provide a rich record of the community's history....
The Oregon Department of Justice is investigating the McKenzie Watershed Alliance after the nonprofit reported more than $1.5 million in "unauthorized payments," raising questions about whether public and utility funds were involved. The McKenzie Watershed Alliance serves as the fiscal sponsor for the McKenzie Watershed Council and has handled millions of dollars in federal and other funding for restoration projects in the McKenzie River watershed and elsewhere in the Upper Willamette Basin....
VIDA: One of the McKenzie River Valley's most distinctive traditions - maintaining the wooden boats that helped make the river famous - will return to a Vida workshop this fall. The McKenzie River Discovery Center will hold a 10-day hands-on boat-building workshop November 30 through December 10 at the Roy Pruitt Memorial Shop on Shelly Pruitt's Vida property. Participants will work alongside master boatbuilder Jayson Hayes of Hayes Custom Boats to construct two traditional 16½-50...
The Jordan Schnitzer Museum of Art in Eugene will feature Leading the Camino: Latinx Art by Juan de Dios Mora and Consuelo Jimenez Underwood Saturday, Aug. 29, from 11 a.m. to 5 p.m. The exhibition brings together prints and textiles exploring borders, cultural identity and life in the "borderlands." Mora combines humor, Spanglish and imagery ranging from luchadores and piñatas to Mesoamerican symbols to reflect his lived experiences. Jimenez Underwood uses textiles to explore cultural...
The last weeks of summer find Oregon and much of the Northwest experiencing historic drought, exacerbating what has become one of the most active wildfire seasons in the state and region, according to state and federal climatologists and hydrologists. Beyond fish and ecological impacts, drought across Oregon, Idaho and Washington is causing water supply shortages for public water and electric utilities, costing farmers tens of millions of dollars in lost crops and leaving vegetation and soils...
BLUE RIVER: Possibilities for the 16-acre Three Sisters Meadow property range from a walking path connecting the school campus with downtown to lodging and recreation facilities that could help create a new economic hub for the McKenzie River Valley. Those ideas emerged during an August 12 planning session that brought together community members and representatives from more than a dozen local nonprofits. Among the most ambitious concepts was a timber-frame lodge with about 50 rooms,...
On recent days in Prineville, smoke from the nearby Rowe Creek Complex wildfire feels "thick enough to cut with a knife," said Beverly Friesen, an 81-year-old grandmother. For the first time in over 40 years, she had to evacuate from the area, leaving behind her one-story, two-bedroom home, which held so many memories of her late husband and the children they raised. "My husband had just passed away two years ago, and it was god-awful," she said. "I didn't know what I was going to do if I had lo...
LEABURG: The slow drift of a summer day on the McKenzie River - the changing light, moving water and memories carried downstream - provides the inspiration for a new exhibition opening this week at The River Run Gallery. Oregon mixed-media artist Claudia Schouten-Jones will be featured at an artist opening reception Thursday, Aug. 20, from 4 to 7 p.m. at The River Run, 42837 McKenzie Highway in Leaburg. The reception will give visitors an opportunity to meet Schouten-Jones and view her...
Join Lane Electric Cooperative and General Manager Scott Coe for member meetings in the McKenzie River Valley. The Lane Electric Cooperative will hold two meetings on Thursday, August 20. The first, at the McKenzie River Community School is set for 1:30 pm. The second, at 5:30 pm will be held at McKenzie Fire & Rescue, 42870 McKenzie Hwy, Leaburg. The Cooperative will be sharing details about how it operates during wildfire season and highlight current and upcoming projects in the area. LEC...
Oregon Department of Fish and Wildlife biologists are once again taking to the McKenzie River and its tributaries for the annual count of spawning spring Chinook salmon, an important measure of the health of one of the river's most threatened native fish populations. The spawning-ground surveys are conducted each year from August through October, with peak spawning generally occurring in late September. Crews walk and float stretches of the streams. Their primary task is counting and mapping sal...
The McKenzie River Discovery Center received an important boost in its effort to build a new museum and educational attraction in Leaburg. The Cultural Advocacy Coalition of Oregon selected the Discovery Center as one of 11 arts and cultural capital projects it will champion during the 2027 Oregon legislative session. The coalition is recommending $2 million for construction of the McKenzie River Discovery Center, making it one of the largest projects on a statewide list seeking a combined $10...
WALTERVILLE: A downriver man was arrested Tuesday evening after Lane County Sheriff's deputies responded to a reported assault and located the suspect with the assistance of K-9 Tito. Deputies were dispatched at approximately 6:45 p.m. August 4 to the 42700 block of McKenzie Highway near Walterville after receiving a report of an assault. According to the Lane County Sheriff's Office, the victim reported being choked, struck in the face multiple times and losing consciousness during the...
The projected cost of work associated with the Eugene Water & Electric Board’s Carmen-Smith Hydroelectric Project on the upper McKenzie River has climbed to approximately $300 million, more than double the project’s original $139 million budget. EWEB commissioners received an update on the facility during their August 4 meeting, where officials attributed the increase to expanded regulatory requirements, site conditions and inflation. The Carmen-Smith project is one of EWEB’s major locally owned sources of electricity and includes elect...
A new study from the Action Network ranks Oregon among the top 10 states to catch one of nature's most awe-inspiring sights: meteor showers. The state boasts large areas without city lights, especially in the east, as well as plenty of clear days to make for optimal viewing. Robert Lunsford, contributor to the American Meteor Society, said most meteors are the size of a pea and they are not very bright but sometimes, meteors can be the size of a tennis ball, known as a fireball, which will make...
Sequins, slime and a distinctly Eugene brand of pageantry will take center stage on Friday, August 14, when contestants compete for one of the city's most unusual crowns - the title of SLUG Queen. The 2026 SLUG Queen Competition & Coronation begins at 6 p.m. at the Eugene Saturday Market Stage, where hopefuls will rely on elaborate costumes, performances, humor and even good-natured bribery of the judges in their quest for the crown. During the yearlong "rain," the Queen makes appearances at...
Motorists traveling on OR 126 and U.S. 20 will continue to experience nighttime delays as paving progresses along the route's upriver work area. Although the project is permitted to operate during daylight hours, the contractor has elected to do most paving work at night to minimize disruptions to daytime traffic. According to Oregon Dept. of Transportation officials, work has also occurred at the beginning and end of night shifts. As crews become more familiar with traffic patterns, they may...
