Among the many ripple effects of the pandemic, in the last two years health care workers have reported a disturbingly prolific increase in assaults while they are providing care. According to surveys by the American College of Emergency Physicians and the...
Highway 58 Herald ARCHIVES
Month: February 2022
‘Sail away from safe harbor,’ excellent advice at any age
I have often bragged that “I never let my schooling interfere with my education,” which is patterned after a comment by the humorist Mark Twain. This statement certainly applied to my undergraduate scholastic record. I vividly recall starting to enter an English...
Public invited to suggest how OSU Extension should prioritize services
By BEN OLSON/For the Herald — Lane County residents are invited to help determine how to allocate property tax receipts for various Oregon State University programs. In May of 2021, voters overwhelmingly approved an increase in a property tax that helps to fund...
Bryan Cutchen shares personal report card about his experience as Oakridge’s city administrator
By DEAN REA/Editor/The Herald — Oakridge residents were enjoying a mild summer when Bryan Cutchen reported for work as the city administrator on July 15, 2019. The Lane Council of Governments had wrapped up recruiting this retired Navy rear-admiral. During his...
Oakridge City Council picks veteran administrator from Portland to serve in temporary position
By DEAN REA/Editor/The Herald — A Portland man with more than 25 years of city managerial experience was chosen Thursday night as Oakridge’s interim city administrator. The City Council announced its decision to hire Kevin A. Cronin after meeting several times in...
Oregon governor and health officials announce Thursday that indoor and school mask mandates will end March 19 as Covid-19 cases recede
By LYNNE TERRY/Oregon Capital Chronicle -- The last of the pandemic limits Oregonians have endured for two years are ending, with state authorities lifting mask requirements by Friday, March 19, and the state of emergency ending April 1, state officials announced...
ENTERTAINMENT ROUNDUP: Live variety show promoted during Spotlight open house
BEN OLSON/For the Herald — I attended and performed at an open house event Wednesday night for the Spotlight Project Presents at the WAC Center on School Street in Oakridge. Director Loren Christopher Michaels put the event together to drum up interest and support for...
Two Oakridge women file for city council position created by resignation of former mayor Holston
By DEAN REA/Editor/The Herald — Two women who have served Oakridge in various roles are applicants to fill a City Council position for the remainder of the year. Jan Hooker and Trudy Hammond are scheduled to be interviewed during the March 3 council meeting to fill...
Public reminded of March 15 property tax return deadline
Each individual, partnership, firm or corporation that has tangible personal property is required by Oregon law to file a personal property tax return by March 15 each year. There are no extensions available due to a 2015 amendment to ORS 308.290. The return must...
Several school districts defy executive order, vote to go mask optional before March 31
By ALEX BAUMHARDT/Oregon Capital Chronicle -- School leaders across the state are five weeks away from having the power to make masks optional for students and staff without the risk of fines or the loss of Covid relief funds. Still, school boards in Alsea, Redmond...
Upper Willamette gets another blanket of snow, followed by sunshine, a cold snap and icy roads
OAKRIDGE-WESTFIR received a few more inches of fresh snow Monday night, making travel on Highway 58 temporarily treacherous as temperatures dropped into the teens. Tuesday dawned bright and sunny, and by mid-morning the area's streets and roads had begun to clear...
William Curtis Burris June 4, 1938 – February 12, 2022
William Curtis Burris of Oakridge passed away at home in his sleep after ongoing health issues. He was 83. William was born on June 4, 1938, in Calhoun, Tennessee to William Nelson and Delphia Burris. On July 3, 1961, William married Annie Marie Woods. Later they...
Legislative leaders agree on 7 spending plans on energy efficiency, rural areas and more
By LYNNE TERRY/Oregon Capital Chronicle -- Legislative Democrats and Republicans have been working behind the scenes to devise spending packages for rural communities, energy efficiency programs, homeless services and education. House Speaker Dan Rayfield,...
Commentary: Here’s hoping that your walk doesn’t end in a heap of shattered glass
By BEN OLSON/For The Herald — I guess it was just a matter of time. I’d heard the stories, some of them first-hand. “We went for a hike on a trail off this quiet Forest Service road. When we came back we found someone had broken a window and rifled through our car.”...