CGS1211

The Cottage Grove entinel

CoTTage grove

Pertussis case count alarms health officials

JEREMY C. RUARK

Cottage Grove Sentinel

O regon is expected to surpass its record of 910 pertussis cases by the end of 2024, prompting health officials to sharpen their warnings about the disease’s serious risks—especially for young babies—and their emphasis on the importance of vaccination.

Oregon has seen a total of 827 cases of pertussis, also known as whooping cough, in 23 counties as of Nov. 13, according to Oregon Health Authority (OHA) data. At least one person, an older adult, has died.

counties with the highest case counts are Multnomah with 180, Clackamas with 109, Washington with 67 and Deschutes with 59. The median age of cases is 11, with the range between 5 weeks and 89 years.

Babies too young to be fully vaccinated suffer the most from pertussis, with the highest reported incidence rate and highest likelihood of hospitalization and death. This is because babies don’t start building protection against infection until they are vaccinated at 2 months old.

City establishing mini homeless camp at 12th Street

JEREMY C. RUARK

In 2012, 910 pertussis cases were reported, the highest annual count since 1953.

With the exception of 2024, Oregon pertussis deaths have been limited to infants—five have occurred since 2003.

“IT’S CONCERNING. PERTUSSIS IS VERY CONTAGIOUS, AND THAT’S ONE OF THE REASONS IT’S SO HARD TO CONTROL.”

Cottage Grove Sentinel

Public works crews are in the process of establishing a new smaller homeless camp site at the vacant lot on 12th Street in Cottage Grove.

Cottage Grove City Manager

“I’m worried, given the time of year, because people are attending indoor holiday gatherings, and those gatherings often include newborns who are too young to be vaccinated,” OHA’s Public Health Division Medical Director for Communicable Diseases and Immunizations Paul Cieslak said.

LANE COUNTY

Mike Sauerwein said the city is behind its original Oct. 1 timeline is establishing the camp, following the Aug. 22 closure and cleanup of the 12th Street and Douglas Street homeless camps. During the transition, the adjacent Lulu Dog Park at 12th Street has been used as a homeless camp site with hours from 7 p.m. to 7 a.m. daily.

Public health experts urge pregnant people to get the Tdap vaccine – which protects a person against tetanus, diphtheria and pertussis – at 27–36 weeks’ gestation. The mothers will make antibodies and pass them to their babies across the placenta, which lowers the risk of pertussis in babies younger than 2 months by 78%–91%.

Crews began developing the smaller homeless camp site this week on the vacant lot at 12th Street.

~

Pertussis is a highly contagious respiratory infection caused

deadly for infants.

Lane County has the highest number of pertussis cases this year with 249. The other

Vaccination against pertussis is routinely recommended for infants, children, adolescents and adults. Children should receive the DTaP vaccine against diphtheria, tetanus and pertussis at 2, 4, 6 and 15 to 18 months, and

again at age 4 to kindergarten age. All persons 10 and older, including those 65 and older, who have not had the single-dose Tdap vaccine should get it now.

Data from January through Nov. 13 show 406 (49%) of this year’s cases had zero doses of

documented pertussis vaccines, and only 361 (44%) were up to date on vaccines. Among the 75 infant cases, only 11 mothers were documented to have received the recommended dose of Tdap during pregnancy. Before the COVID-19 pan-

Metro Creative Connection Statewide, the new round of funding includes 248 grants for nearly $5.8 million.

“None of us have ever managed a homeless camp before, so we costs of that cleanup and establishing the smaller homeless camp at 12th Street were not immediately available. and the rules will be enforced through our contracting company, One Security of Eugene to help us during this transition period. They are a very experienced homeless camp management company.”

Oregon Community Foundation awards Cottage Grove

JEREMY C. RUARK

Cottage Grove Sentinel

Cottage Grove’s Center for Rural Livelihoods has received $30,000 to build a prototype affordable climate-smart home.

Cottage Grove Economic & Business Improvement District

dab Downtown Cottage Grove has received $15,000 for Bohemia Park to construct a multipurpose outdoor classroom and pavilion.

$45,000

every part of Oregon, according to retired communications professional Julie Manning, who represents the Southern Willamette Valley on the OCF Board of Directors.

Sauerwein and other city officials have told the Sentinel, that there are no additional plans to offer any other long-term sheltering for the homeless.

CINDY WEELDREYER

Cottage Grove Sentinel

“Cottage Grove will follow state law as we understand it,” Sauerwein said. “That is what we are doing. To change that is up to the legislature. The city of Cottage Grove has no plans to do any kind of a shelter beyond what we are

Editor’s Note: As Cottage Grove city leaders look to the future and how to fund community services, The Sentinel is presenting a special series of reports describing the history, current uses, and management of city-owned assets. This is part two of our six-part series.

currently doing, which is providing a location for folks to spend the night from 7 p.m. to 7 a.m.” Read previous coverage about

demic—when restrictions that included masking requirements and school closures were in effect—annual case tallies routinely reached triple digits but dropped to three in 2021. But this year’s to-date 827 cases,

Oregon’s wildfire season is expected to continue through this month, but the mental scares and impact of the season on the firefighters who battle blazes in Lane County and across the state, and their families, may last a lifetime, according to Jeff Dill, the founder of Firefighter Behavioral Health Alliance (FBHA).

Dill established the FBHA in 2010 following Hurricane Katrina. He was than a Battalion Chief for a fire department in northwest Chicago.

PERTUSSIS, Page 6

Partnerships created, sustain library and community center SPECIAL REPORT

“I saw our brothers and sisters struggle from the devastation that they saw, so I went back and got my degree and became a licensed counselor,” he said. “We started tracking EMS and firefighter suicides across America.”

Behavioral Impact often don’t recognize the behavioral

In 1881, there were only a few public libraries in the world when Andrew Carnegie, a 19th century industrialist and philanthropist, began building libraries across America.

“In the Southern Willamette Valley and South Coast, our nonprofit partners are serving Oregonians through programs that provide child care, support for young people experiencing homelessness, and mobile health care to rural communities,” Manning said. “That’s just to name a few. This is what responsive grantmaking looks like.”

Matchbooks from the Village Green Resort in Cottage Grove. See more photos with this story at cgsentinel.com.

The Oregon Community Foundation (OCF) has distributed 50 new grants in the Southern Willamette Valley and South Coast to support capacity building, small capital and new or expanding projects by nonprofits.

CINDY WEELDREYER

The grants are possible because of the generosity of Oregon Community Foundation donors.

He believed so strongly that a free public library gave people the chance to educate and to lift themselves whatever their origins in terms of wealth and status that he built 2,500 of them. In 1950, Mr. Carnegie’s philosophy so inspired local lumberman Walter Woodard’s wife, Dutee, that she persuaded him to create a public library as a gift to their hometown.

In 1993, the store moved to its Main Street location. Three years later, Cottage Grove Hospital became the building’s second owner. It was remodeled to offer outpatient services such as physical therapy and included a small therapy pool until it was shuttered when the hospital filed for bankruptcy and Centennial Bank put it up for sale.

Grovers gather to remember Village Green Resort

“It’s how rapidly theses fires can move, and the unknown is where is it going to end? Where will this fire go to and how long will it last? And that is a struggle,” he said. “So, when you are fighting that fire, you’re trying to do your best to stop it, and yet the wind kicks up at 60 miles an hour and it drags it further and further behind them. That aspect of the unknown is very difficult in wildland fires. The firefighters have that stress and anxiety, and that struggle to protect is a very difficult challenge for the wildland firefighters.”

ous supportive foundations and personal donations from Casey and his mother, Joy, the Community Center and Library raised $900,000K by opening day. By dedication day, the project became an impressive testament to community coordination and public/private partnerships that helped Cottage Grove win its second prestigious national All America City Award in 2004.

The announcement made on #GivingTuesday, Dec. 3, an international day of generosity that follows Thanksgiving.

For The Cottage Grove Sentinel In 1975, when Birdy Hoelzle and her sister Gail opened The Bookmine they were familiar with The Village Green.

helped us meet many of our future bookstore customers,” Birdy said. She shared a humorous memory they made in the formal Iron Maiden Dining Room that drew laughter from the crowd.

Their father traveled a lot and often brought its matchboxes home as keepsakes for his girls. The sisters were in their 20’s when they opened the Main Street bookstore and, to enhance their income, worked as waitresses at the resort.

“It was a wonderful place to work and, being new in town, it

Statewide, the new round of funding includes 248 grants for nearly $5.8 million. That brings the total awarded in community grants by OCF to a record $11.1 million for the year, including funding previously announced in the spring. As a statewide foundation, OCF supports community-driven solutions and opportunities in

Just as the new funding reaches Oregon nonprofits, OCF has opened the next round of community grants to be distributed in spring 2025. The deadline is Jan. 14, 2025. Find details here. The goal is to provide equitable access to flexible funding for organizations serving communities’ most pressing needs throughout Oregon.

“My sister and I were budding feminists at the time and were quite shocked by the sexism practiced in the dining room,” she said. “The menu given to a woman had no prices on it and foot pillows were provided so ladies’ uncomfortable shoes could be removed while dining. It was a very different era.”

See the full list of fall 2024 grantees with this story at cgsentinel.com

Nearly 50 people attended the Cottage Grove Historical Society’s “Farewell to the Village Green” at the Community Center, Saturday, Sept. 21. The internationally famous resort was created by Walter A. Woodard (W.A.) and his son, Carlton. Some members of the family attended and shared personal memories.

THE LENS

THROUGH

A half-century later, on July 28, 2000, the City hosted a ribbon cutting and barbeque to celebrate the opening of its new library and community center. Prior to the ceremony, about 450 adults and children participated in a four block long “book brigade” that ceremonially passed books from the small red brick building on the corner of Washington Avenue and Sixth Street to the much larger newly remodeled former Safeway grocery store at 700 E. Gibbs Ave.

the way” during the construction project.

For decades, officials recognized the public library had outgrown its location and a new one was on the City’s wish list. Driven by a spirited “can-do attitude”, the Cottage Grove Community Foundation, under the leadership of local philanthropist Casey Woodard, leveraged taxpayer dollars to garner financial support from multiple private foundations and generous donors.

He said he was given an important job of opening the boxes delivered to the guest rooms and recalled how cool he felt driving the orange golf cart around the property for assigned errands. Years later, another special memory was seeing the famous football player, O.J. Simpson, running on one of the resort’s paths.

To the delight of those gathered, Kris’ brother, Casey Woodard,

It is often very difficult for family members of the firefighters to understand what emotions there are, and that many firefighters don’t express their emotions, according to Dill.

ALL NOW UNDER ONE ROOF

Nearly a quarter of a century later, the 24,000-square-foot facility (Library uses 9,000 sq ft) is an inter-generational hub. It has allowed many organizations, once spread out all-over town, the opportunity to relocate under one roof to better serve the entire community.

Kris Woodard’s introductory remarks included personal memories he made through the lens of a 12-year-old who was often “in

BUILDING HISTORY: A National Award-Winning Collaborative Strategy

After spirited negotiations, the bank significantly reduced the sale price to $1.5M. Taxpayers contributed $105,000, in addition to the $173,000 renovations. Numer-

“We ask the family members to try to understand the cultural,” he said. “Be direct. Challenge with compassion when something doesn’t look right or doesn’t sound right, and do an internal size up, which we ask the firefighters to do as well,” he said.” Internal size up means asking why am I acting this way, and why am I feeling this way? The best thing we can do is

Tenancy has changed over time. Current tenants are Lane County’s Senior Services and Meal Site,

See LIBRARY, Page 6

JEREMY C. RUARK Cottage Grove Sentinel

CINDY WEELDREYER / COTTAGE GROVE SENTINEL

PHOTO JEREMY C. RUARK / COTTAGE GROVE SENTINEL

LISANDRA GUZMAN, LANE COUNTY DEPUTY PUBLIC HEALTH OFFICER AND PREVENTIVE MEDICINE PHYSICIAN

Jeremy C. Ruark / Cottage Grove Sentinel 8-year-old Landen Dunlap pieces together Legos during the Cottage Grove Library’s Lego Club.

OSP selects winner of ‘Name our K9’ contest

JEREMY C. RUARK

Cottage Grove Sentinel

Oregon State Police (OSP) administrators have announced the name for the law enforcement agency’s new K9.

Oregon State Sr. Trooper Scott Show needed an official name for his new drug-detection K-9. He had the idea to let Oregon elementary school students name the two-year-old female Belgian Malinois.

“On Oct. 17, 2024, OSP launched the “Name Our K-9” contest. At the time, no one knew we would end up with a very special name for one family,” OSP states in a release.

After almost 800 entries and a week of online voting, the winning entry of “Millie” was selected.

Receiving almost half the votes cast, the winning entry was submitted by fiveyear-old Violet of Winston in honor of her twin sister Millie, who unexpectedly passed away earlier this year.

“Millie and Violet were inseparable,” Kylee Stewart, Violet and Millie’s mother said, “Although they were complete opposites, they shared a love of animals.

When we came across the “Name Our K-9” contest, Violet knew she wanted to enter her sister’s name.”

“Nobody planned for there to be this much meaning behind naming the K-9,” Sr. Trooper Show said. “To have our dog end up with a name that’s got some significance and is meaningful to this family is really wonderful.”

K-9 Millie is certified through the Oregon Police Canine Association as a drug-detection dog. She and Sr. Trooper Show are assigned to the Albany Patrol Office for drug interdiction along Interstate 5 and

throughout the state.

As an ongoing tribute, OSP will recognize K-9 Millie’s drug seizures, when possible, with a special nod to the little girl who inspired her name.

“On behalf of myself

and the entire Oregon State Police family, it is an honor to be part of this special memorial to Millie Melton,” OSP Superintendent Casey Codding said.

In recognition for winning the naming contest, Violet received a letter and certificate from Superintendent Codding and an OSP uniform patch. She also received a Belgian Malinois plushie personalized with the OSP logo and the name “Millie” generously donated by Hero Industries.

OSP is continuing to recognize the contest finalists with presentations to students across the state.

“We send a heartfelt thank you to the 778 students who submitted entries in the “Name Our K-9” contest,” Codding said. “K-9 teams play an im-

portant role in keeping our communities safe and it was exciting to have so many students participate in the contest in such an engaging and meaningful way.”

CONTEST FINALISTS:

• “True” submitted by Michael B. from Creswell Christian Academy in Creswell.

• “Showtime” submitted by KariAnn G. from Eastwood Elementary in Roseburg.

• “Pearl” submitted by Bailey P. from Jefferson Elementary in Medford.

• “Mable” submitted by Mrs. Moles’s second-grade class from Prairie City Elementary in Prairie City.

The school with the most entries: Hillcrest Elementary in North Bend.

What you need to know about holiday shopping safety

LINCOLN COUNTY SHERIFF’S OFFICE

With the holiday season beginning there are many elements to keep in mind, including travel safety, winter weather preparation, and shopping security.

The Lincoln County Sheriff’s Office has issued the following recommendations to keep in mind as you shop this holiday season.

SHOPPING IN-STORES:

• Be alert and aware. Be attentive to your surroundings.

• Don’t carry more cash or valuables than necessary.

The police blotter relates to the public record of incidents as reported by law enforcement agencies.

All individuals arrested or charged with a crime are presumed innocent until proven guilty. Information printed is preliminary and subject to change.

For specific details about cases listed, contact the appropriate law enforcement agency.

COTTAGE GROVE POLICE

MONDAY, NOVEMBER 25

01:00: Suspicious subject, 13th/Adams

04:06: Suspicious condition, 100 block Gateway Blvd.

07:14: Agency assist, 500 block N. Moss St.

07:24: Dog at large, 1000 block Taylor Ave.

08:20: Illegal camping, 200 block N. 12th St.

10:27: Found property, 900 block Row River Rd.

11:23: Theft, 600 block N. 14th St.

12:00: Abandoned vehicle, N. 16th/Chamberlain

12:09: Business check, 100 block Gateway Blvd.

12:20: Business check, 100 block Gateway Blvd.

12:27: Fire, 77000 block S. 6th St.

12:36: Motor vehicle crash, 800 block Row River Rd.

13:01: Info, 1500 block Village Dr.

13:13: Harassment, 500 block E. Madison Ave.

14:12: Motor vehicle crash, Gateway Blvd/Taylor Ave.

• Take extra precautions with your wallet or purse. Carry your purse with the opening flap next to your body and the strap hung over your shoulder.

• Review shopping safety with children and always know where they are. Before going shopping, decide where to meet if you become separated.

• Always lock your car doors and remember where you park.

• Be sure to place valuables out of sight. Place them in the trunk or take them with you.

• Never hide spare keys in or on your car. If you need spare keys, keep them in your wallet or purse.

16:00: Abandoned vehicle, 100 block Palmer Ave.

16:08: Trespass, 700 block Row River Rd.

16:37: Fire, 500 block Grant Ave.

17:11: Unlawful entry into a motor vehicle, 100 block Hwy 99

17:16: Welfare check, 100 block South 1st St.

17:53: Motor vehicle crash, Saginaw/Sears Rds

18:25: Info, 14th/Main

19:13: Business check, 90 block E. Main St.

19:23: Bike stop, 19th/ Oswald West

19:52: Suicide, 1200 block Birch Ave.

21:22: Fire, 800 block E. Main St.

21:57: Warrant service, 400 block E. Main St.

22:29: Trespass, 700 block Row River Rd.

TUESDAY, NOVEMBER 26

02:25: Suspicious vehicle, Johnson Ave/8th St. 02:51: Suspicious vehicle, N. River Rd/Bennett Creek Rd.

07:14: Illegal camping, 1000 block E. Main St.

08:48: Illegal camping, 1000 block E. Main St.

10:36: Dog at large, 1000 block S. 2nd St.

10:39: Alarm gas, 1100 block Lord Ave.

11:19: Info, 1000 block Taylor Ave.

12:31: Abandoned vehicle, M/Birch

13:31: Welfare check, 900 block S. 6th St.

14:05: Suspicious vehicle, Hwy 99/S. River Rd.

15:21: Dog at large, Gateway Blvd/S. 16th St.

• Be alert to suspicious persons or circumstances. Avoid parking where you see someone sitting in their vehicle for no apparent reason.

• Trust your instincts. If you feel uncomfortable or unsafe in a situation, report it to security immediately.

OUTSIDE THE STORE

• When walking in any parking lot, store, airport, shopping center, etc., walk confidently with your head up, make eye contact, and have your keys or phone ready.

• Use appropriate marked driving lanes and obey all traffic signs.

• Drive defensively and courteously.

• Remember, parking lots will be more crowded and checkout lanes will be busier, please be patient and plan to spend more time commuting and shopping.

SHOPPING ONLINE

• Use trusted and reputable websites with secure payment systems and be cautious with personal information.

• Before entering any sensitive information, make sure the website has a secure connection. Look for a padlock symbol and “https://” in the website URL.

POLICE BLOTTER

15:42: Found dog, Edison/Harrison

16:08: Criminal mischief, 700 block Hwy 99

17:37: Illegal parking, N. Douglas/Connector

18:30: Hit and run, 1700 block S. 6th St.

21:17: Found dog, N. 16th/Harvey

21:50: Trespass, 800 block E. Main St.

WEDNESDAY, NOVEMBER 27

00:37: Nuisance, 900 block Kristen Way

01:12: Business check, 1200 block Gateway Blvd.

07:53: Illegal parking, 14th/Gateway

08:20: Business check, 300 block Hwy 99

08:28: Dog at large, 200 block Gateway Blvd.

09:42: Suspicious vehicle, 1400 block N. Douglas St.

10:38: Welfare check, 77000 block South 6th St.

10:58: Business check, 200 block Gateway Blvd.

11:17: Theft, 1700 block E. Main St.

12:05: Dog at large, 1500 block Cottage Heights Lp.

14:36: Found dog, 600 block Shields Ln.

15:31: Business check, 1200 block Gateway Blvd.

15:39: Abandoned vehicle, 16th/Gibbs

16:16: Illegal camping, 200 block N. 12th St.

16:58: Assault, 78000 block Snauer Ln.

18:20: Illegal camping, 1000 block E. Main St.

18:31: Citizen assist, 1300 block Tyler Ave.

18:38: Motor vehicle crash, 2500 block E. Main St.

22:18: Citizen assist,

1300 block E. Main St.

THURSDAY, NOVEMBER 28

00:52: Nuisance, 200 block Gateway Blvd.

02:02: Disturbance, 300 block E. Madison Ave.

05:34: Alarm, 1200 block Hwy 99

07:44: Illegal camping, 300 block S. River Rd.

08:00: Info, 200 block N. 12th St.

08:12: Abandoned vehicle, E. Washington/S. Gateway Blvd.

09:11: Alarm, 1300 block S. River Rd.

09:58: Wanted subject, 500 block E. Madison Ave.

11:00: Welfare check, 900 block Row River Rd.

11:06: Criminal mischief, 600 block E. Main St.

14:19: Suspicious condition, 700 block Gateway Blvd.

15:37: Order violation, 32000 block Picknell Ln.

15:56: Trespass, 200 block N. 1th St.

17:59: Trespass, 1000 block Ostrander Ln.

18:01: Found dog, 400 block E. Main St.

18:32: Juvenile, 1100 block N. 16th St.

18:49: DUII ATL, S. 6th/ London Rd.

19:36: Alarm, 100 block Hwy 99

20:00: Business check, 1200 block Gateway Blvd.

20:58: Warrant service, 500 block E. Main St.

21:28: Theft, 400 block E. Main St.

21:59: Stolen vehicle recovery, 40 block E. Main St.

22:08: Disturbance, 1300 block S. 6th St.

22:25: Welfare check, 300

• Use strong and unique passwords for your online accounts.

• Keep your devices, operating systems, and security software up to date to protect your device and information.

• Be aware of deals that seem too good to be true. Scammers use enticing offers to trick shoppers.

• Trust your instincts. If something feels off about a website or a product, trust your gut and consider shopping elsewhere.

• Help prevent packages from being stolen: Schedule deliveries to arrive when you will be home or have them delivered to your office.

block E. Madison Ave.

23:50: Agency assist, 1500 block S. 8th St.

FRIDAY, NOVEMBER 29

01:51: Disturbance, 82000 block Davisson Rd.

06:49: Business check, 1500 block Gateway Blvd.

08:01: Warrant service, 200 block N. 12th St.

09:34: Disturbance, 300 block E. Madison Ave.

12:14: ATL, 6th/Fillmore

12:46: Civil, 100 block North P St.

13:17: Fire, 700 block S. 8th St.

14:14: Warrant service, 400 block E. Main St. 14:38: Dog at large, Sweet Ln/Hwy 99

14:47: Agency assist, 500 block E. Main St.

16:11: Theft, 600 block N. 9th St.

17:46: Citizen assist, N. 16th/Main

18:27: Welfare check, 2700 block Row River Rd. 19:46: Harassment, 700 block Hwy 99

19:56: Business check, 1500 block E. Main St.

21:11: Alarm, 400 block Hwy 99

21:45: Reckless driving, 1200 block Gateway Blvd.

22:00: Suspicious condition, 800 block S. 10th St. 23:05: Hit and run, 1500 block Hwy 99

SATURDAY, NOVEMBER 30

01:06: Alarm, 100 block Gateway Blvd.

02:23: Business check, 900 block E. Main St.

03:37: Suspicious vehicle, 1400 block N. Douglas St. 04:50: Criminal mischief, 600 block E. Gibbs Ave.

06:29: Dog at large, 100 block Bangle Ct.

• Have a trusted neighbor or friend pick up your packages if you won’t be home.

• Install a security camera on your property.

Have packages delivered to a shipping store. If you hold a post office box, use USPS for shipping and take advantage of their package lockers to receive your items. Some post offices allow boxholders to use its street address, with the customer’s box number as the “unit” number for deliveries from other carriers.

For more information and tips visit www.lincolncountysheriff.net

13:39: Fire, 300 block Gateway Blvd.

15:12: info, 1300 block E. Quincy Ave.

18:20: Business check, 1200 block Gateway Blvd.

20:5: Overdose, 1700 block Parks Rd.

20:33: Illegal parking, 100 block Crestview Terrace

21:02: Disturbance, 2300 block E. Whiteaker Ave.

22:45: ATL DUII, 34000 block Row River Rd.

23:36: Agency assist, 32000 block Goddard Ln.

SUNDAY, DECEMBER 1

00:51: Warrant service, 400 block E. Main St.

01:07: Agency assist, Row River Rd/Gateway

01:11: Alarm, 1200 block Hwy 99

02:28: Barking dog, 1100 block Riverfront Way

03:32: Warrant service, 400 block E. Main St.

04:36: Alarm, 1200 block Hwy 99

05:18: Agency assist, 1000 block S. 8th St.

07:23: Agency assist, 1500 block Village Dr. 10:59: Disturbance, 1000 block Hwy 99

11:14: Alarm, 400 block N. 14th St.

11:48: Hit and run, 1200 block S. 13th St. 12:13: Suspicious vehicle, 6th/Whiteaker

14:10: Agency assist, 1500 block Village Dr. 14:56:

06:31: Suspicious vehicle, 100 block Gateway Blvd.

n The Northwest’s Finest Gardening Seed

n The Northwest’s Finest Gardening Seed

n Flowers, Herbs, & Shrubs

n Flowers, Herbs, & Shrubs

n Vegetable Transplants

n Vegetable Transplants

n Fruit Trees

n Fruit Trees

06:57: Suspicious vehicle, 1700 block E. Main St.

08:59: Warrant service, 900 block Row River Rd.

09:28: Theft, 140 block E. Madison Ave.

10:08: Found property, N. River Rd/Grimes

10:12: Info, 2000 block Hwy 99

10:39: Info, G/Chestnut

10:54: Criminal mischief, 500 block N. 16th St.

11:08: Citizen assist, 400 block E. Main St.

12:12: Harassment, 300 block S. 12th St.

Courtesy from OSP

OSP Sr. Trooper Scott Show and K9 Millie.

Cottage Grove’s 2024 Christmas Tree

show up for it.”

But Cummings said getting three from the Lund farm to the city park was challenging.

“There were a lot of challenges,” Cummings said.

“The Lund’s have a very beautiful piece of property and we tried as hard as we could not to leave a footprint when we were taking the tree out. That was likely the biggest challenge. Not leaving our footprint. We went in and cleaned up and did the best we could.” Public works crew members spent the rest of the week decorating the tree so that

Holiday Giving Opportunities in Cottage Grove

CINDY WEELDREYER

Cottage Grove Sentinel

Residents of Cottage Grove have a number of giving opportunities this holiday season.

TREE OF JOY

For decades this community project has ensured South Lane School District students from financially challenged families can make wishes for a holiday gift and Grovers enthusiastically rally to ensure their wishes are fulfilled.

A gift tag laden tree is at Bi-Mart and Walmart to entice shoppers to share holiday joy by taking a felt

ornament. The student’s age, sizes, and preferred gift are listed on each tag. Shoppers purchase that gift and return it to the store’s customer service counter before Dec. 15.

SEE’S CANDY SALE

The Coast Fork Kiwanis Club supports youth programs and activities in South Lane County by selling boxes of See’s Candy. This annual holiday fundraiser is one of three held each year to support college scholarships to graduating seniors, Key Club (a community leadership focused student club), and holiday gifts for children

in the Court Appointed Special Advocate (CASA) Program.

In partnership with Banner Bank, boxes of candy can be purchased at any of its three South Lane County branches: Cottage Grove, Creswell and Pleasant Hill during regular business hours while supplies last.

COMMUNITY SHARING

PROGRAM

Making a holiday donation to this nonprofit organization that provides South Lane County’s basic needs safety net is a great way to teach children the importance of helping others in need. Unfortunately,

not all annual food drives happened this fall so the number of food boxes has been reduced from weekly to twice a month. Help is also needed to fill holiday food boxes this year.

Ask for a list of needed food items, go shopping, and drop items off at the pantry at 1440 Birch Ave. Checks can be mailed to P.O. Box 351, Cottage Grove, OR 97424. Online donations can be made on its website: www.communitysharing.org.

The pantry is open from 1:30 p.m. to 6 p.m. on Mondays and from 11 a.m. to 3:30 p.m. on Tuesday through Friday. Call 541-942-2176 for more information.

WARMING YOUTH PROJECT

Now in its fourth year, Grocery Outlet and the First Presbyterian Church have collaborated to collect warm clothing items, such as socks, hats, sweaters, thermal shirts, gloves, and coats. They will be distributed among South Lane School District students who need adequate clothes to wear this winter. Even though the barrel collection ended Dec. 8, items can still be donated for distribution next week. To arrange for a pickup this week, send email to work9address@gmail.com.

SCOUTS CHRISTMAS TREE SALE

This is the final weekend of this major fundraiser to support local scouts in Cottage Grove. Stop by the Safeway parking lot and purchase a fresh, aromatic tree to be the center of your holiday gatherings. Sale hours are Saturday and Sunday from 11 a.m. to 5 p.m. (or until sold out).

Prices start at $30 for Douglas Firs and increase by height. Noble and Turkish Firs start at $50. All proceeds go to support our program and equipment costs for the scouts for the coming year.

Cottage Grove Theatre showing The 39 Steps

The 39 Steps is being presented at the Cottage Theatre through Dec. 22

The play is described as “an action-packed spoof of all things Hitchcock.”

Mix a Hitchcock masterpiece with a juicy spy novel, add a dash of Monty Python, and you have The 39 Steps, a fast-paced whodunit for anyone who loves the magic of live theatre! Winner of multiple Tony and Drama Desk Awards,” a release from the Cottage Theatre states.

“The 39 Steps is packed

with nonstop laughs, over 150 zany characters, played by an Olympian cast of four, an onstage plane crash, handcuffs, missing fingers, and some good old-fashioned romance.”

THE CAST AND PLAY BACKGROUND

Richard Hannay / Tony Rust

Annabella Schmidt/ Pamela/Margaret / Laurel Merz

Clown / Kari Welch

Clown / Charlotte Merz

The 39 Steps adapted by Patrick Barlow From the novel by John Buchan

From the movie by

Alfred Hitchcock and Licensed by ITV Global Entertainment Limited

An original concept by Simon Corble and Nobby Dimon

Presented by arrangement with Concord Theatricals on behalf of Samuel French, Inc. www.concordtheatricals.com

Sponsored by PeaceHealth Cottage Grove Community Medical Center

The play opened Dec. 6 and is scheduled to run Dec.14, 15, 19, 20, 21, 22* Thursday-Saturday, 7:30 p.m. and Sunday at 2:30 p.m. Tickets are $29 Adult and $15 youth 18 and

Jeremy C. Ruark / Cottage Grove Sentinel

The Cottage Grove Public Works crew carefully centers the tree in place.

Jeremy C. Ruark / Cottage Grove Sentinel

The Cottage Grove Public Works crew oversees the final adjustments of the holiday tree.

JEREMY C. RUARK Cottage Grove Sentinel

Courtesy photo from Susan Goes Pamela (Laurel Merz) and Richard Hannay (Tony Rust) in The

Steps.

Courtesy photo from Susan Goes

Clowns are performed by Charlotte Merz and Kari Boldon Welch.

Oregon Lottery transfers

$947M

JEREMY C. RUARK

Cottage Grove Sentinel

back to the state

CresswellChronicle

The Oregon Lottery will return more than $947 million to the state for the 2024 fiscal year – a $48 million increase from the previous year.

(Weekly)6weeks+1 bonusweek Eachadruns1x

BY THE NUMBERS

Starting:Oct17

Ending:Nov.30

The Oregon Lottery generated $940 million in profit and reduced reserves nearly $8 million, enabling the higher return, according to a release from Oregon Lottery officials.

Unclaimed prizes for the year totaled $8 million and will also go back to the state. The funding directly benefits state parks and natural habitats, public schools, veteran services, outdoor school, and economic development, the release states.

Oregon Lottery is selffunded through the sale of games, not tax dollars, and voters and the Legislature designate where the money goes.

“Oregonians help support the state programs they care about by playing our games,” Oregon Lottery Director Mike Wells said. “We continue to celebrate the wins of our players, the retailers who sell our games, and the public programs lifted up by these funds in our communities.”

CoosBay 13weekstotalineach

WINNER HISTORY

Lucky lottery players earned payouts totaling nearly $16 billion for the year. Including a record-breaking $1.3 billion Powerball win in the spring, 13 players took home prizes worth $1 million or more. Prizes big and small account for about 92% of the Lottery dollars played, according to the state lottery officials.

Repeatcycle2x=12 weeks. Runad1againon13th week.

Since 2016, Oregon Lottery has maintained the highest level of accreditation for responsible gambling from both the National Association of State and Provincial Lotteries/National Council on Problem Gambling and the World Lottery Association’s (WLA) Responsible Gambling programs, the release states. Oregon is one of only eight lotteries in the U.S. to reach this level by the WLA.

Starting:Oct.17 Ending:MidJan.

Sales commissions on Lottery games also support retailers, many of whom are small business owners. The 3,800 Lottery retailers across Oregon collectively earned close to $310 million in commissions this year.

CottageGrove 13weekstotalineach Repeatcycle2x=12 weeks. Runad1againon13th week.

The Lottery’s financial year runs from July 1, 2023, to June 30, 2024. A final audited report is posted to Oregon Lottery’s website under “Proceeds and Financials.”

Since the Oregon Lottery began selling tickets on April 25, 1985, it has earned nearly $15.5 billion for economic development, public education, outdoor school, state parks, veteran services, and watershed enhancements.

For more information about the Oregon Lottery visit www.oregonlottery.org.

OBITUARIES & DEATH NOTICES

Betty Lee Lockhart

March 24, 1930 - November 20, 2024

Betty Lee Lockhart, passed on November 20, 2024 at the age of 94 in Springfield, OR. Born on March 24, 1930, in Charleston, WV to parents Cecil and Gertrude Schuck, Betty’s life was punctuated by her zest for life, and a heart full of love for her family and the Lord.

Betty’s journey through life was shared with her beloved husband, the late Ernest “Rusty” Lockhart Sr., whom she married in Texas in 1954. Their union was blessed with affection and partnership for 56 years until his passing. The couple was graced with two children, including their late son Ernest “Ernie” Lockhart Jr., and are survived by their daughter, Tuxie Salazar.

Betty was also blessed with the closeness of her eight siblings, and is survived by Pribble, John, and Charles. Betty’s love multiplied through her five grandchildren—Rita, Eric, Kathy, Shawna, Summer— and the joyful generations that followed, including nine

Bruce Alan Klager

Bruce Alan Klager, 73, of Eugene Oregon, passed away on November 22, 2024. Arrangements are in the care of Sunset Hills

great-grandchildren and four great-great-grandchildren.

A woman of fervent faith, Betty loved the Lord wholeheartedly and encompassed the values of passion, faithfulness, and love in all walks of her life.

An entrepreneur at heart, Betty owned a dog grooming salon in Hayward, CA, where her love for all creatures, cats and dogs alike, was evident to all who knew her. Her affection for her customers and their pets was an extension of her nurturing soul. Beyond her professional life, Betty found joy in the simple pleasures of cooking, baking, and tending to her garden.

Betty’s life was guided by her unshakable faith and her capacity to love deeply. As we remember Betty Lee Lockhart, we celebrate a life lived with fullness and grace, touching the hearts of all who had the privilege of knowing her. Arrangements are in the care of Smith-Lund-Mills Funeral Chapel.

Funeral Home, Crematorium & Cemetery.

Rena Fields Rena Fields, 50, of Eugene Oregon, passed

COTTAGE GROVE:

6th & Gibbs Church of Christ

195 N. 6th St. • 541-942-3822

10:00am

Christian Education: Pre-K through 5th Tim Baker, Senior Minister www.6thandgibbs.com

Cottage Grove Bible Church 1200 East Quincy Avenue

541-942-4771

Pastor:Ron Harris

Worship 11am Sunday School:9:45am AWANA age 3-8th Grade, Wednesdays Sept-May, 6:30pm www.cgbible.org

Cottage Grove Faith Center 33761 Row River Rd. 541-942-4851

Lead Pastor: Kevin Pruett

www.cg4.tv Full Childrenʼs Ministry available Services: 10:00am

Delight Valley Church of Christ 33087 Saginaw Rd. East

541-942-7711 • Pastor: Bob Friend

Two Services: 9am - Classic in the Chapel 10:30am - Contemporary in the Auditorium

BandonWesternWorld 28weekstotal.

Courtesy photo

SNAP is a federal program that provides food assistance to approximately 1 in 5 eligible, low-income families and individuals in Oregon, including many older adults and people with disabilities. Individuals in need can apply for benefits, including SNAP, child care, cash assistance and Medicaid.

RepeatCycle4x=24 weeks.

away on November 27, 2024. Arrangements are in the care of Sunset Hills Funeral Home, Crematorium & Cemetery.

Hope Fellowship United Pentecostal Church

100 S. Gateway Blvd. 541-942-2061

Pastor: Dave Bragg Worship: 11:00am Sunday Bible Study: 7:00pm Wednesday www.hopefellowshipupc.com “FINDING HOPE IN YOUR LIFE”

Living Faith Assembly 467 S. 10th St. • 541-942-2612 Worship Services Sundays: 9a & 11a Youth Worship Sundays: 11a (all ages welcome) Mondays: 5:30p (6th-12th grades)

Our Lady of Perpetual Help and St. Philip Benizi Catholic Churches 1025. N. 19th St. 541-942-3420 Father John J. Boyle

Holy Mass: Saturday Vigil – 5:30 pm Sunday – 10:30 am For weekday and Holy Day of Obligation schedule see website OLPHCG.net

Confession: 4 PM to 5 PM Saturdays or by appointment

St. Philip Benizi, Creswell 552 Holbrook Lane Sunday 8 am

St. Andrews Episcopal Church 1301 W. Main • 541-767-9050

Rev. Lawrence Crumb

“Scripture, Tradition, Reason”

Worship: Sunday 10:30am All Welcome

Seventh-day Adventist Church 820 South 10th Street

541-942-5213

Pastor: James D. Boram

Bible Study: Saturday, 9:15 am

Worship Service: Saturday, 10:40 Mid-week Service: Wednesday, 1:00

Starting:Oct.17 Ending:MidJan.

Runads1-4againto completeweeks25,26, 27,28

SNAP recipients have extended time to seek benefit replacements

JEREMY C. RUARK

Cottage Grove Sentinel

People who live in certain Oregon counties and lost food purchased with Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP) due to the Nov. 19-20, 2024, severe weather event have 30 days to request replacement benefits from the Oregon Department of Human Services (ODHS).

The qualifying households include Lane County, Lincoln County, Coos County, and Douglas County, and they now have until Dec. 18, 2024, to request replacement food benefits.

ODHS received federal approval to waive the usual 10-day replacement benefit request deadline to help support people impacted by the strong winds and heavy rainfall that caused power outages for more than 25,000 households. Households who live outside the counties listed above must follow the usual process and request replacement benefits within 10 days of the loss.

Anyone who disposed of food bought with SNAP that was destroyed due to a disaster can request replacement benefits for the cost of the lost food. Requestors should be prepared to provide the total cost of the food lost and may have to provide proof of the event that destroyed the food if they don’t reside in one of the approved counties.

Replacement SNAP benefits may be requested by:

• Calling 800-699-9075

• Filling out a request form and emailing it to oregon.benefits@odhsoha.

Trinity Lutheran Church 6th and Quincy 541-942-2373

Vacancy Pastor: Herb Percy Sunday School and Adult Education 9:15 a.m. Sunday Worship 10:30 a.m. Comm. Kitchen Free Meal Tuesday 5:15 p.m. to 6:5 p.m. TLC Groups tlccg.com

United Methodist Church 334 Washington 541-942-3033 Worship 10am umcgrove.org

CRESWELL:

Creswell Presbyterian Church 75 S 4th S • 541-895-3419 Rev. Seth Wheeler Adult Sunday School 9:15am Sunday Worship Service 10:30 am website www.creswellpres.org

Walker Union Church & Cemetery 32904 England Rd, Creswell, OR (541) 649-1800 Pastor: Randy Wood Sunday Service at 11:00 AM Everyone is welcome! Follow us on our Facebook page: WalkerChurchOregon

oregon.gov

Starting:Oct.17 Ending:MidApril

• Visiting a local ODHS office

Once approved, replacement benefits are added to the household’s existing Electronic Benefits Transfer (EBT) card. The maximum replacement amount is the cost of the food lost, not to exceed the household’s normal monthly SNAP benefit.

Resources to help meet basic needs:

• Find a food pantry: Visit oregonfoodbank.org

• Learn about government programs and community resources for older adults and people with disabilities: Call 1-855-673-2372 or visit adrcoforegon.org.

• Find more resources near you: Dial 211, text your zip code to 898-211, or visit 211info.org

Households who live in

the following counties now have until Dec. 18, 2024, to request replacement food benefits:

Learn more at benefits. oregon.gov.

NEWS & VIEWS

Gov. Kotek’s $39.3 billion proposed

JULIA

Oregon Gov. Tina Kotek

wants the state to spend more than $2 billion on homelessness and housing and send a record $11.4 billion to public schools as part of a budget focused on maintaining existing programs with little cash to spare for new initiatives.

Her total spending plan, including federal funding that the state doesn’t have much control over, is $137.7 billion for the two-year period from July 2025 to June 2027. Her proposed general fund and lottery funds budget, where Kotek and lawmakers have more discretion, is $39.3 billion.

That’s a sharp increase from the $33.5 billion general fund and lottery funds budget lawmakers approved in 2023, but it doesn’t reflect much new spending. Instead, the state is grappling with the same budgetary pressures as many Oregonians: Revenue is higher, but so are costs.

“People understand this from their own household budgets,” Kotek said at a press conference in Astoria last week. “While our economy is strong and wages are up, and people, if you just look at the numbers, are making more, their expenses are up. And in the case of the state, our expenses for health and human services have really grown, so the expenditure line is outpacing the money coming in the door.”

Her recommended budget doesn’t include layoffs or cuts to services, but it also has few new programs. When state agencies crafted their budget requests, Kotek limited them to a 1% increase over 2025-27 levels. She also asked them to prepare lists of where they could cut by 10% by focusing on core services and making sure to maximize federal funding.

“It was a hard exercise for some folks,” Kotek said. “But I believed, and do believe, that Oregonians, in this moment, would be better served by committing time and energy to practical considerations rather than well-meaning hypothetical wish lists. Developing my budget was an effort grounded in the reality of our state and our resources.”

HOUSING AND HOMELESSNESS

Oregon’s twin housing and homelessness crises have long been top of mind for Kotek, who declared a homelessness emergency on her first full day in office. Early executive orders, and an infusion of hundreds of millions from the Legislature during the past two years, are on track to lead to about 3,300 families moving into permanent homes, 4,800 shelter beds across the state and 24,000 Oregonians receiving support needed to remain housed by July, her office estimated.

But more than 20,000 Oregonians were homeless on a single night in 2023, according to the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development’s latest point in time count, and most of those people still

sleep outside or in cars.

Kotek plans to make the case that her budget requests will reduce the state’s homelessness crisis, while not solving it.

“By the end of the current biennium next July, the actions related to the homelessness emergency I declared are projected to rehouse and shelter thousands of Oregonians, while preventing thousands more from becoming homeless in the first place,” she said. “If we continue at this pace, the equivalent of nearly one in three Oregonians experiencing homelessness on my first day in office will be rehoused by the end of my first term.”

Kotek is seeking $217.9 million to maintain Oregon’s existing shelters and $188.2 million to rehouse currently homeless people. She’ll also ask lawmakers to approve $173.2 million for eviction prevention services to keep people from becoming homeless in the first place and $105.2 million for longterm rental assistance for individuals and families who need more than short-term emergency help.

Her longer-term goal of building 36,000 homes per year to get Oregon out of a housing shortage that drives up rents and home prices remains. Kotek’s asking lawmakers to approve $880 million in state bonds for more affordable homes, with most of that sum for rental homes, as well as $100 million for infrastructure needs related to homebuilding. Lawmakers last year allocated close to that amount for water, wastewater and other upgrades needed before developers could build homes in cities across the state.

EDUCATION AND CHILDREN

Kotek is seeking $11.4 billion for the State School Fund, an increase over the current $10.2 billion. That comes as a result of changes in how she wants to calculate school funding and as skyrocketing pension costs threaten school budgets.

“Not every school district is equally situated, but I’ve heard from a lot of our districts that this is really helpful,” she said. “It’ll help us meet our goals and actually provide that stability that has been lacking.”

She’ll also ask lawmakers to approve $127 million for early literacy programs, with grants to school districts, community organizations, tribal nations and Dolly Parton’s Imagination Library, which sends free books to families for children up to 5. Another $78.5 million would go toward ongoing spending on summer learning programs, which have struggled to find consistent funding in Salem.

Her proposed budget reflects a spring settlement in a class-action lawsuit over Oregon’s child welfare system. Kotek will recommend $23.6 million in new funding for Oregon’s child welfare system to implement the settlement agreement, including $10 million to end the practice of placing children in temporary lodging in hotels and $4 million to help youth aging out of foster care.

CoTTage grove

budget

She’ll also seek $25 million for youth behavioral health, including $6 million for mental health services and substance use disorder screening in schools and $17 million for residential and community-based services for young people struggling with addiction or behavioral health.

Her budget doesn’t include a meaningful increase to funding for the state’s popular Employment Related Day Care program, which has a waitlist of thousands of families seeking child care subsidies. Kotek’s budget aims to keep families from losing services, but she said expanding the program will be “very challenging” given current budget constraints.

BEHAVIORAL HEALTH

Keeping behavioral health workers and training and hiring more are top priorities in Kotek’s budget, which includes a proposed $130 million for provider rate increases aimed at retaining Oregon’s Medicaid workforce and increasing inpatient psychiatric rates.

“Just like we cannot solve homelessness without building housing, we cannot close our gaps in services without more places to get treatment and more people to provide that treatment,” she said.

Her budget calls for using tens of millions in remaining American Rescue Plan funds to train behavioral health workers and build 336 more treatment beds, adding to a goal of 465 new beds statewide by 2026. Kotek will also seek $40 million for counties to continue deflection programs that allow people charged with drug possession to receive treatment instead of jail time.

RESPONDING TO TRUMP

While president-elect Donald Trump isn’t mentioned by name in budget documents, his election and fears that he’ll slash federal spending and programs developed by the Biden administration triggered millions in proposed new spending for reproductive health, climate change and federal lawsuits.

That includes an extra $2 million for attorneys in the state Justice Department to defend state laws, including access to reproductive health care, Oregon’s environmental standards, protections for immigrants and trade agreements. Kotek also calls for another $2 million for Oregon’s Bias Response Hotline, run through the Justice Department.

“I have heard from a lot of folks since the election (who are) worried about their safety, worried about who’s going to respond,” Kotek said. “They feel unsafe in their communities, and so it makes sense to make sure the Department of Justice has some more resources to respond and really look at what the patterns are, if there are patterns, coming into the hotline to address that.”

Her recommended budget also includes $7 million to help immigrants living in the state navigate the immigration system and find legal

See KOTEK, Page 6

Homelessness solutions one of LOC legislative priorities

6) Shelter Funding and Homeless Response - The LOC will support a comprehensive homeless response package to fund the needs of homeless shelters, homeless response efforts statewide, and capital projects. Funding will include baseline operational support to continue and strengthen coordinated regional homeless response and include a range of shelter types and services and other related services.

City leaders in Cottage Grove continue to look for state assistance and direction in solving the homelessness and housing challenges in the city.

The city leaders have said it is up to the state to take the lead in developing solutions, and in funding those solutions.

Homelessness and housing are part of the nine priorities adopted by the League of Oregon Cities’ (LOC) Board of Directors for the 2025 and 2026 Oregon legislative sessions. The priorities have been identified through a committee process during the spring of this year, and a vote by the LOC’s 241 member cities this summer.

The following nine issues received the most votes and were adopted by the LOC Board:

1) Community Infrastructure and Housing Development FundingThe LOC will advocate for a comprehensive infrastructure package that supports increased water, sewer, stormwater, and road investments from that state. Without continual infrastructure investments, communities cannot build needed housing; these two priorities are inherently linked. To this end, the LOC will advocate for continued state investments to support the development and preservation of a range of needed housing types and affordability.

2) 2025 Transportation Package - The LOC will support a robust, long-term, multimodal transportation package focused on: stabilizing funding for operations and maintenance for local governments and ODOT; continued investment in transit and bike/ ped programs, safety, and congestion management; and completion of projects from HB 2017. This objective includes support for a transition from a gas tax to a road user fee and improved community safety and livability.

3) Recreational Immunity - The LOC will introduce legislation to protect cities and other landowners who open their property for recreational purposes from tort liability claims.

4) Behavioral Health Enhancements - The LOC will support legislation to expand access to behavioral health treatment beds and allow courts greater ability to direct persons unable to care for themselves into treatment through the civil commitment process.

5) Lodging Tax Flexibility - The LOC will advocate for legislation that increases the flexibility to use locally administered and collected lodging tax revenue to support tourismimpacted services. These services include public safety, community infrastructure, and housingrelated investments.

7) Address Energy Affordability Challenges from Rising Utility Costs - The LOC will support actions to maintain affordable, reliable, and resilient energy resources and invest in programs and new technology that support energy efficiency, renewable energy, battery storage, and resilient communities. These efforts will help address members’ concerns about increased costs associated with energy usage.

8) Operator-In-Training Apprenticeships - The LOC will advocate for funding apprenticeship training programs and expanding bilingual training opportunities to promote the workforce development of qualified wastewater and drinking water operators.

9) ORS 195.530 Johnson v. Grants Pass - The LOC will advocate public policy that allows cities to respond to the unique needs of their community’s housed and unhoused members. This advocacy will include adjustments to ORS 195.530 to provide cities with the necessary tools to address unsafe camping conditions, safeguard public spaces, and protect the health, safety, and wellness of all community members.

For more information about these priorities, visit www.orcities.org and follow developments online at the cgsentinel.com and in the Wednesday print editions of The Sentinel.

Santo

JEREMY C. RUARK

Cottage Grove Sentinel

Jeremy C. Ruark / Cottage Grove sentinel

Cottage Grove Police check on people during the Aug. 22 transition day deadline at the 12th Street homeless camp.

least 20 seconds.

Pertussis

Pertussis case count alarms health officials

From Page 1

which represents a nearly 2,500% increase from the 32 cases reported by the same period in 2023, has surprised state and local public health officials.

“It’s concerning,” Lane County’s Deputy Public Health Officer and preventive medicine physician Lisandra Guzman said. “Pertussis is very contagious, and that’s one of the reasons it’s so hard to control.”

Another reason, Guzman

L ibrary Partnerships created, sustain library and community center

From Page 1

South Valley Athletics, the Senior Center and the Cottage Grove Genealogical Society’s Library. The Shepherd Room and Reception Hall is heavily used by organizations and community events. The rental revenue projected for this fiscal year is $23,000.

PUBLIC LIBRARY ACTIVITIES

The Cottage Grove Library is the second largest expense in the city budget after Police Services. Now, halfway through the current budget, the inflationary economy requires city officials to trim costs for the rest of this year to ensure the budget balances on June 30. As of Dec 1, library hours have been reduced and additional reductions are on the planning horizon for the 2025-26 budget.

The Cottage Grove Public Library is popular and heav-

Kotek

Oregon Gov. Kotek’s $39.3 billion proposed budget has more for housing, homelessness, schools

From Page 5

representation as Trump vows to deport hundreds of thousands of immigrants and potentially threaten sanctuary cities. Oregon for decades has been a sanctuary state by law, with state and local governments barred from assisting the federal government from enforcing immigration law. Kotek also wants to add

explained, is that early in an infection, pertussis can be confused with respiratory viral infections. “What you think may be a simple cold can turn out to be pertussis, because that’s how it begins—with a mild upper respiratory infection. After a couple weeks, the whooping cough begins.”

COUGHING SPASMS

Jennifer Gibbons, N.D., a naturopathic physician in Portland, says 80% of her family medicine practice is pediatrics, and she can cite many examples of a pertussis infection’s devastating effects on children. She recalls seeing a 5-monthold baby whose mother explained the child would

ily used by people of all ages. Its programs promote literacy among children and its fun, creative events relationally strengthen families.

At an August 12 City Council presentation, Head Librarian Natasha Chitow highlighted the significant role libraries play to foster reading literacy in America and the importance of literacy to the economic success of individuals and industry. She provided impressive statistics regarding library usage in the last fiscal year.

LIBRARY / COMMUNITY CENTER 2023-24 USAGE BY NUMBERS

The Cottage Grove Public Library is a full-service library serving the educational, informational, cultural, technological, and recreational needs of Cottage Grove citizens. The library provides broad access to knowledge and information for all ages. It promotes adult and children’s interests for the enjoyment of reading and learning, while encouraging literacy.

• 2,194 Active Library Cards

• 24,187 Physical items borrowed

• 11,615 E-books and audio books borrowed

• 2,309 Open Hours

$2.5 million for grants to expand reproductive health services, including programs that help patients find services and state funding for providers to upgrade facilities in response to an increase in patients seeking abortions.

Clinician-provided abortions in Oregon — which does more to protect access to abortion than all other states besides Vermont — are up 40% since 2020, according to the Guttmacher Institute, which tracks reproductive health policy.

Another $2.5 million in Kotek’s recommended budget would be reserved to protect Oregon from disruption in care if federal reproductive health funding declines under the next administration. The state has already added to its stockpile of the abortion drug mifepristone, which has been

have difficulty breathing and cough until she vomited, then seem fine minutes later.

“I’m talking to her, and she has this perfectly healthy-looking 5-monthold baby, who then all of a sudden start coughing, and her face turns dark red, and she’s gasping for breath while she’s trying to cough up all the secretions,” Gibbons remembers. “With pertussis, they get into these spasms of coughing that they can’t stop, and they’re often bringing up large amounts of mucus. It’s very scary.”

Cieslak, Guzman and Gibbons agree that getting children vaccinated with all doses of DTaP, and adults—particularly preg-

• 27,724 Visitors served

• 10,458 Wi-fi connections

• 3,516 Computer Sessions

• 149 Tech Help Sessions

• 974 Reference Questions Answered

• 274 Programs with 1,509 attendees

The current budget for the library’s three librarians, materials and services is $494,690

COMMUNITY CENTER OPERATIONS

The multipurpose building is designed to support the needs of the community for recreational, cultural, and social opportunities for all ages and abilities. It provides affordable meeting space for after school programs, community groups, businesses, non-profits, and individuals.

In response to unhealthy air quality from wildfires and last January’s ice storm, the Community Center is now recognized as a “resiliency hub” to receive state and federal dollars for equipment upgrades to better serve city officials and residents during emergencies.

The Community Services Department’s two full-time employees maintain and

targeted by anti-abortion groups.

Other potential federal disruptions require a “waitand-see” approach, she said, as leaders in Oregon and elsewhere don’t know what programs could be affected by federal changes.

“The good thing about here in Oregon, we’ll have six months to see what’s coming out of the new administration next year,” she said. “There will be a session the following year, and we’ll just have to adjust as we go.”

OTHER PRIORITIES

Kotek’s proposal includes $1.75 billion for the State Highways Fund, which she described as the minimum needed to maintain and repair existing roads and bridges. Lawmakers and her office will spend the next

nant people—vaccinated with Tdap is the best way to protect young children, older adults, and their families and friends during the holidays, and beyond.

“I’ve had multiple families say, ‘If I had known how bad this was going to be, I would have vaccinated.’ I use that to tell other families,” Gibbons said. She also reminds families that “kids tolerate this vaccine very well. I find it to be a really useful, safe and effective vaccine.”

When an infant or pregnant person is in the household of someone with pertussis, all household members should receive a course of antibiotics effective against Bordetella pertussis—typically, a five-day

operate the community center side of the building. They also connect unhoused people with needed services, expand volunteer opportunities, operate the weekly mobile shower, and coordinate with many public and private organizations as needs arise.

The current department budget for the two employees, materials, and services is $309,485.

WHERE TO CUT SERVICES?

Since last May’s budget committee discussions on upcoming 2024-25 budget challenges, during subsequent council discussions and public comments, callers on KNND Radio’s morning talk show, and social media commenters, current services provided by the library and community center have been questioned.

During a budget discussion a questioner asked, “Why do we needed a library when most of the services can be found online.”

Councilor Dana Merryday said he’s had conversations this year with the librarians about how they serve the public.

“They told me one of the most crucial services they provide is helping those

several months hashing out a larger transportation package that will likely involve tax or fee increases to pay for hundreds of millions of dollars in transportation needs over the coming decade.

“I don’t think we can do anything less than that ($1.75 billion investment) to have a functional agency, to meet the basic needs of some of the project work that’s out there,’ Kotek said. Her budget proposal also calls for diverting $150 million that would otherwise go to the state’s reserves to the Department of Forestry and Office of the State Fire Marshal to pay for wildfire costs. Oregon’s record wildfire season burned more than 1.9 million acres and cost the state more than $350 million upfront. While the federal government will reimburse more than half of

course of azithromycin.

PREVENTION

Lane County Public Health recommends practicing good hygiene to prevent the spread of the bacteria that cause pertussis and other respiratory illnesses:

• Cover your mouth and nose with a tissue when you cough or sneeze.

• Throw away used tissues in a waste basket right away.

• Cough or sneeze into your upper sleeve or elbow if you don’t have a tissue. Never cough into your hands as germs can be spread this way.

• Wash your hands often with soap and water for at

without computer access and computer navigation skills, (largely seniors) get through the morass of having to sign up for Medicare benefits, and other services that have gone so thoroughly computer centric,” he said. “There is no longer the simple number to call and get someone to help you in many spheres of our society.

The librarians are not just providing books, media, and periodicals, they are helping to guide those left behind in an increasing Byzantine system of impersonal, computer driven corporate barriers between people and services.”

Another commenter noted a lot of very important stuff is not free on the internet because it is behind paywalls.

Public libraries subscribe to owners of the paywall so going to a public library is the only way some lowerincome residents can get free access to this important information.

Overall, the Woodard Family Foundation has been the strongest and most generous among supporters of the city library. Casey Woodard explained his grandmother, Dutee, was inspired by Andrew Carnegie’s investment in public libraries and convinced his grandfather to do the same

that, Oregon is still on the hook for $151 million and lawmakers will convene in a one-day special session next week to pay those bills.

Kotek also wants an ongoing $130 million each year for fire mitigation and firefighting, with details to be worked out by a wildfire funding workgroup her office convened.

https://oregoncapitalchronicle.com/2024/12/02/

• Use an alcohol-based hand sanitizer if soap and water are not available.

To reach Lane County Public Health, call 541682-4041

For more information about pertussis (whooping cough), visit the CDC website., at https://www.cdc. gov/pertussis/index.html

Fast Fact

VACCINATIONS ARE URGED AS WHOOPING COUGH ON TRACK TO PASS 910 CASES IN 2024, ACCORDING TO THE OREGON HEALTH AUTHORITY.

for Cottage Grove.

“Carnegie didn’t foresee the Internet, Google, Wikipedia, or eBooks. Nor did my grandparents. Carnegie invented the concept of a community library so our country would endure no matter what technological changes come our way,” he said.

Woodard said Head Librarian Natasha Chitow’s presentation at the August 12 City Council meeting resonated with him.

“I felt as though she was defending the honor of my grandparents. Even though the library has moved from the physical space they created to a more grand and glorious space, created by a broader citizenry, it remains dedicated to the same ideal that the library is the cradle of our democracy and needs continued community support.”

Part three of this special Sentinel series will explore the history, current use, and the cost of operating the Cottage Grove Armory. See that installment in the Dec. 18 print edition of The Sentinel. Read previous coverage online at cgsentinel.com and join the conversation. Send your Letter to the Editor to jruark@countrymedia.net.

oregon-gov-koteks-39-3-billion-proposed-budget-hasmore-for-housing-homelessness-schools/

Oregon Capital Chronicle is part of States Newsroom, a network of news bureaus supported by grants and a coalition of donors as a 501c(3) public charity. Oregon Capital Chronicle maintains editorial independence. Contact Editor Lynne Terry for questions: info@ oregoncapitalchronicle.com.

Classified

LADD CONSTRUCTION, LLC New or remodel, decks, siding, windows, doors, shops, fenc- es. 541-913-1541 ccb# 239015

AVENUE; THENCE NORTH 89° 30’ WEST 81.96 FEET TO THE POINT OF BEGINNING IN SAID SECTION, TOWNSHIP AND RANGE IN LANE COUNTY, OREGON. The street address or other common designation, if any for the real property described above is purported to be: 3920 ROYAL AVE EUGENE, OREGON 97402 The Tax Assessor’s Account ID for the Real Property is purported to be: 170427210750010456572 Both the beneficiary and the trustee, ZBS Law, LLP have elected to foreclose the above referenced Trust Deed and sell the said real property to satisfy the obligations secured by the Trust Deed and a Notice of Default and Election to Sell has been recorded pursuant to ORS 86.752(3). All right, title, and interest in the said described property which the grantors had, or had power to convey, at the time of execution of the Trust Deed, together with any interest the grantors or their successors in interest acquired after execution of the Trust Deed shall be sold at public auction to the highest bidder for cash to satisfy the obligations secured by the Trust Deed and the expenses of sale, including the compensation of the trustee as provided by law, and the reasonable fees of trustee’s attorneys. The default for which the foreclosure is made is: The monthly installment of principal and interest which became due on 2/1/2024, late charges, and all subsequent monthly installments of principal and interest. You are responsible to pay all payments and charges due under the terms and conditions of the loan documents which come due subsequent to the date of this notice, including, but not limited to, foreclosure trustee fees and costs, advances and late charges. Furthermore, as a condition to bring your account in good standing, you must provide the undersigned with written proof that you are not in default on any senior encumbrance and provide proof of insurance. Nothing in this notice should be construed as a waiver of any fees owing to the beneficiary under the deed of trust, pursuant to the terms and provisions of the loan documents.The amount required to cure the default in payments to date is calculated as follows: From: 2/1/2024 Total of past due payments: $19,263.15 Late Charges: $692.76 Additional charges (Taxes, Insurance, Corporate Advances, Other Fees): $720.38 Trustee’s Fees and Costs: $1,757.33 Total necessary to cure: $22,433.62 Please note the amounts stated herein are subject to confirmation and review and are likely to change during the next 30 days. Please contact the successor trustee ZBS Law, LLP, to obtain a “reinstatement’ and or “pay-

off’ quote prior to remitting funds. By reason of said default the beneficiary has declared all sums owing on the obligation secured by the Trust Deed due and payable. The amount required to discharge this lien in its entirety to date is: $313,430.78 Said sale shall be held at the hour of 1:00 PM on 2/12/2025 in accord with the standard of time established by ORS 187.110, and pursuant to ORS 86.771(7) shall occur at the following designated place: Front Entrance to the Lane County Courthouse, 125 East 8th Avenue, Eugene, OR 97401 Other than as shown of record, neither the said beneficiary nor the said trustee have any actual notice of any person having or claiming to have any lien upon or interest in the real property hereinabove described subsequent to the interest of the trustee in the Trust Deed, or of any successor(s) in interest to the grantors or of any lessee or other person in possession of or occupying the property, except: NONE Notice is further given that any person named in ORS 86.778 has the right, at any time prior to five days before the date last set for sale, to have this foreclosure proceeding dismissed and the Trust Deed reinstated by payment to the beneficiary of the entire amount then due (other than such portion of the principal as would not then be due had no default occurred) and by curing any other default complained of herein that is capable of being cured by tendering the performance required under the obligation(s) of the Trust Deed, and in addition to paying said sums or tendering the performance necessary to cure the default, by paying all costs and expenses actually incurred in enforcing the obligation and Trust Deed, together with the trustee’s and attorney’s fees not exceeding the amounts provided by ORS 86.778. The mailing address of the trustee is: ZBS Law, LLP 5 Centerpointe Dr., Suite 400 Lake Oswego, OR 97035 (503) 946-6558 In construing this notice, the masculine gender includes the feminine and the neuter, the singular includes plural, the word “grantor” includes any successor in interest to the grantor as well as any other persons owing an obligation, the performance of which is secured by said trust deed, the words “trustee” and ‘beneficiary” include their respective successors in interest, if any. Without limiting the trustee’s disclaimer of representations or warranties, Oregon law requires the trustee to state in this notice that some residential property sold at a trustee’s sale may have been used in manufacturing methamphetamines, the chemical components of which are known to be toxic. Prospective purchasers of residential

property should be aware of this potential danger before deciding to place a bid for this property at the trustee’s sale. Dated: 10/3/2024 ZBS Law, LLP By: Dirk Schouten, OSB# 115153 ZBS Law, LLP Authorized to sign on behalf of the trustee A-4826360 11/27/2024, 12/04/2024, 12/11/2024, 12/18/2024

CGS24-3034

NOTICE IS HEREBY GIVEN that Kathryn Caron has been appointed Personal Representative of the Estate of DOUGLAS RICHARD MILLER, deceased, Lane County Circuit Court Case No. 24PB10739. All persons having claims against the estate are required to present them within four months from the date of the first publication of this Notice to the Personal Representative at Willamette NW Law Firm, LLC, 735 W. 7th Ave, Eugene, OR 97402, or they may be barred. Any person whose rights may be affected by these proceedings may obtain additional information from the records of the Court, the Personal Representative or from the Personal Representative’s attorney. DATED and published: 12/11/2024 /s/ Kathryn Caron, Personal Representative.

CGS 24-3035

NOTICE OF HISTORIC PRESERVATION COMMISSION VACANCY

The City of Cottage Grove Historic Preservation Commission has one vacancy to fill on this volunteer body for a term that expires December 31, 2027. The Commission members are appointed by the City Council. The Historic Preservation Commission meets once on the third Monday of the month at 7pm. People interested in applying for this position need to complete a Volunteer Appointment Application available at the Community Development Department at City Hall or online at www. cottagegrove.org. The deadline for receiving applications is January 8th, 2025, by 5 p.m. For further information please contact the Community Development Department a 541-942-5501.

CGS 24-3036

NOTICE OF PLANNING COMMISSION VACANCY The City of Cottage Grove Planning Commission has one vacancy to fill on this volunteer body

State approves new recycling rules

ALXE BUMHARDT

Oregon Capital Chronicle

Starting this summer, Oregonians across the state will begin to receive a standardized list of what can and cannot be recycled statewide, and owners and managers of apartment complexes and multi-unit housing will need to prepare to provide recycling for residents.

These are among new rules around recycling finalized Friday by Oregon’s Environmental Quality Commission following four years of negotiation and planning. The Plastic Pollution an Modernization Act will go into effect July 1, 2025, making it easier for Oregonians to recycle. It will establish new packaging fees for companies selling products in Oregon, based on the weight and recyclability of the material.

Hard-to-recycle materials, such as plastics, will command higher fees from companies than products that are easily recycled, ideally incentivizing producers to choose lighter, more sustainable materials. This follows regulations

in Oregon in recent years that require manufacturers to pick up some of the end-of-life costs of paint, mattresses and electronics, or to invest in programs to recycle such products.

“Part of the goal is to move companies into more recyclable materials. There is a cost to packaging that needs to be internalized,” said Sen. Michael Dembrow, who championed the Plastic Pollution and Recycling Modernization Act in the legislature in 2021.

The rules also give authority to collect and invest some new packaging fees to the Circular Action Alliance, or CCA, a nonprofit based in Washington D.C. Local governments and the alliance will be in charge of reinvesting fees in projects that improve Oregon’s recycling infrastructure. The alliance was formed in 2022 by 20 multinational corporations in the food, beverage, retail and consumer goods industries, including Amazon, CocaCola and Nestle. It oversees similar recycling programs that are rolling out as a result of new policies in California, Colorado, Maine and

Maryland.

Under Oregon’s new rules, environmental officials will release a standardized list of items that can be recycled across the state beginning this summer. Owners and managers of multi-family buildings, such as duplexes and apartment buildings, will also need to eventually provide recycling services for residents.

Two other bills passed in Oregon in 2023 will require manufacturers to label products to indicate whether and where they can be recycled in Oregon and ban the use of styrofoam containers for takeout food. The latter, Senate Bill 543, will go into effect in January. Rules under Senate Bill 123, the Smart Labeling Bill, must be finalized by 2027.

No nation on earth produces more plastic waste than the U.S., according to a 2022 report from the National Academies of Sciences, Engineering, and Medicine.

The average person in the U.S. in 1980 produced about 60 pounds of plastic waste per year. Today, each

person in the U.S. produces more than 200 pounds of plastic waste each year, according to the EPA. Up to 2 million metric tons of that waste escapes into the environment each year, and much of it ends up in waterways and oceans, eventually becoming microplastics.

The nonprofit Environment Oregon tested 30 rivers and lakes around the state in 2021 and found

detectable levels of microplastics in all of them. Despite efforts to improve plastic recycling, no more than 9% of plastic waste generated in the U.S. each year gets recycled, according to EPA.

https://oregoncapitalchronicle. com/2024/12/02/stateapproves-modernizedrecycling-rules-to-reduce-

packaging-pollution-makeproducers-pay-for-waste/ Oregon Capital Chronicle is part of States Newsroom, a network of news bureaus supported by grants and a coalition of donors as a 501c(3) public charity. Oregon Capital Chronicle maintains editorial independence. Contact Editor Lynne Terry for questions: info@oregoncapitalchronicle.com.

Declutter and donate to reduce holiday waste

SUBMITTED

With the holiday season here, BRING encourages residents to clear out their old, reusable items to make room for the new.

This year, Lane County residents can donate directly at the Glenwood Transfer Station, where BRING recently opened a donation site in partnership with Lane County Waste Management and St. Vincent de Paul of Lane County. This site offers residents a convenient one-stop solution for donating, recycling, and disposing of household and building materials, promoting reuse while reducing landfill waste. With increased holiday activities, waste generation can increase by as much as 25 percent between Thanksgiving and New Year’s.

BRING and Waste Wise Lane County—a part of Lane County Waste Management—encourage the community to consider sustainable practices like reuse, especially during high-waste times of the year. BRING’s new collection site allows residents to easily donate gently

used building materials, garden supplies, furniture, tools, and more, helping these items find new life and reducing their environmental impact.

“We are excited to expand our services to the Glenwood Transfer Station,” BRING’s Executive Director Sonya Carlson said. “With this new location, we aim to make it convenient for people to donate reusable building materials that might otherwise end up in the landfill. Items like bricks, windows, doors, fencing,

lumber, sinks, and tiles can all be repurposed into new projects, helping both our environment and community.”

The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency estimates that construction and demolition (C&D) debris accounts for more than twice the amount of municipal solid waste, with 600 million tons of C&D debris generated annually in the United States.

BRING’s efforts at the Glenwood site and its main location are part of

a larger initiative to help Lane County achieve its goal of recovering 63 percent of its waste stream through reuse, recycling, and composting. Since the Glenwood donation site opened in August, BRING has already diverted 32,579 pounds of reusable materials from the landfill. By donating at this auxiliary location, community members can contribute to BRING’s Planet Improvement Center, which provides affordable, environmentallyfriendly options for local DIYers, contractors, and residents looking to repurpose quality materials. Residents planning renovations or holiday declutter projects are encouraged to gather reusable materials for donation and save a trip by combining it with their visit to the transfer station. For a full list of accepted items or to learn more about the waste reduction initiative, visit www.bringrecycling.org.

ABOUT BRING

BRING is a Eugenebased home and garden thrift store committed to recovering construction waste and building materials from the waste stream,

providing environmental education to Lane County communities, and highlighting the importance of reuse.

Today, we focus on the urgent issues of consumption, climate change, and community resiliency. Through these initiatives we fulfill our mission to provide vision, leadership and tools for living well on the planet we share.

BRING has consistently been voted one of the “100 Best Green Work -

places in Oregon.” ABOUT WASTE WISE LANE COUNTY Waste Wise Lane County— a part of the Lane County Waste Management Division—empowers residents, schools, and businesses with education, tools, and resources that can be used to reduce waste, conserve resources, and live more sustainably. For more information, visit lanecountyor.gov/ wastewise.

Julia Shumway / Oregon Capital Chronicle

Oregon is working on modernizing its recycling system so residents can trust the items they’re

Courtesy photo

This year, Lane County residents can donate directly at the Glenwood Transfer Station, where BRING recently opened a donation site in partnership with Lane County Waste Management and St. Vincent de Paul of Lane County.