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Since 1972
This Golden Bear is versatile See page 21
RESS November 9, 2015
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Serving More Than h 33 33,000 000 H Homes & B Businesses i iin 4 C Counties ti
He’s the cannon master See page 11 M
Fitzgerald more than a legend for 2 local women By Lou Hebert Press Contributing Writer
Leading the Arrows
Oregon natives Jayme Cox, left, and Stephanie Sylvester led the St. Ursula Arrows to the state regional semi-final win. See story on page 18. (Press photo by Scott Grau)
Dog killed in summer
Owners are still seeking answers By Melissa Burden Special to The Press
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He just would not hurt anyone. The customers loved him.
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Despite the offer of a reward, the shooting of a yellow Labrador Retriever on Bayshore Road in Oregon this summer remains unsolved. The owners of the dog, Rocco, found shot to death in August, are hoping someone will come forth with information leading to the arrest of those responsible. Cindy Mabus, daughter of Ron and Sally “Red” Kilburn, said her parents’ dog was found dead on August 20, behind Oregon’s No. 3 Fire Station on Bayshore Rd., across the street from where they live. “I am just blown away that someone would just shoot him,” Mabus said. “He would not have hurt a flea.” Rocco was a seven-year-old, 80 pound love bug, she said, adding he would once in a while get loose from his yard, which is attached to her parents’ business, Ron’s Trailers, located at 4400 Bayshore Rd. “He liked to roam the neighborhood,” Mabus said. “We never had any complaints from anyone about him. He just would not hurt anyone. The customers loved him. He liked to swim in the pond and meet people. I just can’t imagine someone wanting to hurt him.” Mabus recalled that she had just finished working and left the business earlier
that evening. Rocco was in his yard at the time. “The Oregon Police called my dad around 11:30 p.m. about the dog,” she said. “The officer met my mom and dad at the fire station. Everyone assumed Rocco had been hit by a car.” But on Friday morning, when her father took a closer look at the dog’s body, he noticed a bullet hole in its side. “He called the police and an officer came out to take a report,” she explained. Rocco, she added, bled to death internally. She said it appeared that the dog was trying to make it home when it collapsed and died. Mabus said she called the police department again when she received information from the woman who had found the
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dog and called police. She also gave information to officers concerning a rumor that a man in the neighborhood had been shooting cats. Oregon Police Chief Mike Navarre, said his officer had investigated the incident and filed a supplemental report on September 3. So far, the investigation has not yielded any suspects. “We are not aware of any other problems and this looks like an isolated incident,” Navarre said. “The original officer, Ted Moore, has investigated and was able to find a neighbor who had been rumored to be hurting animals. There is no evidence that this man was involved. At this point we have nothing else to follow up on. We have no viable suspects.” Mabus is offering a $500 reward for information concerning the shooting that leads to the arrest of the person or persons who heartlessly shot and killed the dog. “I also have signs in front of my parents’ business asking for information,” Mabus said. “He was so sweet. He loved people and people loved him.” Navarre said if additional information is brought forward, the department will continue to investigate. “If we get something, we will follow up on it,” Navarre said. “At this point there Continued on page 2
November 10th is a date that still haunts the hearts of many people in this region, for this was the day in 1975 that nature reminded us that she is not to be taken lightly. Capable of sudden and capricious power she can render helpless even the largest egos and machines of men. Forty years ago on that day, such was the case when the gales of November swallowed the Toledo-based freighter, the Edmund Fitzgerald in the stormy and violent waters of Lake Superior. The ensuing tale of this big ship’s tragedy has survived long after the storm of that night, spawning songs, poems, stories and multiple theories as to her demise and how she came to rest at the bottom of the biggest Great Lake. The enduring tale of the 729 foot long “Fitz” in many ways would become the Titanic of the Great Lakes in lore and legend. Her story will not be forgotten anytime soon. Two area women will also not forget the Fitzgerald anytime soon, for they cherish a unique perspective of the big freighter. In the summer of 1973, Carolyn Nitz Schnapp and Patrice Webster, then young teenagers, got a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity to take a trip on the Edmund Fitzgerald. It was a five day cruise from Toledo to Silver Bay Minnesota to bring back a load of iron ore pellets - a normal payload for the giant ore freighter which was the largest in the Great Lakes fleet. Patrice Webster, who now lives in Oregon, recalls that her father Delmar Webster was a First Mate with Ogelbay Norton, the shipping company that operated the Fitzgerald. It was through his friendship with the Fitzgerald’s Captain, Ernest McSorley, that he and his daughter were able to get on board for this summer cruise. Patrice invited her childhood friend Carolyn Nitz along for the adventure. As Carolyn recalls, it was mid-July of 1973 when they boarded in Toledo and stayed in the crews’ quarters of the ship Continued on page 2
Q
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of The Week
...pork has been the ‘lowestrated food’ by inmates for a number of years. Matt Reese See page 11