Columbus
The Madras Pioneer
Couple does just a 'little bit of everything' to help locals in need
(GRESHAM) — Jim and Tari Card are quite the couple. Of their 41 years of marriage, the couple has spent 12 of them volunteering for the community they were raised in. The idea to volunteer with SnowCap Community Charities came from an experience years before their volunteering endeavor when they recalled bagging onions for the organization. The two were "Eastside kids"— both raised in Gresham — and, as retirement approached,...
Wilsonville woman looks out for her neighbors
(WILSONVILLE) — If you see flower baskets in the front yards of Wilsonville’s Fox Chase neighborhood, they may have come from resident Kathy Kennedy. Kennedy is known for watching over the neighborhood in various ways, from tending to people’s gardens to keeping an eye on a home while someone is out of town. She said being helpful is part of her nature. “I try to make people feel special,” Kennedy...
Living a life of giving back
(MOLALLA) — Giving back isn’t just a catchy phrase. It has been a centerpiece in the life of a Colton woman — a philosophy she’s lived by. It’s the philosophy behind Rebecca Kollias’ lifelong desire to help others, even when life had sometimes dealt her a bad hand. Kollias, the director of Colton Helping Hands, knows something about giving back. Because of that passionate philosophy, she’s been named the area’s...
Building a place for reflective contemplation
(NEWBERG) — Ciarán Hynes is a busy guy, and his industriousness has proved to be a benefit to the Newberg community. Despite being the father of three, an administrator at A-dec and an adjunct professor at George Fox University, Hynes has devoted his spare time to constructing the Newberg Peace Garden adjacent to First Presbyterian Church. The native of Ireland, who emigrated to the United States in 2000, has led...
Pitching in across Columbia County
(ST. HELENS) — It’s hard to keep track of Judy Thompson, a mainstay in St. Helens. If you don’t see her volunteering for the St. Helens Kiwanis or the National Alliance on Mental Illness, you’ll likely see her acting as an ambassador for the South Columbia County Chamber of Commerce. The St. Helens resident moved to Columbia County around 1980 and worked as an armed guard at the Trojan Nuclear...
Serving small businesses in Scappoose
(SCAPPOOSE) — Marc Knutson is known for his passion for making positive connections and supporting the local business communities. Using his business prowess from former jobs, Knutson, a Scappoose resident, now advises small companies and spreads the word about the South Columbia County Chamber of Commerce. Until recently, Knutson, who has lived in Columbia County for about seven years, worked as a Unitus Community Credit Union mortgage loan officer. Before...
Banks store owner is all about community
(BANKS) — In Banks, they talk about being “Banks guys and girls.” Mark Ward is a “Banks guy,” and his long-standing commitment to the town in which he grew up is being recognized. The 57-year-old owns Jim’s Market, the primary grocery store in town. While helping to provide the Banks residents with food and supplies for their everyday wants and needs, he believes his responsibilities to those same people and the town in which they all live go beyond the owner/customer relationship. ...
Pushing for sustainability in Lake Oswego
(LAKE OSWEGO) — Dorothy Atwood frames the golden rule — treating others how they would want to be treated — in a futuristic way. She would like people to treat people who have yet to be born with the same compassionate care that they would want for themselves. For the last three decades, Atwood has lived up to this mantra by helping to found the Lake Oswego Sustainability Network, working...
West Linn woman helped grow Trillum Creek garden
(WEST LINN) — While reveling in the impressiveness of Trillium Creek Primary, one of the first things Charity Hudnut noticed when she first visited the school after moving to West Linn with her family in 2012 was its garden beds. After her daughter had been at Trillium Creek for a year, Hudnut noticed nothing was being done with the garden beds. So, with her daughter heading into second grade, Hudnut and another mom got permission from the school’s principal to plant some starters in the...
Building trust, inclusion in community
(FOREST GROVE) — As a teacher, business owner and active community member, Jodi Blue is a strong advocate for her beliefs. The Forest Grove resident has dedicated the past two decades to teaching special education, facing challenges with an unwavering passion for helping others. Blue's journey began in California, where she discovered her love for education while working in the classroom. ...
Stepping up when people need help
(PRINEVILLE) — Marilyn Malloy is pretty easy to spot in Prineville, especially in places where help is needed. She volunteers at the Prineville Senior Center serving meals, she oversees the chemo quilt program for the Crook County Quilt Guild, and she volunteers for Christmas in the Pines, a drive-thru holiday lights display, focusing on repairing and upgrading the features. But believe it or not, as busy as she has been...
Clearing the path behind you
(CORNELIUS) — Angeles Godinez-Valencia knows firsthand how important it is to center access in programming. Today, she’s the Director of Education for Centro Cultural, but not too long ago, she was the child whose parents had to say no to after-school programs. “It’s not because she didn’t want me to do it, but because she just wasn’t in the financial position to do it,” she said. “So I think my...
Our TV picks for Wednesday, August 21: The Woman King; Cursed Gold: A Shipwreck Scandal; Claim to Fame
The Woman King FX 7 p.m. In the 1800s, a group of all-female warriors led by Gen. Nanisca (Viola Davis) fights to protect the African kingdom of Dahomey from a foreign enemy. The film had its world premiere at last year’s Toronto International Film Festival. Cursed Gold: A Shipwreck Scandal ...
People in impoverished neighborhoods struggle to access drug addiction medication, study finds
Patients battling addiction may struggle to fill their prescription for an opioid use disorder at their local pharmacy if they live in a low-income neighborhood or minority community, according to a new national study led by an Oregon State University researcher. The study, also led by a researcher from John Hopkins University, underscores disparities in the health care system that dispenses life-saving medication amid a national epidemic of overdoses. In...
Central Oregon Latino Fest brings cultural pride and family fun to Madras
Pulsating music, swirling dancers, and the aroma of savory food will fill Sahalee Park in Madras on Sept. 14, when the Latino Community Association opens Central Oregon Latino Fest 2024. Since its beginning in 2018, the free festival has grown into the largest celebration of Latin American cultures in Central Oregon. At 10 a.m., a colorful parade will wind from Madras High School to Sahalee Park at SE 7th and C streets. The festival will kick off at 11 a.m. and present six hours of...
CRR woman arrested after alleged attempted murder
Saturday, August 17, reports of a shooting at Crooked River Ranch led to significant police activity, including response from Bend Police’s SWAT team. A release from the Jefferson County Sheriff’s office says law enforcement responded to a residence on SW Ridge Place in Crooked River Ranch, where reports stated a subject was shot in the head. That subject was able to walk out of the house, and was transported to St. Charles Bend, where he is suspected to survive his injury. ...
Kyle Devine wins Desert Peaks Club Championship
Kyle Devine is the 2024 Desert Peaks Golf Course Men’s Club Champion after winning the club championship tournament held Saturday and Sunday, Aug. 17-18. Devine shot a 76 on Saturday but was on fire Sunday and finished with a 69 for a tourney total of 145. Three other golfers — Ed McDaniel, Austin Say and Johnny Wilson — tied for second at 147. Rodney Adams took the low net title...
Oregon Sen. Ron Wyden: 4 takeaways from Democratic National Convention
Sen. Ron Wyden of Oregon is in Chicago the week of Aug. 19 to take part in a Democratic National Convention that is expected to look much different than the one planned to help President Biden’s original reelection effort. With Vice President Kamala Harris as the party’s presumptive nominee, Wyden said the weeklong convention likely will include policy talk on the economy, immigration and abortion. And he downplayed the likelihood that protesters, opposed to Israel’s war in the Gaza Strip, will disrupt the affair too...
Lake Billy, Simtustus open after cyanotoxin levels reduce
Oregon Health Authority has lifted the recreational use health advisory issued for Lake Billy Chinook and Lake Simtustus in Jefferson County. OHA issued the advisory on Aug. 8, after increased algal blooms were suspected by local officials, and confirmed via satellite. The closure warned against swimming, water sports and ingesting the water, especially by children and pets. ...
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