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Woodburn Independent
Shape the future of community health
The Marion-Polk Community Health Collaborative, a coalition of local organizations dedicated to improving community health, announced on July 1 that it launched its latest community health survey. The collaborative is looking for people who live, work, or play in Marion and/or Polk counties to take the survey. It is billed as an opportunity to make your voice heard and influence the future of local health services. The survey is designed...
Woodburn Police Department re-ups accreditation
Woodburn Police Department recently renewed its accreditation for the period of 2024-27, the fifth accreditation the department has earned this century. WPD Chief Marty Pilcher apprised the Woodburn City Council of the renewal during the June 24 meeting, during which he noted that the department first earned accreditation in 2011 under Chief Scott Russell. Accreditation is renewed every three years. “I had the opportunity to be the accreditation manager for...
Exploring Portland middle housing at the NW Natural Street of Dreams
Today, many Oregonians face high housing costs because the supply of diverse housing is so low. For a variety of reasons, the construction of more traditional housing types like single-family homes and apartment complexes has remained the primary form for any new housing built in the last several decades. However, given the growing housing crisis, Oregon became the first state in the nation to re-legalize another form of housing, often called “Missing Middle Housing.” ...
Oregon Democrats join 40 federal lawmakers urging rehearing on landmark youth climate case
More than three dozen Congressional Democrats, led by Oregon Sen. Ron Wyden, are hoping to help revive a landmark lawsuit against the U.S. government by 21 young Americans — including 11 Oregonians — over continued federal support for fossil fuel production and a failure to urgently mitigate the worst effects of climate change, violating the plaintiffs’ right to a livable environment. The case, Juliana v. United States, was first filed in the U.S. District Court in Eugene nearly 10 years ago. At the time, the...
Readers Respond: "Light fireworks responsibly"
It’s fireworks week in Oregon—exciting! But with the rising heat, Oregonians must remember to keep fireworks safe this year. Your Oregon News asked readers about their fireworks usage habits, and whether they support stricter regulations. Here’s what you said. About 85% of reader respondents said they support stricter regulations on the sale and use of fireworks in Oregon, in order to reduce wildfire risks. About 7% said they are neutral...
Anti-Jewish, anti-Muslim acts spur surge in reported hate incidents in Oregon
Hateful acts directed at Oregonians because of their religion drove an increase in reported bias-related crimes and non-criminal incidents over the past year, according to a report released Monday, July 1, by the Oregon Criminal Justice Commission. Oregonians in 2023 reported nearly 3,000 incidents of bias to a confidential state hotline, and about 20% of those incidents were related to the victim’s religion -- most targeted at Jewish people. As it has since the commission began collecting data in 2020, race remains the largest motivating...
College Life: Area students earn honors, degrees
Locals earn way onto GFU dean’s list for spring A large group of students with local ties were recently named to the George Fox University dean’s list for spring 2024. To earn their way onto the dean’s list, students must earn a 3.5 grade point average or above with 12 or more hours of graded work. Those students are: ...
Our TV picks for Wednesday, July 3: The Price Is Right; MasterChef; Reginald the Vampire
The Price Is Right KOIN 8 p.m. Celebrating active-duty military, veterans and their families, this Fourth of July special episode welcomes The Band of The Golden West from Sacramento, Calif., performing with airmen-musicians under the command of Lt. Col. Cristina Moore Urrutia. MasterChef ...
Local students among the ORCA grads
SALEM — Last month Oregon Charter Academy (ORCA) honored its 2024 class of graduating students at the Oregon State Fairgrounds. Among the 320 graduates were 17 hailing from the local region, including students from Canby, Mount Angel, Molalla and Woodburn. Some of the area students who received diplomas included*: Amalie Lowe, Canby; Grace Peterson of Molalla -- a legacy student, having attended ORCA K through 12 and participated in the...
Democrats back cities limiting camping on public property
At least two Democrats say they want to revisit a 2021 law requiring Oregon cities to adopt “objectively reasonable” standards when they regulate the place, time and manner of camping on public property. The calls by Rep. Paul Evans of Monmouth and Sen. Mark Meek of Gladstone echo those made by the Republican minority leaders in the House and Senate on Friday. All did so after the U.S. Supreme Court...
Oregon expands free Medicaid health insurance to tens of thousands more people
After two years of planning, Oregon is officially expanding its Medicaid program to provide tens of thousands of more people access to the free health insurance program. The Oregon Health Authority announced on Monday, July 1, the launch of its OHP Bridge Plan to those who earn more than the federal limits for traditional Medicaid. The Oregon Health Plan, the state’s version of Medicaid, currently covers 1.4 million Oregonians who earn up to 138% of the federal poverty level, or nearly $21,000 per year for...
Not far from home
ST. PAUL – The biggest July 4 rodeo in the nation kicks off this week in St. Paul. The eyes of the rodeo world will be on St. Paul this weekend, when the annual St. Paul Rodeo begins Tuesday, July 2. More than 750 cowboys and cowgirls from the U.S. and Canada will make their way to St. Paul, to compete in what is billed as the Nation’s Greatest Fourth...
Milestones in Mount Angel
Sister Joan Pokorny, born in Eugene on June 23, 1940 and raised in Oakridge, is the oldest of six children of George and Olga (Palanuk) Pokorny. Sister Joan was baptized on June 27, 1940, at St. Mary Church, Eugene. Her brothers are Daniel, William, Louis and Francis and her sister is Rachel (Pokorny) McKay. Her sister died on July 13, 2013. Sister Joan attended St. Michael Church in Oakridge as...
State council proposes new literacy requirements for teacher training and licensing
Oregon teacher colleges, plus future and current teachers hoping to get hired at public elementary schools in the state soon could be required to demonstrate a much more robust understanding of how to teach reading and writing than is currently required. Gov. Tina Kotek’s Early Literacy Educator Preparation Council — made up of K-12 and staff from Oregon teacher colleges, as well as literacy experts, an indigenous language expert and bipartisan state legislators — shared its final recommendations last week for overhauling literacy training for...
2024 BMW Z4 M40i keeps the traditional sports car spirit alive
When I was young and foolish, I owned a 1958 Triumph TR3 convertible sports car. It was beautiful, unreliable, and taught me what a sports car was supposed to be – a two-seat visceral driving experience slung low to the ground with the wind in your face, enhanced by a manual transmission that maximized your control of the engine on winding roads. Fast forward more years than I want to admit and there are not many convertible sports cars with manual transmissions anymore. The most...
Oregon reactions continue to pour in following U.S. Supreme Court’s ruling on Grants Pass homelessness case
Oregonians continued to speak out after the Friday, June 28, news that the U.S. Supreme Court ruled in favor of a homelessness ordinance in Grants Pass, Oregon, saying the city’s prohibition on outdoor camping does not violate the Constitution’s Eighth Amendment prohibition on cruel and unusual punishment. The ruling could pave the way for stricter rules on homelessness in every Oregon community, and the ripple effect could reach across state lines. ...
Events & Activities: Holiday fun on tap, music and more
Chicken barbecue ready to roll at St. James for July 4 MOLALLA: The St. James annual chicken barbecue will be held July 4, at the church, 301 Frances St., Molalla The chicken dinner, which includes baked potato, coleslaw, roll, and a dessert will be available from 9 a.m. to 2 p.m., with a to-go booth running from 9 a.m. to 3 p.m. A half-chicken to go is $9, while a...
Our TV picks for Tuesday, July 2: Doubling Down With the Derricos; Supermarket Stakeout; Disco: Soundtrack of a Revolution
Doubling Down With the Derricos TLC 7 p.m. With the house close to being ready, the Derricos host a barbeque for their new neighbors in an effort to make a good first impression. Darian anxiously awaits word about her NYU application. GG takes steps to find out why she hasn’t been feeling well. Supermarket Stakeout ...
THINGS TO DO THIS WEEK: Blues festival, rodeos and fireworks galore!
MONDAY, JULY 1-SUNDAY, JULY 7 WATERFRONT BLUES FESTIVAL — The 36th annual Waterfront Blues Festival, July 4-7 at Waterfront Park, will have 100 acts and four stages of music, with highlights including St. Paul & Broken Bones, Diggin Dirt, Jackie Venson, MarchFourth (July 4); Lucinda Williams, Margo Price, Say She She, Bombino, Leyla McCalla, Jee MacRae, Kirk Fletcher, Lachy Doley (July 5); Ben Harper & The Innocent Criminals, Bobby Rush & North Mississippi Allstars; Charlie Hunter with Jubu Smith, Lost Bayou Ramblers, Curley Taylor &...
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The Woodburn Independent has been serving Woodburn and the surrounding area for more than 131 years. As the community’s best source for local news, local readers count on the independent every day to deliver stories about local people, events and what’s happening at city hall and in local schools.
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