Local News
Published: 2/5/2013 8:42:22 AM
WOODBURN — The A.W.A.R.E. Food Bank officially moved into its new digs Dec. 31 and director Wilbur Kauffman couldn’t be more pleased.
“It’s bigger, brighter and cleaner,” he said of the food bank’s new location at 152 Arthur St.
Published: 2/5/2013 9:33:07 AM
SALEM — On Jan. 28, a Marion County Circuit Court jury found Javier Ivan Sanchez-Perez of Gervais guilty of the 2011 slaying of Woodburn resident Tomas Montes-Sanchez.
Published: 2/5/2013 10:21:07 AM
WOODBURN — U.S. Rep. Kurt Schrader was back in Woodburn last week, and the newly re-elected congressman said he has been pleasantly surprised at the new tone in Washington, D.
Published: 2/5/2013 2:40:06 PM
WOODBURN — The Woodburn Police Department responded to a report of shots fired at the Stonehedge Apartments at 1601 N. Front St. on Feb. 1.
Police officers responded and found the victim, David Ramon, 37, with a single gunshot wound to his chest.
Published: 2/6/2013 10:03:44 AM
WOODBURN — There are many changes associated with this year’s Relay For Life of the Woodburn Area event.
A new date and location highlight those changes.
Published: 2/6/2013 10:17:35 AM
WOODBURN — The 62nd Distinguished Service Awards Banquet, sponsored by Silverton Health, will be held March 15 at Woodburn Health Center.
Awards will be presented to the Senior First Citizen (50 years of age or better), Junior First Citizen, and Special Award(s).
Published: 2/6/2013 10:21:21 AM
BROOKS — A large percentage of the dogs rescued from a Brooks facility last month will be available for adoption within a couple weeks.
In the weeks following the Jan.
Published: 2/6/2013 11:16:57 AM
WOODBURN — Woodburn School District is behind the state average when it comes to the number of students graduating in four years, according to recently released data.
Published: 2/6/2013 11:24:59 AM
WOODBURN — Last year, the Oregon Legislature passed a bill that allows farmers and ranchers to expand on what they are permitted to do on agricultural land.
Published: 2/8/2013 2:32:49 PM
The Woodburn School Board appointed Chuck Ransom as the interim superintendent for the Woodburn School District at a regular board meeting Thursday night.
Published: 2/12/2013 4:48:28 PM
WOODBURN — A Woodburn teen will compete for the title of Miss Teen Portland later this month.
Lusero Hernandez, a 2012 graduate of Kennedy High School in Mount Angel, will compete on Feb.
Published: 2/12/2013 6:00:22 PM
SALEM — Willamette Valley Hospice will host the area’s first annual music therapy symposium March 1-2 at its offices, 1015 Third St. N.W., Salem.
“Sound Advice: Uses of Music in the Care of Seriously Ill Adults and their Caregivers” was created to educate both health care professionals and family caregivers as well as the public on the benefits of music therapy and ways they can use music as a care provider.
Published: 2/12/2013 6:18:08 PM
GERVAIS — Gervais has a new family-friendly hangout, complete with arcade games, movies and more.
The Corner Station, located in the former police station on the corner of Elm Avenue and Fourth Street, was started in November by two men who wanted to provide local kids with a place to go after school.
Published: 2/12/2013 6:22:37 PM
PORTLAND — The first group of dogs rescued from a Brooks facility in January will be available for adoption starting at 10 a.m. Wednesday.
The Oregon Humane Society announced the adoption of 45 dogs after the owner of Willamette Valley Animal Rescue in Brooks, who faces animal neglect charges, relinquished ownership.
Published: 2/12/2013 6:28:00 PM
WOODBURN — At approximately 7 p.m. on Saturday, the Woodburn Police Department responded to the Interstate 5 overpass after getting a report of shots fired.
Published: 2/13/2013 9:16:22 AM
WOODBURN — On Friday, Feb. 1, the Woodburn Police Department responded to a report of shots fired at the Stonehedge Court Apartments at 1601 N. Front St.
Published: 2/13/2013 9:21:27 AM
DONALD — The Donald Volunteer Firefighters Association (DVFA) has ceased to exist, but former members are not taking the loss of their organization lightly.
Published: 2/13/2013 9:33:21 AM
ST. PAUL — A St. Paul School District bus was struck by what is suspected to be a stray bullet or projectile on Feb. 6.
According to the report from the Marion County Sheriff’s Office, the school bus was traveling westbound on St.
Published: 2/13/2013 9:36:50 AM
WOODBURN — New name, new owners, same location: Diesel Fitness was sold Dec. 31, 2012 to Nena and Lantz Stringham, and the couple changed the name to Everybody Fitness.
Published: 2/13/2013 9:50:02 AM
WOODBURN — Now that’s good timing.
A new floral business, Valley Evergreens, opened Monday in Woodburn’s downtown business district. In a stroke of serendipity, the new store’s owner, Juan Lauriano, has his business up and running just in time for Valentine’s Day — one of the busiest days of the year for florists.
Published: 2/13/2013 9:52:12 AM
WOODBURN — Lindsay Keefer has been named editor of the Woodburn Independent.
Keefer, who has worked at the newspaper three years, hails from Upstate New York, growing up in Corning.
Published: 2/13/2013 9:54:28 AM
WOODBURN — The Woodburn School District is still waiting for insurance to come through so it can start rebuilding the part of Woodburn High School affected by a May 11 fire, but in the meantime, the district has received some good news.
Published: 2/13/2013 10:02:43 AM
WOODBURN — It won’t come as a shock to anyone living in Oregon’s Willamette Valley to hear that the region has a reputation for being a soggy stretch of territory.
Published: 2/13/2013 10:11:13 AM
DONALD — A 27-year old woman was reportedly robbed by a masked man in Donald early Wednesday morning.
Misty Walter told police she was walking to a friend's house on Donald Road Northeast at about 6:20 a.
Published: 2/15/2013 4:07:56 PM
SALEM — Marion County Circuit Court Judge Albin Norblad issued stiff sentences on Friday to the two men convicted of murdering 19-year-old Tomas Montes-Sanchez of Woodburn.
Published: 2/19/2013 6:24:56 PM
WOODBURN — Trees are falling and buildings are being razed in the projected construction zones of Woodburn’s Interstate 5 interchange project. But questions remain as to whether the heaviest construction — on the interchange itself and the highways leading to it — will commence this year.
Published: 2/19/2013 6:30:45 PM
MOUNT ANGEL — For the fifth consecutive year, Mount Angel’s Wurstfest played to large and enthusiastic crowds in the Mount Angel Festhalle.
The two-day festival, billed as “a celebration of German sausage,” drew approximately 3,000 visitors who enjoyed live music, dancing, beer and wine, and, of course, dining on a variety of sausages.
Published: 2/20/2013 9:46:43 AM
MOUNT ANGEL — The Mount Angel Chamber of Commerce will host its 30th annual First Citizen Awards banquet Feb. 25 at the Mount Angel Festhalle.
The Mount Angel Fire District will serve as special guests at the awards ceremony.
Published: 2/20/2013 9:56:50 AM
WOODBURN — The annual Kick Off Event for the Relay For Life of the Woodburn Area will take place Feb. 21 at 6:30 p.m. at Woodburn Health Center.
The Kick Off Event is free to attend and will include announcements that will get those interested excited for the Relay.
Published: 2/20/2013 9:57:49 AM
WOODBURN — That distinctive, bright yellow grocery store at 695 N. Settlemier Ave., known for many years as Gary’s Market, is reopening soon under new ownership — and with a new name.
Published: 2/20/2013 10:17:39 AM
MOUNT ANGEL — Mount Angel City Administrator Susan Muir is going from managing one city in Oregon to, in a fashion, overseeing all of them.
Muir, who has served as Mount Angel’s city administrator since April 2010, is taking a new job with the Salem-based League of Oregon Cities.
Published: 2/20/2013 11:58:20 AM
MOUNT ANGEL — A small fire at Providence Benedictine Nursing Center in Mount Angel was quickly extinguished Tuesday night, causing minimal damage.Mount Angel Fire District responded to what was reported as a full structure fire around 10 p.
Published: 2/21/2013 4:33:36 PM
AURORA — A Woodburn man was involved in a pedestrian-involved crash that temporarily closed Interstate 5 near Aurora this morning.
Around 9:05 a.m., Oregon State Police reported to the scene near milepost 281 where Joren Moon Love, 26, of Portland had apparently been struck by a 2005 Chevrolet cargo truck, owned by Overhead Door Co.
Published: 2/26/2013 10:56:34 AM
SALEM — The owner of a local towing company did something he thought he’d never do; he supervised the recovery of his tow truck following a crash that landed the truck near the bottom of a steep hill.
Published: 2/26/2013 3:03:27 PM
AURORA — The city of Aurora and its insurer CityCounty Insurance Services have settled the wrongful termination lawsuit filed by former police officer Scott Reilly.
Published: 2/26/2013 3:10:31 PM
WOODBURN — Although his job is not a highly visible one from a public standpoint, Woodburn City Administrator Scott Derickson is the point man for a multitude of activities and events that keep the city moving.
Published: 2/26/2013 3:18:21 PM
HUBBARD — For a small rural town, any tool that can boost the local economy is worth a long look.
With that in mind, the Hubbard City Council is debating whether to set up an “enterprise zone” that could help entice a company to locate in Hubbard or, for a company already in the community, give the business a strong incentive to expand existing facilities.
Published: 2/26/2013 3:26:20 PM
By Janis Brentano
Special to the Independent
GERVAIS — The Gervais community is rallying around a local family that has been afflicted with cancer.
Monte Miller, a long-time Gervais resident and active community member, is fighting a difficult cancer diagnosis.
Published: 2/26/2013 3:27:38 PM
SALEM — There is no longer any cause to wonder or worry about whether all the funding will be in place to pay for the rebuilding of Woodburn’s Interstate 5 interchange.
Published: 2/26/2013 3:31:55 PM
WOODBURN — Motorists who may have been planning to cut across The Estates parking lot on the sly once construction of the Interstate 5 interchange gets under way will have to rethink the idea.
Published: 2/26/2013 3:52:50 PM
The Woodburn Area Chamber of Commerce has announced its 2013 Distinguished Service Award recipients.
The DSA ceremony will be March 15 at Woodburn Health Center, 1475 Mount Hood Ave.
