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About Keizertimes. (Salem, Or.) 1979-current | View Entire Issue (Dec. 9, 2016)
SINCE 1979 • VOLUME 38, NO. 10 SECTION A DECEMBER 9, 2016 $1.00 Council changes mind, absorbs some parade fees By DEREK WILEY Of the Keizertimes In its previous meeting, the Keizer City Council turned down a request by the Keizer Chamber to waive public works fees for the upcoming Holiday Lights Parade. On Monday, Dec. 5, the city council reversed course and voted 6-1 to absorb $1,300 for barricades and staff time by the Keizer Public Works Depart- ment to put them up. Marlene Parsons, who was one of two councilors to change their vote along with Kim Freeman as well as Mayor Cathy Clark, brought up the is- sue to the council. All three cited more time to research the issue and the fact that the $1,300 would come out of public works and not the general fund, as reasons for changing their minds. “This doesn't impact our general fund,” Freeman said. “Just with some more research I changed my mind. We've done it in the past with the other venue that did the parade be- fore. We waived those fees. We really want this event here so if we can help them. I know they decided to do this at the last minute.” After more thought, Clark determined the parade was a correct use of public works funds. “I wanted to be absolutely certain that was going to be ap- propriate use and needed some “This doesn't impact our general fund… Just with some more research I changed my mind.” — Kim Freeman, Keizer City Councilor time to go back and think about it,” she said. “I want to be very careful how all of those funds are expended and make sure they are done in a way that is Please see WAIVER, Page 7 FAR LEFT: Liz and Nate Dunn released a Christmas album on Dec. 4. Christmas tree lighting PAGE A3 LEFT: The album cover of Merry Christmas by Melody & Truth. KEIZERTIMES/Eric A. Howald Keizer couple releases Christmas album By ERIC A. HOWALD Of the Keizertimes Liz and Nate Dunn decided in March that they were going to record and release a Christmas album, but it led to serious discussion with their kids, Ingrid, Gretchen and Jonathan, during the summer months. “We sat down with them and explained what we were going to do, why we were going to do it and why we needed them to be on board with it. We told them it was something we felt called to do, and we wanted to show them that you can make art but it’s going to take everything you have and then some,” said Nate. There was also another lesson they wanted the trio to learn. “That fame can’t be the goal,” said Liz. On Sunday, Dec. 4, the Keizer couple, as the band Melody & Truth, held a release party for the album Merry Christmas at their church, Salem First Baptist. It was the apex of what had been Parade returns Saturday a long journey that roped in numerous friends and relations along the way. “There's a sense of relief. The fi rst 80 percent is fun, but you get to the last 20 percent and you feel like you're never going to be fi nished,” Nate said. “It's hard to comprehend the amount of discouragement you feel in a project like this.” The album contains 11 holiday-themed tracks and all but two were written or arranged by Nate and Liz. “The only songs we covered were Go Tell It On the Mountain and Have Yourself A Merry Little Christmas by Little Big Town. Their arrangements just felt right for the album,” Liz said. CDs, digital downloads and even sheet music from select songs are available through the website melodyandtruth.com. Nate got his fi rst guitar at age 16, but practice took on a different form than jamming with friends. “It was a way for me to journal,” he said. “Like other people write their prayers as thoughts or poems, I just Every kid deserves a birthday party started writing them as songs.” Liz’s parents had met as part of a band and her father was a professional guitar player. The circumstances resulted in her being surrounded by music growing up. “I was always arranging music. I would never hear a song and sing it the way I heard it, I would always be looking for what I thought was the right way to sing it,” she said. Music brought them together as a couple and they PAGE A5 K-9 pups get vests PAGE A7 Please see ALBUM, Page 11 Santa’s arrival KEIZERTIMES/File photo By ERIC A. HOWALD Of the Keizertimes The Keizer Holiday Lights Parade, for the fi rst time being run by the Keizer Chamber of Commerce, comes to Keizer at 7 p.m. Saturday, Dec. 10. “I think there was some uncertainty as to whether we'd be able to pull it off, but I feel like it's already a success,” said Danielle Bethell, executive director of the Keizer Chamber of Commerce. “Our whole board of directors became very invested in the parade and took of different aspects of it. The fact that it's happening makes it a success.” This year's parade will feature 56 entries, about KEIZERTIMES/Derek Wiley Santa arrived to Salem-Keizer Volcanoes Stadium by helicopter on Saturday, Dec. 3. Please see PARADE, Page 11 GED program coming to McNary By DEREK WILEY Of the Keizertimes Of McNary High School's more than 2,000 students, only 28 or less than 1.4 percent are considered dropouts. But for principal Erik Jespersen and assistant principal Rhonda Rhodes, that is 28 too many. Beginning in February, McNary will be the fi rst high school in the Salem-Keizer school district to offer a General Educational Development (GED) program on its campus. “This is part of a bigger overall mission that we have at McNary, which is to get to zero dropouts,” Jespersen said. “We know our fi rst objective is to get E. Jespersen every single student across the stage with a high school diploma but sometimes life circumstances happen that make that challenging so if you're an 18-year- old kid and you've got four credits, we want to provide other opportunities Skyline Ford Exclusive for them. This is after a lot of different interventions along the way. For some kids getting the GED is a good option and if we can get them back in our building and reengage them and give them a little bit of a glimmer of hope, than we're all about that.” Currently, there are more kids who are credit defi cient in Salem- Keizer schools than seats available at the Downtown Learning Center, the alternative school in Salem with a GED program. “They literally only have a certain number of desks so what happens is a kid who is credit defi cient goes on a waiting list and when you put a kid on a waiting list they stop coming to their home school and disengage from school all together thinking they'll just get that call and get their GED at that point,” Rhodes said. “Having them disengage in school altogether doesn't normally turn out very well.” MHS will pilot the GED program with 20 credit defi cient seniors. “We've got kids who out of the 24 credits they need for graduation, have only earned two or four but they're 18 years old,” Rhodes said. “They don't McNary basketball off to hot start PAGE A12 Please see GED, Page 11 2 YEARS FREE OIL CHANGES ON US! 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