S ERVING THE S ILVERTON A REA S INCE 1880 50 C ENTS ● A U NIQUE E DITION OF THE S TATESMAN J OURNAL V OL . 136, N O . 47 W EDNESDAY , N OVEMBER 8, 2017 SILVERTONAPPEAL.COM Bobbie the Wonder Dog to be featured in film Scotch Collie from Silverton is said to have traveled up to 3,000 miles from Indiana to Oregon in 1924 to find family CHRISTENA BROOKS SPECIAL TO SALEM STATESMAN JOURNAL USA TODAY NETWORK Before the movies “Lassie Come Home,” “The In- credible Journey,” and “Milo and Otis,” came the story of Bobbie, Silverton’s own long-trekking wonder dog. Bobbie, the Scotch Collie, said to have traveled up to 3,000 miles from Indiana to Oregon to find his master, appears to be getting his own modern movie at last. The remarkable canine’s sixth-month journey over plains, deserts and mountains made international news in 1924 and has been featured in newspapers, books and even a silent film. Now Bobbie, and the people of small-town America that surrounded him, are the subject of a new full- length drama conceptualized by a Washington State na- tive with strong ties to the film industry. A trained actor and studio guitarist who works as a financial advisor to moviemakers and musicians, Steve Lundquist is putting his talent and connections to work on a film of his own. Fifteen years after hearing Bob- bie’s story from a relative of the dog’s owners, he’s writ- ten a screenplay and pulled together financing to put Bobbie on the big screen as an independent film. “This movie is not just about a dog’s 3,000-mile jour- ney,” Lundquist said. “It’s about relationships. I am try- ing to make a statement about being better neighbors and better friends at all community levels.” Lundquist was in Silverton last month, scoping out filming locations, meeting with local historians, and re- searching at the Silverton Country Historical Museum. This winter, he plans to film many of the scenes from Bobbie’s cross-country journey at the Sundance Insti- tute campus in Utah, where he works part of the year. Filming in Silverton – for which he’s seeking extras See BOBBIE, Page 2A REMEMBERING RANDY TRAEGER Mount Angel community mourns beloved Kennedy football coach Steve Lundquist, of Blue Spruce Productions, posing with the statue of Bobbie the Wonder Dog during his fact-finding trip to Silverton last month. SPECIAL TO THE STATESMAN JOURNAL Teen, deputies involved in fatal shooting are identified 17-year-old carjacking suspect from Silverton shot near Grand Ronde PETE MARTINI SALEM STATESMAN JOURNAL WHITNEY WOODWORTH USA TODAY NETWORK SALEM STATESMAN JOURNAL USA TODAY NETWORK Randy Traeger never believed that coaching high school athletes was simply about X’s and O’s, or even that it was just about performance on the field. For Traeger, a coach’s role was more about de- veloping student-athletes into young adults, and that meant focusing on not only the responsibilities in the classroom and on the field, but also making right choices in their daily lives and giving back to the community. His largest impact was on his alma mater, Ken- nedy High School, and around the Mount Angel community. Traeger passed away early Oct. 30 at the age of 60 after a long battle with health issues, but his message will live on in the community he loved. “He has had a massive impact on our school,” said Kevin Moffatt, Kennedy’s athletic director. “You don’t get much better than him. He was a great football coach, but an even better human be- ing. No matter the situation, you knew that Randy always cared and had the best interest of the kids in mind.” A funeral for Traeger was held at 10 a.m. Friday at St. Mary Catholic Church in Mount Angel. During his long coaching career, Traeger devel- oped the Virtue First Foundation, designed to set Randy Traeger wrote several books about virtue. See TRAEGER, Page 2A COURTESY OF VINCE TERESI Kennedy coach Randy Traeger shares a laugh with players during a football camp in 2011. PETE MARTINI / STATESMAN JOURNAL FILE Dollar General growing in region ANNETTEUTZ SPECIAL TO THE STAYTON MAIL For the past couple of years, Dollar General has been marching at a rapid pace through the Mid-Wil- lamette Valley. In 2015, the Tennessee-based company decided to move into untapped territory in Maine, Rhode Island and Oregon. “Increasing Dollar General’s footprint in these states gives us a presence and opens further growth opportunities in both the Northeast and Pacific North- west, where we see tremendous growth potential for Online at SilvertonAppeal.com NEWS UPDATES PHOTOS » Breaking news » Get updates from the Silverton area » Photo galleries Dollar General,” said Rick Dreiling, the retailer’s chairman and CEO, said in announcing the store open- ings at that time. The surge began in southern Mid-Valley towns such as Sweet Home, Drain, Cresswell, Oakridge, Harrisburg and Philomath and moved north into Mill City on Sept. 16. The Jefferson store is the most recent to hold its grand opening, which took place on Saturday, Oct. 28. As is custom with the company’s official store cele- brations, free prizes and special deals were available. The Polk County District Attorney's Office released the identities of the three deputies and teen carjacking suspect involved in the Oct. 28 fatal shooting near Grand Ronde. Baltazar Escalona-Baez, 17, of Silverton, was shot and killed during a confrontation with Polk County Sheriff's Office deputies following a vehicle pursuit on Highway 18. Polk County District Attorney Aaron Felton identified the three deputies in- volved as Sgt. Kevin Haynes, Deputy Kelly Lorence and Deputy Mike Steven- son. According to the Oregon State Police, Polk County deputies were notified of an Baltazar armed carjacking and robbery early Sat- Escalona- urday morning. The carjacking suspect Baez sped away from the parking lot of a Safe- way grocery store located on Silverton Road NE and Lancaster Drive NE in a black 2015 Toyota Corolla. Deputies were warned the suspect was reportedly armed. They spotted the Corolla and attempted to pull the vehicle over. The pursuit ended on Highway 18 near Grand Ronde. When the deputies attempted the take Escalona- Baez into custody, shots were fired. Escalona-Baez was pronounced dead at the scene. Oregon State Police officials said investigators found a weapon at the shooting scene. Information about who fired shots during the confrontation and what kind of weapon was recovered was not released. Escalona-Baez attended Silverton High School as a junior during the 2016-2017 school year, according to Andy Bellando, Silver Falls School District superinten- dent. He did not register as a student for the current school year. Felton said Haynes joined the department 18 years ago and has 27 years law enforcement experience. Lo- rence became a sheriff's deputy about 18 months ago and Stevenson joined two years ago. The three men from the Polk County Sheriff's Office were placed on paid administrative leave per state and sheriff's office protocol. Felton said the investigation remains ongoing and a Polk County grand jury will review the case to deter- mine whether the shooting was justified. No date has been set for the grand jury review. The incident is the third officer-involved shooting involving the Polk County Sheriff's Office in the past 18 months. In October, a Marion County grand jury ruled Polk County Deputy Martin Watson was justified in fir- ing his weapon during a traffic stop in Salem. During that incident, Watson fired two shots after a vehicle pursuit through the city. No one was injured during the shooting. Two men were later arrested on firearms and attempted assault charges. Joshua Bolster, 29, was shot and killed by Polk Coun- ty Deputy Casey Gibson during a traffic stop along Highway 22 in July 2016. A five-inch folding knife was found at the scene. A Polk County grand jury unani- See SHOOTING, Page 2A See DOLLAR GENERAL, Page 2A INSIDE Life in the Valley.................4A Obituaries .............................3B Sports......................................1B ©2017 Printed on recycled paper A map shows the part of Oregon Route 18 in the Grand Ronde area where the incident took place. TRIPCHECK