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About Appeal tribune. (Silverton, Or.) 1999-current | View Entire Issue (Feb. 26, 2020)
WEDNESDAY, FEBRUARY 26, 2020 ❚ SILVERTONAPPEAL.COM PART OF THE USA TODAY NETWORK Carley leaves a championship legacy at Kennedy DANGER ON HIGHWAY 22 Pete Martini Salem Statesman Journal USA TODAY NETWORK Highway 22 was closed near Detroit and Santiam Junction after a fuel tanker crashed. OREGON STATE POLICE Tanker crash similar to one at same spot in 2017 Zach Urness Salem Statesman Journal USA TODAY NETWORK Two recent damaging tanker accidents took place at the same spot, and under similar condi- tions, on Oregon Highway 22 east of Detroit. In December of 2017 and again on Feb. 16, tanker trucks traveling through wintery conditions crashed at milepost 63 and spilled gas into the North Santiam River. Both incidents required a major cleanup effort that closed the high- way for days and threw the safety of drinking water for Salem and the Santiam Canyon into question. “The accidents were just a few hundred feet away from each oth- er,” Oregon Department of Trans- portation spokesman Lou Torres said. “To have two tanker crashes in the same spot in less than three years does beg questions about that spot.” No impact to drinking water has been registered so far, city officials have said. Crews are currently making digging up and hauling away soil contaminated by the 7,800 gallons of fuel that spilled in the most recent accident, keeping the highway closed until Friday or Saturday. The impact on fish and wildlife is unclear so far, but no fish mor- talities have been observed in the river, according to state wildlife of- ficials. Danger at milepost 63 The stretch of highway where both accidents took place is just past a bridge over Pamelia Creek and just before Riverside Camp- ground, about 8 miles east of Idan- ha. “You come off the bridge and downhill into a curve right along the river,” Torres said. In the 2017 accident, the tanker slid on ice, overturned and caught fire at 11 p.m. on a Friday night. The accident killed the driver, 58-year- old Ronald Edward Scurlock of Bend. Some of the gasoline burned off in the fire, but the rest of the gas — up to 11,600 gallons — spilled into the North Santiam River. In the accident last Sunday, driver Daniel Rodriguez, 38, of Clackamas, was traveling east- bound around 8 a.m. when the truck struck the guardrail, accord- ing to an initial accident report from Oregon State Police. Rodri- guez was taken to a hospital with minor injuries. “Both the vehicle and trailer travelled across both lanes and rolled onto its driver side, sliding into the westbound embankment and puncturing several of the fuel tanks onboard,” the report said. It’s too early to determine if weather had an impact, OSP spokesman Tim Fox said, but snow levels were low that morning and fresh snow had fallen on the high- way the previous evening. “We had plowed and sanded the road the night before,” Torres said. “I don’t know why he ended up ba- sically losing control and jackknif- ing.” Torres said that spot — mile- post 63 — is not an “accident- prone area” compared to other areas on Highway 22. If the curve does pose a specific challenge for truck drivers — or is prone to get- ting icy — is unclear. More traffic and trucks on Oregon highways MT. ANGEL – There is a word that perfectly de- scribes Sophia Carley’s athletic career at Kennedy High School: Champion. Carley, a senior 6-foot-1 forward on the Kennedy girls basketball team, already has won state champi- onships in volleyball, basketball and softball during her tenure with the Trojans. “She’s just a versatile kid. Part of that is her being so smart, she can adapt, and she puts in the work which helps her excel in all three sports,” said Kerry Hall, co-head coach of the Kennedy girls basketball team. “When you put in that kind of work, it’s going to pay off.” Carley, who has been the Class 2A player of the year in both basketball and volleyball, wrapped up her high school volleyball career with a state title in the fall, and is now trying to end her high school bas- ketball career with a championship. As of Wednesday, Carley was averaging 19 points and eight rebounds per game this season. Kennedy is 21-4 overall and 14-0 in the Tri-River Conference. The Trojans are No. 2 in the OSAA Class 2A rankings and No. 1 in the coaches’ poll. See CARLEY, Page 2A Sophia Carley, a senior multi-sport athlete, poses for a portrait at Kennedy High School in Mt. Angel on Feb. 12. MADELEINE COOK/STATESMAN JOURNAL Officers in shooting identified Virginia Barreda Salem Statesman Journal In some ways, traffic accidents on mountain highways are due to the law of large numbers. As the Willamette Valley and Central Oregon have grown, so has the amount of traffic and tanker trucks between the two regions. The average number of vehicles that passed Idanha each day was 4,700 in 2018, up from 3,900 in 2012. Officials have identified the officers involved in last week’s Silverton shooting as Ofc. Jonathan La- moreaux and Ofc. Tim Hein. Oregon State Police is still declining to say who fired shots, saying the shooting is under investiga- tion. Silverton Police Department responded to reports of a domestic violence disturbance at an apartment at 911 Reserve St. around 12:40 p.m. Feb. 14. See TANKER, Page 2A See OFFICERS, Page 2A USA TODAY NETWORK Making schools safer for trans students Natalie Pate Salem Statesman Journal USA TODAY NETWORK Karen Holman was the first to see her child when he woke from surgery. Her son, Julian Holman, now 16, had already cut his hair, began hormone replacement therapy and identi- fied by a different name and pronoun than he was giv- en at birth. His breast tissue removal was the final step in his physical transition. What if you’re wrong? Karen worried. What if this wasn’t the right choice? A nurse came to get her when Julian was coming to. They pulled back the curtain. He looked at Karen and smiled. “Mom, I’m free.” Tens of thousands of youth nationwide identify by a gender other than the one they were assigned at birth. But many do not have the familial, financial or academic support to thrive during their teenage years. “I know that people judge parents who help their kids go through transitions,” Karen said. “I’m good with that because of where we are now, where Julian is ... all the people Julian is able to help. “Him having that gift and to be able to give it to oth- ers — and that I was able to be there as an observer and Julian studies at his home on Feb. 8 in Salem. MADELEINE COOK/STATESMAN JOURNAL supporter — that’s a gift to me ... to learn so much from him.” Nearly 20,000 trans individuals were estimated in the first Oregon-specific transgender count in 2016. At 0.65% of the population, Oregon is among the top 10 Online at SilvertonAppeal.com Vol. 139, No. 10 News updates: ❚ Breaking news ❚ Get updates from the Silverton area Photos: ❚ Photo galleries Serving the Silverton Area Since 1880 A Unique Edition of the Statesman Journal QEAJAB-07403y ©2020 50 cents Printed on recycled paper states by percentage. That number has likely grown, considering national counts between 2011 and 2016 doubled, with an esti- mated 1.4 million trans people in the U.S in 2016. By 2017, 0.7% of teens nationwide, or 150,000 youth ages 13 to 17, identified as transgender. That rate is now estimated at 1.8%. Public opinion, legal protections and the treatment of individuals who are transgender have changed dra- matically in the last 20 years, with Oregon leading the way in several instances. Still, trans people are among society’s most vulner- able individuals. They are far more likely than their peers to drop out of school, experience homelessness, earn less, be discriminated against for employment and housing, and be victims of crime. About one in three trans youth nationwide has re- ported being a victim of sexual violence, according to the Trevor Project, a nonprofit that serves LGBTQ+ people under 25. One in three has reported attempting suicide. And studies have shown they are up to eight times more likely to complete suicide. These rates are even higher in black or indigenous communities. For many, issues including bullying and harass- ment begin at school and manifest daily. “I love learning, so much, but experiencing intense gender dysphoria, school was horrible,” said Julian, a South Salem High School student. “And I mean that like ... life-threateningly horrible. It’s just this constant barrage. “It’s 2,000 people around you at all times, looking at you and interacting with you ... most of them not see- ing you as your actual gender and getting misgendered See TRANS, Page 3A