WEDNESDAY, MAY 27, 2020 | SILVERTONAPPEAL.COM
PART OF THE USA TODAY NETWORK
OREGON PRIMARY
Marion County, Stayton levies failing
Bill Poehler
Salem Statesman Journal
USA TODAY NETWORK
A host of rural fire districts and cities in Marion
County have measures on the ballot in Tuesday’s pri-
mary election, most dealing with funding for fire de-
partments. But there are also funding issues for pools
and libraries, and a city charter amendment to loosen
residency requirements for councilors.
Marion County Fire District 1 levy
The levy by Marion County Fire District No. 1 is fail-
ing in early returns.
Marion County Fire District 1is asking voters to pass
a new two-year operations levy that would allow it to
expand its staff and pay for the purchase and mainte-
nance of equipment.
The district currently has 55 employees and covers
88 square miles including areas east of Salem and
Keizer, and unincorporated communities such as
Brooks, Howell Prairie and Pratum and over 50,000
residents in rural parts of Marion County and has mu-
tual aid agreements with all fire districts in Marion
County.
The district was asking voters to charge homeown-
ers 99 cents per $1,000 of assessed value for the next
two years and allow it to hire two more firefighters and
a deputy fire marshal.
See LEVIES, Page 4A
More than 40 firefighters battled a fire at a hemp
drying facility on March 3, 2020, on Sunnyview and
Howell Prairie roads NE in rural Marion County.
MARION COUNTY FIRE DISTRICT #1
Mikayla Wood
Oregon Connections Academy
A strange end for
Class of 2020, but
the future beckons
Silver Falls State Park reopened to the public on May 19, 2020 after being closed since March due to
COVID-19 limits. ZACH URNESS / STATESMAN JOURNAL
Silver Falls reopens
after COVID-19 closure
Zach Urness
Salem Statesman Journal
USA TODAY NETWORK
The 100-foot waterfalls are still there.
So are the wildflowers, emerald forest and, most
importantly, the little cafe that serves hot chocolate
(plus other snacks).
Silver Falls State Park reopened this week after a
nearly six week COVID-19 closure, and everything
looked pretty normal save a few hikers wearing
masks.
The South Falls Lodge was shuttered, the camp-
ground remained closed and the playground equip-
ment was wrapped in orange mesh fencing. But all the
trails were open, the forest boasted every possible
shade of green and the waterfalls were booming after
the recent rains.
Spring is often viewed as the best time to visit Sil-
ver Falls, the gem of Oregon's state park system to the
east of Salem, but visitors are advised to be wary.
While crowds were thin Tuesday amid drizzle and
gray skies, this weekend is expected to bring sunnier
conditions and more crowds.
Parking at Silver Falls will be limited by 25 percent,
and anyone who can't find a place to park will be
asked to leave or directed to a different area, park
manager Guy Rodrigue said.
"The reduction will be done by (gating off) some
parking lots," he said. "Visitors will be asked to return
during slower periods or directed to less congested
areas of the park if we reach our reduced capacity."
The reduced capacity for parking will continue
"until we can better evaluate congestion both in the
day-use areas as well as the trails," Rodrigue said.
Four bathrooms are open, including three in the
South Falls area and one at the North Falls Trailhead.
The only bathrooms closed are those in the South
See SILVER FALLS, Page 3B
Class action
against Traeger
grills dismissed
Bill Poehler
Salem Statesman Journal
USA TODAY NETWORK
A district court judge has dismissed a proposed
class action lawsuit against barbecue grill manufac-
turer Traeger Pellet Grills, deciding the defendants
failed to establish the court has jurisdiction.
In the opinion handed down May 1, U.S. District
Court Judge Bruce Jenkins dismissed without preju-
dice the suit filed by plaintiffs Michael Yates and Nor-
man Jones that alleged Traeger Pellet Grills doesn’t
See TRAEGER, Page 2A
Traeger Grills being sued for not using the same
wood in their pellets as is advertised. Photographed
in Salem on Oct. 24, 2019. ANNA REED / STATESMAN
JOURNAL
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“Take pride in how far you have come and have
faith in how far you can go” — fitting words from
Christian Larson, a forward-thinking author, popular
in the early 1900s about the same time the Spanish
Flu pandemic spread across the globe.
As the class of 2020, we’ve had a rocky transition
to adulthood. Some of us lost time in a beloved sport,
couldn’t participate in theater, or we missed out on a
competition we prepared for since freshman year.
For most graduates, we’ve lost our senior prom
and in-person graduation ceremonies. We’ve lost
both of those rites of passage, but we gained much
more than all our losses combined.
We gained time with our families, time to focus on
hobbies, or create new ones. We gained time to serve
and make a difference in our communities in new
ways. We gained time to work on plans for college or
career after we officially graduate.
At the end of an era, people often ask for more time
and yet that is rarely granted. This year gave us the
gift of time and we can all be grateful for that.
I understand the pain we all feel and the loss of the
“ideal senior year.” However, it’s important to live in
the present and enjoy what we have right now. Let’s
continue to look forward.
We made it! We graduated and that’s just the first
step, just the first accomplishment to the many more
we’ll achieve in the future.
We should count our blessings, and be glad we
survived this health crisis. We should be thankful
that we can seek the next adventure in our lives.
Hopefully someday soon we’ll be able to hug our
classmates when we see them in the park or get to-
gether for a belated grad party.
Recognize that we are a part of history. Many of us
were born in the aftermath of the last major crisis;
9/11. Now we’re trying to celebrate a major milestone,
graduating high school, during this devastating pan-
demic. Think about what you will tell your children
and grandchildren about this moment in history. I
will probably tell my kiddos and grandkids how I was
able to get through this without going too crazy. Much
of it has to do with my spirituality, the rest to gaining
strength from past challenges in my life. For exam-
ple, in middle school, I almost dropped out because
of bullying and then switched to Oregon Connections
Academy, which is a full-time online public school. I
went from being very shy and withdrawn to more
outgoing. I became involved in community volun-
teering and now I’m even student body president.
Over the past few years, I decided to pursue a ca-
reer in the health care field, never realizing that when
I graduated my chosen path would be headed right
into this history-making crisis. My parents are both
employed in the medical profession and it’s been
tough for them the past few months. When we reflect
on where we’ve been and where we’re going, it’s im-
portant to thank our family members, teachers,
coaches, friends, and others who’ve been there for
us, guiding us on this journey. Without them provid-
ing the map, we would’ve veered off course more than
many of us already did.
As the author noted, we should be proud of our ac-
complishments so far and have confidence in our fu-
ture. The class of 2020 is resilient. This is not the end
for us but rather a new beginning. While the world is
changing, sometimes drastically it seems, this is our
chance to be a part of that change, not only for our-
selves but for generations to come.
I encourage the class of 2020 to be active citizens
in our community, to be the class makes a difference
in the lives of others. We are blessed with an oppor-
tunity to make a change for the better.
Have faith for what is to come, life is a journey that
takes us on a wild ride, enjoy everything it has to offer
— bumps and all.
Go out into the world and shape it, let’s show the
world what our class of 2020 is all about! Congrat-
ulations to everyone graduating this year, as we go on
to greater things, may we all let our lights shine and
brighten the world.
Mikayla Wood, Oregon Connections Academy Stu-
dent Body President, Class of 2020, from Scio For in-
formation about Oregon Connections Academy
please visit www.OregonConnectionsAcademy.com
or call (800) 382-6010.