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About Appeal tribune. (Silverton, Or.) 1999-current | View Entire Issue (June 9, 2021)
WEDNESDAY, JUNE 9, 2021 | SILVERTONAPPEAL.COM PART OF THE USA TODAY NETWORK Town hall on dam signals return to normal super healthy for our democracy, super healthy for the process,” Marion County Commissioner Colm Willis said. “It’s wonderful.” Bill Poehler Salem Statesman Journal USA TODAY NETWORK The Scotts Mills dam on Thursday. County officials held an in-person town hall meeting to discuss the future of the crumbling dam on Butte Creek. ABIGAIL DOLLINS/STATESMAN JOURNAL Some want the dam removed. Others want it to remain or, better yet, to be repaired. In-person public forums like town halls have been a casualty of the pandemic. But for the first time in over a year Thursday evening, dozens of people came together to discuss the fate of the Scotts Mills Dam in a public forum at the dam hosted by Marion County. For an hour, people stood in Scotts Mills Park and discussed what should happen with it. After the forum ended, people on differing sides of the issue talked amongst themselves and attempted to come to a reso- lution. The resumption of in-person town halls is a sign of the return to normalcy in small towns. “It’s super healthy, super healthy for our community, Fate in the hands Marion County For decades, the fate of the century-old dam has been in question. The 5-foot tall, 40-foot wide concrete dam was built in the mid-1800s on top of a 10-foot waterfall on Butte Creek to channel water to drive the city’s namesake mill. The ownership of the dam was in question for years. But as it is connected to Scotts Mills Park, which Marion County has owned since the 1950s, the county – and the landowner on the Clackamas County side of Butte Creek – are responsible for deciding its fate. See DAM, Page 2A An employee with the Oregon Secretary of State’s office takes boxes containing signatures for Initiative Petitions 17 and 18 from the petitioners inside the Oregon Public Service Building on Wednesday. CONNOR RADNOVICH/STATESMAN JOURNAL Cora Edmonds, 4, picks strawberries with her family at Boones Ferry Berry Farm on Wednesday in Hubbard. The farm is currently offering Sweet Ann and Hood strawberries for u-pick. Berry good Emily Teel and Bill Poehler Salem Statesman Journal | USA TODAY NETWORK T he sweet smell of strawberries lin- gers like a fog over the Willamette Valley. h With sunny weather re- turning and summer fruit like blue- berries, raspberries and cherries coming into season – combined with eager people seeking outdoor activities – U-pick farms are starting to open for the year all around Salem. h U-pick season lasts until the fall in Oregon as fruits and vegetables like corn, apples and pumpkins reach their peak. ing you to bring your own containers for what you pick. Some of the farms are only open dependent on the amount of produce they sell being available. Some farms are sparse and unattended with you paying by the honor system. Others have restaurants, gift shops and offerings like hay rides, which can make for a full day of activity for a family or group. It’s a wise move to reach out to the U-Pick farm, or at least visit their Facebook page, before you plan on visiting. What to bring: h Containers - While many farms will have buck- ets to pick into and containers to buy, you’ll save mon- ey if you remember to bring your own. Kitchen con- tainers (like Tupperware) are great for berries be- cause they’re lightweight, easy to carry and, once you Prices and amenities vary by farm with some requir- See U-PICK, Page 3A Fulfillment in football Players join women’s league for myriad reasons Abigail Dollins Salem Statesman Journal | USA TODAY NETWORK M aria Rivera perused the aisles of a sporting goods store. She passed the women’s section, dotted with bright pinks and purples, and approached the football equip- ment. She asked the store clerk where the mouthpieces and girdles were in her size. See PIONEERS, Page 2A The Capital Pioneers line up for the national anthem before their first home game against the Sioux Falls Snow Leopards on May 1 in Stayton. Vol. 140, No. 25 Online at SilvertonAppeal.com News updates: h Breaking news h Get updates from the Silverton area Photos: h Photo galleries Serving the Silverton Area Since 1880 A Unique Edition of the Statesman Journal QEAJAB-07403y New gun initiatives submitted Connor Radnovich Salem Statesman Journal USA TODAY NETWORK Gun control activists submitted the initial round of signatures Wednesday in support of two initiative petitions that would require registration of assault- style semi-automatic firearms, create a permit for purchasing guns and stop the sale of gun magazines that hold more than 10 rounds. “This will be a bellwether for the nation, it’s one of the most comprehensive packages put together,” said Pastor Mark Knutson of the Augustana Lutheran Church in Portland. Petitioners said they gathered 2,000 signatures each for IP 17 and IP 18 in about a week, and now the Secretary of State’s office has 10 days to verify that each has 1,000 valid signatures. The campaigns will have to clear various legal and bureaucratic benchmarks if the initiatives are to make it to the ballot in November 2022, not the least of which is the gathering of 112,020 signatures by July 8, 2022. Lift Every Voice Oregon is leading the effort. The faith-based coalition was also behind a trio of initia- tive petitions in the 2020 election cycle, one of which was approved to circulate in late April. “We were moving forward actually really, really well. We had the ballot titles, we’d gone through the Supreme Court, we were ready to start collecting sig- natures, and then COVID hit,” said Rabbi Michael Ca- hana of Congregation Beth Israel. The 2022 initiatives have much in common with their 2020 predecessors, but there are some changes. IP 17 would require anyone interested in buying a gun to go through a permitting process beforehand. This process would include a background check as well as live-fire and classroom training. The permit would be good for five years and would be renewable. The petition would also ban the sale and manufac- ture of ammunition magazines that hold more than 10 rounds of ammunition, except to the military or law enforcement. IP 18 would ban the manufacture, purchase, use and possession of assault-style firearms beyond its effective date, and require all firearms that qualify be registered within 180 days. Any firearms already purchased and registered could still be legally used: on private property, for hunting, at shooting ranges, in competition and at educational exhibitions. Impermissible use would qualify as a Class A misdemeanor on first offense, with higher penalties possible for additional offenses. The petition lists dozens of rifles that would be subjected to the new restrictions. Semi-automatic shotguns and semi-automatic pistols also qualify as “assault-style” if they have any one of a number of augmentations or attachments. For pistols, these include: a threaded barrel, capa- ble of accepting a flash suppressor, forward handgrip or silencer; a second handgrip; or a stabilizing brace or any similar component. See INITIATIVES, Page 2A
