Page 2
December, 2024 Volume 2, Issue #12
The North Douglas Herald Newspaper, pub-
lished once a month in Drain Oregon, is owned, op-
erated, published and printed in the State of Oregon.
It is our mission to bring the news and information
that our readers find pertinent, useful and with some
insight to our common values and sensibilities.
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Free Papers can be found, upon availability, in all of the
following town’s and these fine establishments
Drain
Rays Food Place, 308 N 1st St.
Country Cabin Coffee & Laundry, 438 W “B” Ave Hwy38
The Rose Bar, 413 Umpqua Hwy 38
Mildred Whipple Library, 205 W. “A” Ave.
Beaver Creek Unique, 416 W “B” Ave.
Zolezzi Insurance Agency, 208 W C Ave
CG Market, 333 W B Ave
US Bank, 229 N 1st St
Hacienda Viera, 237 West B Ave
Brothers Cafe, 439 W B Ave
Yoncalla
Eagle Valley Supply, 2570 Eagle Valley Rd
Food Center & Deli, 2580 Eagle Valley Rd
Why Not Bar and Grill, 164 Main St
Yoncalla Public Library, 194 Birch St
Elkton
Arlene’s Cafe & General Store 14858 State HWY 38
Elkton Station 14940 State HWY 38
Tomaselli’s Pastry Mill & Cafe, 14836 OR Hwy 38
Elkton Community Education Center, 15850 HWY 38 W
Rice Hill
Buy 2 Arco, 614 John Long Rd
Scottsburg
Riverbanks Speedy Mart 32841 State HWY 38
LULD Library Box at Fire Station, 33237 OR HWY 38
Reedsport
Jacks Barber Shoppe, 1199 Highway Ave,
TRMF Smokes, 1898 Winchester Ave. US-101
Don’s Main Street Family Restaurant, 2115 US-101
Recreation Station, 1575 Winchester Ave US-101 S
Creative Mercantile, 392 Fir Ave.
High Water Cafe, 427 Fir Ave.
Lower Umpqua Library, 395 Winchester Ave.
7-11 Store, 2011 Winchester Ave. US-101
Oregon Coast Restaurant, 2165 Winchester Ave
Cottage Grove
Old Mill Farm Store, 327 South River Rd.
Kwik Pik Market #2, 925 E Gibbs Ave.
Daves Corner Market, 633 N 9th St.
Crafty Mercantile, 517 E Main St.
The Book Mine, 702 E Main St.
Dari Mart, 1200 E Main St.
Cottage Market, 603 OR HWY-99
Medication Station, 1041 N Pacific HWY-99
American Market, 911 E Main St
Eugene
Willamette Valley Motoplex, 86441 College View Rd
7-11, 190 Hwy 99
7-11, 701 Polk St
Market of Choice, 1960 Franklin Blvd
Classic Smoke Shop, 733 State Hwy 99 N
The Embers Lounge, 1811 Hwy 99 N
Springfield
Dari-Mart, 1950 Mohawk Blvd #38
Dari-Mart, 1875 Main St
Dari-Mart, 1554 M St,
7-11, 1396 Main St
Heartless & Hopeless Tattoo, 329 Main St
Winchester Bay
Beck’s Winchester Bay Market, 245 8th St.
Pelican Market, 75298 Pacific Coast HWY US-101
Oakland
Bart’s Oakland Market, 204 SE 1st St
Tyee Landing, 11424 Oregon HWY 138
Oakland Tavern, 104 Locust St
Sutherlin
Kwik Pik Market & Deli, 551 W Central Ave.
Smitty’s Food Mart & Deli, 1367W Central Ave.
Center Market, 1230 W Central Ave.
Smoke Shop, 1230 W Central Ave.
Center Market #32, 206 E Central Ave.
S-Mart, 333 E Central Ave.
Central Food Mart, 1021 E Central Ave.
Chevron/S-Mart, 1484 W Central Ave.
DC Precision Lube & Tune, 489 E Central Ave.
Roseburg
Roseburg Tobacco & Food Mart, 2050 NE Stephens St
1 Am Market, 1931 NE Stephens St
Lil’ Pantry, 2611 NW Edenbower Blvd
Buy 2 Arco, 2530 NE Stephens St
Mini Pet Mart, 194 Birch St
Albany
7-11, 333 34Th Ave SE
AM PM, 33200 OR-34
North Douglas Herald
PO Box 581, Drain OR 97435
Rusty Savage, Editor
541 221-3283 www.ndherald.com
North Douglas Herald
December 2024
Editorial
By Rusty Savage
“Oh what a world, what a world, what
a world!” That’s what the Wicked Witch of the
West said when she melted away in her watery
demise. She didn’t know any better, she was the
Wicked Witch of the West. She was destined
to her fate. Well that’s the way Frank L Baum
wrote it anyway. Looking beyond my immediate
community and seeing the ways and means of this
entire world, I feel like, ‘Oh what a world’.
The farther you zoom out the more intense
it gets, with wars, famines, natural disasters and
even pestilence. It’s a rough world out there isn’t
it? Then, like using the microscope, we can dial
in a little closer and our national landscape looks
a little divisive, sometimes dangerous and often a
dismissive, mistress that scoffs at our toil and our
concerns. But you know what? You can dial it
down a little further and you find yourself in your
home or neighborhood with those, physically,
close to you.
The difference in this aperture and the
former is that someone else is writing those stories
and at this magnification, you can write your own
story. The main protagonist in this story is you
and you are also the author. All you have to do
is start writing the story. A story has 3 parts. The
beginning, middle and the end. In your story, from
this day forward, you are in the middle, no matter
where you think you are. The reason is that you
may rewrite anything you wish beginning today.
It’s easier to stay positive and find the
silver linings if we write ourselves into the hero’s
role and save our own day. Visit your friends and
have a laugh. Walk around the block and stop by a
friends house. Talk to your kids about something
great that they did. Go to lunch with a co-worker.
Put down the phone and turn off the TV. Fix
something different for dinner. Spontaneously
start dancing with your partner in the quiet night.
Find joy in any one thing each day and build on
it, at least, a little each day and you will be writing
the true story of your life. The world goes on in a
never ending story and it doesn’t generally revolve
around us and it certainly spins on with or without
us. Your story is more important than that.
Oh yea, I did overdo the Thanksgiving
festivities, as usual. Giving Thanks by gorging 19
kinds of meats, vegetables and desserts seems a
bit incongruous but heh, it’s a tradition. Actually
Government
Know your local Representatives!
the food does bring us together but it’s not lost
on anyone that the communal and familial love
of togetherness is the real treat. And each year we
mark another notch in the spiritual belt. What am I
thankful for. Being here with all you crazy folk.
This issue ends year 2 of this journey
of news and information gathering. The North
Douglas Herald continues to expand our
coverage. Now there are over 70 locations that
you can pick up the Herald each month, check
the list on the left column. And it has been a
disappointment to us here at the Herald when
financial realities forced us to discontinue free
mailings, but the upside to it is that it has allowed
us to expand coverage through our growing list
of pickup points. Additionally, it is with some
excitement that I can announce that The Herald
is developing a home delivery system that will
roll out first in the communities of Drain, Elkton
and Yoncalla, beginning in January. In February
and March we will extend to all of our service
areas. If you are interested in being a newscarrier
or if you are interested in home delivery, check
out the article on page 6 or send an inquiry to
carrier@ndherald.com
Well the elections are over and the work
must begin. We are all winners if we work
together and make it a little better place. My Dad
used to always insist that “You always do your
work to the best of your ability and finish the task,
then do 10% more”. My Dad was a wise man
and it was many years until I understood what
he meant and what he wanted me to do. Not for
him, but for myself. we can use that extra 10% to
make our world better, not just for the world but
for ourselves.
Thank you for your continued support, both,
through your readership but also your financial
support in helping us to grow and bring free
quality newspapers
to all Oregonians
across our region.
We are working on
newsracks,
both
wire and enclosed, to
continue improving
our exposure as well
as our coverage.
Your donations go straight to our delivery fund.
Letters to the Editor
This was Interesting
My wife’s Pastor didn’t notice the three armed
Jesus he put in his slide show last Sunday. I asked
my Chatbot why AI keeps f’ing up the human body.
The answer was interesting but scary. Scary to think
that we are handing our future the over to AI and
“Humans are a tough nut to crack” “We don’t know
how things are supposed to look” AI-generated
images of human hands, arms, and legs often turn
out odd because of the following challenges:
ChatBot wrote the explanation after a prompt of
why does A.I. have a problem drawing humans.
Complex Anatomy:
Human limbs have intricate proportions,
musculature, and joint dynamics that require precise
understanding to depict accurately. Hands are
particularly challenging due to their highly variable
shapes, fine details, and range of motion.
Training Data Limitations:
AI models like DALL-E are trained on
datasets of existing images and art. If the training data
contains inconsistencies or lacks enough detailed,
high-quality examples of human anatomy, the model
will struggle to generalize and recreate these features
convincingly.
Ambiguity in Prompts:
AI often misinterprets or overcompensates for
vague prompts, leading to anatomically incorrect or
extra limbs, fingers, or distorted proportions. It lacks
an intuitive grasp of “how things should look.”
Lack of Contextual Awareness:
AI doesn’t inherently understand human
anatomy or physics. It can mix details incorrectly—
e.g., attaching a finger in the wrong direction—
because it generates based on patterns rather than
rules or an internal conceptual model.
Algorithmic Constraints:
AI models rely on pattern completion and
probabilistic matching, which sometimes leads
to mismatched or surreal results when the dataset
doesn’t capture sufficient coherence for specific
details.
AI-generated imagery continues to improve,
but these challenges highlight why human anatomy
remains a tough nut to crack.
Michael Hinojosa
Drain
Mayor: Erin Sparhawk
Council Position #1: Grant Vaughan
Council Position #2: Kevin VanPelt
Council Position #3: Katie Decker
Council Position #5: Aaron Lymath
City Administrator: Jeni Stevens
City Council Meeting:12/09/24 - 6pm
Yoncalla
Mayor: Kathleen Wertz
Councilors: Dan Wagoner
Gene Vroman
Harold Gilpin
Bryce Wertz
City Administrator: Jennifer Bragg
Council Meeting: 12/10/24 - 6pm
Elkton
Mayor: Daniel Burke
Council President: Joan Smith
Council Members:
Kim Moore
Dan Shepherd
Sandra Galli
Public Works Supervisor: Gary Trout
Council Meeting:12/12/24 - 8:30am
Oakland
Mayor:
Bette Keehley
Counselor: Jan Wier
Counselor: Kent Rochester
Counselor: Sky Ironplow
Counselor: Betty Tamm
Council Meeting: 12/09/24 - 7pm
Sutherlin
Mayor :
Michelle Sumner
Council President Debbie Hamilton
Councilor
Lisa Woods
Councilor
Joe Groussman
Councilor
Larry Whitaker
Councilor
Shawn Smalley
Councilor
Gary Dagel
City Manager
Jerry Gillham
Council Meeting: 12/09/24 - 7:15pm
Reedsport
Mayor :
Linda McCollum
Council Position #1: Rob Wright
Council Position #2: Cindy Wegner
Council Position #3: Chuck Miller
Council Position #5: Allen Teitzel
Council Position #5: Rich Patten
Council Position #7: Debby Turner
Council Meeting: 12/04224 - 7pm
Cottage Grove
Mayor: Candace Solesbee
Councilor Ward 1: Open Seat
Councilor Ward 2: Jon Stinnett
Councilor Ward 3: Dana Merryday
Councilor Ward 4: Greg Ervin
Councilor:
Open Seat
Councilor:
Open Seat
Council Meeting;: Not listed
County State & Federal
Douglas County Commisioners:
Tom Kress(Chair) Tim Freeman
Chris Boice
Jennifer Miller
Lane County Commissioners:
Dist 1: Ray Ceniga Dist 2: David Lovall
Dist 3: Laurie Trieger Dist 4: Pat Farr
Dist 5: Heather Buch
Oregon House Representative:
District 02:
Virgle Osborne
Oregon State Senator:
District 1:
David Brock Smith
U.S. Senate Oregon:
Jeff Merkley
Ron Wyden
U.S House of Representatives:
District 4: Val Hoyle
Secretary of State:
LaVonne Griffin-Valade
Attorney General: Ellen Rosenblum
Governor: Tina Kotek
Vice-President: Kamala Harris
President:
Joe Biden
It is important to know your representation
in your State, Districts and Municipalities. RE-
MEMBER it is vital to your freedoms to vote.If
you would like to have your own towns municipal
officers listed please send title & names only to
citydesk@ndherald.com