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About Oregon news herald. (Drain OR) 2025-current | View Entire Issue (Jan. 1, 2025)
Oregon News Herald Willamette Valley Motoplex Continued from Front Page is the correct spelling and I got called out on that one because a few of you noticed last month that the headline was misspelled. Dang, I apologize for that confusion. But, for sure, the Willamette Valley Motoplex is a “must stop” for any rider or enthusiast. Stop on by, you might like what you see. One thing I should have emphasized was all of the great deals on used motorcycles right now. There are some fantastic deals on ‘24s and ‘25s but if you are looking for a used or pre-owned Harley-Davidson®, Indian® or Royal Enfield®, the selection of used bikes at unbeatable prices is impressive. This should definitely be your first and last stop for used or pre-owned motorcycles. Motorcycling is great passtime and if you are a novice or an experienced rider or just think motorcycles are cool then you should stop in for a visit. A friendlier place you wont find and the staff are honest and helpful. It’s a family friendly place and easy atmosphere with lots of Motorcycles to checkout and something for just about everybody. From Portland to Roseburg and from Bend to the Oregon coast, Willamette Valley Motoplex serves the entire area and serves it very well. Roseburg’s Rosebud Theatre January 2025 Page 5 Joe Ross Statement on Pass Creek Park Continued from Page 3 for possible litigation for misappropriation of funds. It’s difficult to track public comment opportunities. Meetings are irregular, some canceled & agendas and minutes aren’t posted timely. I don’t think your intention is to willfully withhold information, mislead or stonewall the public. Within such a vacuum, however, people get spun up unnecessarily. Citizens are deluged with misinformation & disinformation, some leading to conspiracy theories. Be fully transparent, accessible & tell the real story. A News-Review article & Editorial Opinion from July 2016 reinforced these needs. Schedule monthly PAB meetings. Meet in the evening at least once annually in North, South, East & West regions where citizens with day jobs can weigh in about parks in their neck of the woods. Provide meeting agendas (& supplemental materials) at least 5 days prior to public meetings & 14 days prior to hearings. Upload meeting minutes as soon as prepared, marked “DRAFT” until FINAL. Allow public comment on DRAFT minutes before approving them. Drafts may not have properly encapsulated someone’s comments at a previous meeting. Advise county leadership, staff & others to create a culture that values public input. The public is not your enemy. Most are here to help, not obstruct. Yet, some folks feel intimidated, demeaned, bullied, belittled or just not empowered to speak. Civil discourse should prevail. Don’t misinterpret a person’s passion as yelling & screaming. Everyone should follow decorum, be polite, respectful, listen & try to find common ground. Trained neutral facilitators in contentious situations help all to participate professionally & respectfully. Diana Larson making a point to the Council Bernie Woodard talks with Parks Director. Mark Wall after the meeting. Oregon sees 91% 17 Year Spike in Homelessness Has a Packed December Grand Opening Roseburg OR — A new music venue opened Friday, December 27th, at the Historic Rosebud Theater building, located in Downtown Roseburg. Originally built in 1909, the building began as a pharmacy before becoming the Sunnyside Theatre, which closed down in 2023. The theater was leased to the new business owners in the Spring of 2024. “It’s just been a progression of getting into a couple different venue spaces and trying to create and facilitate a place for the community to come and enjoy live music in a venue atmosphere, and it kind of fell in our laps in a lot of ways,” said Kristi Rifenbark, one of the owners of the theatre. “So, we felt the need to pick it up and make sure that this space happens in the community, because we felt that it was very important and it was really unfortunate when it closed, previously.” The bands who played on opening weekend included Polyrhythmics and That Other Band. Mick Beach, of That Other Band, expressed his excitement for playing at the theater, after performing in the area for around 45 years. “I think it’s incredibly important. This is a big asset to the music community, entertainment community, and really the culture of Douglas county, primarily Roseburg,” he said. “It’s good to see a venue that focuses on just music, good sound systems, staff that knows their way around a stage, and doing production and so it was nice to see that happen.” That Other Band bass player, Jesse Haggans, agrees. “I think it’s gonna offer a place for people to come in and relax, have fun, and listen to the type of music they want to listen to,” Haggans said. “I think that the value to the community, to the music community, will increase even more.” The theater’s capacity sits at around 100 visitors, and the first night of the grand opening weekend was sold out. You can learn more about the Rosebud Theatre and upcoming performances at its website, here: https://www.therosebudtheatre.com/. A new report shows a double-digit increase in homelessness nationwide and in the Pacific Northwest. It seems like there are far fewer tents and homeless camps across Portland than in previous years, but that is a deceiving view. Annual point-in-time counts from across the country show an 18% increase in homelessness nationwide. The report says that in Oregon there are 22,875 people experiencing homelessness in 2024. Around 62% of those are unsheltered, which is more than 13% increase from the previous year. Meanwhile, the data also said that of families with children who are homeless, about 56% are unsheltered. That is the highest in the nation. Multnomah County homeless deaths up to 456, more than half linked to fentanyl. Oregon also has 1,315 unsheltered youth, the third highest in the country. “They’re often more hidden away where they feel like they could be safe or perhaps living in their cars, and this is something that, as a community, we are definitely going to need to address,” said Scott Kerman, executive director for Blanchet House. He added that families and youth are often referred to the invisible homeless. “The data comes from the point- in-time count that occurred in January of 2024. We were in an extremely busy period in January. In fact, the first third of the year was a lot busier than it had been at Blanchet House in the previous year,” Kerman said. Blanchet House will end the year serving up to 40,000 meals more than last year. Despite Portland’s camping ban and Mayor-elect Keith Wilson’s promise to end unsheltered homelessness in 2025, Kerman is preparing for what he thinks could be a difficult year. “I think we’re likely going to see some changes in federal programs such as SNAP benefits that people rely on for food, possibly some more aggressive immigration action, which is going to displace people,” he said.
