SINCE 1979 • VOLUME 37, NO. 10 McNary swimmers sweep McKay What's this photo got to do with a MHS junior? SEE PG. 14 SEE PG. 6 KEIZERTIMES.COM JANUARY 16, 2015 50 CENTS What’cha got cooking, Cafe 159? By ERIC A. HOWALD Of the Keizertimes The margherita pizza is divine, extra cheesy and with a crust that is hearty, but not overfi lling. The Thai chicken slice is a tad overdone, but more fl avorful for it. The main course was preceded by a salad of leafy greens, cranberries, al- monds and feta cheese, topped with just the right amount of vinagerette that brought out the best of the other ingredi- ents. Fresh-made mint choco- late and strawberry ice cream that arrived for dessert at the perfect time, and with a smile. Both fl avors are sumptuous, a delightful combination of cool and refreshing. If McNary High School’s young chefs prove consistent, Cafe 159 might very well be- come the hottest lunch ticket in Keizer. “It’s like getting spoiled in the middle of the day,” said teacher Marrla Wilkinson as she sat down in the bistro sec- tion of Room 159 at McNary. Thursday, Jan. 8, was only the second sit-down service for the seven Lady Celts who run Cafe 159, but Wilkinson was one of the lucky ones making her second visit. “The fi rst time was in No- vember and it was a Thanks- giving meal with turkey, gravy and some sides,” said senior Makenzie Young-Jackson, one of the chefs and servers. Not so long ago, such ser- vice was something of a pipe dream. The McNary culinary offerings were much more minimal due to a lack of prop- er facilities – think electric stove tops and ovens found in residential kitchens. “We were making mac and cheese out of a box,” said Young-Jackson, who has been enrolling in culinary classes since her freshman year. “Now, we’re making homemade ice cream and pizza dough from scratch.” “It’s more like a restau- rant, and all of our techniques have taken that big step for- ward,” said Regan Comstock, a junior who will graduate in June. The kitchen facilities were renovated as part of a Career and Technical Education Re- vitalization grant through the Oregon Department of Edu- cation. “The new kitchen has given the students exposure to equipment they will see in the industry: convection ov- ens, fl at top grills and warm- ing/proofi ng ovens. We have also confi gured the room so that we have the centers that are represented in industry: bake station, hot line, cold line, dining room,” said Sheri Bond, McNary’s culinary arts teacher. McNary senior Cheyenne Shepherd said the remodel in side Clark gives State of the City address (Page 2) Holiday card contest (PG. 3) MHS boys stay in fi rst place (PG. 12) KEIZERTIMES/Eric A. Howald Olivia Berger rolls out pizza dough in preparation for a meal at McNary's Cafe 159. has changed the way the team behind Cafe 159 thinks about cooking. “When we were cook- ing for ourselves, we didn’t think much about how the food looked, but the feed- back we’ve gotten has been how much people like how the whole meal feels like what they would fi nd at a sit-down restaurant. That means it has to look good,” Shepherd said. Please see CAFE, Page 8 A stitch and time saves fl ags KEIZERTIMES/Craig Murphy Debbie Lockhart, deputy city recorder with the city of Keizer, looks over a city fl ag to repair. She has been doing such work for about three years. By CRAIG MURPHY Of the Keizertimes Debbie Lockhart has a great view of her handiwork. For the last few years, the deputy city recorder for Keiz- er has been volunteering her time to mend fl ags as needed at the Keizer Civic Center. Three fl ags fl y over the main entrance at 930 Che- mawa Road North: United States, the state and the city. Since there are lights under- neath, the fl ags can stay up 24 hours a day. Lockhart can see the fl ags out her window. Given the variation in Oregon weather, that means the fl ags can be subject to a fair amount of rain and wind throughout the year. When Dan Collingham started as the city's facil- ity maintenance worker about three years ago, Lockhart ran her idea to repair fl ags as needed by him. Colling- ham agreed; in the time since Lockhart estimates she has done 10 repair jobs. With fl ags costing an estimated $60 each, that means the longtime city employee has saved taxpayers approximately $600 so far. “I like making things last,” said Lockhart, who started working for the city in 2002. Related to that, Lockhart does the repairs on her 1962 sewing machine she was given in the seventh grade. Needed repairs are brought to Lockhart’s attention by Collingham. “I check the fl ags on a regular basis, especially after a hard rain,” he said. “I’ll take them down if it’s going to be really windy or wet. Other- wise we keep the fl ags up all the time.” By CRAIG MURPHY Of the Keizertimes When the Keizer Police Department brought back its Community Response Unit a year ago, one of the main goals was to deal with drug complaints. That has resulted in sev- eral longtime drug homes in Keizer being busted, with the most recent example taking place Jan. 8 on the 400 block of Juedes Avenue North. Two people were arrested and an aggressive dog was shot when offi cers served a search warrant at the home early that morning. According to a news re- lease from the Keizer Police Department, members of the KPD’s CRU squad heard about complaints of drug dealing at 453 Juedes Avenue North in December and be- gan an investigation. A search warrant was secured and served shortly before 6 a.m. on Jan. 8. According to police, when offi cers entered the house, a 93-pound four-year-old American pit bull terrier-mix dog became aggressive and charged at the offi cers. Sgt. Jeff Goodman, believing serious Hearing for Area C next Tuesday By CRAIG MURPHY Of the Keizertimes Keizer Station Area C is the subject of a public hearing again next week. A revised proposal for apartments and a retirement community facility will be discussed during the Jan. 20 Keizer City Council meet- ing. The meeting is a day later than usual due to Monday being Martin Luther King Jr. Day. The 7 p.m. meeting takes place in council chambers at Keizer Civic Center, 930 Chemawa Road NE. The area in question drew plenty of attention a few years back, when plans called for a large retail outlet – believed at the time to be Walmart – to build a 116,000 square foot store. A size limit of 80,000 square feet for retail space was subsequently put into place. Mountain West Investments and Bonaventure Senior Housing LLC have submit- ted the revised application for land owned by Oregon Terri- tory Development and Jerold KEIZERTIMES/Craig Murphy A sign gives notice of next week's hearing at city hall about proposed development for Keizer Station Area C, seen here in the background. and Kathleen Egner. The por- tion impacted would be about 17 acres, or half of Area C. The proposal was origi- nally planned to be brought to council last month, before veteran councilors Jim Taylor, Joe Egli and longtime mayor Lore Christopher left their seats. However, some updates were needed and thus the is- sue is coming up next week. Even with the delay, the staff report wasn’t fi nished un- til late Tuesday afternoon. The overall package sent to coun- cilors is 567 pages, including a 70-page staff report. The Keiz- ertimes received a copy of the package Tuesday evening. Sam Litke, the senior plan- ner for Keizer, said the new Please see AREA C, Page 9 It's a beautiful morning... Please see FLAGS, Page 9 Dog shot, two arrested Please see SHOT, Page 5 KEIZERTIMES/Craig Murphy The sky over Keizer was awash in gorgeous colors at sunrise Wednesday morning, Jan. 14. This is looking east from Keizer Station Area C.