SINCE 1979 • VOLUME 37, NO. 13
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SEE PG. A5
SECTION A
Coach Nick's
fi nal dance
SEE PG. A12
FEBRUARY 6, 2015
An awarding night in Keizer
By CRAIG MURPHY
Of the Keizertimes
Former city councilors
scored a sweep at the 2014
Keizer Chamber First Citizen
Award Banquet last Satur-
day, Jan. 31 at Keizer Quality
Suites.
Former Keizer Mayor and
councilor Lore Christopher
was named First Citizen; for-
mer Keizer City Councilor
Joe Egli picked up Merchant
of the Year honors; former
Salem City Councilor Dan
Clem earned the President’s
Award and former Keizer City
Councilor Chuck Lee as well
as wife Krina got the Service
to Education Award.
Clem was the fi rst to re-
ceive his award, after being
chosen by Keizer Chamber of
Commerce president Audrey
Butler. Clem joined the Keiz-
er chamber last June and is in
charge of the Government Af-
fairs Committee. He recently
retired from the Salem City
Council.
“I’m shocked,” said Clem,
who took some good-natured
ribbing from event emcee
Nathan Bauer and others for
not being dressed up. “Keizer
is such a wonderful place be-
cause of the people. I’m deep-
ly humbled and honored.”
Ron Hittner, the 2013 Ser-
vice to Education recipient,
introduced the Lees.
“Chuck’s decisions always
came down to what’s best for
the kids,” Hittner said.
Chuck, the former presi-
dent of Blanchet Catholic
School and current member
of the Salem-Keizer School
Board, is currently president
of the Mountain West Career
and Technical Institute. Krina
is executive director of the Sa-
lem Keizer Education Foun-
dation.
“This is an incredible award
to receive,” Chuck said. “I love
Keizer and I love representing
Keizer on the school board. I
tried for years to make it the
Keizer-Salem School District.
We’ve got a great community.”
Egli received his award
from 2013 Merchant of the
Year Rob Miller.
“The thing is to get people
around you who are better
than you,” Egil said. “I started
coming to Keizer in 1976,
when my dad would come
down to Fortune Cookie.”
When it came time to in-
troduce this year’s First Citi-
zen, 2013 recipient John Do-
neth had all former recipients
in the room come to the front
to be recognized. The 12 in
attendance stayed up front as
Doneth announced Christo-
pher as the newest member of
the club, giving her the chance
to greet each person.
“This is really a lifetime
achievement award,” Doneth
said.
Please see AWARDS, Page A11
50 CENTS
in side
Japanese
pioneer gets
recognized
(Page A2)
A salute to
Keizer's fi nest
(Page A6)
MHS boys fall
to Saxons
(Page A12)
Former Keizer City Councilor
Joe Egli (far left) celebrates
winning the Merchant of
the Year award while former
mayor Lore Christopher (left)
accepts the First Citizen
Award during the Keizer
Chamber First Citizen Award
Banquet Jan. 31 at Keizer
Quality Suites. For more
photos, see page A7.
KEIZERTIMES/Craig Murphy
Big Toy public relations Pit bull kills small dog
machine is ramping up in the McNary Estates
By CRAIG MURPHY
Of the Keizertimes
Just four months before
construction, expect to see
public relations crank up for
the Big Toy project at Keizer
Rapids Park.
During Tuesday’s monthly
Community Build Task Force
meeting, held 126 days before
the scheduled June 10 con-
struction start date, plans for
renewed publicity were dis-
cussed.
Evan Christopher, the son
of former mayor Lore Chris-
topher, announced he is tak-
ing over as public relations
lead on the project from Bran-
don Smith and will be assisted
by Tanya Hamilton.
“Tanya and I
met with Mark
( C a i l l i e r ) ,”
Chr istopher
said, referring
to the project
general coor-
E. Christopher dinator. “Tanya
is comfortable
with me taking
the publicity leadership role
I had before Brandon took it
over. The fi rst thing we want
to do is reach out to the Keiz-
ertimes. I have looked at Face-
book. I don’t love social me-
dia, but I am familiar with it.
I have some ideas but I need
information, such as about
fundraising. I want some ideas
so I can make posts about it,
who’s donated and how much
is still needed. Public relations
needs to have someone active-
ly working on it.”
Task force chair Marlene
Quinn agreed and noted how
fellow councilor Smith has
several other pressing issues on
his plate right now.
“We need someone active
on this,” Quinn said. “I’m glad
you and Tanya are taking this
on.”
Christopher said goals
were laid out in his meet-
ing last week with Hamilton
and Caillier, which included
meeting with Keizertimes pub-
lisher Lyndon Zaitz this week.
By CRAIG MURPHY
Of the Keizertimes
An aggressive pit bull got
away last Saturday, Jan. 31 af-
ter attacking a small dog and
three humans in the McNary
Estates area.
The small dog had to be
put down the next day.
Steven Strean said he was
just returning to his home on
was transported to a hospital
in Salem with serious inju-
ries. There was no update on
his condition as of Wednesday
morning.
Submitted
This Jan. 26 crash in Mt. Angel
claimed the life of Keizer's
Rhiannon L. Steele, 35.
OSP responded to the ac-
cident, with assistance from
the Marion County Sheriff ’s
Offi ce and police departments
from Woodburn, Keizer, Sil-
verton and Mt. Angel. Also
“I drove down there and
jumped out,” Strean said on
Monday. “The dog had just,
for a third time, yanked the
(small) dog out of the lady’s
arms. It just grabbed the dog
and proceeded to go back in
between two houses to fi nish
the job.”
Please see DOG, Page A10
Battle for supremacy
Please see BIG TOY, Page A10
Crash kills Keizer mom
A Keizer woman was killed
while riding in a pickup that
crashed last week in Mt. An-
gel.
At about 6 p.m. on Jan. 26,
a Mt. Angel police offi cer at-
tempted to stop a 2001 Chev-
rolet S-10 pickup. The driver,
later identifi ed as 17-year-old
Drake Alan Douglas Carson
of Salem, didn’t yield and led
police on a chase.
The vehicle crashed a short
time later and Carson fl ed the
scene.
There were two passengers
found in the vehicle. The rear
seat passenger, 35-year-old
Rhiannon L. Steele of Keizer,
was pronounced deceased at
the scene. She was Carson’s
mother, according to the Or-
egon State Police (OSP).
The front seat passenger,
an unidentifi ed juvenile male,
McNary Estates Drive in the
early afternoon when he spot-
ted neighbor Cheryl Harper
jumping up and and down,
waving her arms and asking
for assistance since neighbor
Marcie Lim and her small
Maltese dog were being at-
tacked by a black pit bull with
white markings on the nose
and chest.
assisting were personnel from
the Marion County District
Attorney’s Offi ce and Marion
County Public Works.
OSP found Carson the
next day and took him into
custody.
On Jan. 30, Carson was ar-
raigned on charges of man-
slaughter in the fi rst degree,
assault in the second degree
and fl eeing or attempting to
elude a police offi cer. His bail
was set at $110,000.
Carson was charged by the
Marion County District At-
torney’s Offi ce with crimes
under Ballot Measure 11,
meaning he will be prosecuted
as an adult in criminal court.
He will stay in the juvenile
department detention facility
for the pendency of the case
and will next appear in court
on Feb. 12.
McNary's Harry
Cavell drives to
the hoop the Celts'
game with South
Saxon High School
Tuesday, Feb. 3.
The Celtics came
up short in their
bid to stand alone
atop the Greater
Valley Conference.
The Saxons won
71-62 and are now
tied with McNary
for fi rst in the
league.
KEIZERTIMES/
Eric A. Howald
We see what’s on the inside
So you get back in the game
1165 Union St. NE #100 – Salem
503-588-2674 • www.salemimaging.com/keizer.php