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About Keizertimes. (Salem, Or.) 1979-current | View Entire Issue (July 31, 2015)
SINCE 1979 • VOLUME 37, NO. 35 SECTION A JULY 31, 2015 $1.00 Marijuana shop siting prompts question: What is a school? By CRAIG MURPHY Of the Keizertimes There are some complex rules when it comes to recreational marijuana in Oregon. One of the simple rules would seem to be marijuana can’t be sold within a certain distance from schools. The state law calls for at least 1,000 feet distance, while in Keizer the distance is 1,500 feet. In addition, such a facility can not be within 1,000 feet of a public building and has to be at least 1,000 feet away from another dispensary. At last week’s Keizer City Council meeting, however, the seemingly “The hair salon is a school on Chemawa, which is not the type of school envisioned here.” — Shannon Johnson, Keizer City Attorney simple school question grew more complex: how exactly do you defi ne a school? City Attorney Shannon Johnson said the question was raised because a person is looking to open a medical marijuana facility in Keizer within 1,500 feet of the Tangled Ends Hair Parade mural still on despite recent site controversy By ERIC A. HOWALD that somebody would put to- Of the Keizertimes gether that seven individuals Think that it might be a sitting together on a volunteer risk to put up a city-approved advisory board and the city of mural on the wall of a business Keizer and any of their affi li- that recently stirred up ates would be a show of sup- nationwide controversy with port for anyone’s personal po- an anti-gay marriage message litical beliefs. That is a stretch on its readerboard? that in the 20 years of being Former Keizer mayor Lore with the city, I’ve never seen a C h r i s t o p h e r, farther stretch chair of the than that,” said Keizer Public Christopher. Arts Commis- Neverthe- sion which less, it was met July 28, has an issue on some words she the mind of would like to at least one share on the is- Keizer resi- sue. dent who “That’s a asked the business that’s question of been in business City Council- for 47 years, it’s or Amy Ripp, an iconic Keiz- liaison to — Beth Melendy KPAC, who er business re- KPAC commissioner brought gardless of what up was recently the possibility put up on that of perceptions sign. The decision to put that regarding a proposed mural mural on that location on that and recent controversy. wall was made six months ago. “It was the site and the city It had nothing to do with talk- looking like it supports Don’s ing about Don Lebold’s (own- opinions,” Ripp said before er of Town & Country Lanes, invoking the moral outrage of the bowling alley picked as site Christopher. for Keizer’s next mural) politi- The question was prompted cal views. Before we selected by the appearance of a reader that wall, we certainly did not board message at Town & say we would like to know Country Lanes stating, “Judges your political views and how making decisions contrary they might refl ect on the city. to the word of God will I think it is an absolute moot they themselves be judged.” point. It had a long wall with The message was posted great visibility that lent itself to shortly after a U.S. Supreme a public mural. I have no reser- Court decision legalizing vations moving forward and I gay marriage throughout the can’t imagine that anyone … I, United States. mean, that is so wildly remote Please see MURAL, Page A6 Academy at 136 Chemawa Road N. “The background is what is a public or private school?” Johnson said. “The hair salon is a school on Chemawa, which is not the type of school envisioned here (in the city ordinance). Our defi nition is broad, while the state law includes career schools with minors. We do have someone within 1,500 feet of the hair salon interested.” Johnson’s proposed amendment to the city’s medical marijuana facility permit process called for no such facility within 1,500 feet of any public or private elementary or secondary school, as well as any career school attended primarily by minors. Mayor Cathy Clark acknowledged she raised the question when someone asked her about the topic. “It prompted me to think that we have career schools and will it impact our zoning?” Clark said. “I didn’t realize someone else was already looking at property.” Johnson emphasized the discussion was about medical marijuana facilities, not recreational marijuana which is now legal in Oregon but with a number of restrictions. Please see SCHOOL, Page A12 THE LESSON OF “ WOW ” National Night Out PAGE A2 Oregon Steam-up PAGE A3 “Moving the mural would send a bad message that its become a political decision.” KEIZERTIMES/Eric A. Howald Claggett Creek Middle School's new choir director, Sandra Krause, leads campers in rehearsals for their fi nal performance at McNary High School in July. CCMS lands new choir director By ERIC A. HOWALD Of the Keizertimes Sandra Krause breathed a sigh of relief when admissions offi cers at a naval academy rejected her application. “It was like being on the edge of a cliff,” Krause said. “They turned me down, but it meant I could pursue what was in my heart and soul, which was teaching music.” When Krause takes to the podium as the new choir director at Claggett Creek Middle School this fall, she’ll bring with her a wealth of experience in addition to a passion for teaching. “I’ve played in a country and western band, a Top 40 band and I sang in a rock band and jazz combos. Then I was in musical theater. I dabble in piano still in lounges. I’ve taught gui- tar, too. I’ve done everything except R&B,” said Krause. She started her teaching career 25 years ago in Seattle and eventually landed in Utah where she’ll be spending the next month packing up her family for the move to the Salem area. She was in town two weeks ago to help with the annual McNary Area Choir and Drama Camp. Despite the depth and breadth of her musi- cal forays, Krause said she had never experi- enced anything like interviewing for the job at Claggett Creek. “The fi rst day I did my demo and then came and did the interview, it was like, ‘Welcome to the family.’” The investment in the choir stu- dents in this district is so immense. It’s evident in the way they breathe and talk about music,” she said. Please see WOW, Page A6 New details in toddler death at sentencing KEIZERTIMES/Craig Murphy Niya Sosa-Martinez speaks at her sentencing hearing July 22. Sosa-Martinez pleaded guilty to manslaughter in the death of her 4-year-old son. By CRAIG MURPHY Of the Keizertimes In the aftermath of the fi re last Oct. 24 that killed her 4-year-old son, Niya Breann Sosa-Martinez talked to de- tective Chris Nelson with the Keizer Police Department multiple times. The story changed each time. Nelson gave some chilling details July 22 during a sen- tencing hearing. Marion County Circuit Court Judge Courtland Gey- er ultimately gave Sosa-Mar- tinez 11 years (132 months) for the fi re that killed Andre Joaquin Sosa at their Susan Court apartment. The mom, now 24, pled guilty to man- slaughter in June, meaning last week’s sentencing took the place of a trial that had been scheduled to start in August. The sentencing served as the fi rst time a num- ber of details about last fall’s fi re and subsequent inves- tigation publicly surfaced. Nelson said he fi rst inter- viewed Sosa-Martinez the afternoon of the fi re as he gave her a ride to the KPD. In the initial interview, Sosa- Martinez said her son got a runny nose so she directed him to go to the bedroom to get a Kleenex off the night- stand which had a candle and a marijuana bong on it “Then she heard the loud noise of breaking glass,” said Nelson, who noted Sosa- Martinez felt her son had knocked over a candle. “She saw her bed on fi re, told her son to get out of the apart- ment and she started to panic.” After putting some water on the bed, Sosa-Martinez told Nelson she tried to get the burning mattress out the front door, but couldn’t. “She saw her son in the living room, but decided to walk to the manager’s offi ce to get help,” Nelson said. “She said the fi re was so intense, she could not get back inside. She could hear her son screaming. She could not get in because of the heat. She acknowledged she should have grabbed her son (instead of going to the manager’s offi ce).” Nelson said Sosa-Martinez initially said she wasn’t sleep- ing during the day and had not been taking drugs. In ad- dition, according to Nelson, Sosa-Martinez said her friend Ivan Cruz had come by that morning to get some clothes. She also expressed concern Nelson would likely discover she was on probation for child neglect. Please see DETAILS, Page A8 New Little Library PAGE A9 Werst to Pioneers PAGE A10