PAGE A2, KEIZERTIMES, JANUARY 1, 2016
Christopher is no lon-
ger mayor, but is chairing the
Keizer Public Arts Commission,
which is working on a pub-
lic mural to be done at Town
& Country Lanes this year. Joe
Egli and Jim Taylor left elected
offi ce, though Taylor was re-
cently appointed to the Keizer
Parks and Recreation Advisory
Board. Egli served as chair of
the Keizer Iris Festival for two
years, a position he has handed
over to Dave Walery.
2015,
continued from Page A1
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Today in History
Facing a popular revolution spearheaded by Fidel Castro’s
26th of July Movement, Cuban dictator Fulgencio Batista
fl ees the island nation. Amid celebration and chaos in the
Cuban capitol of Havana, the U.S. debated how best to deal
with the radical Castro and the ominous rumblings of anti-
Americanism in Cuba.
— January 1, 1959
Food 4 Thought
“Never despair, but if you do, work on in despair.”
— Edmund Burke, philosopher, born January 1, 1729
The Month Ahead
Friday, January 1 – New Year’s Day
Happy New Year!
Saturday, January 2
Keizer-Salem Area Seniors Pancake Breakfast, 8 to 10 a.m. All
you can eat pancake breakfast. $4 per person. Children under
5 eat for free.
C4: The Capitol City Comedy Challenge. Six stand-up
comedians. Three challenges. One stage. Who’s the winner?
Audience decides. 9:30 p.m. $10, 18+ only. 210 Liberty St. SE,
Suite 150, Salem, OR 97301.
Artists’ reception at the Keizer Art Association’s Enid Joy
Mount Gallery at the Keizer Heritage Center, 2-4 p.m. This
month’s show: Pacifi c Northwest. Show runs through the end
of January. Gallery hours are 1-4 p.m. Thursdays and Fridays,
10 a.m.-4 p.m. Saturdays. keizerarts.com.
Monday, January 4
Keizer City Council meeting, 7 p.m. in council chambers at
Keizer Civic Center, 930 Chemawa Road NE.
Tuesday, January 5
Community Build Task Force meeting, 6 p.m. in council
chambers at Keizer Civic Center, 930 Chemawa Road NE.
Wednesday, January 6
Claggett Creek Watershed Council meeting, 5:30 p.m. at
Keizer Civic Center.
One problem: the funding
was being sought through a
business payroll tax. The Salem
and Keizer Chambers of Com-
merce joined forces in actively
fi ghting against the tax, with
businesspeople holding signs
during busy traffi c times and
TV commercials being pro-
duced.
Freshman
Keizer
City
Councilor Amy Ryan was one
of the most vocal opponents
and made a big scene at a work
session when transit offi cials
tried to explain the fi nancial as-
pects of future plans.
In the end, the transit mea-
sure failed. District offi cials have
indicated it could be several
years before another ballot mea-
sure is brought forward.
A Keizer Fire District pro-
posal for a new equipment
bond, on the other hand, cre-
ated far less controversy and
was approved. Equipment will
be purchased over the next 20
years, starting with an ambu-
lance to replace one purchased
in 2008 that fi re chief Jeff Cow-
an has referred to as a lemon.
Chamber director
stepping down
Christine Dieker, the long-
time executive director of the
Keizer Chamber of Commerce,
submitted her resignation in
early December. Dieker has
been in charge of the chamber
since March 1998, aside from a
few turbulent months when she
was removed in 2003.
Dieker did not say she’s re-
tiring, instead calling it “semi-
retiring” and looking forward
to spending more time with
family, in particular her grand-
children.
Dieker said she’ll stay on
board until a new director is
named, with the hope being
such a person could be named
on Feb. 3.
“Right now my family
comes fi rst,” she told the Keiz-
ertimes in December. “I want to
be a grandma and volunteer at
the fi rst grade class my grand-
child will be in. (Resigning) was
about a desire to be more fo-
cused, to give attention to my-
self to be a better person health
wise, and I’ll be better for my
family too.”
Big Toy built, highlights
changes at KRP
There were plenty of obsta-
cles to overcome, not the least
of which were the nine month
delay, a location change and a
lack of volunteers. Even the
build itself took a week longer
looking back
in the KT
Friday, January 8 – Sunday, January 10
Mary Poppins, the musical stage version of the movie will have
four shows as a benefi t for Pentacle Theatre. Performances at
7:30 on January 8 and January 9 with 2 p.m. matinees on
January 9 and 10 at Central High School in Independence.
Tickets are $20, $15 for those under 18. pentacletheatre.org.
Monday, January 11
Keizer City Council work session, 5:45 p.m. in council
chambers at Keizer Civic Center, 930 Chemawa Road NE.
Tuesday, January 12
Keizer Parks and Recreation Advisory Board meeting, 6 p.m.
in council chambers at Keizer Civic Center, 930 Chemawa
Road NE.
Wednesday, January 13
Keizer Planning Commission meeting, 6 p.m. in council
chambers at Keizer Civic Center, 930 Chemawa Road NE.
Thursday, January 14
Keizer Homegrown Theatre presents encore presentations of
its 2015 hit, Always, Patsy Cline, at the Kroc Center. 7 p.m.,
tickets are $18. Performances also on Friday and Saturday,
Jan. 15 and 16 and again Jan. 21 through 23.
Traffi c Safety/Bikeways/Pedestrian Committee meeting,
6 p.m. in council chambers at Keizer Civic Center, 930
Chemawa Road NE.
West Keizer Neighborhood Association meeting, 7 p.m. at
Keizer Civic Center, 930 Chemawa Road NE.
Monday, January 18
Keizer City Council meeting, 7 p.m. in council chambers at
Keizer Civic Center, 930 Chemawa Road NE.
Tuesday, January 19
Keizer Points of Interest Committee meeting, 5:30 p.m. in
council chambers at Keizer Civic Center, 930 Chemawa Road
NE.
Thursday, January 21
Volunteer Coordinating Committee meeting, 6 p.m. in council
chambers at Keizer Civic Center, 930 Chemawa Road NE.
Greater Gubser Neighborhood Association meeting, 7 p.m. at
Gubser Elementary School.
Tuesday, January 26
Keizer Public Arts Commission meeting, 6 p.m. in council
chambers at Keizer Civic Center, 930 Chemawa Road NE.
5 YEARS AGO
Pressed to change
votes, McKane resigns
Councilor David McKane
resigned Monday night, citing
pressure to change votes on key
issues, including a telecom fee,
and “recognition that I have
little infl uence regarding council
decisions” according to the
Keizertimes. McKane provided
an e-mail between himself and
Mayor Lore Christopher.
10 YEARS AGO
Family escapes
uninjured after early
morning fi re
A family is safe but staying with
relatives after an early morning
blaze destroyed the attic and
parts of the living room in
their Keizer home. Keizer Fire
District said it appeared that a
wood fi re in the home’s fi replace
caused rafters in the attic -
which were built too close to
the chimney - to overheat and
ignite. The family was forced to
seek shelter during the holidays
in their parents’ home across the
street.
15 YEARS AGO
Keizer District
charts course
Keizer Little League could be
asked to move from its Ridge
Drive complex under the terms
of a new management agree-
ment, if approved by the Keizer
City Council.
KEIZERTIMES fi le photos
Clockwise from top left: Christine Dieker, Brett Pearson, new
mayor Cathy Clark and the Big Toy were top stories in 2015.
than expected.
But in the end the key thing
was the Big Toy play structure
was built in June at Keizer Rap-
ids Park, with community vol-
unteers coming out each day to
get the job done.
The large play structure was
originally going to be built in
September 2014, but former
mayor Lore Christopher insist-
ed a new location was needed.
Her wish was granted, but the
move required an update to the
park’s master plan and borders, a
process that took many months
and cooperation from sur-
rounding governmental entities.
While that work resulted in
the play structure, it also laid
out more specifi c future plans
for the park, to include playing
fi elds and an indoor sports facil-
ity down the road.
The Big Toy wasn’t the only
visible change at KRP in 2015.
Hans Schneider oversaw the
installation of three new sand
volleyball courts, while Jerry
Nuttbrock was in charge of a
new patio project at the am-
phitheatre. That project has sev-
eral more phases to go, while
a group is meeting to discuss
what should be done with the
adjacent Charge house.
MHS gets turf fi eld
While work was going on at
KRP, plenty of work was also
being done at McNary High
School as a new turf fi eld proj-
ect was installed over the sum-
mer.
The new fi eld was offi cially
dedicated during the annual
Blue Day celebration in August
and marked the next-to-last
high school in the Salem-Keiz-
er School District to get a turf
fi eld. The project cost about $1
million.
A key selling point of the
turf was increased usage of
Flesher Field. It was estimated
turf would mean the fi eld could
be used 10 times as much com-
pared to the old grass surface.
Much of the project work
involved raising funds. The ac-
tual physical work began with
taking off the grass surface in
June, followed by installation of
the turf.
Brett Pearson, friend
plead guilty
Brett Pearson pleaded guilty
in March to the murder of his
mother Michelle and attempt-
ed murder of his father Bill at
the family home. In September,
Brett and accomplice Robert
Miller III were each sentenced
to 40 years to life in prison for
their actions. The charges mean
the two teenagers won’t be eli-
gible for parole until after 40
years behind bars.
Brett Pearson and Miller
both acknowledged being high
on drugs when they entered the
Pearson family home on March
5, 2014. During Brett’s sentenc-
ing, family members expressed
anger about the impact of the
events, while also expressing
compassion and forgiveness.
For his part, Brett Pearson
accepted responsibility.
“I am sorry for everything
that happened, the pain I caused,
what I put people through,” he
said. “My family has to live with
something they shouldn’t have
to. I was intoxicated, yes, but
that’s no excuse at all. I take re-
sponsibility for what I’ve done.
I’m not the person this crime
makes me seem to be. I love my
mom and miss her very much.”
New mayor; new
councilors as well
It was a case of mostly old
faces in new places in January
as the Keizer City Council got
a new look. Cathy Clark moved
from being a councilor to tak-
ing over as mayor from Chris-
topher, who had served in that
role for 14 years.
Former councilor Brandon
Smith returned to the dais,
while former longtime city em-
ployee Roland Herrera joined
the council for the fi rst time.
Ryan joined the council as well,
after years of volunteering in
various capacities.
Keizer teen recovers
from coma
MHS junior Austin Verboort,
16, was critically injured when
he was in an accident just after
leaving the school for the Me-
morial Day weekend. He lay in
a coma for several weeks but
was home by the end of sum-
mer.
While Verboort was in the
hospital, the community rallied
around the family. For example,
on June 3 the Keizer Dutch
Bros. Coffee had a one-day fun-
draiser and brought in $20,900.
A gofundme.com account
raised nearly $25,000.
Though slowed by injuries,
Verboort returned to school in
the fall and was even elected to
the MHS Homecoming court.
local
weather
public hearings
The Keizer City Coun-
cil will hold a public hearing
on Monday, Jan. 4 at 7 p.m. to
consider amendment to the
master plans for Keizer Rapids
Park and Chalmers Jones Park.
The hearing will take place
in council chambers at Keizer
Civic Center, 930 Chemawa
Road NE.
The Keizer Planning
Commission will hold a
public hearing on Wednesday,
Jan. 13 at 6 p.m. to consider
proposed revisions to day care
standards in various sections
of city code. The hearing will
take place in council chambers.
sudoku
Enter digits
from 1-9 into
the blank
spaces. Every
row must
contain one
of each digit.
So must every
column, as
must every
3x3 square.
We are
Everything
Except
Overpriced
KEIZERTIMES.COM
Web Poll
Results
Have you ever permanently
kept a New Year’s resolution?
20 YEARS AGO
61% – No
39% – Yes
According to crime statistics
provided by the Oregon State
Police’s Law Enforcement Data
System, 1995 was a record year
for crime in Keizer.
Vote in a new poll every Thursday!
GO TO KEIZERTIMES.COM
Criminals busy
in Keizer in ‘95
Heated races for
fi re board, more
There was plenty of interest
in the spring as several seats for
the Keizer Fire District, Salem-
Keizer School Board and Sa-
lem-Keizer Transit District were
contested.
Chet Patterson defeated
Marion County Fire District
No. 1 employee James Mulhern
for a spot on the KFD board
of directors. In the other KFD
race, Betty Hart beat Taylor for
the position.
In the school board race,
Chuck Lee won his third term
by easily beating challenger Tim
Moles, who had earlier come
clean after previous legal issues.
Meanwhile, Colleen Busch
defeated Richard Stevenson in
the battle to replace Brad Coy
on the transit board. Coy has
since moved back to Alaska.
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