SINCE 1979 • VOLUME 38, NO. 31
SECTION A
JULY 15, 2016
$1.00
The Bard
returns
to Keizer
Rapids
By DEREK WILEY
Of the Keizertimes
Come to Keizer Homegrown Theatre’s
production of Twelfth Night ready to laugh.
“This show is a ridiculous romp,”
Director Linda Baker said. “[William]
Shakespeare didn’t take it very seriously, I
think, so we’re not either.”
Baker said the comedy comes from her
cast.
“Really what I have here is 23 people
who are really nice people, really good
Please see BARD, Page A7
KEIZERTIMES/Derek Wiley
Jeff Minden, front, center, Peter Bale, Anthony O'Neal, Edward Stiner, Julianna Gibbons and Tyler Friedrickson act out
a scene from Twelfth Night, to be performed by Keizer Homegrown Theater July 20-23.
Mysterious
death solved
PAGE A2
‘We need to have a grown-up conversation’
Mayor ready to tackle general fund increase
%
B Y
T H E
%
Other
Willamette Regional ESD
%
40
Salem Area Mass Transit
19 14 13 6 5
%
%
Chemeketa Comm. College
City of Keizer
Fire
District
Please see TAX, Page A6
%
MCFD – 15%
KFD – 13%
KEIZERTIMES/Andrew Jackson
Marion
County
Salem-Keizer
School District
PROPERTY TAX DISTRIBUTION
By ERIC A. HOWALD
Of the Keizertimes
Keizer Mayor Cathy
Clark is interested in
setting the stage for a
larger conversation about
increasing the city’s budget.
While
the
specter
of increased taxes or, in
Keizer’s case, fees rankles
those steadfastly opposed
to the notion, the reality
is that if the city residents
want anything more than
status quo services, they’re
going to have to pay for it.
“We have to have a
grown-up
conversation
about money. Police and
parks are the two things
people talk about most and
we don’t have the money
for increased personnel or
improvements,” Clark said.
“We need to talk about
what dollars we have, how
we’re getting them and the
options for making more
available.”
Keizer’s general fund
1 %
2 %
N U M B 3 R S
Offi cer
cleared in
shooting
PAGE A3
Double-dipping robber arrested
Earl Creemedicine
By ERIC A. HOWALD
Of the Keizertimes
Keizer police have arrested a man be-
lieved to have robbed One Stop Smoke
Shop twice in recent months.
How it happened involved more than
a little good police work and fortunate
timing.
On Monday, July 11, Keizer Police
Department offi cers responded to 3926
River Road North at 10:47 p.m. on a re-
port of male suspect having entered the
business armed with a gun and attempt-
ing to gain access to the cash register. The
owner had locked himself in a room at
One Stop Smoke Shop and called police.
The suspect was unable to open the
cash register, but made off with a key be-
longing to it. He fl ed the scene and of-
fi cers searched the area, but were unable
to locate him.
KPD Det. Andrew Phelps, who had
investigated a previous armed robbery at
the business March 20, assisted patrol of-
fi cers in processing the crime scene.
While processing evidence, Phelps and
Offi cer Kevin DeMarco had an opportu-
nity to review video surveillance footage
where they observed the suspect com-
mitting the robbery. Phelps determined
the suspect in both incidents had similar
physical characteristics, clothing and gun.
Additionally, Phelps had been working
with investigators from the Salem Police
Department and believed the suspect
who was responsible for the March 20
robbery in Keizer may also be responsible
for other armed robberies that had oc-
curred in Salem. In at least one of those
robberies, a witness provided a descrip-
tion of a vehicle they believed the suspect
fl ed in after that crime.
While the investigation continued,
KPD Sgt. Jeff Goodman was on patrol
when at 12:40 a.m. when he spotted a
vehicle believed to have been involved in
at least one of the previous robberies that
Song
and drama
at MHS
PAGE A5
Please see ROBBER, Page A9
A
GREEN
MILE?
E?
Confl icting pot rules fl um mox
By ERIC A. HOWALD
Of the Keizertimes
It's impossible to drive down
River Road North in Keizer and not
notice the signs.
You know the ones: Kush,
Oregon Bud Company, and the
more nondescript Alpha Alternative
Solutions, which has sign wavers
posted on the side of the street from
time to time.
In 2014, Keizer residents rejected
the legalization of recreational
marijuana sales by a wide margin
(53.75 percent against to 46.25 for),
but the measure coasted to statewide
approval. Now the shops are moving
in and creating no shortage of
headaches for Keizer's planning
department.
“The thing that's diffi cult to
understand is that there are two
paths to setting up shops, one for
dispensaries and one for recreational
sales. We're trying to adjust our rules
and policies to refl ect the state's but
the information has been slow to
disseminate,” said Shane Witham, an
associate planner with the city.
More often than not, Witham
said, the business owners looking
to set up shop are well versed
in the cur-
rent state
rules and
approach
the city
question-
ing why
Please see
GREEN,
Page A9
KEIZERTIMES/Andrew Jackson
Dream
believer
PAGE A10