SINCE 1979 • VOLUME 38, NO. 14
SECTION A
JANUARY 6, 2017
$1.00
Teenager killed by train
Photo courtesy GoFundMe
Isaac Names Garcia, 14, was killed as he was struck by a train
Friday, Dec. 30.
Northeast.
By ERIC A. HOWALD
The train is owned and op-
Of the Keizertimes
A 14-year-old Keizer boy erated by Portland & Western
was struck and killed by a train Railroad and had about 30
passing near Keizer Station cars at the time. The train had
an
engineer
Friday, Dec. 30.
and conductor
Isaac James
on board who
Garcia, a Mc- “ This is a
cooperated
Nary
High terrible event
with
mem-
School fresh-
bers of Mar-
man, was pro- but it's also an
ion
County
nounced dead opportunity to
CRASH Team,
at the scene.
comprised
Keizer Po- reinforce our
on individu-
lice Depart-
relationships
als from KPD,
ment offi cers
Oregon State
r e s p o n d e d with students.”
Police and the
alongside
— Erik Nespersen Marion Coun-
members
of
McNary principal
ty Sheriff ’s Of-
the
Keizer
fi ce.
Fire District
Classes
to the report
of a northbound train strik- resumed at McNary High
ing an individual about 6:45 School after winter break on
p.m. between Chemawa Road Tuesday, Jan. 3 and Princi-
Northeast and Tepper Lane pal Erik Jespersen said extra
counseling staff were on hand
to guide students through the
loss.
“This is a sharp reminder
that often times the teach-
ers are the emotional sup-
port that our kids need and
depend on. This is a terrible
event but is also an opportu-
nity to reinforce our relation-
ships with students,” Jespersen
said. “We are a tight knit com-
munity in Keizer as evidenced
by the show of support not
only within the walls of Mc-
Nary, but also with our friends
from both Claggett Creek and
Whiteaker Middle School.”
In addition to the school’s
regular counseling team of
Kim Pittsley, Melissa Miller,
Ben Handrich and Spencer
Doyle, two Claggett Creek
Middle School counselors,
Kelly Greer and Erin Nichols,
New
councilor
sworn in
PAGE A2
Please see TEEN, Page A6
Check your privilege at the door
KHT auditions
January 14
PAGE A5
Quilts on
display
PAGE A8
Photo Illustration
A view from the ground at a mid-Valley warming center
By ERIC A. HOWALD
Of the Keizertimes
The lessons in checking my privi-
lege begin before I arrive at the Com-
munity Action Agency (CAA)Warming
Center in North Salem.
I left the house early intent on pick-
ing up a more-sugar-than-coffee coffee
from my favorite spot downtown, a few
blocks from where I will spend the next
four hours checking in some of the ar-
ea’s homeless residents for the night.
As I drive, I think back to my day
off, which I spent digging into a video
game I got for Christmas and watch-
ing beautiful, and unexpected, snow
blanket my backyard. In retrospect, it
seemed like a day spent gaming was a
way to avoid thinking about what such
cold temperatures meant for those liv-
ing on the street.
I’d signed up for a shift at the tempo-
rary Warming Center, located at the old
Oregon Department of Energy (ODE)
offi ce on Marion Street Northeast, the
day after the call for volunteers went
out. Temperatures were expected to be
in the high teens at the time the activa-
tion was planned, but it had warmed a
few degrees since the initial decision to
open the center. The coldest tempera-
tures were now expected in a few days
and CAA organizers are planning to
extend the number of days the warm-
ing center will be open to accommo-
date the new forecast.
By the time I cross the Salem-Keizer
border, I’ve given up on the pursuit of
coffee. I left early because I didn’t want
to show up at the Warming Center
with a better cup o’ joe than what we’ll
be serving to warming center visitors
– decaf coffee and hot water for tea,
cocoa and bouillon. The more I think
about how I spent the hours leading up
to my shift, froufrou coffee takes on an
air of unnecessary opulence.
It means I arrive at the warming
center half an hour early, but I check-in
anyway in hope of being able to assist in
set-up for the evening. There is already
a small line of homeless people waiting
outside.
Organizers have already laid out
sleeping pads, about an inch-and-a-half
thick, on the fl oor. There’s approxi-
mately 80 of them and I’m told by CAA
Deputy Director Cyndi Astley they are
expecting to fi ll up this evening.
Catch-and-release
Gonzalez, of Tigard, reported
that he’d accidentally driven
the car into the Willamette
River the previous night
about 11 p.m.
“He told the offi cer that he
was with a girl and he acci-
dentally drove the car into the
river while he was trying to
fi nd the exit to the park,” said
Deputy Chief Jeff Kuhns, of
the Keizer Police Department.
Gonzalez said he and his
passenger escaped through a
window and a friend came to
the park to pick them up.
Please see CAR, Page A13
PAGE A14
Please see WARM, Page A11
Parks survey
kick off
January 9
Third time’s the charm in
pulling car from Willamette
By ERIC A. HOWALD
Of the Keizertimes
A crew from Wiltse’s Tow-
ing spent a good chunk of
its afternoon fi shing a 2012
Honda Civic out of the water
near the boat ramp in Keizer
Rapids Park Wednesday, Dec.
28.
There’s a decent chance the
car would have gone unno-
ticed for some time had it not
been reported to the Keizer
Police Department a day after
it went into the drink.
On Thursday, Dec. 22,
19-year-old Ernesto Gomez
McNary
sweeps
Forest Grove
KEIZERTIMES/Eric A. Howald
A crew from Wiltse's Towing works to pull a 2012 Honda
Civic from the Willamette River.
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THRU JAN
By ERIC A. HOWALD
Of the Keizertimes
The Keizer City Council
and Keizer Parks and Rec-
reation Advisory Board are
hosting a joint work session
Monday, Jan. 9. The topic is a
parks survey and parks board
members are hoping to pack
the room.
“I would love to have to
do this three times because we
run out of space,” said Matt
Lawyer, a parks board mem-
ber.
The work session begins
Please see PARKS, Page A11
INTEREST FREE
FOR 12 MONTHS
DISHWASHERS
S
STARTING AT 199
4101 River Rd N (former Knecht’s) -
503.390.0161