SINCE 1979 • VOLUME 39, NO. 18
SECTION A
FEBRUARY 2, 2018
$1.00
‘We couldn’t ask for anything better.’
Vet’s family gets new Habitat home
By ERIC A. HOWALD
Of the Keizertimes
A Salem family has a new
home in Keizer thanks to the
efforts of Salem Habitat for
Humanity.
Greg, Olivia, Joshua and
Ravyn Wuelfi ng were given
the keys to their new home
on Alexis Lane North at a
dedication ceremony Satur-
day, Jan. 27.
“Thank you,” Greg told the
assembled crowd of about 40
volunteers and Habitat staff
members. “It’s been a great
learning experience and the
amount of support, the gen-
erosity that we’ve been shown
and given ... we couldn’t ask
for anything better.”
The Wuelfi ngs new home,
half of a duplex that began
construction last summer, was
recently completed under the
supervision of Construction
Manager Dave Connell. Vol-
GVC vs. OSAA
in court
PAGE B1
unteers arrived in groups and
as individuals over the course
of the build and the Wuelfi ngs
were there as often as possible.
“We’ve been physically out
here building and we were
here when it was dirt and
bark dust. We were here for
the foundation and tried to be
out here at every stage,” said
KFD honors
excellence
Please see VET, Page A9
PAGE A3
KEIZERTIMES/Eric A. Howald
ABOVE LEFT: Ravyn Wuelfi ng snuggles up to a new quilt, one of three, provided to the Wuelfi ng family by the Quilts for Valor project. ABOVE RIGHT: Greg Wuelf-
ing shows off the keys to his family's new Habitat for Humanity home fl anked by his wife, Olivia, and kids, Joshua and Ravyn.
Board sets hearing on Woman
stole mail
smoking ban in parks from 42
By ERIC A. HOWALD
Of the Keizertimes
The Keizer Parks Adviso-
ry Board (KPAB) is planning
a public hearing regarding a
ban on smoking in the city’s
19 parks.
After wrestling with the
topic off-and-on for several
years, the board decided to
take public input on the is-
sue at its Feb. 13 meeting,
beginning at 6 p.m. Public
testimony can be offered by
anyone.
A renewed effort to con-
sider a ban on smoking in
Keizer parks was presented
to the parks board last year.
It led to a parks board rec-
ommendation to establish
designated smoking areas in
Keizer’s parks, but that idea
never saw the light of day in
a Keizer city council meet-
ing.
For the past two months,
KPAB member Jim Tay-
lor has sought to advance
recommendations banning
smoking in parks with a va-
Photo illustration
riety of conditions ranging
from the time of year to spe-
cifi c locations, but few have
reached the point of a vote
at even the parks board level.
The members of the board
who have opposed the idea
have most frequently rooted
their arguments in Keizer’s
inability to enforce a smok-
ing ban.
In December, Taylor said
he would talk with represen-
tatives of Salem and Marion
County, which already have
bans in place, and report back
to KPAB.
Please see BAN, Page A9
By ERIC A. HOWALD
Of the Keizertimes
A woman found in posses-
sion of mail from 42 different
addresses is now being held in
the Marion
County Cor-
rectional
Facility on
$825,000
bail.
Keizer Po-
lice Depart-
ment (KPD)
M. Harris
Offi cer Rod
Bamford re-
sponded to a disturbance call
about 12:15 a.m. in the 600
block of Wilshire Drive North
on Sunday, Jan. 28. The caller
reported a woman in a white
hoodie and jeans was walking
through the neighborhood and
throwing packages into yards.
The caller had retrieved one of
the packages and found it ad-
dressed to someone on Willa-
mette Drive North, which runs
perpendicular to Wilshire.
cent. The graduation rates were based
on a four and fi ve-year
cohort of students enter-
ing the ninth grade in the
2013-14 or 2012-13 aca-
demic year. The dropout
rate reports on students
in grades 9-12.
“This is no small feat,”
Superintendent Christy
Perry said. “Our educa-
tors are implementing strategies in the
classroom that are being supported by
a cadre of wraparound services outside
the classroom. In Salem-Keizer Pub-
lic Schools, we are committed to high
standards beginning early that get stu-
dents to graduation. We know having
effective educators in every classroom
and in our schools is the key to get-
ting students across the stage. One of
our many successful offerings is our
Career-Technical Education program,
and if the 2018 bond measure passes,
PAGE A7
Please see MAIL, Page A9
Graduation rate climbs at MHS
McNary High School’s graduation
rate grew by 3.9 percent
for the 2016-17 academ-
ic year, according to the
Oregon Department of
Education.
Salem-Keizer Pub-
lic Schools increased its
graduation rate by nearly
two percentage points.
Additionally, the drop-
out rate decreased by nearly one per-
Traffic
board eyes
funds for
Delight fix
we’ll be able to expand program offer-
ings at all of our high schools to help
more students graduate ready for a
great career or successful post-second-
ary education.”
The four-year cohort graduation
rate for SKPS increased from 71.71
percent to 73.36 percent for the 2016-
17 academic year. Four high schools
– Early College, McKay, McNary and
Sprague – had an overall increase in
Please see GRADS, Page A8
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