SINCE 1979 • VOLUME 40, NO. 18
SECTION A
FEBRUARY 1, 2019
$1.00
Pvt. Ryan J. Hill
Soldier may be honored
with stretch of highway
By ERIC A. HOWALD
Of the Keizertimes
A Keizer soldier killed in
Iraq in 2007 might soon have
a stretch of Oregon highway
named after him.
House Concurrent Reso-
lution 13, which is set to be
considered during the current
legislative session, would result
in Hill’s family working with
Oregon Department of Trans-
portation offi cials to designate
a stretch of highway in Pvt.
Ryan J. Hill’s honor, said Abby
Weekly, legislative director for
state Rep. Bill Post.
Post is co-sponsoring the
resolution with Rep. Julie Fa-
hey of West Eugene/Junction
City. The 2015 Legislature
created the process through
which individuals can be rec-
ognized, Weekly said.
Hill served with Char-
lie Company in Adhamiya,
Iraq. At the time, the area was
heavy with insurgents, and
the locals were paying a steep
price. Caught in the middle of
warring factions, some 10 to
20 villagers a day were report-
edly being killed as Sunni and
Shiite waged war against each
other.
Hill, 20, was driving a
Humvee on Jan. 20, 2007,
when an improvised explosive
device detonated (IED) near
the vehicle. Hill was killed and
the vehicle’s gunner ended up
in critically injured. He was
assigned to the 1st Battalion,
26th Infantry Regiment, 2nd
Brigade Combat Team, 1st In-
fantry Division based in Sch-
weinfurt, Germany. He was
serving his fi rst tour in Iraq at
the time of his death.
Hill’s sense of duty took him
to Iraq after graduating from
the Oregon National Guard
Youth ChalleNGe program in
Burglar
heads to
prison for
2 years
By ERIC A. HOWALD
Of the Keizertimes
A man involved in numer-
ous local business burglaries
is heading to prison for two
years as part of a guilty plea
in Marion County Circuit
Court.
John Albert Herriges, 41,
pleaded guilty to four counts
of second-degree burglary and
three counts of second-degree
criminal mischief. Judge Don-
ald Abar issued a 48-month
sentence, which is more than
the recommended sentence
for such crimes.
The only Keizer crime
among the guilty pleas was for
a December 2017 incident at
Sonic Drive-In, 3775 River
Road North. But, Herriges
was charged with several oth-
er additional crimes in Keizer.
Charges for criminal mis-
chief at Bentley’s, Dutch Bros.,
Sonic Drive-In, Love Love
Teriyaki and Good Times
Grill, as well as burglary
charges at Sonic and Good
Please see BURGLAR, Page A9
File
Twelve years ago, Ryan Hill was killed when an IED exploded near a Humvee he was during in
the area around Adhamiya, Iraq. If the Oregon legislators approve a recent resolution, Hill might
have a stretch of highway added to his legacy.
2006. He had attended Mc-
Nary High School and worked
at the Keizer Albertsons prior
to enrolling the Bend-based
ChallNGe program.
Prior to his death, Hill told
his mother Shawna Fenison,
“I’ve made my peace with
God and I’m not afraid of
something happening to me.
My fear is that something will
Please see HILL, Page A9
Chamber members preview
2019 legislative pipeline
bying fi rm, and Oregon State Chamber of
By ERIC A. HOWALD
Commerce are monitoring developments
Of the Keizertimes
Details are still hazy on potential leg- on several issues.
Some of the legislative movements spark-
islation that could have a major impact on
ing heightened in-
business during the
terest include:
2019 Oregon leg-
• Tax proposals
islative session, but
involving hospitals
Jenny Dresler, di-
and insurance pro-
rector of grassroots
viders to cover the
with Public Affairs
costs of Medicaid.
Counsel, tried to
• Cap-and-trade
read the tea leaves
discussions that re-
during a Keizer
volve around how
Chamber of Com-
the state will man-
merce luncheon
age harmful emis-
Tuesday, Jan. 29.
sions.
With a Dem-
• A proposed
ocratic
wave
$2 billion revenue
sweeping through
package to support
the Legislature in
reforms through-
November 2018,
out public schools.
“legislators
feel
• A paid family
they’ve been giv-
and medical leave
en a mandate to
push an agenda,”
KEIZERTIMES/Eric A. Howald tax that might af-
Dresler said. “One Jenny Dresler, director of grassroots with Pub- fect businesses as
can look at the lic Affairs Counsel, briefs members of the Keizer small as one em-
election results and Chamber of Commerce on upcoming legislative ployee.
• Proposals that
understand
that, efforts.
could create in-
but businesses will
creased liability concern for small business.
get steamrolled if they do not speak up.”
Dresler said Public Affairs Counsel, a lob-
Please see CHAMBER, Page A9
McGee
memorial
slated
Saturday
A memorial for Jerry Mc-
Gee, a longtime volunteer,
former city councilor and
man of many hats, will take
place at the Keizer Civic Cen-
ter Saturday, Feb. 2.
McGee passed Jan. 11, at age
85, after a battle with cancer.
The memorial
is open to the
public from 1
to 5 p.m. Pro-
gramming will
begin at 2 p.m.
and last about
an hour.
J. McGee
In lieu of
fl owers,
the
family is requesting donations
in McGee’s name to the Keiz-
er Fire Foundation, P.O. Box
20183, Keizer, OR 97307.
The memorial will include
bagpipe performances by Jen-
nifer Campbell and remem-
brances by son Marty McGee,
Bill Quinn, Cathy Monroe,
Hank Tarter, grandson Ian
Hunt, Marc Adams, grandson
Wes Jordan, daughter Cathy
Jordan, former Keizer mayor
Lore Christopher and current
Keizer Mayor Cathy Clark.
Light refreshments will be
provided by K’s Catering.
Additionally, McGee is sur-
vived by son Marty McGee,
daughters Tammy McGee,
Cathy Jordan and Wendy
Hunt; grandchildren Wes Jor-
dan, Brianna Hunt and Ian
Hunt; longtime friend Diane
Monroe; brother Dennis Mc-
Gee; and sisters Doris Clark
and Norma Benson.
Keizer’s teen
Speed Racer
PAGE A4
8-year-old
volunteer
shines
PAGE A5
Lee draws
challenger
in bid for
board seat
Chuck Lee, a longtime
Keizer resident and former
city councilor recently an-
nounced he will seek a fourth
term on the Salem-Keizer
School Board.
“I am committed to the
success of every student in
our state’s second largest
school district,” said Lee of the
re-election bid.
The election for the Zone
6 seat will be
held in May.
Danielle
Bethell, an-
other Keizer
resident and
executive
director of
the Keizer
C. Lee
Chamber of
Commerce
announced last week she will
be running against Lee.
Lee is the president of
Career and Technical Edu-
cation Center, and president
emeritus of Blanchet Catho-
lic School. He served on the
Keizer City Council for seven
years prior to being elected to
the school board in 2013. In
2016, he was appointed to the
Government Ethics Commis-
sion by the Gov. Kate Brown.
Lee’s time as a member
of the school board has in-
cluded: implementing all-day
kindergarten, passage a $620
Please see LEE, Page A9
Lady Celts
lead league
PAGE A11
Swimmers
hit stride
PAGE A14