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About Keizertimes. (Salem, Or.) 1979-current | View Entire Issue (Sept. 20, 2019)
SINCE 1979 • VOLUME 40, NO. 50 SECTION A SEPTEMBER 20, 2019 $1.00 What’s my KPD seeks identity of armed robber name? Keizer police are hoping the public can help identify an armed robber who held two gas station clerks at gunpoint Wednesday, Sept. 11. Keizer police are asking for help in identifying the suspect in an armed robbery that took place at the Keizer Astro gas station Wednesday, Sept. 11. At approximately 11:21 p.m., an unknown male entered the gas station, 4495 River Road N., and pointed a pistol at two clerks. The suspect fl ed the business with an undisclosed amount of cash. Responding offi cers and a search by a K-9 offi cer did not result in locating the man, but it is believed he fl ed the immediate area on foot, in a northerly direction. The suspect is described as a white male, 20-29 years old with thin build, about 5-foot-5 and short, black hair. Anyone with information about this incident is asked to contact Detective Tim Lathrop at (503) 856-3481. Netters fall to West Salem PAGE A12 Photos submitted by Keizer Police Three options for b-ball hoops going forward By ERIC A. HOWALD Of the Keizertimes Basketball hoops will no longer be allowed on sidewalks, but the Keizer Traffi c Safety, Bikeways and Pedestrian (TBP) Committee recommended some possible solutions to the turmoil the new city ordinances might bring. After a 45-minute discussion at their Sept. 12 meeting, committee members recommended allowing basketball standards to be placed next to sidewalks on private property, in planter strips or set into the sidewalks themselves as long as fi ve feet of sidewalk width is maintained. Bolting standards into the sidewalk will require a permit from the city. “I don’t see that we would be in opposition to any of those as long as the full sidewalk is kept in place,” said Bill Lawyer, Keizer Public Works director. After speaking on the issue at a city council meeting earlier in the month, Keizer resident Jonathan Thompson said he wanted to fi nd “safe harbor” for families who wanted basketball hoops available for play. The TBP committee members were tasked with devising ADA-compliant solutions by the city council in the wake of new ordinances prohibiting basketball hoops and other impediments on sidewalks. Basketball standards will be allowed in roadways where on-street parking is allowed, but only when they are in “active use.” New look at skate park PAGE A3 TEENS AND M E ENTAL NTA L HEALTH H E A LT H KEIZERTIMES/Andrew Jackson Schools seek connection to combat student stress District still lags behind comparable efforts By CASEY CHAFFIN For the Keizertimes When Salem-Keizer Public Schools (SKPS) conducted a district wide survey of secondary and elementary students, they found something they didn’t expect. “A high number of kids reported that they did not feel connected to their school,” said David Fender, director of the SKPS Offi ce of Behavioral Learning. Mental health advocates say school is a natural intervention point when students are struggling because it’s where kids spend the majority of their formative years. In Salem-Keizer Public Schools, for many years, it’s been a missed opportunity. When kids don’t feel like they have a trusted adult in their lives, they often don’t get the help they need when they’re struggling with mental health concerns. “We thought we were connecting with kids, when in reality, we weren’t,” Fender said. “There’s a lot of kids who fl y under the radar.” The kids who fl y under the radar - Fender calls them “internalizers” - are part of a growing cohort of young people who struggle with their mental health. The district has been slow to acknowledge a problem that has impacted Oregon youth for decades— according to Center for Disease Control data, suicide has been the second leading cause of death among young people in Oregon since 1981. “It became an issue before the adults fi gured out that we have an issue,” said Lillian Govus, SKPS spokesperson. “So it became extremely prevalent, and then we started saying oh, we have to do something. So, we’re working backwards.” In the past few years, Salem-Keizer has begun taking baby steps toward better in-school mental health supports and services. Salem-Keizer has begun emphasizing training around suicide intervention for an increasing swath of its staff, in the form of suicide risk assessments for counselors and “Question, Persuade, Refer” trainings - a kind of pre-suicide risk screening - for other school staff. John Van Dreal, the outgoing director of the SKPS offi ce of safety and risk management, oversaw these trainings. He fi nds a lot of school staff are hesitant to raise the question of suicidal thoughts with students. But, it’s something that’s dearly needed. In 2017, nine people under the age of The Class of ‘69 PAGE A4 Please see TEENS, Page A6 Please see HOOPS, Page A7 Adaptation, compromise rule council Revitalization talk By ERIC A. HOWALD Of the Keizertimes At the start of Keizer City Council discussions regarding the Keizer Revitalization Study, Mayor Cathy Clark said the group intended to take it “slow and methodically.” The meeting then ran another four hours. The Keizer Revitalization Plan is a roadmap for how the city will pursue future development and redevelopment along River Road North and Cherry Avenue Northeast. The goal is to create more fl exibility for property owners to help recreate Keizer’s main drag. The council discussed the plan and suggested changes at its Sept. 16 meeting. “Basically all the available uses in place are still there, but [the plan] does affect standards in the district,” said Nate Brown, Keizer community “ That leaves a substandard sidewalk on the other side of the road and it’s only solving half of the problem.” — Kathy Lincoln development director. After taking questions from the council and residents who turned out in relatively large numbers, the council opted for some changes and to continue the discussion at its Oct. 7 meeting. The plan includes recommendations and development code changes that include rezoning all properties within a to-be- formed overlay district to mixed use and tweaking the standards for development within the district. The report also includes suggestions for transportation improvements and public investment. First and foremost, the city wants to encourage Please see COUNCIL, Page A5 McNary routed by West Linn PAGE A9