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