COTTAGE GROVE SENTINEL April 1, 2015
Gas company hosts
disaster scenario
C
A LITTLE 'D ISORIENTATED '
Development Director How-
ard Schesser, who also handles
Cottage Grove’s emergency re-
sponse. Schesser attended the
meeting along with Police Chief
Mike Grover and Fire Chief
John Wooten, in addition to
personnel with Lane County’s
emergency management team.
Schesser said Williams de-
scribed the specifi c location of
the meter station, how long nat-
ural gas would “bleed off” in the
event of a line breakage (about
30 minutes) and how agencies
could best respond to such a sit-
uation. First priorities would be
to ensure the safety of respond-
ers and evacuate the scene.
Schesser said the scenario
was a valuable one because it al-
lowed those who would respond
to such a situation to have con-
tact before the situation occurs.
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ottage Grove played host
to a disaster preparedness
scenario last week that used a
nearby natural gas meter station
as its setting.
Offi cials with energy infra-
structure company Williams
hosted a scenario that brought
together fi re, police, forestry
and other offi cials at Stacy’s
Covered Bridge Restaurant on
Wednesday, March 25, a sce-
nario meant to outline the com-
pany’s response to a potential
gas line break as it may occur
at the company’s meter station
south of Cottage Grove near In-
terstate 5.
“This would not be the type
of emergency where fi rst re-
sponders would just rush in;
there would have to be a spe-
cifi c coordinated response,”
said Cottage Grove Community
Hourly Prizes will be drawn and posted at the
Cottage Grove
Home & Garden Show
April 11 & 12
Cottage Grove High School Gym
on N. River Road.
Name: ___________________________________
Phone Number: ____________________________
Additional Tickets are $1 each or 6 for $5
Main Prize Drawing April 12 at 4 pm.
Must be present to Win
Two nights at Shilo Inn and other large prizes.
11A
photo by Greg Lee
From left, Sara Meyer, Alex Ihnat and Linda Schmale perform as Kiki De'Leggs, Ivan Ego and Dee Sypher in the
Friends of the Cottage Grove Library mystery dinner production "Murder on the Disorientated Express" Satur-
day evening at the Cottage Grove Community Center. Organizer Mary McNamara said the Friends sold out their
mystery dinner for the second straight year and called the event a "huge success."
W HITING
Continued from page 1A
onto a seat cushion, and Whit-
ing, who was face-down and un-
responsive.
“My son said he believed that
Tom had stayed under the boat
holding onto a line for about
fi ve minutes,” Colton said.
“There was probably hypother-
mia involved because the water
was so cold.”
Colton said Whiting yelled
his nephew’s name three times
but couldn’t reach him; Johnson
reportedly yelled back for his
uncle to grab onto something to
fl oat upon, though debris was
fl oating in the other direction.
“The deputies got to Charlie
fi rst, but he refused rescue until
they got Tom out of the water,”
Colton said. Deputies attempted
to resuscitate Whiting for over
an hour. A yellow Labrador re-
triever was also aboard the boat
and has not been located.
“The rescuers did an excellent
job,” Colton said. “The sheriff’s
deputies were very brave and
heroic for going out there to
rescue them. One more minute,
and they said my son wouldn’t
have made it because of the hy-
pothermia.”
Sheriff Ward wrote that he
was proud of how his deputies
responded to the accident.
“From the time of the fi rst
911 call, it only took 10 minutes
until the responding deputies
had the two victims on board
the marine boat,” he wrote. “I
am also so very proud of my
deputies, who risked their lives
this morning without hesitation.
They without a doubt saved the
life of Charlie Johnson, and they
did all they could to help save
the life of Thomas Whiting.”
Colton said her son and broth-
er-in-law were very close.
“Tom was like his best friend,”
she said. “They did everything
together.”
Whiting is known to many in
Cottage Grove as the owner of
Whiting’s Pest Control, a com-
pany he has owned since 1993. A
visitation is planned this Friday,
April 3 from 6-8 p.m. at Smith-
Lund-Mills Funeral Chapel in
Cottage Grove. A memorial will
be held Saturday, April 4 at 11
a.m. at the Cottage Grove First
Baptist Church with inurnment
at Hawley Cemetery.
LORANE COUNTRY NEWS
BY LIL THOMPSON
The Cottage Grove Sentinel
H
ere’s hoping everyone
had a great Spring Break.
The week ended Sunday eve-
ning with a fantastic attendance
at the square/ barn dance at Lo-
rane Grange with Chris Booher
and brothers playing. Everyone
had a great time! Now the break
is over, and all routines are back
to normal.
Lorane Grange meets this
Thursday, April 2 at 7:30 p.m.
Easter is this Sunday. Lo-
rane Christian Church has two
services. Their sunrise service
at King Estate is at 7:30 a.m.
Then guests can go down to
breakfast at the church at 8:30
a.m. Their regular Sunday ser-
vice is at 10 a.m. with no Bible
School. Guests may enjoy Eas-
ter Sunday at either or all of
these times, as everyone is in-
vited and welcome!
The RAC/Lorane Grange Tal-
ent Show is only a little over a
week away on Sunday, April 12
at 3 p.m. There is still room for
more talent, and those who wish
to perform can call Lil at 541-
942-5701 or Lisa Livelybrooks
to sign up their special talent.
Performers are asked to be there
fi fteen minutes early to get on
the roster. Anyone with station-
ary talent, like art or sculpture,
can bring it to the kitchen area
for set up. Everyone else, plan
to attend and have an extremely
entertaining afternoon. There
will be fi nger food snacks and
beverages.
Plan on enjoying the next spa-
ghetti dinner and bingo at Lo-
rane Grange on April 25 starting
at 5:30 p.m.
Light the
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Friday, 10pm, June 21st
Give the gift to the American Cancer Society & keep the
light burning with a luminaria in memory of someone lost to cancer,
in honor of someone still fi ghting, or in special recognition
of someone who has beat the disease.
Please complete and return this form to the address below.
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5-Drawer
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(Note: to order more than one Luminaria, please photocopy this form.)
WHITE LUMINARIA $5 • PURPLE LUMINARIA $10
In Honor of: ___________________________________________
In Memory of: __________________________________________
In Support of: __________________________________________
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Available in 12 colors
List some of your loved ones likes and hobbies.
Drop Leaf
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w/2 Chairs
$349
Set
Style: Bantilly
8 In Stock
615 Main Street • Cottage Grove • 541-942-8711
homesteadcg.com
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Please make checks payable to
American Cancer Socitey
and mail to:
Luminaria
949 S. 6th St
Cottage Grove, OR 97424