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About Cottage Grove sentinel. (Cottage Grove, Or.) 1909-current | View Entire Issue (Jan. 27, 2016)
School Zone: Bond conversation Kindergarten Round-up LMS gets a facelift $ PUUBHF ( SPWF 4 FOUJOFM WEDNESDAY, JANUARY 27, 2016 SOUTH LANE COUNTY'S MOST AWARD-WINNING NEWS SOURCE SINCE 1889 VOLUME 128 • NUMBER 31 Former cop pleads guilty to Gamez killing Also Jenny Gamez had previously lived with a foster mother in Cottage Grove; Steven Zelich will be sentenced March 30 T he former Milwaukee po- lice offi cer accused of kill- ing a 19-year old Cottage Grove woman in 2012 and dumping her body in a suitcase along a Wisconsin highway pleaded guilty Monday to the crime, the Associated Press reports. Steven Zelich was sched- uled to go to trial on Monday, though a plea deal was instead announced. He reportedly pled guilty to fi rst-degree reckless homicide with the use of a dan- gerous weapon and hiding a corpse. He is also charged with killing 37-year old Laura Simon- son, whose body was reportedly found in a suitcase along the same Wisconsin highway. The Associated Press report- ed that the District Attorney in Kenosha County, Wisconsin, Michael Gravely, will seek the maximum 75-year sentence at Zelich’s sentencing on March 30. The plea deal means the original sentence of life without parole will not be sought. Zelich had previously told authorities he picked Gamez up at the Mil- waukee airport and drove to a hotel, where they played a sex game that involved him chok- ing Gamez. He lost control and choked her until she died, ac- cording to information fi led in a criminal complaint. Gamez had previously stayed in the care of Lorraine Ericksen of Cottage Grove, who served as her foster mother. Gamez graduated from Al Kennedy Alternative High School in 2010, then started school at Lane Community College. At the time her body was found in June of 2014, Ericksen told the Sentinel that the Department of Human Ser- vices had closed Gamez’ case, at which time she moved out of her home. “It was a puzzle to fi gure out what had happened to her,” she said, “and now we know why. We’re fi nding out the hard way.” (Ericksen could not be con- tacted by Sentinel press time Monday for this story.) Back then, Ericksen said that, after Gamez’ fi rst year at LCC ended, she and some friends from Eugene decided to go to California. She had been talk- ing about pursuing a career in forestry, Ericksen said, before deciding to do a little traveling. “I didn’t think anything of it,” Ericksen said. “She was a pretty independent person.” Gamez was also one of Erick- sen’s “favorite kids.” “I always said I wish I had a houseful of Jennies,” she said. “When she was with me, she went to school and got straight A’s. She was involved with the Kiwanis and Bohemia Mining Days. She kept herself pretty busy.” inside: On the Carousel Downtown deli open for business, page 3A C ITY C OUNCIL Council votes in favor of tobacco license ordinance Another approval is still needed for the ordinance to pass BY JON STINNETT The Cottage Grove Sentinel The Faz visits T he Cottage Grove City Council voted 6-1 in favor of creating a licensing program for the City’s tobacco re- tailers before a packed crowd Monday night, though the ordi- nance to establish the program differed from one the Council had previously considered. Early in 2015, offi cials with the Lane County Health De- partment approached the Council to seek its participation in a licensing program the County had created that was in place only in the unincorporated areas of the County, asking that Cottage Grove and other municipalities adopt the same pro- gram. The Council liked some aspects of the program and in fact spent much of last year implementing many of them, including banning the sale and use of e-cigarettes to and by minors; increasing the acceptable distance from a building that one must stand to smoke from 10 to 25 feet and most recently banning the use of tobacco products in city parks. Back in November, county health offi cials again petitioned the Council to adopt the retail tobacco licensing program. Please see TOBACCO, Page 7A DeFazio talks tranportation, page 3A photo by Jon Stinnett Kenneth Michael Roberts is sworn in by Cottage Grove City Attorney Carrie Con- nelly at the start of Monday's City Council meeting. Roberts appointed to at-large position BY JON STINNETT The Cottage Grove Sentinel “ Those were some good interviews, folks.” Cottage Grove Mayor Tom Munroe exclaimed as much when addressing the members of the City Council Monday evening. A worksession dedi- cated to interviewing candi- dates for appointment to the at-large position vacated by Councilor Heather Murphy in December was held prior to the Council’s regular meeting, and Munroe would later echo sentiments expressed by other councilors regarding the Please see ROBERTS, Page 7A Power of prayer Mission unites CG man, Jamaican woman, page 8A Fire District achieves improved ISO classifi cation Chief credits improvement to passage of bond levy, says fi re insurance premiums could decrease for local property owners BY JON STINNETT The Cottage Grove Sentinel A change in classifi cation for the local fi re district could mean big insurance sav- ings for property owners in the District. South Lane County Fire and Rescue announced that, effective April 1, the Insurance Services Offi ce (ISO) Public Protection Classifi cation for Cottage Grove and Creswell will change from a Class 9 to a Class 4 in areas outside the city limits of those communities and from a Class 5 to a Class 2 within their city limits. The Public Protection Classi- fi cation Program is one of ISO’s programs that provides informa- tion to insurance companies re- garding property/casualty risk; PPC reviews the Fire District, water department and dispatch center capabilities. On Monday, Chief John Woo- ten said the improved classifi ca- tions stem largely from a local option levy approved by voters in 2012, a levy that secured full staffi ng levels throughout the District, in addition to a levy ap- proved last fall to purchase up- graded equipment. “Without the levy, we would’ve had to cut half our workforce,” Wooten said. “The ISO rating would’ve gotten worse, because it’s tied to staff- ing levels. Without the levy, this improvement would not be hap- pening. Even so, the improve- ment is even better than we hoped for.” Last week’s press release stated that, historically, com- munities strive for a Class 1 rating, which was achieved by only 60 departments nationwide in 2014. Currently, SLFR said, only 1060 departments in the U.S. hold a Class 2 rating, and there are 24 such classifi cations in Oregon currently. Wooten said the change, par- ticularly in the rural areas of the District, could mean big savings on fi re insurance premiums. “Going from a 9 to a 4 in the rural areas is huge,” he said. “There are a lot of factors to consider, but it should effect everybody’s bottom line.” On Monday, Darla Avery of Payne West Insurance in Cot- tage Grove concurred. “In working up some quotes, it does give a couple hundred dollars back to someone who had a Class 9 rating before,” Avery said. She pointed out that many factors affect fi re insur- ance rates — whether a home or other building is built of wood, how old the building is, etc. Still, she pointed out that a quote for her own rural home reduced her rate from $805 per year to $668 relative to the improved rating. “Oh my gosh, yes, people are going to see a huge difference,” she said. Avery recommended that property owners contact their insurance companies to see if their rates may improve under the new classifi cation, in addi- tion to checking for any other changes. “It’s a good idea to go over your coverage and see if you’re properly covered,” she said. Wooten said the savings in insurance premiums for some property owners could poten- tially be greater than the in- crease in taxes brought about by the recent levies to support fi re operations. HOME Home is where your journey begins. L ET R AIN C OUNTRY R EALTY I NC . HELP YOU TAKE THE FIRST STEP . CONTACT US www.cgsentinel.com On the Internet (541) 942-3325 By telephone (541) 942-3328 By fax cgnews@cgsentinel.com By e-mail P.O. Box 35, Cottage Grove, OR 97424 By mail Corner of Sixth and Whiteaker, Cottage Grove In person WEATHER CGHS player takes fi rst at South Eugene tourney, page 1B Principal Brokers Teresa Abbott ..................221-1735 Frank Brazell....................953-2407 Lane Hillendahl ................942-6838 Broker Valerie Nash ....................521-1618 Licensed in the State of Oregon CONTENTS HIGH LOW 61 49 Partly Cloudy Glesmann's chess Calendar....................................... 11B Channel Guide ............................... 4B Classified ads................................. 6B Obituaries....................................... 2A Opinion .......................................... 4A Public Safety .................................. 5A Sports ............................................ 1B 1 Dollar