Image provided by: University of Oregon Libraries; Eugene, OR
About Cottage Grove sentinel. (Cottage Grove, Or.) 1909-current | View Entire Issue (Feb. 3, 2016)
4A COTTAGE GROVE SENTINEL February 3, 2016 O PINION Offbeat Oregon History For Milwaukie gas station owner, buying bomber was a wild adventure BY FINN J.D. JOHN For the Sentinel I t was the summer of 1947, and Art Lacey was in serious trouble. He was about 50 feet above an Oklahoma airfi eld, at the controls of the biggest airplane he’d ever fl own — a four-engined B-17G Flying Fortress, one of hundreds of the heavy bombers that the government was selling as surplus in the wake of the Second World War. This one was his; he had just bought it for $13,000. But now the landing gear was stuck in the re- tracted position, and it looked like he was about to crash it. This wouldn’t have been such a big deal if it weren’t for his “co- pilot.” Art, not wanting to bother with getting someone to tag along with him, had brought a dressmak- er’s mannequin borrowed from a friend, dressed it in fl ight gear and propped it up in the seat to fool the airfi eld manager into thinking there were two guys in the cockpit. After crashing the plane and ‘fessing up to this bit of deception, Art knew he would be in a less-than-optimal bargaining position vis-à-vis the defect in the plane he’d bought. Still, that was all in the future. For now, the number-one goal was to not die in a giant fi reball follow- ing a botched attempt at a gear-up landing. He lined the plane up as best he could with the runway and prepared to do his best. Art’s whole crazy scheme had its genesis when he fi rst learned about the surplus B-17s. They were super-cheap, selling for not much above their scrap value, because there just weren’t very many practical civilian uses for an obsolete heavy bomber. Art, already a successful Milwaukie businessman, had started stewing over how he might take advantage of the low prices on the big war- birds. The more he thought about it, the cooler he thought it would look to have one of them perched above the gas pumps at his gas sta- tion on McLoughlin Boulevard. The wings could serve as a roof over the pumps, and there would be room for a lot of them. And best of all, it wouldn’t cost that much more than a stick-built structure of similar size. According to Art’s daughter, Punky Scott, in an interview with KATU-TV Channel 2 News, the scheme he developed remained just a scheme until someone put money on the line. At his birth- day party, he shared his vision of a “Bomber Gas Station” with a friend, who laughingly told him he was dreaming. Art promptly put up a $5 bet, which was just as promptly accepted, and just like that the whole crazy dream was turned into a serious plan. Art immediately turned to a friend who, Punky suggested, was well connected with the dark side of Portland business — untaxed liquor, gambling, pinball ma- chines, that sort of thing. “Got any money on you?” he asked. “I need $15,000.” “And the guy had it on him,” Punky said in her interview. “I don’t know how that translates into today’s money, but it’s got to be a lot.” It is. $15,000 in 1947 is the equivalent of $160,000 today — a pretty impressive wad for “walk- ing-around money.” Loaded down with this bor- rowed loot, Art made the journey to Oklahoma to buy his B-17. He had $13,000 for the plane and $2,000 for fuel and miscellaneous expenses on the way back. Trouble started immediately upon arrival. After selling him the plane, the manager told him to bring his co-pilot the following day and he’d have the bird gassed up and ready. But Art hadn’t real- ized he’d need a co-pilot, so he hadn’t brought one. He also hadn’t given much thought to the fact that he’d never fl own a four-engine bomber in his life. He was a skilled private pilot of single-engine planes, but this was very different. Still, Art was determined to have his plane. So he returned the next day with the borrowed mannequin, strapped it into the copilot’s seat, breezed into the manager’s offi ce and walked out ready to fl y home. Hoping to familiarize himself with the big aircraft a bit before he started fl ying it for real, he started Please see OFFBEAT, Page 10A Why Cottage Grove is not like Flint Cottage Grove has no lead service water lines, though some homes have lead solder to join copper pipes BY RICHARD MEYERS Cottage Grove City Manager Y ou have no doubt seen and heard a great deal of coverage in the news lately concerning the water crisis in Flint, Michigan caused by lead in the water system. Housing in Flint is of an age where there are numer- ous service lines that may be made of lead. This was done originally because lead pipe is very fl exible and lasts virtually forever. However, there needs to be an active corrosion control program constantly in-place to keep the lead from corroding and mixing with the water. In Cottage Grove, we have no lead service lines. The only threat to our custom- ers from lead in the City’s drinking water is from older brass plumbing fi xtures and/ or faucets and also, from the use of leaded solder that was used to join together copper pipes within a home’s inter- nal plumbing system. This leaded solder threat is limited to homes that were construct- ed after 1982 and up to the time when the Environmen- tal Protection Agency (EPA) outlawed the use of leaded solder beginning in 1986. Homes that were constructed during this time period could have leaded solder in the in- ternal copper plumbing sys- tem. Cottage Grove staff has identifi ed 25 homes within the City that were built during this time period and, several others that were built around this time period. To control the possibility of lead mixing with the wa- ter, the water production staff maintains an active corrosion control program, which keeps the pH of the drinking water above seven but below nine. This keeps the water from corroding lead from the lead- ed solder and allowing it to mix with the water. In addi- tion, water production staff is required by EPA to collect a water sample from at least 20 houses built during this time period and test for the presence of lead and copper in the water, currently every three years. Homeowners are instructed and encouraged to run their water until it is very cold before drinking or cook- ing with the water. The prob- lem with lead occurs when water sits in contact with the leaded solder for long periods of time. In any circumstance, it is generally a good practice before drinking or cooking with the water for everyone to run their water for 30 seconds to one minute when the water has been sitting in the pipes for several hours and up to two minutes if the water has not been used for a few days or more. The City of Cottage Grove also has a few older wa- ter mains (dating from the 1940s–1950s) that have lead- ed joints. However, the wa- ter moving in the mains does not come in direct contact with the leaded joints. These leaded joints are replaced as they are uncovered as part of on-going maintenance and replacement efforts. The City of Cottage Grove Water Department takes the safety of consumers’ water very se- riously. Each year, the City publishes a Consumer Confi - dence Report that details the operation of the water depart- ment and lists test results for known contaminants. You can view the Consum- er Confi dence Report on the City’s web page at www.cot- tagegrove.org or, call (541) 942-3349 and one will be mailed to you. Another good source of information for water consumers can also be found at www.drinktap.org. This article fi rst appeared in the City of Cottage Grove's Friday Update publication on Jan. 29. Do vegetables lose nutritional value when we cook them? BY JOEL FUHRMAN, MD For the Sentinel E very day, we should eat a combination of raw and cooked vegetables, because the effects of cooking are different depending on which nutrients we’re talk- ing about. Cooking modifies the physi- cal and chemical properties of foods. It causes deg- radation or leaching of certain nutrients and phytochemicals but also softens cell walls and other food matrix components, facilitating the extraction and absorption of others. Many nutrients are damaged by heat, light or oxygen. Vita- min C appears to be the nutri- ent most vulnerable to cooking; about 30 percent of vitamin C in leafy greens is destroyed by cooking (if cooking water is consumed, as in cooking a soup). Other nutrients degraded by heat are folate, other B vita- mins, and phenol antioxidants. Minerals and fat-soluble vita- $ PUUBHF ( SPWF 4 FOUJOFM 116 N. Sixth Street · P.O. Box 35 · Cottage Grove, OR 97424 ADMINISTRATION: JOHN BARTLETT, Regional Publisher.............................. GARY MANLY, General Manager................942-3325 Ext. 207 • publisher@cgsentinel.com ROBIN REISER, Sales Repersentative...............942-3325 Ext. 203 • robin@cgsentinel.com TAMMY SAYRE, Sales Repersentative......... 942-3325 Ext. 213 • tsayre@cgsentinel.com SPORTS DEPARTMENT: SAM WRIGHT, Sports Editor...................942-3325 Ext. 204 • sports@cgsentinel.com CUSTOMER SERVICE CARLA WILLIAMS, Office Manager.................942-3325 Ext. 201 • billing@cgsentinel.com LEGALS.............................................................942-3325 Ext. 200 • legals@cgsentinel.com NEWS DEPARTMENT: JON STINNETT, Editor......................................942-3325 Ext. 212 • cgnews@cgsentinel.com GRAPHICS: RON ANNIS, Graphics Manager (USP 133880) mins (A, D, E and K) are more stable in heated conditions. Cruciferous vegetables con- tain valuable nutrients called glucosinolates, which are con- verted to cancer-fi ghting iso- thiocyanates (ITCs) when the plant cells are broken up by chopping or chewing. Impor- tantly, heat inactivates the en- zyme (myrosinase) that drives this conversion, so chopping (preferably blending) these veg- etables before cooking them is important. Blending the raw greens and then adding them to a soup of stew is most conserv- ing of ITCs. After that, steam- ing—compared to stir-frying, boiling and microwaving—re- sulted in the smallest gluco- sinate losses in broccoli, but the less it is cooked the better. Re- member though that the myrosi- nase is deactivated by heat, so in order to produce more isothio- cycanates from the remaining glucosinolates after cooking, eat some raw cruciferous with that meal or add some raw crucifer- ous (such as shredded cabbage) to the cooked greens. Carotenoids, such as alpha- carotene, beta-carotene and ly- copene are not only heat-stable but actually more absorbable once foods are cooked. Carot- enoids are inside the plant cells, embedded in the matrix of the food, and some of the cellular structure must be mechanically disrupted (such as by blending or heating) to make the carot- enoids extractable by the diges- tive system. Vitamin E fractions from plant foods have also been reported to be more bioacces- sible after heating. A study on raw foodists found that lyco- pene status was low without eating any cooked foods. Fat in- take in that study was associated with better plasma carotenoid status—adding fat is a way to improve carotenoid absorption from raw vegetables. One study measured alpha-carotene, beta- carotene and lycopene in the blood after subjects ate salads topped with fat-free dressing, or dressings containing either six or 28 grams of fat. Carotenoid absorption was negligible from the salad with fat-free dressing and high from the fat-contain- ing dressings. Salad dressings made by blending nuts and seeds (instead of using oil) are the healthiest. Some nutrient loss occurs when fresh foods are stored. Produce that has been shipped a long distance will likely have less nutritional value than the same produce bought locally. Frozen vegetables do have low- er levels of vitamin C, thiamin, ribofl avin and niacin loss due to the blanching step of the freez- ing process. However, once the food is frozen, nutrient losses due to storage slow down sub- stantially. Plus, frozen vegeta- bles are picked fresh and frozen soon after, preserving a large proportion of the nutrients. For frozen fruits, there is minimal loss of polyphenol antioxidants (such as fl avonoids) because fruits are not blanched before they are frozen. Sometimes nutrients are not destroyed by heat but can be lost in the cooking water if boiling or steaming—this is why soups are a good cooking method for vegetables, as long as the veg- etables are not overcooked. Remember to avoid high-heat dry cooking and browning to prevent the formation of acryl- amide—a possible carcinogen formed in cooked starchy foods. A good general guideline to maximize nutrient quantity and variety is to eat a large variety of raw and gently cooked veg- etables—large daily salads plus vegetable-bean soups or stews, or vegetables cooked in a wok with water or steamed for only 10 minutes. Remember—Eat a large green salad, containing a vari- ety of raw vegetables, with a nut and seed based dressing at least once a day. Suggested healthy cooking methods for vegetables Steam greens in a wok alter- nating covering and stirring. Steam greens in a steamer for 10 minutes or less Half artichokes up the middle and steam for 18—20 minutes Boil sweet potatoes, cook car- rots and parsnips in soups and stews Bake hard squashes at a low oven temperature (325° F) for one hour Wok or steam mushrooms, or add to soups and stews Puree raw cruciferous greens, shallots and onions before add- ing to soups and stews Dr. Fuhrman is a #1 New York Times best-selling author and a family physician specializing in lifestyle and nutritional medi- cine. Visit his informative web- site at DrFuhrman.com. Submit your questions and comments about this column directly to newsquestions@drfuhrman. com. Subscription Mail Rates in Lane and Portions of Douglas Counties: Ten Weeks ............................................. $9.10 One year ..............................................$36.15 e-Edition year .......................................$36.00 Rates in all other areas of United States: Ten Weeks $11.70; one year, $46.35, e-Edition $43.00. In foreign countries, postage extra. No subscription for less than Ten Weeks. Subscription rates are subject to change upon 30 days’ notice. All subscritptions must be paid prior to beginning the subscription and are non-refundable. Periodicals postage paid at Cottage Grove, Oregon. Postmaster: Send address changes to P.O. Box 35, Cottage Grove, OR 97424. Local Mail Service: If you don’t receive your Cottage Grove Sentinel on the Wednesday of publication, please let us know. Call 942-3325 between 8:30 a.m. and 5 p.m. Advertising ownership: All advertising copy and illustrations prepared by the Cottage Grove Sentinel become the property of the Cottage Grove Sentinel and may not be reproduced for any other use without explicit written prior approval. Copyright Notice: Entire contents ©2015 Cottage Grove Sentinel. Letters to the Editor policy The Cottage Grove Sentinel receives many letters to the editor. In order to ensure that your letter will be printed, letters must be under 300 words and submitted by Friday at 5 p.m. Letters must be signed and must include an address, city and phone number or e-mail address for verifi cation purposes. No anonymous letters will be printed. Letters must be of interest to local readers. Personal attacks and name calling in response to letters are uncalled for and unnecessary. If you would like to submit an opinion piece, Another View must be no longer than 600 words. To avoid transcription errors, the Sentinel would prefer editorial and news content be sent electronically via email or electronic media. Hand written submissions will be accepted, but we may need to call to verify spelling, which could delay the publishing of the submission.