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About Cottage Grove sentinel. (Cottage Grove, Or.) 1909-current | View Entire Issue (Feb. 10, 2016)
R&B Revue to mark a milestone, page 6A 15! Victory! Girls' basketball downs tough Falcons, page 1B $ PUUBHF ( SPWF 4 FOUJOFM WEDNESDAY, FEBRUARY 10, 2016 SOUTH LANE COUNTY'S MOST AWARD-WINNING NEWS SOURCE SINCE 1889 VOLUME 128 • NUMBER 33 Council passes tobacco license ordinance F LOOD CONTROL Also inside: BY SAM WRIGHT The Cottage Grove Sentinel T Cascade crew Home Centers' new owners settle in, page 3A photo by Jon Stinnett Dustin Bengston, Deputy Operations Project Manager for the 13 dams managed by the Army Corps of Engi- neers, examines the spillway gates at Lookout Point Dam. Four of the fi ve gates were recently refurbished. Dams help Corps go with the fl ow BY JON STINNETT The Cottage Grove Sentinel I Replenish the Roses Get out the shears; it's pruning time, page 11A n one room of a multi-story build- ing beneath the hulking fi gure of the Lookout Point Dam near Dexter — a building where the elevator travels to fl oors labeled by their elevation above sea level — a series of computer screens showcases the U.S. Army Corps of Engi- neers’ efforts to control the waters of the Willamette River and its tributaries. There are screens in this control room for nine of the 13 dams in the Willamette Valley that the Corps manages primarily to alleviate the risk of fl ooding during Oregon’s wet winter months, and opera- tors are on hand 24/7 to gather real-time weather and other data, information that can be used to collect water behind the dams to alleviate the risk of fl ooding downstream or release water to empty a reservoir in anticipation of the next rain event. Dorena and Cottage Grove Res- ervoirs, which are used to manage the waters of the Row and the Coast Fork of the Willamette River, are just two of the dams that the Corps operates remotely from this location. “During storm events, it can be really intense,” the operator on duty says. “You always have to be ready, and when it’s intense, it’s really intense.” Dustin Bengston, who serves as the Deputy Operations Project Manager for the 13 dams in the Willamette system, touts the recreational benefi ts that its Please see DAMS, Page 10A he Cottage Grove City Council voted 6-1 in favor of an ordinance that will create a licensing program for the City’s tobacco retailers Monday night, introduced originally by the Lane County Health Department in early 2015. The main purpose of the program is to help deter youth from being tempted into buying tobacco products. Health Offi cer Dr. Patrick Leudtke of the Health De- partment explained that data from 2014 showed that use had increased in the area among 11th-grade students for seven out of eight different varieties of tobacco products. City Councilor Jake Boone was the only one who voted against the ordinance, but his opposition did not go without rea- son. His issue, stated in previous Council meetings, was that youth and fi rst-time users usually don’t get cigarettes or to- bacco products from retail stores. “I don’t see the reason to take more money from people who are at least fol- lowing the rules,” he said. Eighteen-year old Jordan Richards spoke in favor of the ordinance. Richards pointed out that tobacco products are ad- vertised next to candy ads and packaged in specifi c ways to appeal to children. “Children and teens are bombarded by tobacco products and advertisements when they walk into a store,” he said. Richards pointed out that the ordinance will also ban the sale of tobacco prod- ucts within 1,000 feet of a school. “This helps by preventing children from being tempted.” Before the ordinance was voted on, Boone tried to make clear of his opposi- tion. “I’m still against it, but since I’ve already state my reasons…that’s all,” he said. The program will be in effect in 30 days. Smithsonian traveling exhibit to explore what it means to be human Cottage Grove Library is exhibit's only Oregon stop and one of just 19 stops nationwide BY JON STINNETT The Cottage Grove Sentinel L ate last week, personnel at the Cottage Grove Library received an exciting message: The exhibit is on its way. Beginning next Wednesday, Feb. 17, the Library will host a traveling exhibit entitled “Exploring Human Origins: What Does It Meant to be Human?” an installation brought to Cottage Grove by the Smithsonian Institution, the American Library Association and the John Templeton Foundation, for a slew of both public and private events scheduled well into March. On Thursday of last week, the ex- hibit began a trip south from Spokane, Washington, and Cottage Grove Com- munity Services Director Pete Barrell said he’s excited that it will make its only Oregon stop and one of only 19 nationwide here. Barrell wrote a grant to the American Library Association to bring the exhibit to Cottage Grove, and he said an ongoing relationship with the ALA that has brought exhibits ded- icated to Abraham Lincoln and other subjects to town in the past could only have helped land such a prestigious ex- hibit this time. “We’re a rural library, and they prob- ably wanted to offer a little bit of di- versity,” Barrell said. “We have a good track record with the ALA.” Briana Pobiner, a paleoanthropolo- gist with the Smithsonian who studies the evolution of the human diet, recent- ly returned from a trip to Africa, where she spent time examining fossil bones to uncover evidence that early humans had been eating animals. Pobiner, who will participate in many of the upcom- ing events in Cottage Grove, said the exhibit and its related happenings are meant as a conversation-starter. “It’s focused on human evolution and the characteristics that make us unique as a species,” Pobiner said. “But it’s really all about the programming as a springboard for conversation. It’s about the intersection of the scientifi c under- standing of evolution with other forms of understanding.” To that end, the exhibit’s run in Cot- tage Grove will begin on Wednesday, Feb. 17 with a special event for clergy, where Pobiner and a colleague, Dr. Rick Potts, will join members of the lo- cal clergy to discuss the Smithsonian’s presentation of the science of human origins. Many belief systems posit that the Earth is only 6000 years old, and Barrell said he’s already heard impas- sioned comments from community Please see EXHIBIT, Page 10A photo courtesy Smithsonian Human Origins Program Visiting scientists will present the scientifi c evidence for human evolution, which they hope can meld with other forms of under- standing during conversations scheduled this month. Rain Country Realty Inc. N 336 N. H St. EW 3 bedrooms and 2 baths adorable Victorian. High ceilings & delightful front porch. Great House! B T O L IG 4 bedroom, 1 bath log house with nearly 1 landscaped acre. Take a step back in time! $179,900 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 Valerie Nash ....................521-1618 Licensed in the State of Oregon CONTENTS HIGH LOW 63 46 Partly Cloudy Broker $175,000 CONTACT US Principal Brokers Teresa Abbott ..................221-1735 Frank Brazell....................953-2407 Lane Hillendahl ................942-6838 1908 Whitaker Calendar......................................... 3B Channel Guide ............................... 6B Classified ads................................. 8B Obituaries....................................... 2A Opinion .......................................... 4A Public Safety .................................. 5A Sports ............................................ 1B 1 Dollar
