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About Cottage Grove sentinel. (Cottage Grove, Or.) 1909-current | View Entire Issue (Oct. 12, 2016)
Volleyball bounces back, 1B Farm to School Month — 3A Choosing healthcare — 4A 'A Chorus Line' — 10A $ PUUBHF ( SPWF 4 FOUJOFM SOUTH LANE AND NORTH DOUGLAS COUNTY'S MOST AWARD-WINNING NEWS SOURCE SINCE 1889 WEDNESDAY, OCTOBER 12, 2016 VOLUME 129 • NUMBER 16 Brigadier General to speak at fi rst annual Mayor's Ball B rigadier General William Edwards, who assumed command of the Oregon Army National Guard’s Land Com- ponent in April, is expected to provide keynote remarks at the fi rst annual Mayor’s Ball — an event that aims to raise funds and awareness for the restora- tion of the Cottage Grove Ar- mory — on Saturday, Oct. 22. The National Guard’s Land an employee at Hewlett Pack- ard in Corvallis for over 20 years. Edwards’ biography also includes stints at the Cottage Grove Armory itself — he served with the 2nd Battal- ion, 162nd Infantry in Cottage Grove from October, 2000 through September of 2001 and commanded the battalion again after its relocation to Component oversees all Army operations for the state of Or- egon and is responsible for more than 6000 soldiers. Prior to his promotion, Edwards’ ser- vice included a deployment to Iraq in support of Operation Iraqi Freedom and command of the 41st Infantry Brigade, which deployed to Afghanistan in 2014. Also a citizen-soldier, Edwards, of Albany, has been Springfi eld. The City of Cottage Grove estimates that it will cost about $2.6 million to renovate the Armory, which it purchased for $395,000 in 2010 from the Oregon Military Depart- ment when the National Guard moved to its new facility in Springfi eld. In June, the City Council approved a contract with Christina Lund Consult- ing of Cottage Grove not to exceed $463,000 to secure the needed funds. The Armory has seen sporadic use since its pur- chase, and conceptual drawings have been planned and execut- ed for the building, plans that detail possible uses including a commercial kitchen, emer- gency shelter, headquarters of the Cottage Grove Kids Club and more. Clown hunt leads to charges for two after altercation Ballot Box Shawn Patrick Waite, 21, received a 30-day jail sentence and probation for Criminal Mischief BY JON STINNETT The Cottage Grove Sentinel R eports of “killer clowns” and individuals dressing up as such to frighten or in- timidate others have exploded across traditional and social me- dia outlets recently, and an al- leged clown sighting is believed to have precipitated an alterca- tion last week that landed a 21- year old Cottage Grove man in the local jail. Cottage Grove Police were called to more than one report of shots fi red near the Dollar Tree on Highway 99 at about 10 p.m. Wednesday, Oct. 5. Offi cer Sean Branstetter said that the fi rst of- fi cer on scene, Jason Cross, ob- served a subject running east on Chamberlain Avenue. Cross contacted the individual, who reportedly informed him that another individual in the Vil- lage Center parking lot had a gun. Later, Branstetter said that police determined the man in the parking lot had his shirt off, which, while being stretched between the man’s fi sts, could have looked to some bystanders like a gun. The man in the parking lot, Branstetter said, had just emerged from a nearby gas sta- tion with a handful of groceries when he witnessed a male and female walking toward the lot, the male half reportedly bran- dishing a baseball bat, who he thought may be walking toward the parking lot to cause some type of mischief. “Don’t mess with us,” the man with the bat reportedly said, adding that they were looking for a clown that Branstetter said had allegedly appeared in front of their home nearby before get- ting into a car and departing. “They were out looking for a clown even though he had sup- posedly left in a vehicle,” Brans- tetter said. Instead, they encountered the aforementioned subject in Brigadier General William Edwards commands the National Guard's Land Component. The lowdown on each of the fall election’s ballot measures Measure 97 the parking lot, who Branstet- ter said admitted to a “snarky response” that may have helped convince the male of the duo, later identifi ed as 21-year old Shawn Patrick Waite, to use the baseball bat to break out most of the glass and do damage to the body of the other man’s truck. Branstetter said police believe that the sharp sound of the bat hitting the truck and its win- dows may have led to the calls of ‘shots fi red.’ In Cottage Grove Municipal Court the following morning, Waite received a 30-day jail sentence, two years’ proba- tion, a fi ne and restitution for Criminal Mischief II and Physi- cal Harassment related to the incident; a charge of menacing was dropped by the City pros- ecutor. The involved female, identifi ed as 20-year old Chey- enne Graves-Ford, was cited in lieu of custody and will face a charge of disorderly conduct on Oct. 27 in Municipal Court. Branstetter said that he hoped the recent clown sightings don’t prompt people to “see clowns and immediately go on the of- fensive,” and a news release from CGPD attempted to calm any collective hysteria last week. “We have no current infor- mation to indicate that persons dressed as clowns present any inherent threat to the safety of the community,” the release stated. “It appears that indi- viduals…fi nd it stimulating to imitate social trends and scare people.” Police pointed out that it’s “not illegal to dress as a clown,” adding that they will respond to calls regarding suspicious per- sons dressed as clowns, but “ab- sent anything other than their dress, enforcement action is unlikely.” The report also states that “chasing people around and intentionally scaring them can get you arrested.” Increases corporate minimum tax when sales exceed $25 million; funds education, healthcare, senior services BY JON STINNETT The Cottage Grove Sentinel O photo by Jon Stinnett Mason Hughes enjoys the new toddler swings at Coiner Park while Grandpa (Pat Hughes) supplies the power. Coiner's new playground equipment dedicated BY JON STINNETT The Cottage Grove Sentinel M any of Cottage Grove’s Ro- tarians were joined by City employees under the pavilion at Coiner Park Thursday afternoon to offi cially dedicate the park’s new playground equipment. Nearby, four- year old Mason Hughes couldn’t be bothered to notice their ceremony. Throughout the lunchtime dedi- cation, Hughes, powered by pushes from his grandpa, Pat, swung steadi- ly back and forth in the new toddler swings recently installed at Coiner. Nearby, a spidery climbing structure and new merry-go-round awaited more young visitors. “This will be great,” Pat Hughes said of the new climbing structure, adding that he has “a couple of real climbers” among his 11 grandchil- dren. Ruth Linoz, the Rotary Club presi- dent in 2015 who championed the new construction project, said that the club sought to provide equipment for younger park visitors that still might be fun for older ones. A survey conducted last year also indicated that parents sought a set of toddler swings closer to the main play struc- ture at Coiner. During the dedication ceremony, in which a plaque was unveiled re- naming the “Rotary Pavilion,” Linoz called the project a “fabulous col- laboration” between Rotary and the City of Cottage Grove, and many pponents of Measure 97, an initiated state statute that would increase the state’s mini- mum corporate tax rate by establishing a 2.5 percent tax on gross sales exceeding $25 million, had outspent supporters two-to-one by Oct. 8. If approved, the tax would go into effect for “C Corporations” (an IRS designation for businesses that pay their own taxes) on Jan. 1; should it pass, it is estimated to raise $548 million in its fi rst six months and about $3 billion per year thereafter. Supporters from the Yes on 97 campaign and Our Oregon, a coalition of labor and other groups, say those funds are needed to shore up decades of sub- standard funding for schools and social services, while opponents frame the increase as essentially a sales tax that will be passed down from corpora- tions to consumers. At its Sept. 21 meeting, the Cottage Grove Cham- ber of Commerce joined nearly 50 other chambers statewide in opposing Measure 97. Director Travis Palmer said the Chamber’s legislative committee, formed to help the local Chamber stay abreast of local and state government workings, responded from concerns and calls for more information from chamber members to examine the measure in greater detail. The Cottage Grove Chamber’s legislative com- mittee listened to a presentation from Alison Hart of the state Chamber of Commerce opposing the measure, though Palmer said the Chamber also researched the opposing arguments before voting to oppose Measure 97. “They believe that businesses that are affected will have to pay an extra percentage, and those costs are going to be passed down,” Palmer said. “A lot of people are reading into this that those compa- nies are just going to raise our prices; that’s the fear.” Personally, Palmer said he’s wary of the “huge jump” to Oregon’s budget that would occur if Measure 97 passes. “The state budget could increase by 30 percent, and that’s an awfully big move,” he said. Palmer said that not everyone involved with Please see COINER, Page 11A Please see 97, Page 11A R AIN C OUNTRY R EALT Y I NC . 910 Kristen Way Advantages of country living right outside of city limits! One owner custom home was buit to provide comfort and room to enjoy life. 2 bedrooms plus office/bonus room, 2 bedrooms, 2 baths, Air conditioning, vaulted, gas utilities, and lot backs up to private land. Principal Brokers Teresa Abbott ..................221-1735 Frank Brazell....................953-2407 Broker 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 Valerie Nash ....................521-1618 Licensed in the State of Oregon CONTENTS HIGH LOW 68 53 Partly Cloudy Calendar....................................... 11B Channel Guide ............................... 4B Classified ads................................. 6B Obituaries....................................... 2A Opinion .......................................... 4A Public Safety .................................. 5A Sports ............................................ 1B 1 Dollar
