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About Cottage Grove sentinel. (Cottage Grove, Or.) 1909-current | View Entire Issue (June 14, 2017)
$1.00 C ottage G rove S entinel PERSONAL i BUSINESS i BENEFITS i SURETY (541) 942-0555 PayneWest.com/Cottage-Grove SPORTS UO Women take home the historic Triple Crown. PAGE B1 SOUTH LANE AND DOUGLAS COUNTY'S MOST AWARD-WINNING NEWS SOURCE SINCE 1889 WEDNESDAY, JUNE 14, 2017 FACEBOOK.COM/CGSENTINEL • TWITTER.COM/CGSENTINEL WED 71º/50º For a complete six- day forecast please see page A5. CGSENTINEL.COM HERE COME THE GRADUATES: CLASS OF 2017 500 BEDS Oregon faces shortage of addiction treatment beds The state of Oregon current- ly has approximately 500 resi- dential neds for the treatement of addiction. This, according to Serenity Lane's Dr. Eric Geisler who serves as the facility's di- rector of medical services. The number was fi rst men- tioned in Cottage Grove at a Rotary meeting last month. "That number comes from a report that was done for the state of Oregon in 2012," said Monique Danziger, director of marketing and communications for Serenity Lane. "But the state no longer requires that report so it hasn't been updated." She not- ed that the facility can estimate based on the companies and fa- cilities they work with and refer patients to. Please see 500 BEDS PG A8 The Cottage Grove High School Class of 2017 left their high school experience behind on Saturday, June 10 as they offi cially cmay@cgsentinel.com graduated. The ceremony was moved indoors in the days leading up to the big day when weather reports called for thunder and lightening storms. However, the weather did not dampen the mood of the approximately 1,500 students and residents who packed into the high school's gymnasium to watch the class of 2017 cross the stage. It was an afternoon of reminiscing with three student speakers calling on their classmates to remember the time spent in the halls of Cottage Grove High School and By Caitlyn May to take with them the lessons they learned there. Star student and athlete Hannah Albrecht reminded her class of the story of a $20 bill relayed to them their freshman year. "If our time here was that $20, I got every cent out of it," she said. Valedictorian Jessica Ray urged those in attendance to choose good and not sin while salutatorian Madisen Howland reminded her classmates to stay in touch and wished them hope. The students of the graduating class, in their last moments as students, donated 80 cans of food to Community Sharing, a nonprofi t in Cottage Grove that provides low-income individuals with necessities including food, hygiene products and hous- ing assistance. Community Sharing low on food donations Food supplies at Commu- of other services. Currently, Community Sharing garners food cmay@cgsentinel.com nity Sharing are low. This ac- cording to executive director and donations from several resources. The lo- Mike Fleck who says it's not cal grocery stores in Cottage Grove donate their unusual for the program to be running short on nearly expired food while the largest contributor supplies this time of year but a combination of is Food for Lane County through the USDA. The factors have lead to an unusually short, shortage. program offers several offshoot deliveries includ- "For the fi rst time in many years, we’re much ing a produce delivery on Thursdays. shorter than we typically have been," he said. "It could be potatoes, strawberries. Usually The shortage could be attributed to multiple fac- they’re on the verge of going bad so we try to get tors. According to those out before Fleck, the annual " It’s an interesting time. Either way we’ll the weekend. We postal workers certainly do the best we can with what’s avail- have agreements food drive turned with pig farms in in fewer pounds able."- Community Sharing Executive Director the area for what of food than in Mike Fleck we don't utilize," years past. Fleck said. "We get local Community food from the three grocery stores when they have Sharing also receives donations from the local dated items," Fleck said. "It’s possible they’ve community. However, due to short staffi ng levels, been doing a better job of managing their inven- Fleck said local programs are in need of volun- tory so we get fewer items. It’s not any one thing, teers to help better organize and execute them. it’s a combination of a whole bunch of things." "We would love to have someone who has a pas- Pantry manager Bill SamMiguel said the num- sion for feeding people, to come in and volunteer ber of those in need have increased while dona- to help with that program," he said. tions are down. Over the weekend, Community Sharing ran a "A lot more people come in. We serve 800 fam- local donation drive that garnered approximate- ilies coming a month, which is maybe 1,900 to ly 1,400 pounds of food. However, according to 2,000 people," he said. "We're not out of food. Ev- SamMiguel, the number falls short of what the ery shelf is fi lled, it’s not that we’re out of food, program needs. we’re just low on food." "We usually give away 25,000 pounds. 800 Community Sharing is a non-profi t established families is a lot of people," he said. in 1982 with the aim to create a safety net in Lane To donate resources or time to Communi- County for low-income individuals providing ty Sharing, or for more information, please call housing assistance, food, hygiene items and a host (541) 942-2176. By Caitlyn May Popular donation page in need of space When Jenifer Neil noticed that residents posting on social media asking for help were cmay@cgsentinel.com not receiving any comments, she went to her mother. "She said, 'Mom, we should start something,'" said Mindy Beer, the president of Pay it Forward--a non-profi t working to answer the calls for help throughout Cottage Grove. The group, a registered 501(c)(3), works by collecting items from around the community and posting them on its Facebook page. From there, residents can claim dibs on the items and every two weeks, the gate at Beer's residence opens up and people are welcome to pick up the items they claimed. The page has 6,000 members. "In December it will be four years that we're doing this and we probably serve about 500 people a week," Beer said. Now, the group is looking for more room. "We do this in my spare lot. We went from a one car garage to a two car garage to a 30- foot building with a several additional build- ings," Beer said. The group has a medical storage space for walkers and wheelchairs for people without health insurance who can't af- ford the equipment. There's a space for electronics and clothes. City Councilman Bob Ehler has given away nearly 1,000 bicycles and repairs all of the donated bikes that come through Pay it Forward. The group also makes weighted therapy blankets for children with autism. "We've given away hundreds of those," Beer said. But space is running out and because they are in a residential neighborhood, Beer said it's not fair to her neighbors to keep a rap- idly growing operation in her backyard. "Most people are respectful but we are growing more every day. So ideally, with all of the space in town, maybe we can have space donated." There's a monetary benefi t to moving into town as well, accord- ing to Beer. "We're registered but because we're where we are, By Caitlyn May Please see SPACE PG A9 ENTERTAINMENT Earnest Students complete their restorations of carousel animals. PAGE A3 A Q&A with the cast and crew of The Importance of Being Earnest. PAGE A11 INDEX COMMUNITY Carousel Calendar ...................................... B11 Channel Guide ............................... B5 Classifieds ...................................... B7 Obituaries ...................................... A2 Opinion ......................................... A4 Sports ............................................ B1 AD 6x2 cgnews@cgsentinel.com (541) 942-3325 ph • (541) 942-3328 fax P.O. Box 35, Cottage Grove, OR 97424 Corner of Sixth and Whiteaker, Cottage Grove _______________ VOLUME 129 • NUMBER 48 SLSD releases statement on Parent Investigation yields no wrong-doing By Caitlyn May cmay@cgsentinel.com The South Lane School Dis- trict has released a statement concerning the investigation into a complaint fi led by local residents regarding matters of superintendent Krista Parent's personal life. "The South Lane School Dis- trict Board of Directors received the results of our legal team’s investigation regarding the complaints fi led against Super- intendent Parent. The investiga- tion found that Superintendent Parent has not violated district policy, Teacher Standards and Practices Commission (TSPC) Please see STATEMENT PG A8