$1.00 PERSONAL | COMMERCIAL BENEFITS | SURETY C ottage G rove S entinel (541) 942-0555 PayneWest.com/Cottage-Grove SPORTS Dylan Graves makes quarterback after putting in the work. B1 SOUTH LANE AND DOUGLAS COUNTY'S MOST AWARD-WINNING NEWS SOURCE SINCE 1889 WEDNESDAY, NOVEMBER 1, 2017 WED 56º/42º FACEBOOK.COM/CGSENTINEL • TWITTER.COM/CGSENTINEL For a complete six- day forecast please see page A5. CGSENTINEL.COM He Crime in Cottage Grove By the numbers Unauthorized entry into vehicle: 20 Arson: 3 Forgery/Counterfeiting: 17 Fraud: 33 Embezzlement: 2 Vandalism: 105 Crimes against property: Robbery: 4 Burglary: 39 Larceny: 250 Motor Vehicle Theft: 27 Statistics provided by the Cottage Grove Police Department and refl ect a time period between Sept. 1, 2016 and Sept. 30, 2017 No one died in Cottage Grove. At least, no one was willfully murdered in the city during the last year. This, according to the latest statistics provided by the Cottage Grove Police Department. While a non-existent murder rate for the year is considered good news, it bucks the national trend. According to the FBI's yearly Uniform Crime Report, 2016 saw a jump in violent crimes by 3.4 percent. In total, the report notes that there were 1.2 million violent crimes reported around the country. In Cottage Grove, property crimes reign as the most common offense. Of the $15.6 billion lost by victims of property crimes in the U.S. in 2016, a glance at the Cottage Grove Police log will show the city accounted for at least a fraction of that total. Burglary, larceny and motor vehicle theft accounted for a total of 316 crimes within the city in the last year. Nationally, burglary declined by 4.6 percent from 2015 and larceny saw a dip as well down by 1.5 percent. However, motor vehicle theft rose nationally by 7.4 percent. A recently organized Community Observation Team will be on the look-out to help law enforce- ment curb property crime in Cottage Grove. In speaking with the group, Cottage Grove Police Chief Scott Shepherd said the department often takes calls other departments would turn away, including $5 crimes. And the winner is... Seismic work underway in Yoncalla PHOTO BY AARON AMES/COTTAGE GROVE SENTINEL Yoncalla's elementary school is getting a seismic upgrade thanks to a grant from the state of Oregon. By Caitlyn May cmay@cgsentinel.com Mike Caven, owner of Sanity Chocolate, took home fi rst place in the Cottage Grove Business Challenge on October 25. He beat out 24 other applicants for the chance at a three-way split of $10,000. See page A10 for complete story. SPORTS Gala held Football in profi le Community Foundation hosts its annual gala. PAGE A3 Dylan Graves didn't start out at quarterback. PAGE B1 INDEX COMMUNITY Calendar ...................................... B11 Channel Guide ............................... B5 Classifieds ...................................... B7 Obituaries ...................................... A2 Opinion ......................................... A4 Sports ............................................ B1 AD 6x2 Yoncalla's elementary school is ready for just about anything now, including earthquakes. Work is nearly completed on seismic upgrades on three buildings at the elementary school funded by a state grant from the Oregon Seismic Rehabilitation Grant Program of $1.49 million. "They're shoring up the walls and doing work in the ceiling. Most of the work you can't see," said Superintendent Brian Berry. Work started on the buildings in July. The main building, gym and early learning center will receive upgrades with the project expected to be completed by the end of this month. The district will continue seismic work next year when it tackles the high school. $1.49 million has been designated for the gym and $1.35 for the main building. Debate over the high school's structure came earlier this year when voters denied an $3.95 million bond measure to address the aging high school. The measure would have raised taxed 83 cents per every $1,000 of assessed value and repaired water lines and improved heating and ventilation systems as well as the building's heating. The high school will still see improvements next year thanks to the seismic grant money. Work on the building is expected to begin in June. As for the improvements to the elementary school, Berry said, "We’re very excited, it’s helped our building, we’ve been working on safety issues so this fi ts in to one of our priorities that the school board has for the district. Safety is always a top priority and this fi ts in with that." 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 67 CYAN MAGENTA YELLOW BLACK Crimes against persons: Willful Murder: 0 Negligent Homicide:0 Forcible Rape:3 Aggravated Assault: 16 Simple Assault: 38 Kidnapping: 1 No au bla bla