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SPORTS
North Douglas and Elkton continue to
fi nd ways to win.
SOUTH LANE AND DOUGLAS COUNTY'S MOST AWARD-WINNING NEWS SOURCE SINCE 1889
WEDNESDAY, JANUARY 3, 2018
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WED
50º/39º
For a complete six-
day forecast please
see page A5.
CGSENTINEL.COM
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The Oregon Legislature
ended its session earlier
this year but on Jan. 1
some of its decisions went
into effect.
Individuals under the
age of 21 will no longer
be permitted to purchase
tobacco products without
stiff penalties for store
owners who allow the
transaction.
Also off the table are
fi rearms for individuals
who are considered a
threat or danger to them-
selves or family members.
Senate Bill 719 allows a
judge to decide whether
or not to confi scate an
individual's fi rearms.
Oregonians who turn in
their cans will also see a
change this January.
Please see LAWS PG. A7
Year in review
New Harrison
In May of 2016, voters approved a $35 million
bond to be used to construct a new school and
complete security and technology updates on
other schools around the district. In January of
this year, South Lane School District dubbed
its new school as Harrison Elementary beating
out other possible monikers such as Bridges
Elementary, Covered Bridges Elementary,
Krista Parent Elementary and Heritage Ele-
mentary. SLSD broke ground on the school in
late March and school board meetings contin-
ued to be dominate with discussions about ris-
ing costs. By November, the cost of the school
had climbed to nearly $24 million.
The opening of the new elementary school—
scheduled for the Fall of 2018—has had
unintended consequences. During a November
school board meeting, board members were
asked to “address the elephant in the room”
and discuss the possible closure of Latham
Elementary School. The school’s enrollment
topped just over 90 students and several
parents had opted to pull their students, citing
behavioral issues at the school. Moreover,
board member Jerry Settelmeyer and SLSD
maintenance manager Matt Allen cited the
A
s the community settles into 2018, the Sentinel staff has com-
piled a list of last year’s biggest stories. In 2017 there were head-
line grabbers and stories that garnered attention from outside the
community but each one was vital in shaping the year in Cottage Grove.
Top 10 stories of 2017
Armory restoration
Fundraising efforts to rehab the Cottage Grove Armory went into
full swing this year. As restoration efforts began, the city combatted
various media reports that it was improperly handling lead testing of
the facility. City manager Richard Meyers ordered additional testing
and contended that the city operated under the assumption that every
surface was tainted with lead due to the age of the building. After
tests revealed heightened lead levels in the front lobby of the armory,
Meyers ordered the cleaning of the stairs, citing the concrete paint
being dragged in on visitors’ shoes as the culprit. While lead experts
from Portland agreed that the stairs were the logical explanation, they
noted there was no way to defi nitively tell until the stairs were treated
and the building re-tested. The most recent tests, completed after the
remediation of the stairs, showed lead levels that were either zero or
well below the allowed state standard.
Please see REVIEW PG. A8
CGPD
gets to
work on
storage
facility
By Caitlyn May
cmay@cgsentinel.com
Construction on a new
evidence storage facility
for the Cottage Grove Po-
lice Department is expect-
ed to begin this spring.
The facility, a longtime
in the making according
to Captain Conrad Gag-
ner, will take the place of
the two units currently be-
ing rented by the depart-
ment to house evidence
and paperwork.
"It's my understanding
that right now we're in
the permitting process,"
Gagner said.
Once completed, the
facility will be housed be-
tween the current CGPD
impound lot and public
works. The area will al-
low a clean transition and
enough space to divide
the new
Please see STORAGE PG. A7
COMMUNITY
Warriors Fall
Warm mission
North Douglas loses to
Lowell in the closing sec-
onds of the game PAGE B3
Local teen works to keep
homeless warm this winter.
PAGE A3
INDEX
SPORTS
COFFEE WITH THE EDITOR
Have a news tips? Want to talk about
community events? Have a question?
Stop by Backstage Bakery.
The LAST THURSDAY of every
month from 12 p.m. to 1 p.m.
Calendar ........................................ B9
Channel Guide ............................... B4
Classifieds ...................................... B6
Obituaries ...................................... A2
Opinion ......................................... A4
Sports ............................................ B1
cgnews@cgsentinel.com
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P.O. Box 35, Cottage Grove, OR 97424
Corner of Sixth and Whiteaker, Cottage Grove
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New laws
go into
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Jan. 1