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About Cottage Grove sentinel. (Cottage Grove, Or.) 1909-current | View Entire Issue (Sept. 12, 2018)
$1.00 S entinel C ottage G rove PERSONAL | COMMERCIAL BENEFITS | SURETY (541) 942-0555 PayneWest.com/Cottage-Grove SPORTS Cottage Grove volleyball off to red-hot start B1 Est. 1889 Serving the communities of Cottage Grove, Dorena, Drain, Elkton, Lorane and Yoncalla. WEDNESDAY, SEPTEMBER 12, 2018 FACEBOOK.COM/CGSENTINEL • TWITTER.COM/CGSENTINEL WED 68º/52º For a complete six- day forecast please see page A5. CGSENTINEL.COM Local group hits stage with ‘Creative Chaos’ By Caitlyn May cmay@cgsentinel.com Local residents with disabilities come together to bring their love of theater to the community I t started with a lion tamer, uni- corn trainer and the world’s heaviest man. Everything else, came later. “I asked them, if you can be any character in the circus, what would you be?” said Carmen Dowell, a lo- cal special Olympics advocate and organizer Creative Chaos, an annu- al play centered around a cast made up of community members who live with disabilities. Th is will be the second year Dow- ell has taken on the project, one she started when her best friend had a dream. “Th e idea behind it actually came about when my best friend, Monica Venice wanted to be on stage,” Dowell said. Monica, who has Down Syndrome, had watched Dowell take part in local plays at Cottage Th eatre and expressed an interest in acting. “So, I took her to an audition and the director pulls me aside and asks why I brought COURTESY PHOTO Members of ‘Creative Chaos’ will present the fi nal showings of their special production this weekend at the Opal Center. her and why I was making them go through this,” Dowell said. “It was the fi rst time I had experienced dis- crimination and it was my mission to get her on stage.” Fires break out in C. Grove, Dorena By Caitlyn May cmay@cgsentinel.com Th ree structures and several outbuildings were destroyed in Dorena, with no reports of injuries Last Wednesday evening, South Lane County Fire and Rescue (SLCFR), in coopera- tion with the Oregon Depart- ment of Forestry, responded to a wildland fi re in Dorena. According to a statement re- leased by SLCFR, the fi re was contained to 12 acres and the cause is still under investiga- tion. “SLCFR response included resources from North Douglas Fire EMS and Goshen-Pleasant Hill Fire... Th e Dorena area is not protected by a structural agency," the statement read. As part of an agreement with the South Lane School District, SLCFR provided structural protection to Dorena School, which is scheduled to have its fi rst day of school — a half day for fi rst-graders — today. Dorena Principal Linda Folkman said classes were still scheduled and praised the eff orts of the emergency re- sponse teams. "I can’t speak enough about the fi re departments, all of them,” she said. ”It was a real- ly great coordinated eff ort and we were really lucky the wind changed a little and Weyer- haeuser got to throw water be- tween us and the fi re. Everyone was awesome and I want to give a special shout-out to the community, to parents whose kids don’t even go to school here. “Th ey came with hoses and prayers. One member of the community with a hose said, ‘Th is is the most important building in town and we want to make sure nothing happens to it.’” See FIRES 7A By Caitlyn May cmay@cgsentinel.com Th e Cottage Grove City Council voted to repeal section 9.20.020 of the city’s mu- nicipal code regarding panhandling Mon- day night aft er receiving a letter from the American Civil Liberties Union (ACLU) calling the ordinance “deeply problematic.” Cottage Grove was one of 61 Oregon cities identifi ed as having a panhandling ordinance on the books though City Man- ager Richard Meyers said there had not been a citation issued under the ordinance By Zach Silva zsilva@cgsentinel.com Th e modernization project of the Warren H. Daugherty Aquatic Center is about to enter its next step: contract bids. Tomorrow, Sept. 13, bids will open up at which point the South Lane School Dis- trict will work to recommend a contractor to the school board for the Oct. 1 meeting. Th e funding for the pool project came from a 2016 bond that provided $36 mil- lion to also fund the new COMMUNITY Food Insecurity Rates Former Cottage Grove resident's lifelong journey in broadcasting A lack of food is becoming more common for area students. PAGE A6 Rain Country Realty Inc. RESIDENTIAL • COMMERCIAL PROPERTY MANAGEMENT Licensed in the State of Oregon She had the idea, she had the cast, all Dowell needed was a stage and she found one in partnership with the Opal Center. See CREATIVE 8A in decades. “Harassing, ticketing and/or arresting people who ask for help in a time of need is inhumane and counterproductive,” a let- ter sent to the city, and signed by the legal director, policy director and senior attor- ney for the ACLU, read. “People who are experiencing poverty are forced to ask for help because they are simply trying to sur- vive and have no other reasonable way to get the help they need.” Th e issue with Cottage Grove’s existing code, according to Meyers, is the phrase, “for the purpose of soliciting alms.” Meyers said the phrase was a possible violation of free speech. According to the ACLU, every panhan- dling ordinance that has been challenged in federal court since 2015 has been found to be constitutionally defi cient. “When governments adopt a model of criminalization, they also expose them- selves to liability on the taxpayer’s dime,” the ACLU’s letter read. “With no other op- tions, individuals facing constitutional vi- olations will be forced to assert their rights by bringing claims against cities that See ACLU 9A Daugherty Aquatic Center project moves forward — for now Voice of the Beavers PAGE B1 see Venice in action. “Th ey started asking me when I was going to get them on stage so I saw there was a real desire and a real need,” Dowell said. ACLU prompts repeal of C. Grove ordinance INDEX SPORTS Venice eventually landed a part in “Gypsy” and then again in “Willy Wonka.” As stage manager, Dowell was able to bring her Special Olym- pics athletes to a dress rehearsal to RainCountryRealty.com • raincountryrealty@gmail.com 1320 Hwy 99 • 541-942-7246 Harrison Elementary School in addition to safety and se- curity upgrades around the district. At Monday night’s school board meeting, SLSD busi- ness supervisor Phil Scrima gave a presentation docu- menting the money spent and estimates of how much is remaining. With interest earnings, the money SLSD had access to grew to just over $39 million. Th e report noted that as of Aug. 31, $30.8 million had See POOL 9A Calendar ........................................ B9 Channel Guide ............................... B5 Classifieds ...................................... B7 Obituaries ...................................... A2 Opinion ......................................... A4 Sports ............................................ B1 ZACH SILVA/COTTAGE GROVE SENTINEL SLSD business supervisor Phil Scrima gives a presentation on how funds from the bond have been spent. 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 130 • NUMBER 47 Michili Monroi, LCSW Counseling Services 541-255-8822 • 1450 Birch Ave • Cottage Grove, OR 97424 • Individual and Family Counseling • Insurance and Sliding Scale • Accepting New Clients • Weekend and Weekday Appointments Available