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S ERVING THE COMMUNITIES OF C OTTAGE G ROVE , C RESWELL , D ORENA , D RAIN , E LKTON , L ORANE AND Y ONCALLA C ottage G rove THURSDAY EDITION | SEPTEMBER 9, 2021 | $1.00 S entinel VOL. 132, NO. 36 • Est. 1889 Your Local News Delivered Your Way: In Print. Online. On the Go! Get an insurance plan —not just a policy. A special 20th Anniversary Rememberance section inside todays issue. Locals recall 9/11 Ground Zero experiences (541) 942-0555 By Cindy Weeldreyer Special to The Sentinel WEATHER Partly cloudy with a high of 81 and a low tonight of 54. Full forecast on A5 PHOTO COURTESY OF CINDY WEELDREYER COLUMNIST Jim Jenkins (left) and Pat Gartman were on the scene at Ground Zero in the immediate aftermath of the 9/11 terrorist attacks. This Saturday marks the 20th anniver- sary of the al-Qaeda terrorist attacks that suddenly and without warning snuffed out the lives of 2,996 people on Sept. 11, 2001. In the midst of the ongoing global pan- demic, Americans still paused this week to remember those lost lives and the heroism of thousands of individuals who put them- selves in harm’s way in the massive rescue and recovery effort that followed. Two Grovers were among an army of personal support volunteers dispatched to New York City in the wake of the unfolding tragedy. Images of the attacks are forever seared in the memory of millions of Americans who witnessed the horror unfold live on television on that late summer morning. After two decades, most who watched the events in real time still remember where they were and what they were doing on that tragic Tuesday. For Pastor Jim Jenkins, his memory of that day began with a 6 a.m. phone call from a frantic member of the Cottage Grove Faith Center urging him to turn on the television immediately. Jenkins served 20 years as the Faith Center pastor, from See ATTACKS A8 PeaceHealth deploys new strategies to combat strain on resources Mary Ellen Pet Tips ‘n’ Tales A5 SPORTS & REC Monoclonal antibody IV ther- apy and National Guardsmen are among solutions DAMIEN SHERWOOD/COTTAGE GROVE SENTINEL Elks, Warriors rekindle rivalry B1 • RECORDS Obituaries Official releases A2 • LORANE NEWS A5 • CLASSIFIEDS Listings and public notices B5-B6 follow us for the latest news: /CGSentinel @CGSentinel The crosswalk north of Geer Avenue is among features which will be upgraded during the project. ODOT plans Hwy 99 revamp By Damien Sherwood dsherwood@cgsentinel.com Plans are in motion for an ODOT construction project scheduled for 2022 which will see the recon- struction of Highway 99 between Woodson Bridge and the Cottage Grove Connector overpass. The project aims to make the section of OR 99 safer for not just drivers, but bicyclists and pedestri- ans as well. Covering a little less than half a mile of road- way, the project is estimat- ed cost around $6,300,000. ODOT’s Region 2 Area 5 Manager Frannie Brin- dle delivered an update on the project to the Cottage Grove City Council on Aug. 23. Brindle’s update includ- ed the project’s key fea- tures, ODOT’s protocol for public outreach and the tentative timeline for con- struction. Improvement require- ments to that portion of roadway were in part raised due to at least two pedestrian deaths there in the past seven years and the city’s Transportation System Plan identifying a need for better accom- modation for all modes of travel, Bindle said. Parts of the stretch must also be made ADA (Amer- icans with Disabilities Act) compliant. One of the most marked changes to the roadway will be the reduction from See ODOT A7 Oregon to redistrict due to population increase By Mark Brennan 541- 942-3325 ph • 541-942-3328 fax P.O. Box 35, Cottage Grove, OR 97424 for The Sentinel The completion of the 2020 census and the analysis of the data gath- ered from across the na- tion, and in Oregon, will be used for a number of purposes, including dis- tribution of federal and state funds, assistance to the disadvantaged and, perhaps most impactful- ly, the redrawing of con- gressional districts. The process of redis- tricting is constitution- ally mandated and the deadlines for incorporat- Free Appraisals I’ll Come to You! BUY & SELL Gold, Silver, Scrap, Men’s Jewelry, Costume Jewelry, Pieces & Parts. Even Junk! The Jewelry Girl, LLC L ISA R USSELL • (541)556-9598 25+ Years Experience 2001 Franklin #3 Eugene, Oregon ing the new population data was extended due to the difficulties presented by the COVID-19 pan- demic. The process of publicly discussing redistricting began on Friday, Sept. 3, when the Oregon Legis- lature released an initial redistricting draft plan. On that day, the state also held a statewide virtual forum to begin the pro- cess of determining ac- curate voter representa- tion for the next 10 years. Article I, Section 2 of See REDISTRICT A11 As of Thursday, Sept. 2, Lane County re- ported it has only four available Intensive Care Unit beds available. Out of 137 hospitalized COVID-19 patients, 29 are on ventilators, and an overall 31 percent of the region’s hospital- ized beds are being used for COVID-19. “At this point, we are seeing a significant in- crease in our hospital- izations from COVID,” reported Dr. Brenda Ormersher, M.D., infec- tious disease specialist with PeaceHealth. PeaceHealth Sacred Heart Medical Center at RiverBend in Spring- field is still the region’s hub for the novel coro- navirus COVID-19. This means patients from as far away as Coos Bay and Roseburg are being treated there. “Out of all the pa- tients hospitalized since April of this year until now, 95 percent of our patients have been un- vaccinated,” Ormersher stated. “Only 5 percent of the cases here are ac- tually with vaccinated individuals — and they tend to recover faster See PEACEHEALTH A9 Emerald Valley Armory, LLC Handguns • Long Rifles Concealed Carry Classes Tues. - Sat. 10-6 147 E. Oregon Ave. Creswell, OR 97426 541-895-2666
