Archives | Keizertimes

School board calls for increased state funding

Posted by Admin | Jan 29, 2015 | Community, Schools, Top Stories |

By HERB SWETT For the Keizertimes A statewide campaign to improve education in Oregon won Salem-Keizer School Board approval Tuesday, Jan. 13. The board approved the Promise of Oregon resolution, which recognizes the recent turnaround in state funding for schools, calls for further progress in funding, and supports improved curriculums and school facilities. The resolution recognizes “unstable and inadequate funding that has resulted in thousands of teacher and staff layoffs, unacceptably large class sizes and one of the shortest school years in the country.” It is part of the state’s 40-40-20 program, which has the goal of 40 percent of Oregonians holding bachelors’ degrees, 40 percent holding associate degrees or other meaningful post-secondary credentials and the remaining 20 percent having high school diplomas or GEDs (general education development certificates). Also approved were grants totaling $212,642, most of it from the Oregon Department of Education. ODE has provided $125,000 to create a single online portal to manage a teacher-leader evaluation system, as well as $12,558 for two co-facilitators for the Oregon Mentor Project. The other grants are $55,000 from Early Learning Hub, Inc., for kindergarten readiness and $20,084 for after-school programs at Leslie and Walker middle schools. Superintendent Christy Perry announced the hiring of Terry Gallagher as temporary principal of Wright Elementary School and Robert Silva as the district’s director of technology. Gallagher is a former principal of Lake Labish...

Doggone good (gluten-free) treats

Posted by Admin | Jan 29, 2015 | Business, General, News, Top Stories |

By CRAIG MURPHY Of the Keizertimes When Tena Northern got her husband Dawayne a puppy for Christmas 2013, she also got herself a ticket to a new business venture. Buddy the weimaraner is the first pet the couple has had in 30 years. When Tena found herself unemployed for the second time due to company downsizing, the Keizer resident was pushed towards becoming self-employed. That led to her new business: Buddy and Friends, which makes gluten-free gourmet dog treats. “I found I had to go gluten-free in April,” Tena said. “I feel so much better. I did research on how much wheat is in foods. I wondered if any pets were going through this. I did some research and was astounded by how many pets have itching or skin issues due to their diet. That’s where this whole thing came about. The employment office is giving me a chance and I’m running with it.” Buddy, who was far too excited to sit still for an interview, didn’t just lend his name to the company. He also has his own Facebook (Dogbook?) page and gets to try the treats. “Buddy is going to eat anything I give him,” Tena acknowledged. “Buddy doesn’t have a favorite flavor. He likes them all. I always try the treats on friends’ pets as well.” Tena started the business in August and has three flavors...

Lady Celts handle Titans, pick apart Royal Scots

Posted by Eric Howald | Jan 28, 2015 | McNary, Sports, Top Stories |

By ERIC A. HOWALD Of the Keizertimes When the McNary and West Salem girls varsity basketball teams clash, it’s typically a big deal, but Head Coach Derick Handley had a few butterflies headed into the game Tuesday, Jan. 13. “We have had some early struggles this season against talented teams, and I knew that we matched up very closely with West Salem. Our coaches weren’t sure how we’d handle a difficult team in a difficult environment (at West),” Handley said. Had it not been for junior Kaelie Flores, Handley might have had more cause for hand-wringing. Flores poured in 24 points going 12 for 12 from the field en route to a 64-53 win. “We were struggling a bit with shots early, but she kept us in it until her teammates warmed up,” Handley said. The Celtics outscored the Titans 15-11 in the first frame, but the teams went into halftime with only three points separating them. Defense played a major part in the third period. “Vanessa Hayes and Lauren Hudgins played outstanding defense against Paige Whipple, who is probably their biggest threat, which allowed us to be aggressive on defending their guards,” Handley said. McNary held West to just eight points in the third period while scoring 15. In the final quarter, both teams were shooting out the lights. McNary put in 24 points to West’s 21, but it...

KeizerTV keeps the city K-23 contract

Posted by Admin | Jan 28, 2015 | General, News, Top Stories |

By CRAIG MURPHY Of the Keizertimes KeizerTV is indeed getting money from the city. In an early October Keizer City Councilor meeting, KeizerTV leader Rex Robertson and David Dahle gave an update on their social media efforts. “We love you,” then-mayor Lore Christopher told Robertson and Dahle that evening. “We’ll give you money.” Shortly after, city leaders were prepared to give KeizerTV more funding from Public, Educational or Governmental (PEG) funds until the Keizertimes raised questions about a lack of bidding for the services. City Manager Chris Eppley initially explained why the bidding wasn’t needed, but changed his mind after meeting with city attorney Shannon Johnson. “After discussing more closely with Shannon, we both think it’s borderline enough that we’re going to tell K-23 to nix the social media service until we can run the full RFP,” Eppley said. “We’re going to leave the budget adjustment in place so we have appropriate (funds) to cover this new service for whoever gets the K-23 contract. Thanks for questioning. We try to do things right here but obviously can miss asking ourselves the question if something falls under the state bidding rules or not.” Two proposals ended up being submitted and a recommendation was made to award the new public service TV contract to KeizerTV. The recommendation was approved unanimously. KeizerTV has built and operated the city’s K23 channel over the...

Mat Men struggle at Classic

Posted by Admin | Jan 27, 2015 | McNary, Sports, Top Stories |

The McNary High School varsity wrestling team attended the Oregon Classic where Celt Alvarro Venegas took down one of the state’s top-ranked wrestlers. Venegas threw down with Roseburg High School’s Will Reddekopp at the Redmond-based tournament and came up with a 3-2 win. Venegas was one of only two Celts to escape with outright wins in the dual meet, teammate Brayden Ebbs beat Roseburg’s Isaiah Hernandez in an 8-5 decision. Junior Joey Kibbey also notched a win after his opponent left the mat with an injury. McNary lost the contest 49-18. Overall, McNary took something of a beating at the six-team tournament. In five dual meets, the Celts only bestedClackamas High School. Aside from Clackamas, the Celts got closest to a win in a dual meet vs. Glencoe High School. Glencoe edged McNary by a single point, 36-35. Match winners for the Celts were: Riley Repp, fall 4:39; Ebbs, fall 1:50; Jonathon Phelps, 9-0; Carlos Vincent, 12-4; and Venegas, fall 1:18. The Barlow High School Bruins also slipped past McNary in a 39-30 dual meet. McNary winners were: Repp, 14-2; Ebbs, 3:11; Sean Burrows, 19-6; Michael Phelps, 19-6;Gage Mance, fall 1:17; Venegas, 9-5; and Kyle Bonn, 5-3. Culver High School also took down McNary 46-33. Celtic match winners were: J. Phelps, 4-3; Mance, fall :49; and Venegas, fall :44. Kibbey, Ebbs and Bonn won by forfeit. While the tournament...