Simmons crowned Sportsman’s Holiday Queen at coronation ceremony
By Ryker BurrFor The New Era Miu Simmons was selected as this year’s Sportsman’s Holiday Queen during the coronation ceremony held Wednesday, July 15, at Community…
LATEST NEWS
Lebanon to decide fate of municipal jail
The Lebanon City Council approved reinstatement of council stipends and referral of a tax levy during its meeting on Wednesday, July 8. The city has historically provided a monthly stipend to…
Miner’s Meadow fire draws multi response
Multiple local agencies responded Monday afternoon, July 13, to a fire in the area between Yellowbottom and Old Miner’s Meadow. Sweet Home Fire and Oregon Department of Forestry personnel…
Body of Nevada man recovered after fall on Mt. Washington
The body of a climber from Nevada was recovered on Mt. Washington Friday morning, July 10, by searchers from multiple agencies, Linn County Undersheriff Micah Smith reported last week.…
County Veterans Department assistance numbers on the rise
By Alex Paul Linn County Communications Linn County Commissioners Roger Nyquist, Sherrie Sprenger and Will Tucker were told Tuesday morning, July 7, that the Linn County Veterans Services…
Brush fire on Lebanon outskirts burns acre-plus
A brush fire burned more than an acre in the area of Brewster Road and East Grant Street outside Lebanon Sunday evening, July 12, Lebanon Fire District reported. LFD firefighters responded at…
SH Fire acquires new emergency vehicles
The Sweet Home Fire and Ambulance District announced it has acquired three new pieces of emergency response apparatus during the past few months. A new ambulance replaces a 2005 ambulance box…
SPORTS
Girls wrestling camp returns to SHHS
Sweet Home hosted its sixth annual Santiam Girls Wrestling Camp last week, drawing 99 girls for what Head Coach Steve Thorpe described as “quite honestly, my most favorite women’s camp that…
Where are they now? 2025-26 Alumni Roundup
Following is a round-up of the exploits during the past school year of local high school alums who are competing in colleges around the nation. We’ve tried to get a complete list, but if we’ve…
Sweet Home Tennis Camp
Participants in a tennis camp held last week at Sweet Home High School gather for a group photo with awards and trophies, celebrating several days of learning, improvement, sportsmanship, and…
Local athletes medal at Nike Nationals track championships
Lebanon’s Cade Weber and Logan Large both medaled at the Nike Outdoor Nationals and USATF U20 track and field championships held June 18-22 at Hayward Field at the University of Oregon. Weber,…
COMMUNITY
East Linn Museum volunteers look to the community as museum marks 50 years
As the East Linn Museum celebrates its 50th anniversary this year, volunteers hope more community members will join their efforts to preserve the history of East Linn County. For 50 years,…
Scene Around Town: July 15, 2026 issue
Creature Teacher Kids learned a little about molting, pedipalps and snake farts on Friday, July 10, when Shanti Cain shared some of her favorite creatures with Sweet Home’s little ones at…
Golden jubilee highlights SH history
Access to East Linn County’s historical roots became more tangible when the Sweet Home Genealogical Society and the East Linn Museum set ground 50 years ago. On Saturday, July 11, the East…
OPINION
Opinion: Housing Act just political theater
By Randal O’Toole A recent bill passed by Congress aimed at making housing more affordable will lead to almost no improvements in affordability. In fact, some provisions of the law…
Opinion: 250th one-of-a-kind celebration
As a journalist in a small community where “everybody knows your name,” covering events often means being a participant. Last Saturday, that was a pretty affirming experience. I…
FROM OUR FILES
From Our Files: July 15, 2026
July 19, 1951 Three Sweet Home boys, unidentified due to being underage, were found guilty for being out after hours, illegal possession of liquor and theft of oil from a service station. In a separate…
From Our Files: July 1, 2026
July 12, 1951 Sweet Home’s water situation got worse when an overworked water pump gave up under the strain of constant high-speed operation. The main 500 horsepower river pump quit and was offline for 10…
OREGON JOURNALISM PROJECT (OJP)
DEQ makes long-awaited announcement on controversial climate program
The agency has selected a California nonprofit to distribute what industry sources expect will be billions of dollars in carbon taxes. By Nigel Jaquiss Oregon Journalism Project Last month,…
Massive prison payout highlights dismal financial picture for State Insurance Fund
Escalating liabilities soar faster than lawmakers appropriate money to pay settlements. By Nigel Jaquiss Oregon Journalism Project Last month, Oregon agreed to pay $49 million to…
Spotlight: Eric Fruits and Joe Cortright
Two economists have sharply different takes on the recommendations by Gov. Tina Kotek’s Prosperity Council. By Oregon Journalism Project Staff Just how bad has Oregon’s competitive situation…