Lebanon competition draws top fiddlers from throughout NW
It was a foot-stompin’, tune-swappin’ day Saturday, March 14, as top musicians from around the Northwest gathered to compete in the 60th annual Oregon State Open…
LATEST NEWS
Lebanon utility bill to increase 3.3%
City Council approved a utility rate increase and denied an increase on the City Service Fee during its meeting March 11. City staff requested a 6% increase on the sewer, or wastewater,…
Sweet Home charter amendments referred to voters
The Sweet Home City Council voted during its March 10 meeting to refer charter amendments to voters in the May election. A Charter Review Committee held several meetings last year to review…
Commissioners mark fifth anniversary of Lindsey death
By Alex Paul Linn County Communications Linn County Commissioners Roger Nyquist, Sherrie Sprenger and Will Tucker commemorated the five-year anniversary of the death of former commissioner…
Lebanon secures $2 million in state funding for wastewater treatment facility upgrades
The City of Lebanon was awarded $2 million in state funding during the 2026 Oregon Legislative Short Session to support critical upgrades to the city’s wastewater treatment facility. The…
Primary election list of major-party candidates solidified
The list of candidates on the ballot for the May 19 primary election was finalized last week. March 10 was the deadline for any major party candidates who are not incumbents to file to run for…
Fire from matchstick destroys house on Rowell Hill
An early morning fire destroyed a home on Rowell Hill Sunday, March 8, Sweet Home Fire and Ambulance District reported. At 7:20 a.m. Sunday, Sweet Home firefighters were dispatched to the…
SPORTS
Sweet Home basketball All-League selections, swimming/wrestling state qualifiers
Above, Sweet Home boys and girls wrestlers who qualified for state stand with coaches at this year’s OSAA 4A state championships, at which Sweet Home won the team title. Boys qualifiers and…
East Linn basketball players named to all-league honors
All-Valley Coast Conference boys basketball selections from East Linn Christian are, above, from left, Grady Knurowski, Second Team All-League; Gavin Wilson, First Team All-League; Brison…
Eagles end state basketball playoffs with a trophy
East Linn Christian’s boys finished sixth in the 2A state championships in Pendleton last weekend in Pendleton, falling to eventual champion Trinity Lutheran 74-31 Thursday, March 5, then…
Warriors’ basketball seasons end against top state teams
By Mike Warner For The New Era Lebanon’s boys and girls ended their 2025-26 basketball campaigns in the first round of the 5A DIvision state playoffs last weekend, the girls falling to No. 7…
COMMUNITY
Volunteers brave weather to plant trees at Marks Slough
It was pouring rain, but nobody seemed to mind – except a photographer who was trying to keep his camera dry. About a dozen volunteers from the Build Lebanon Trails group and the Lebanon…
Officers converge on 10th Avenue in search for suspect
Sweet Home police and Linn County Sheriff’s deputies converged at a home on the south end of 10th Avenue Thursday, March 12 after, police said, a suspect fled from SHPD to a home at 151 10th…
Real Estate Sold: March 18, 2026
Following are Lebanon, Sweet Home, and Brownsville area real estate transactions recorded with the county during late February and March 2026. These are not properties for sale, and some…
OPINION
Don’t rush it on outdoor gym plans
Editor: The possibility of a new outdoor gym was a topic during a recent Sweet Home City Council meeting. After a short presentation the council voted to approve one. It will be…
Thanks for ‘fantastic’ toilet paper donation
Editor: We would like to thank Georgia-Pacific Consumer Products and Donna Black for their fantastic donation of 6,900 rolls of toilet paper to Lebanon St. Vincent de Paul. We…
FROM OUR FILES
From Our Files: March 18, 2026
March 22, 1951 Frank Cameron was injured when a gas tank he was welding exploded in his face. He suffered a bruise on the arm, broken nose and cuts inside his mouth as the blast shattered his false…
From Our Files: March 11, 2026
March 15, 1951 Intention of residents of the 7th Avenue and A Lane area to have their streets paved moved another step as city councilors approved an engineer’s report for the street improvement…
OREGON JOURNALISM PROJECT (OJP)
Unprepared: Broken pipeline teaching Oregon’s teachers
How our education leaders have failed the classroom. By James Neff Oregon Journalism Project Jim Green says one solution for Oregon’s worst-in-the-nation reading scores is a governor’s…
Controversial bill to fix Oregon’s cash-strapped public universities awaits Gov. Kotek’s signature
As enrollment declines and costs rise, universities may be pushed to restructure and combine programs and services. By Khushboo Rathore Oregon Journalism Project Before adjourning last…
Kotek announces staff shake-Up ahead of re-election campaign
Three senior aides depart following the end of the 2026 legislative session. By Nigel Jaquiss Oregon Journalism Project As Gov. Tina Kotek begins her campaign for a second term in…