Suspect arrested after 1st Avenue standoff
Law enforcement officials from Sweet Home, Linn County and Albany converged on the 900 block of 1st Avenue Tuesday afternoon, Jan. 13, in an attempt to apprehend Jason…
LATEST NEWS
Upper Berlin shooting results in attempted murder arrest
A Lebanon man was arrested for attempted murder and other charges Tuesday afternoon, Jan. 13, after shooting another man in the head, Linn County Sheriff Michelle Duncan reported Wednesday…
Gas tax referendum organizers turn in quarter-million signatures
Organizers of the referendum effort to overturn the gas tax enacted by the Oregon Legislature last fall have turned in more than 250,000 signatures from Oregon voters, they reported last week.…
Commissioners OK juvenile records expungement contract
By Alex Paul Linn County Communications At their first meeting of the new year on Jan. 6, Linn County Commissioners Roger Nyquist, Sherrie Sprenger and Will Tucker approved an…
HOA street maintenance falls to City of Sodaville
Large potholes on one or two streets have been left untended for years in Sodaville because it was believed an inactive Homeowners Association was responsible for them. A city councilor set…
Lebanon Fire District faces more calls, less staff
Lebanon Fire District reported it responded to 7,181 emergency incidents in 2025. The district said it has seen an increase of nearly 7% in calls since 2022, and added that the growing…
Oregonians start new year with 282 new state laws
A total of 282 new state laws took effect Jan. 1, 2026, covering areas from health care to consumer protections and personal safety. Following are some that will likely have particular impacts…
SPORTS
Lebanon swimmers set PRs
Lebanon High School’s swimmers returned from winter break on Tuesday, Jan. 6, to face a tough opponent, Silverton, The Warriors lost on both sides to the largest team in the league by nearly…
Sweet Home wrestlers shine in home meets
By Ryker Burr For The New Era Sweet Home’s boys were not only the hosts but the winners of the Special District 2 Duals for boys Saturday, Jan. 10. Actually, the Huskies dominated. Sweet Home…
Huskies near league season as one of top defenses
By Keeghan Gittins For The New Era The Sweet Home girls basketball team is off to its best start in years, heading into league play with a winning record secured regardless of the outcome of…
Cancellation leaves Huskies with one more non-league game
By Keeghan Gittins For The New Era Sweet Home’s boys played only one game last week due to a cancellation of a game scheduled for Friday, Jan. 9 at third-ranked Madras. On Jan. 6 the Huskies…
COMMUNITY
Manna Meals program goes into hibernation
Sweet Home Emergency Ministries announced last week that its Manna Meals program has been discontinued for the foreseeable future. All other SHEM services remain available to the community.…
Local boy and his dog finish high in national AKC competition
Caden Foley is really into dogs, particularly Brittany spaniels. Now a junior at Sweet Home High School, he’s been working with Brittanies since he was in the third grade, focusing on…
Linn County Cultural Coalition accepting grant applications
The Linn County Cultural Coalition is accepting proposals for grants to fund projects involving the arts, the humanities, and heritage activities in Linn County. Deadline for grant…
OPINION
Dear Editor: Local news appreciated
Editor: As a lifelong reader of newspapers, I am so pleased to see the news of a weekly publication that will arrive in my mailbox and include current happenings here in Lebanon. I…
Editorial: Off and running in new year
Welcome to the first edition of the expansion of The New Era to include coverage of the entire east Linn County! Although we try not to sensationalize news, I’ll let that exclamation…
FROM OUR FILES
From Our Files: Jan. 14, 2026
Jan. 18, 1951 The impact of wind and rain buffeting the Pacific Northwest was felt by residents here. A colt owned by E.C. “Bud” Banke on Airport Heights was killed early in the morning when struck by…
From Our Files: Jan. 7, 2026
Jan. 11, 1951 Seven newly built school bus stop shelters are now in use, and more are expected. The shelters are financed by a benefit dance and built by the Active Club members. The first to be…
OREGON JOURNALISM PROJECT (OJP)
Spotlight: Bruce Starr
Senate minority leader speaks out on gathering 250,000 signatures almost overnight and what’s wrong with Oregon. By OJP Staff Senate Minority Leader Bruce Starr (R-Dundee) is riding high.…
Oregon election officials to begin purging rolls of inactive voters
The state paused such housekeeping in 2017 but will now cancel registrations of those who neither receive ballots nor vote. By Nigel Jaquiss Oregon Journalism Project As Oregon kicks off a…
Critics: Interstate bridge staff hid information about ballooning cost of giant highway project
The estimated price tag more than doubled from $6 billion to $13.6 billion, but staff told a bistate panel Dec. 15 it didn’t have new numbers. By Nigel Jaquiss Oregon Journalism…