Editor’s note: Following is a review of what we considered the top stories from we reported in The New Era last year. Also, we’ve included some of what we considered the most interesting news photos we published.
January
– Two people, John Cerruti and Melissa Avila, were arrested at the end of 2012 in connection with a Dec. 20, 2012, robbery at Umpqua Bank.
– The Community Forest Solutions Team held its first meeting, marking the start of the Santiam Forest Corridor project, in conjunction with Gov. Kitzhaber’s Oregon Solutions team.
– Paden Tyler completed construction of a covered shelter at the Skate Park as his Eagle Scout Project.
– The Sweet Home Genealogical Society unveiled a new website.
– The Sweet Home Fire and Ambulance District reported 282 fire calls for 2012, up from 200 the year before and 2,367 medical calls, up from 2,200.
– A Sweet Home man was taken into custody for mental evaluation after apparently leaving a grenade on a sidewalk in the 100 block of Highway 228. The Oregon State Bomb Disposal Unit responded and discovered the device to be inert.
– Jim Gourley was elected mayor by the City Council. Gourley was previously mayor from 1997 to 1998 and has served on the council since 1993.
– Criticizing congressional paralysis, Sen. Jeff Merkley visited Sweet Home, a first by a U.S. Senator in at least a decade.
– The School Board learned that its policies on staff members carrying firearms were actually silent after years of district officials and board members believing that staff members were prohibited from carrying firearms, after asking the superintendent to look into the idea of allowing them to carry.
– Sweet Home Gleaners had reopened after a brief closure in late 2012.
– David Younger was named South Albany High School’s head football coach.
– Sweet Home wrestlers were second at the Oregon Classic.
– Linn County Sheriff Tim Mueller wrote a letter to Vice President Joe Biden saying that his agency would not enforce any regulation offending the constitutional rights of Linn County citizens, specifically referring to their right to bear arms.
– The Friends of the Library moved from Main Street to the corner of Long and 12th.
– Ian Search was named Young Marine of the Year.
– Joseph Arthur Williams was sentenced to 90 months in prison in connection to a pursuit in the area of Third and Fourth Avenue on Oct. 24 that disabled three police cars and damaged one.
February
– School District 55 officials started putting together an online school in an effort to attract back students from other online schools and home-schooled students.
– Juan Ulep, an active Sweet Home volunteer, died at age 84.
– The Sweet Home Planning Commission approved changes to Santiam River Place, a proposed 305-acre development east of Clark Mill Road along the South Santiam River, nearly doubling the previously approved density.
– The Huskies won their second straight state title in cheerleading.
LOCAL VETERAN Jim Allyn gives a thumbs up after returning home from the hospital via a ramp built by local members of the Northwest Veterans Motorcycle Club.
– Rep. Sherrie Sprenger, R-Scio, who represents Sweet Home in the state legislature, was named minority whip.
– The School District began allowing open enrollment, allowing students to enroll in Sweet Home regardless of where they are from and without the approval of the students’ home districts.
– Chad Calderwood, forest protection supervisor with the Oregon Department of Forestry Sweet Home Unit and a volunteer firefighter, was named Firefighter of the Year with the Sweet Home Fire and Ambulance District.
– JoAnn McQueary received the Ford Institute for Community Building fellowship award.
– Sweet Home High School wrestlers finished third in the state, with Tyler Cowger, Colton Schilling and Wade Paulus won championship titles.
– Drew Stevens of Las Vegas, who founded the “Be Kind” program and travels the nation speaking, appeared at Sweet Home Junior High School to deliver his anti-bullying message.
– The Sweet Home Economic Development Group chose not to move forward with plans for an indie music festival in July.
– John Cerruti was sentenced to 70 months in prison for the December robbery of Umpqua Bank.
March
– Charles and Juanita Deffenbaugh celebrated their 60th anniversary.
– Hillside Fellowship Pastor Matthew Coleman earned his master’s degree in spiritual formation from George Fox University.
– Numerous Sweet Home area residents reported their credit cards and debit cards were used fraudulently after their information was compromised remotely during transactions with a local pharmacy.
– Lerena Ruby was named First Citizen during the annual Chamber of Commerce awards, and her store, Seamingly Creative, was named Business of the Year.
Henry and Mollie Wolthuis received Distinguished Service honors, Diane Gerson was Pattie Woods Woman of the Year and the Kiwanis Club was Organization of the Year. Heather Search was Junior First Citizen.
VIPs were John Smith, Arlene Paschen, Bill Baitinger, Mary Brendle, Gus Gerson, Rogene Stock and Don Gonzalez.
– Sens. Ron Wyden and Jeff Merkley wrote a letter urging the postmaster general to restore the Cascadia Post Office, which was destroyed by fire and slated for possible closure over the protest of Cascadia residents.
– The getaway driver in the December robbery of Umpqua Bank, Melissa Avila, was sentenced to probation after pleading guilty.
– Economic Development Director Brian Hoffman resigned to take a job with Waste Connections in Springfield after three years in the post.
– U.S. Forest Service police dog Nikko died earlier in the year at age 11 and was succeed in March by Drex.
– Local independent filmmaker Paul Bright began filming in Sweet Home the first of four movies, “Forgotten Hero.”
n Sweet Home Sanitation described a hazardous waste program it planned to introduce this year. The City Council approved trash rate increases and a fee for the program in December.
– Sweet Home police reported a decrease in calls from 2011 to 2012, down to 7,764 from 8,505.
– Colton Schilling was named Mr. Husky.
– The annual Sweet Home Rock and Mineral Show turned 65.
– The city Budget Committee received a budget proposal that essentially maintained service levels from 2012 to 2013, with some additional spending in parks, which included a master plan for Hobart Park and a new community strategic plan.
April
– Eight candidates filed for five District 55 School Board seats, including Jan Sharp, Randy Holder, Dale Keene, Monica Sanders, Vernon Tunnell, Chanz Keeney, Jenny Daniels and Chairman Jason Redick.
– A mental patient who walked away from a voluntary treatment facility led to the lockdown of Sweet Home High School and the closure of Jim Riggs Community Center after apparently making threats against the Linn-Benton Community College Sweet Home Center or the Community Center in the months preceding the “escape.” The man was located in Salem several hours later.
– The Sweet Home Community Foundation awarded $3,098 in grant funds to five local charitable organizations.
– Sen. Fred Girod proposed, and the legislature passed, a law that prohibits railroads operating in Linn County from receiving Connect Oregon funds if they charge neighbors for crossings. The bill was in response to bills Albany and Eastern Railroad had submitted to longtime neighbors of the tracks west of Sweet Home. Albany and Eastern is suing the property owners for the charges.
– John Ackroyd, serving prison time for murder, was charged for murder in connection to the disappearance of his stepdaughter, Rachanda Pickle, in 1990.
– Rep. Sherrie Sprenger sought and the legislature later agreed to pay for $4 million more in expenses for the veterans home in Lebanon.
– Sweet Home volunteers, in association with Ford Leadership Foundation training participants, completed work on the Roy Johnston Memorial Park ball fields behind Hawthorne School. The fields had been closed for about two years.
– The Elks Lodge installed Randy Claasen as exalted ruler.
– The New Era learned and reported that Bi-Mart was planning to open a store in Sweet Home.
– The Oregon Coaches Association inducted Larry Johnson into the Hall of Fame. Johnson was athletic director in Sweet Home for 19 years.
– World-class expert Jon Wilson provided a fast-draw shooting workshop at Chafin Farms.
– Sweet Home residents and city officials went to work on a new community vision, strategic plan and master plan for Hobart Park. The process continues this month.
– Scott Smith and Debbie Jensen of Brownsville completed and released their zombie film “Sick and Contagious.” The production included Sweet Home residents, and Jensen is a former Sweet Home resident.
May
– LeRetta Jean Moore, 85, was killed in a collision about three miles west of Sweet Home on Highway 20.
– Four were arrested in connection to an April kidnapping and assault. They included Daniel Schroeder, Karissa Williams, Michell Slay and Joseph Gutierrez. Schroeder was sentenced to 60 months in prison. The remaining three pleaded guilty to third-degree assault charges. Schroeder later pleaded guilty to attempted kidnapping and third-degree assault and was sentenced to 25 months in prison. Gutierrez and Williams were placed on probation, and Slay was scheduled for sentencing on Dec. 31.
– Fire Chief Mike Beaver announced his retirement effective on July 1. He is working one more year, through June 30, on a temporary contract.
– Valedictorians and salutatorians were announced. Valedictorians include Samantha Ashlock, Megan Graville, Hailey Hummer and Zane Jackson. Salutatorians were Kendall Anderson, Nicole Bell, Brandon Combs, Brittani Crompton, Sabrina Davis and Kaitlyn Runia.
– Sweet Home High School presented the play “The Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe.”
– With rainfall at less than 70 percent of normal and reaching record lows, fires broke out in the western part of the state, foreshadowing a busy fire season. Sweet Home avoided any major fires during the season.
– Sweet Home Police Sgt. Jeff Lynn, a 14-year veteran, was named police chief, succeeding Bob Burford, who had been police chief for 18 years.
– The District 55 School Board turned down a proposal to return to a five-day school week, choosing to continue using the four-day schedule.
– Members of the Sweet Home community raised several thousand dollars to help Shaun Bickford and his family to assist in his fight against cancer. He succumbed son after fund-raising benefits, including a sale of second-hand items at Little Promises. He succumbed to the cancer in June.
– Trever Olson signed a letter of intent to wrestle at Southwestern Oregon Community College.
– Local wrestlers hosted against German guests.
– School Board election winners were incumbents Dale Keene, Jan Sharp, Jason Redick, Jenny Daniels and Chanz Keeney.
June
– Sweet Home Junior High Principal Hal Huschka retired after 18 years as principal and 32 years in the district.
– An arbitrator ruled that the School District violated its contract with classified employees in how it handled benefits for 13 employees after switching to a four-day week for the 2012-13 school year.
– Sweet Home Police Department promoted Jason Ogden to sergeant after Jeff Lynn’s appointment as police chief.
– Teachers on special assignment Josh Dargis and Steve Brown were hired as assistant principals at Sweet Home Junior High and Sweet Home High School respectively.
– Longtime SHHS teacher Steve Hummer went to South Albany to teach and coach softball. He also assists in wrestling. He worked in Sweet Home for 18 years.
– Bill and Annette Allyn were installed as commander of the Sweet Home VFW post and president of the auxiliary respectively.
– The City Council agreed to pay $311,000 to Brown and Caldwell to develop a plan to handle inflow and infiltration, storm water that leaks into the sewer system or enters through cross connections with storm drains during heavy rain storms. The likely plan will outline upgrades to the treatment plant to handle higher volumes of waste water.
– Marvin Wing organized a tractor pulling competition as part of Sportsman’s Holiday activities.
– Molly Fisher and Eric Whitlow were named freshmen of the year.
July
– Sweet Home was selected as one of four communities in the nation to participate in the Livability Initiative, an effort to help what are considered “gateway communities” to wildlife refuges, parks, forests and other “treasured” public lands. The two-year project is led by a partnership of federal agencies and organizations.
– Brandon Vinson won the VFW’s annual karaoke contest hosted by Double D Karaoke.
– District 55 Supt. Don Schrader received a “satisfactory” evaluation, just shy of “very good.” He received a 3-percent raise.
– Retiring school personnel included Hal Huschka, teachers Jim Hawkins of Oak Heights and Linda Leveque of Hawthorne and classified employees Kay Clark of Foster, Linda Holley of Sweet Home High School, Michelle King of Hawthorne, Carollin Nothiger of the Central Office and Marilyn Richards of Sweet Home Junior High.
– Bigfoot researchers returned to the area, staying at Cascadia State Park for the second year in a row following a hiatus from their annual get-together that was several years long.
– Brittany Poteet was named Sportsman’s Holiday queen. The court also included Haley Hawkins, Alex Olin, Hannah Mather and Briana Warth.
– After a one-year hiatus to deal with federal paperwork, the exchange program with Josai University High School in Tokyo, Japan, continued as Josai students spent the summer in Sweet Home.
– McCollum Logging repeated as champion in the annual Logger Olympic relay competition with a time of 1:46.56.
– Community Development Director and city planner Carol Lewis retired after 18 years in Sweet Home.
– The Sweet Home Police Department took over city code enforcement responsibilities, assigning them to Community Services Officer Gina Riley.
– Trevor Tagle won the area Texaco Country Showdown.
– Peter Stock was promoted to sergeant with the Washington State Police.
– Organic farmers David Landis and Anita Azarenko were featured in a statewide advertising campaign for farmers markets.
August
– Lance Morgan Hawken, 42, died in a motorcycle crash after a police pursuit. Police had attempted a traffic stop, but Hawken attempted to elude police.
– Luke Bryan, Dwight Yoakam and Toby Keith headlined the Oregon Jamboree, which is a fund-raising event produced by the Sweet Home Economic Development Group to fund local economic development projects.
– District 55 School Board member Jan Sharp was hired on a temporary contract to serve as principal at Foster School.
– Tracy Lee Moore, 48, died when his truck rolled into an embankment along Forest Service Road 11.
– Sweet Home emergency responders were among those who rescued a boy and his father from the South Santiam River at Waterloo County Park.
– Mollie Kerins was named branch director at at the Sweet Home Branch of the Boys and Girls Clubs of the greater Santiam.
– Nicholas Mattson earned the rank of Eagle Scout in Boy Scouts.
– Harvest Christian Center gave away 533 backpacks full of school supplies, an annual event. More than 1,000 people showed up.
– The City Council gave City Manager Craig Martina “very good” evaluation, awarding a 3-percent step increase in his salary.
– The Cascadia Post Office problem became one of the main discussion items during Santiam Forest Corridor-community forest meetings. Residents want the Postal Service to provide postal service in Cascadia. The Cascadia Post Office was destroyed in a fire in 2011, and it was slated for possible closure by the Postal Service. Resident box holders must check their mail at Foster Post Office.
– The South Santiam Watershed Council dropped trees across the Soda Fork in an effort to create fish spawning beds, which had been scoured out when timber was removed from the stream in the past.
– Courtney Murphy, who grew up in Sweet Home, went to work as principal at Oak Heights when Colleen Henry moved to the Junior High to succeed retiring Hal Huschka. Murphy came to Sweet Home from Sandy.
-A pilot and three passengers were unharmed when the pilot, Trevor Jordan Schultz of Lebanon had to land the plane, which had lost engine power, in Marion Lake. He is the nephew of Roger Emmert of Sweet Home. Emmert owned the plane.
September
– Bobby Ray Hancock was found not guilty of manslaughter and tampering with physical evidence in the death of Victoria Richards in a 2011 motorcycle crash on Foster Dam. He was found guilty of driving under the influence of intoxicants and sentenced to 90 days in jail.
– Leena Ellis was appointed by the School Board to fill Jan Sharp’s seat when Sharp resigned to be principal at Foster.
Enrollment was up about 68 students, 2,359, at the beginning of the school year.
– A freak storm dumped 2.66 inches on Sweet Home and brought lightning strikes inside the city limits.
– Laura Goodrich started work as part of the Resource Assistance for Rural Environments program. The position is funded by Linn County, the city of Sweet Home and the U.S. Forest Service. She is assisting in the Santiam Forest Corridor-community forest process.
– Student state test performance generally fell a little in reports on the 2012-13 school year, following a similar trend statewide.
– Numerous cougar sightings, especially around 43rd Avenue and Clark Mill Road made residents nervous and prompted federal agents to try to find the cougar or cougars. They have not had any luck finding a cougar, but the number of reported sightings had decreased by the end of the year.
– Public Works, with help from Mike Melcher, moved the old Oregon Electric Railroad depot from property north of McDonald’s to the Public Works maintenance yard off 24th Avenue.
– Bi-Mart began construction of its new store, located south of McDonald’s, in the 2000 block of Main Street. It scheduled for completion by April or May..
October
– Nelia Taraski succeeded retiring Anita Hutchins as director of Little Promises Preschool. Hutchins founded the program in 1982 at Sweet Home Evangelical Church.
– Don Gonzalez was installed as the new Kiwanis Club president.
– Thomas Francis Hyland was arrested for the murder of a person reported missing in 1987 and whose remains were found near Sweet Home in 1989. He was arrested in Dayton, Nev.
– The School District was adapting to a new grading system that largely abandons traditional letter grading in favor of number ratings that reflects more accurately how a student is doing in relation to state assessment tests.
-The City Council’s Public Safety Committee began considering a nuisance property ordinance. Under this type of ordinance, a property where certain crimes are habitual, the city could choose the home.
– Three schools ranked high on state report cards. They included Foster School, Sweet Home Junior High and Sweet Home Charter School.
– The Rio Theater installed a new digital projector, which will allow it to continue premiering new movies. The theater borrowed money to get the projector after seeking donations and raising funds through a surcharge on tickets, a total of about $6,000 of the $40,000 needed.
– Three sets of twins completed their final season of girls soccer together. They included seniors Courtney and Haley Kent and Katy and Natalie Currey and juniors Ashley and Allison Wickline.
– Amanda Hubbard and Jarid Adams were named Sweet Home Junior First Citizens.
November-December
– The District 55 School Board agreed to place a request to renew the 32-cent local option levy that funds the pool on the May ballot.
– Fire destroyed the home of Brandon Henry and Jesse Burnett – and also the historic Holley Grange.
– Vicki Lindley retired from a 34-year career in rural mail delivery.
– A new Oregon World War II memorial visited Sweet Home on a tour of the state. The memorial will be erected in Salem in the spring.
– Katie Virtue signed a letter of intent to play softball at Oregon Institute of Technology.
– The Elks Lodge celebrated the 50th anniversary of its building.
– Robert “Bobby” Vernon Kristoph Johnson, 23, died when he was hit by a van while riding on a motorized chair.
– Jessica Marie Martinez, 25, was killed in a crash on Highway 20 near Waterloo Drive.
– Paul Rowton returned from retirement to direct the Singing Christmas Tree after a six-year hiatus. He directed the choir during its first 25 years.
– An early snow covered Sweet Home and stuck around for nearly a week when the temperature remained below freezing. The weather burst pipes in homes and businesses across town.
– A mortar exploded in the back of a parked 1994 Mustang at 1639 Main St. Police are continuing an investigation.
– Members of the Livability Initiative arrived in Sweet Home to begin their assessment, designed to assist “gateway communities,” like Sweet Home, which is one of four nationwide.
– The School Board chose to continue the four-day school week into a third year in 2014-15.
– Caroline Huss, 16, died in a vehicle collision on Highway 228 near Brownsville.