Articles written by Audrey Caro
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Woman arrested on child neglect charges
Jodi Lee Macy, 36, was arrested for second-degree child neglect. She was cited and released. Macy contacted the Sweet Home Police Department at 5:33 p.m. to report her daughter was missing. SHPD responded to call at 2:50 p.m. about a 2-year-old girl...
Candidates for judge answer questions at Democrat event
Four judicial candidates were featured speakers at the Linn County Democrats meeting at the Albany Public Library on May 3. Jennifer S. Hisey, Rachel Kittson-MaQatish, Teri Plagmann and Rebecca...
Juvenile court charges rise over past year
Court charges against juveniles are up in Linn County from last year according to a report presented to the Linn County Board of Commissioners on April 24. Commissioner Will Tucker asked Juvenile Department Director Torri Lynn about the spike. “We...
Free academy to give young women taste of fire service
The only requirements to participate in the Linn County Women's Fire Academy are a positive attitude and a willingness to try new things. The free two-day academy is open to Oregon women aged 16 to...
Open house to celebrate Arts Guild's third anniversary
The Linn County Arts Guild is hosting an open house to celebrate the third anniversary of its Gifts & Gallery store. Guild members were mindful to put the word "gift" before "gallery." "I think so...
First-time candidate sees room for new blood
Stephanie Newton, 28, decided to run for the open seat on the Linn County Board of Commissioners at the encouragement of Albany Mayor Sharon Kanopa, she said. Newton regularly attends different city...
Former SH councilman, running for return to commission seat
Update (2 p.m. - April 25, 2018): Larry Johnson is no longer running for the position of county commissioner, he said in an email to The New Era. --- Larry Johnson, 67, is looking to regain the seat o...
County ceremony highlights abuse awareness
A pinwheel garden sprouted in front of the Linn County Courthouse on Thursday, April 19, as a reminder that April is Child Abuse Awareness month. Guest speakers from ABC House, Family Tree Relief...
New local anti-child abuse program coordinator finds 'community' awareness
Sarah Helgeson started just after Thanksgiving as program coordinator for Linn County Child Abuse Network. Linn CAN, a Linn County United Way program, was formed in 2013 with a mission to promote the...
County jail gets new scanner to detect narcotics
The Linn County Sheriff's Office has a new tool to prevent illegal narcotics from entering the jail. A mail screening system was installed on Wednesday, April 11, and positively identified heroin on...
County public health programs rated 'strong' in state review
The Linn County Department of Health has many areas of strength, according to the state’s most recent triennial review of the department. “This happens every three years and it is based on the intergovernmental agreement between the county and...
Sen. Wyden talks guns, health and trade at town hall
Gun control and mental health were the dominant topics raised by local citizens during a town hall meeting held by Sen. Ron Wyden at Linn-Benton Community College on March 17. About 175 people...
2 face charges from Spoleto's heist
Two Sweet Home men face charges related to a November 2017 robbery at Spoleto's. Zachary Mitchell Johnson, 24, has been charged with third-degree robbery, second-degree theft and unauthorized use of...
SHOCASE aims to advance arts in Sweet Home
A new coalition formed to promote the arts in Sweet Home is looking for members. The only requirement is an interest in the arts. “I don’t really have any skills, I just get involved,” said Shirley Austin, one of the founding members of the...
SH woman sentenced to 37 months for role in alleged kidnapping case
Sabrina Marie Major, 35, of Sweet Home, has been sentenced to 37 months of prison for second-degree assault related to a case in which a man reported he was kidnapped on Oct. 2, 2017. Charges of...
SH's Rockin' Red mail carrier dies
Even people who didn't know her by name knew Janice Lee Urben. She was easy to spot by the themed hats and hairbands she constantly wore as she delivered mail in Sweet Home for 35 years. "Everybody...
Judge allows additions to truck crash suit
A judge has granted a motion to amend a civil lawsuit against Robert Gene Mayfield, the driver of a truck involved in a fatal crash two years ago in which another truck driver, Neil Nightingale, was killed. Tamera Lea Nightingale, Neil... Full story
3 arrested in raid at White's
Three people were arraigned in Linn County Circuit Court Monday, Feb. 12, on charges stemming from a Feb. 9 search of a Sweet Home residence. Logan Kenneth White, 26, was charged with unlawful...
Plaintiffs in truck crash civil suit seek to add accusations
Attorneys argued for an hour and a half in Linn County Circuit Court Friday, Feb. 9, over whether additional accusations can be added to a civil lawsuit against the driver of a truck involved in a fatal crash two years ago should be allowed. The...
Former Holley teacher sentenced
A former Holley Elementary School teacher was sentenced on Feb. 2 to 42 months in prison after pleading guilty to three counts of second-degree sex abuse. According to court documents, Cordy, of...
Three civil lawsuits, spawned by 2016 truck crash, move toward trial
A lawsuit filed by the wife of a log truck driver killed two years ago in a collision with another truck is slowly working its way toward a scheduled trial date later this year. A motion to amend the civil complaint by Tamera Lea Nightingale against...
Corps officials: SH-area lakes won't get work done at Detroit
Project managers from the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers briefed Linn County Commissioners last week on the Willamette Valley Project, a system of 13 dams and reservoirs in the Willamette River basin. Erik Petersen, Willamette Valley Operations...
Sweet Home woman faces jail time after no-contest plea to forgery charge
Kendra Lynne Montoya, 19, of Sweet Home, pleaded no contest to and was convicted on a charge of first-degree forgery stemming from an incident on Sept. 12, 2017 involving alleged attempted use of...
Lawsuit hearing creates sparks
By Audrey Caro Of The New Era Circuit Court Judge Daniel Murphy heard arguments on Thursday, Jan. 4, in Linn County’s $1.4 billion breach of contract lawsuit against the state of Oregon and the State Forestry Department. Attorneys for the county...
Man, 70, arrested on sex abuse charges
John Edward Birman, 70, faces 21 counts of sex abuse-related charges that are alleged to have occurred in Sweet Home and Lebanon between 2011 and 2014. Sweet Home Police officers arrested him on a Linn County Circuit Court warrant at 1:54 p.m. on...
