Articles written by Benny Westcott
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Committee considers shelter plans
Sweet Home city councilor Lisa Gourley expressed a desire at a Nov. 15 Community Health Committee meeting to get a homeless shelter “up and going” on the city’s Public Works property by Dec. 1. “I hope we are able to meet those hard-weather d...
Caleb Christman named MVP by Huskies' boys soccer team
The Sweet Home boys soccer program distributed its team awards Wednesday, Nov. 3, at its annual postseason banquet, which took place at the Towry residence. Award winners were selected through "a...
Sweet Home volleyball players score back-to-back titles, this time at LBCC
Three former Sweet Home volleyball players from last season's squad which delivered the Huskies their first-ever state volleyball championship, were back at it over the weekend as Linn-Benton...
For new local butcher, the meat goes on
The former Chucky's In Holley-Woods Custom Meat Cutting on Springer Road might have officially changed hands, but some things remain the same. The newly named Holy Cow Meats, located at 25057 Springer...
Officials discuss safety around junior high school
The Nov. 8 Sweet Home School District School Board meeting featured discussion of implementing a plan to make traveling to and from school safer for Sweet Home Junior High School students. Last...
City Council appoints advisory board members
The Sweet Home City Council voted unanimously Tuesday, Nov. 9, to appoint Josh Thorstad to the Budget Committee and Laura Wood to the Planning Commission. Both Thorstad and Wood had vied for the commission vacancy, with the former also applying for...
Defender Hart named soccer team's Most Valuable Player
The end-of-season girls soccer banquet honoring the program's most impactful players was held Wednesday, Nov. 10 at the Rio Theatre. Head coach Ramiro Santana handed out the team awards, which were...
Nichol, Nichols, soph Aker top football honorees
Junior Heath Nichol was named the football team's Most Valuable Player Tuesday, Nov. 9, at the end-of-season banquet at Community Chapel. The Huskies celebrated team highlights in a much more...
Teacher fired – sort of – over vaccine mandate
The Sweet Home School District Board voted 7-2 Monday, Nov. 8, to dismiss Holley Elementary resource room/special education teacher Tina Tressel for not providing proof of vaccination against COVID-19...
'Pro-liberty, pro-America' comedy on tap Saturday at The Rio
While patriotism may not be a laughing matter for some in our current world, Oregon-based comedians Alex Elkin and Chris Warren hope to find an audience in Sweet Home for their brand of humor,...
Volleyball: Huskies can't find rhythm in 3-0 playoff loss at Cascade
Sweet Home volleyball's season came to a close Tuesday, Nov. 2, in the 4A state quarterfinal, as the seventh-seeded Huskies fell to second-ranked Cascade 25-21, 25-15, 25-18 on the Cougars' home...
City Council approves three-month waiver on library fines
The Sweet Home City Council on Tuesday, Oct. 26, voted unanimously to eliminate 15-cent daily past-due fines on Sweet Home Public Library materials for three months, as approved by the library’s advisory board. The new policy went into effect Nov....
Richards takes helm at her second mid-valley charter school
Audrey Richards is charting a new course, but not abandoning her current one. In August, the longtime local educator took over as principal of Sweet Home Charter School - the same position she's held...
Football: Huskies lose to No. 2 Cascade, but not without scores
The Sweet Home football team fell 63-27 to Cascade at Husky Field in their season finale on Friday, Oct. 29. The Huskies finished 3-6 on the year, while the Cougars wrapped the year undefeated at 9-0...
Group considers interim fix for homeless population
With colder weather and proposed “sleep center” plans for Sweet Home’s homeless population in flux (Linn County has not weighed in on its intentions and the Sweet Home city council hasn’t voted on it yet), officials and citizens gathered...
Firefighter takes leave over mandate
By Benny Westcott Of The New Era A top Sweet Home Fire and Ambulance District volunteer has taken a six-month leave of absence in response to the state’s requirement that he be vaccinated to serve as a firefighter or medic. Cascadia Station No. 24...
Council weighs in on Main Street ramp project
At its Oct. 12 meeting, the Sweet Home City Council heard a pitch from Oregon Department of Transportation representatives on an intergovernmental agreement between the city and ODOT. If approved, the agreement would allow ODOT to move forward on a...
New bleachers in junior high gym; COVID-19 still a concern
The final touches on a gym renovation project largely completed in September 2020 were made Tuesday, Oct. 12, in the form of new bleachers at Sweet Home Junior High School. The red retractable bleache...
Keene back on school board in Crawfordsville seat
Dale Keene was appointed by the Sweet Home School Board to fill its remaining vacancy, and was sworn in Monday night, Oct. 11, at the board's monthly meeting in the district board room. Keene will be...
School veteran takes administrative job
There's a new face in the Sweet Home School District's administrative office, although most may find it familiar. Barb Riggs, a 20-year district veteran, has become its new Director of Teaching &...
Football: Sweet Home can't stop Stayton as visitors roll to 42-28 win
By Benny Westcott Of The New Era The Stayton Eagles prevailed 42-28 over the Huskies on Friday, Oct. 8, winning a high-scoring afshootout during Sweet Home's homecoming weekend. The result brought...
Care clinic outlined; debate continues on homeless center
During the Tuesday, Sept. 28, Sweet Home City Council meeting, Samaritan Health Services representatives discussed plans for a 15,000-square-foot primary and urgent care clinic on the 42-acre site...
Fire season ends in South Cascade district
The Oregon Department of Forestry's West Oregon, Western Lane and 1.2-million-acre South Cascade districts, the latter of which includes the Sweet Home unit, declared an end to their local fire...
Harvest Festival draws a crowd – a 'great' one
Good weather and family fun were in abundance at this year's Harvest Festival, held Saturday, Oct. 2, at Sankey Park, 877 14th Ave. Patrons listened to music, ate, drank, shopped at some 80 vendor...
Dehydrator blamed for fire
First photo: A food dehydrator ignited the wall of a shed Friday afternoon at 1026 29th Ave. In the second photo, off-duty firefighter Eli Harris, pulls a hose from a brush rig, spotted smoke while...
