The New Era - All about Sweet Home since 1929

Overcast skies blanketed West's Tree Farm on a weekend earlier this holiday season, and its parking lot off Berlin Road was full. Melissa Toquero stood near the entrance, pointing new arrivals to...

Walking through the coral-colored door at 1228 Main St., it's clear that Renita Sews proprietor Renita Cohen has a flair for vintage comfort. Freshly painted white and yellow walls blanket the room,...

Local business owners Jim and Paula Newman work together full-time in the food service industry, but, for them, their job involves more than just flipping pizzas. Over the last 38 years, they've...

Twins Kaydin and Xavier Pennington, 13, rolled away from the Boys & Girls Club of the Greater Santiam on their new bikes on Friday, Aug. 27. They had just spent the week learning how to fix a flat...

Dr. Amanda Emmert, the first local graduate of the College of Osteopathic Medicine of the Pacific Northwest campus in Lebanon, has returned to Oregon to complete her residency through a fellowship at...

Residents in Sweet Home may be feeling the climate's heat this week, but at least there's less heat coming from the government after Gov. Kate Brown announced on Friday the end of the state's safety...

For Donna Short, taking a photograph helps her be present in the moment and really see what she's seeing. "It's a way to see more intently. Even if I never do anything with that picture ever again,...

If Dawn Mitchell, co-director at the Sweet Home Senior Center, could take time away from her busy schedule to participate in one of the center's activities, she would try the glass fusing workshop....

John and Jane Suh spent their entire lives in cities, but for the past year have been enjoying the relaxing benefits of rural, small-town life. The pair acquired Mr. Lucky's Deli, 1207 Long, and...

Jon West, owner of West's Tree Farm on Berlin Road, finds social media and the Internet can be a double-edged sword for his Christmas tree business. On one hand, he said, many of his customers find...

As a storyteller and eight-year volunteer on the South Willamette Valley Honor Flight, Leigh Matthews Bock has found "the perfect marriage" through her new project at the Majestic Theatre in...

When Henry Wolthuis retired from his dentistry practice in Sweet Home in 2014, he found himself waking up with little to do. "I probably did a lot of sitting around," he said, as if recalling a former...

Editor's note: The New Era's policy is to not promote individuals on our staff in our news coverage unless there's more to the story than just their involvement. That is the case here. This story is a...

What started out as a means to keep Terry Lahodny's pets safe and teach his grandchildren a lesson has turned into an attraction that draws people from all over to see the mock western town he's...

In the early mornings, while most people are still asleep or just beginning to wake up, Ken Bronson will be listening to the patter of his feet on the ground, or the quiet splash of water as his arms...

Of The New Era There's an old Scout song and a movie about Steamboat Bill, but this is a story about Steamboat Phil, who went to Foster Lake to see if his old craft could ride the waves still. Phil...

Some people are so married to something that the phrase, "It's in their blood," rings true for them. That could be said of Howard Crover, who's likely got splinters and fuel in his blood because he's...

More people are stepping into the public sphere as Phase 1 of Gov. Kate Brown's reopening plan for Oregon gains momentum, but if you do, the Jolly Stitchers at the Senior Center have you covered....

In the aftermath of the ice storm of 2017, Dennis Eggers set to work cutting up and moving 20 of the cedar trees he and his wife lost that winter. Little did he know, his effort would set into motion...

While much of its senior clientele is sheltering-in-place due to coronavirus restrictions, Meals on Wheels continues to provide meals three days a week, just in a little different format. Meals...

The new facility for Samaritan Treatment and Recovery Services, at 111 N. Main, at the intersection with Tangent Street in Lebanon, is complete and nearly ready for occupancy, except for a few obstacl...

Though the 72nd annual Sweet Home Gem and Mineral Show had to be canceled due to the COVID-19 lockdown, that hasn't cooled local rockhounds' ardor for minerals. Ed Anderson, president of the Sweet Hom...

For someone who teaches Tai Chi and Qigong, Jim Adamik was surprised to find his patience running thin last week, in the days after his two dogs went missing. "I'm usually a calm, peaceful, get-along-...