Nov. 8, 1973
First place honors in a four-county area for Area Beautification was awarded to Sweet Home for the third year in a row, though this year the city tied with Florence. Mayor Ed Buhn and Chamber of Commerce President Richard Meyers accepted the award and an eight-foot plum tree. Meyers cited some of the city’s accomplishments, including the continuation of the Wiley Creek log jam cleanup, construction of a park at the mouth of the creek, the salvation of a corridor of trees between the Indian Caves and Cascadia State Park, mini parks, Northside Park, and youth cleanup of Ames Creek.
For two weeks now a Portland firm has been blasting at the sewage treatment plant in preparation for the city’s new facility. It was said they are using 40% nitro dynamite on the bedrock in order to have slower burns, which has a tendency to raise the rock without too much “throw” (visual display) and a minimum of noise.
Ceasar Samuel (Joe) Somatis, 39, died in a motor vehicle accident after his truck left the wet roadway on Central Avenue (about 2.5 miles southeast of Lebanon) and jumped a culvert. Somatis was thrown from the truck and the vehicle rolled over him. He was a well-known cattle breeder and recently shipped one of his Brangus bulls to Nationalist China.
Nov. 11, 1998
The failure of the city’s public safety levy leaves the operating levy on a three-year cycle with no chance for approval of continued funding in a general election prior to its expiration. About two-thirds of the $1.475 million requested would fund the police department while the other third would fund a portion of the fire department. Voters turned down the levy 1,094 to 1,055. Voters approved a $950,000 bond levy to build a new police station, and a four-year operating levy for the public library.
The school district and a special committee are looking for community input on a potential bond request for repairing school facilities used by the community, including track, pool and tennis facilities. Leaders have been discussing how to fund repairs and are looking to the community to lead the discussion. The district said if it were to broach the possibility of a bond, it would prioritize the funds for instructional areas and classrooms.
An estimated 7,500 tires were received in two days during a grant-funded tire recycling project that was intended to last all week. In day two, the 5,000-tire limit had already been reached and at least 100 people were turned away. Callers each reported having between 100 and 200 tires that needed to be recycled. Considering its success, the city expects to try for the DEQ-funded grant again next year.
Robert Hatfield attended a Civilian Conservation Corps Company 2907 reunion. He said he was about 16 when he joined the CCC because it was the only work available aside from splitting wood for one dollar a cord. He worked at Camp Cascadia at Canyon Creek where about 170 other men worked, then moved to Camp Mary’s Creek near Detroit. He recalled workers sent $22 of their pay to families and kept $8 for themselves to spend on cigarettes (eight cents a pack) and necessities.