The New Era - All about Sweet Home since 1929

A lot of thoughts went through my head last week as I watched smoke wisp upward during a smudging ceremony conducted by local Native Americans to celebrate the transfer of Cascadia Park from state to local control by the Linn County Parks Department.

One was that this gathering was a good example of the dedication required to get things done in the public arena.

Former state Sen. Mae Yih was there, now 93 but still full of the drive and energy that made voters choose her as the first Chinese-born woman in the United States elected to a state legislative chamber. Mid-Willamette Valley vo...