Today we offer our annual Year in Review, which lists some of the more significant developments and news stories that occurred in Sweet Home in 2006.
January
– Crawfordsville Postmaster Laura Novak retired.
– The Holleybots robotics team earned the right to go to state with their Lego robot.
– A 236-unit subdivision on the south end of 10th avenue received approval by the city Planning Commission. Work continues on the subdivision.
– Mollies Bakery closed.
– Scott McKee Jr. was appointed to the city Planning Commission.
– A blast in a Cascade Timber Consulting quarry west of Sweet Home was clearly felt and heard in Sweet Home.
– The City Council approved the expenditure of $56,000 for aerial mapping.
– Sweet Home Economic Development Group donated $20,000 to the ongoing Weddle Bridge repairs.
February
– Rich Rowley was appointed to fill a vacancy on the City Council, left by Jessica Coward. He served on the Planning Commission for 10 years.
– Brandee Horn was named Sweet Home Rodeo Queen.
– La Nina produced near-record rainfall. In January 2005, the Corps of Engineers reported 1.85 inches of rain. In January 2006, the Corps reported 14.18 inches of rain.
– The Planning Commission approved a 109-lot subdivision on the old Langmack Airport.
– Chamber award winners were White’s Electronics, Business of the Year; First Citizen Deb Cooley; Junior First Citizen Beth Shook; Distinguished Citizen Lin Gagner; BPW Woman of the Year Cynde Burford; Distinguished Citizen Bob Waibel; and the Kiwanis Club, Oustanding Community Service Organization Award.
– John Sutten and Trevor Tagle won state championships in wrestling.
– Snow fell in mid-month.
March
– Ernie Allen was convicted of manslaughter in the death of Nick Larsen. Allen was driving the car that slammed into a power pole killing Larsen in August 2005. He was sentenced to 12 1/2 years in prison.
– Snow fell again on March 10.
– Kim Lawrence was appointed to the Planning Commission to fill a vacancy left by Rich Rowley.
– The District 55 School Board extended a deadline to complete negotiations on a contract between People Involved in Education and the district to open a new charter school in Sweet Home. Controversy and accusations that the board was stalling in an attempt to block the school also continued.
– State Rep. Jeff Kropf of House District 17 announced his final candidacy for the seat. He would later withdraw completely after learning the radio station where he has a talk show would be required to provide equal time to his opponent, Dan Thackaberry.
– CenturyTel sponsored the Chamber of Commerce’s new “Chamber Welcomes…” program.
– Efforts of local citizens, like Larry Johnson, Casey McDonald and Joel Mather, to help Hurricane Katrina recovery efforts in Louisiana continued.
April
– Rachel Graham and Rob Poirier were elected to the Sweet Home Economic Development Group Board of Directors.
– The Community Foundation awarded $15,000 in grants to community projects.
– PIE announced the location of its proposed charter school, the Church of Christ at 18th and Long.
– Raymond Lingenfelter was named Sweet Home Youth of the Year.
– Jeff Stratman and Alex Wilson received their Eagle Scout awards.
– Sam Posthuma was named Sweet Home Fire and Ambulance District Firefighter of the Year.
May
– Dawn Mitchell was appointed to fill a vacancy on the Sweet Home Fire and Ambulance District board of Directors, declared after the elected member, Brian McClellan, attended only a single meeting.
– A fire in the Foster area destroyed an abandoned building that once housed a tavern. The building was located east of Lakeside Market (Glen’s Market).
– Hayley Cole, Caitlin Thrieault and Heidi Wilson were named high school valedictorians. Emily Dascomb was named salutatorian.
– Voter turnout of 49 percent meant library and police levy renewals were denied although voters approved both.
– Linn County opened River Bend Park, about three miles east of Quartzville Road off Highway 20.
June
– Dani Thireault and Caitlyn Snyder were added to the list of salutatorians.
– A proposed school-based health clinic became controversial as local citizens overwhelmingly opposed it. The plan was dropped.
– Erik Lafond was arrested in connection to a June 6 bomb scare in Crawfordsville.
– Three people were killed in local wrecks, including Nevada residents Kathleen and Donald Warden and Tonn Cummins of Lebanon.
– Sweet Home Emergency Ministries moved to a new location downtown.
– Police cited 68 citations for failure to yield right of way to pedestrians during a crosswalk sting held over two days.
July
– Larry Blem was named grand marshal of the Sportsman’s Holiday Parade.
– Stefani Crocker was named Sportsman’s Holiday Queen, following in the footsteps of her mother, who also was Sportsman’s Holiday Queen, and her grandmother, who was queen of the Sportsman’s Holiday’s predecessor, Frontier Days.
– The District 55 School Board approved PIE’s proposed Sweet Home Charter School.
– Five homes were targeted in a large drug sweep, resulting in the arrest of six persons.
– The Oregon Jamboree announced it was sold out for its August show.
– Ray and Tanna Thompson reopened Mollies Bakery.
– Mike Reynolds became the new School Board chairman.
– A five-acre fire off Paddock Lane kicked off local fire season.
– The City Council agreed in a 4-3 decision to contract management and operation of city water and wastewater treatment plans to a private company, Operations Management International.
August
– Sweet Home Fire and Ambulance District announced that it would seek a $1.8 million equipment bond.
– Jeff Kropf announced that he was dropping his candidacy for the House District 17 seat. Another Republican, Fred Girod, went on to defeat Dan Thackaberry for the seat in November.
– The Planning Commission approved a new drive-through Subway sandwich shop.
– The biggest Jamboree ever drew about 10,000 spectators per day over the three-day camping and country music festival.
– Forest fires started burning in the Quartzville Corridor.
– Santiam River Development began laying out its first 66-lot subdivision.
– Bert and Betty Udell hosted their final Tree Day event at Happy Valley Tree Farm after 27 years of offering the event.
– Seven persons filed for the City Council election, including incumbents Craig Fentiman and Bob McIntire and newcomers Kim Lawrence, Scott McKee Jr., Daniel Holman, Josh Victor and Eric Markell.
– Mel Lester, a respected Sweet Home businessman, died at age 94.
September
– About 1,090 acres burned in a forest fire around Rocky Top in the Quartzville Corridor.
– District 55 enrollment broke even counting students from the new Charter School, which opened for the 2005-06 school year.
– Byron Wolfsong was hired as the city’s new code enforcement officer.
October
– Don Hopkins resigned from the School Board, the fire district board and other boards following an arrest by Linn County Sheriff’s Office over allegations of a sex crime that were later dropped.
– A rash of vandalism left windows broken out along Main Street. The vandal apparently shot them out with a pellet gun.
– The local high school dropout rate was reported below state average. The local rate was 3.3 percent compared to the statewide rate of 4.2 percent.
– Persistent dry weather extended the burn ban.
– Sweet Home man Lonnie Glinski was arrested in connection with four pipe bombs found in the Salem area.
– Steelhead Strength and Fitness Center opened in the old Coast to Coast building.
– Vandals forced the gating of Weddle and Dahlenburg bridges at Sankey Park.
– Dick Meyers was honored by the American Planning Association, Oregon Chapter, for his years of service on the Sweet Home Planning Commission. He has been chairman since 1976 and a member of the board since 1973.
November
– Carli Erickson was named the new Chamber of Commerce executive director.
– Eric Markell, Scott McKee Jr., Bob McIntire and Craig Fentiman won City Council seats.
– Erika Snow was named Linn County Junior First Citizen. Kris Schaefer was also Sweet Home Junior First Citizen.
– A search for a 17-year-old boy, Steven Knapp, ended tragically after he was found dead of a self-inflicted gunshot.
– FBI Uniform Crime Reports showed that Sweet Home had an increase in crime rates in 2005.
– David Kem was chosen to fill Hopkins seat on the School Board.
December
– Loren Rye and Cole Stumbaugh were named all-state choir singers. Stumbaugh also was named to the All-Northwest Choir.
– The city announced that ongoing sewer repair estimates are down to $23 million to $24 million from about $30 million.
– A windstorm knocked out power to most of the Sweet Home area, damaged a handful of homes and blocked roads with downed trees around the area.
– The Jamboree announced a $325,000 profit from the 2006 event.
– The city was under investigation by the Department of Environmental Quality for problems at the wastewater treatment plant.
– Sweet Home resident Theodore Brenner, 59, died in a house fire.