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Here’s a great story from the Register Guard about Olympian, Nick Symmonds. Though he came home from Beijing empty-handed, he got some very special recognition upon his return to Springfield:
http://registerguard.com/csp/cms/sites/web/news/1232769-35/story.csp
Few people actually enjoy Jury Duty. It’s a big inconvenience, can get in the way of work and family and the day can be downright boring (having served multiple times, the staff at GoodNewsPDX knows this too well). However, while Jury Duty may be an annoyance, there are things that are MORE likely to raise one’s blood pressure. For example, people who don’t think the rules apply to them. The driver who skips past a line of cars waiting at a light, only to crowd in at the front. The nattering twit in the movie theatre who enjoys talking throughout the film. And, of course, people who are summoned to Jury Duty but decide they don’t really need to attend.
A couple dozen of these scalawags were called before a Lane County judge this week for skipping out on service over the summer. The ne’er-do-wells were hand delivered summons by Sheriff’s deputies and got the pleasure of standing in court to be LECTURED about their irresponsibility. Plus, each juror STILL has to serve over the course of the winter.
The action was taken after several jurors skipped out on service, leaving the court without enough bodies to fill the jury boxes on three trials set to start that day back in August. Apparently, random citizens had to be plucked off the street to fill in.
Those who showed up and took their lecture like adults are apparently getting by with a warning. A few lay-abouts ignored the SECOND summons and now are looking at “unpleasant consequences.”
A team of departments in Southwest Washington helped nab a dozen (alleged) bad guys the past few weeks. Detectives targeting repeat offenders, violent fugitives, gang members, high risk parolee and probation offenders and felons who have committed criminal acts rounded up the “Dirty Dozen” along with 15 guns, three and a half pounds of drugs and more than one hundred grand in cash.
The Register Guard reports that 27 families will, once again, have a roof over their head thank to St Vincent De Paul in Veneta. The rural, $5.4 Million housing project should wrap up construction in April.
We’d post the link but this article is for subscribers only. Go to www.registerguard.com to sign up.
t the age of 16, one of our reporters at GoodNews PDX ran off the road in the snow and was stuck in an embankment. While he was never in any serious danger thanks to passing motorists, the dark, cold night couldn’t help but drive home how hazardous roads can be around Oregon in the winter. That’s why we are all VERY jazzed about the latest news from the Department of Transportation.
When the snow starts to fall, you may notice more emergency lights on state roads. The DOT authorized 500 hours of overtime for Oregon State Troopers. Those troopers will be staged at some of the most hazardous spots in the winter, mountain passes. Expect to see them stationed on I-5, I-84 plus the Willamette, Santiam and Mount Hood Passes.
Check out this from the Portland Tribune:
http://portlandtribune.com/news/story.php?story_id=122410857876807300
Apparently, the new recycling roll carts are doing their job, increasing the amount of collected recyclable materials.
A 74-year-old Vancouver man nearly dove, head-first, several stories down a garbage chute. His wife caught him by the knees when he fell forward trying to dislodge something blocking the chute. He’s scraped and bruised but otherwise OK. For the full report, check out the link
http://www.columbian.com/article/20081020/NEWS02/710209966
Here’s the article in the Ashland Daily Tidings
http://www.dailytidings.com/2008/1018/stories/1018_solar-plant0.php
The 480,000 square foot plant in Hillsboro will generate as much energy as most coal or natural gas fired plants by 2011 and will establish SolarWorld as the number one solar power provider in the nation. Not to mention the 2,000 high wage jobs it creates.
Thanks to a 2.4 million dollar donation from Peter and Rosalie Johnson, paying for college will not be as much of a headache for 16 students. The donation endows the Johnson’s previously existing scholarship fund (established in the late ’90s) and guarantees financial aid to 16 Beavers every year. For more, check out the full story here:
http://www.oregonlive.com/news/index.ssf/2008/10/osu_alum_pledges_24_million_fo.html
If you ever doubt that one person can make an unbelievable difference, read this story from The Oregonian:
http://www.oregonlive.com/O/index.ssf/2008/10/winnie_barron_cofounded_a_keny.html
Wendy Owens does a phenomenal job telling the story of Winnie Barron, a local woman who has devoted the last ten years to making a difference in Kenya, not by simply sending a check, but by rolling up her sleeves and taking on the dirty work herself. From her efforts to build a community resource center for children to her plans to hike through miles of African jungle and mountains as a fundraiser, she truly is the personification of a modern day hero.
