The
Cottage Grove
entinel
Bundle home & auto to save $$.
Get an insurance plan —not just a policy.
(541) 942-0555 PayneWest.com
Sports
Get Trashed
Sarah Leonard is new girls soccer coach | PAGE 10
15th Annual Trashion Show coming | PAGE 3
Partly cloudy. High of 67 and a low of 41
See more weather on Page 2
$1.00
Wednesday, April 17, 2024
Number 16 • 135 years
Superintendent’s evaluation comes back ‘strong and positive’ CINDY WEELDREYER Cottage Grove Sentinel
South Lane School District Board of Directors completed Superintendent Dr. Yvonne Curtis’ annual evaluation for the 2023-24 in a March 25 executive session. At its April 8 meeting, a summary of the school board’s deliberation was
approved in a 6-1 vote with board member Duane Taddei dissenting. A family matter prevented Dr. Curtis from attending. The evaluation focused on five superintendent goals. One source of data the board used in its assessment was a targeted feedback survey that was sent to staff, community leaders, and board
members, that had a 62% response rate. Officials indicated the results of the survey were one source of data for the evaluation of the superintendent’s performance and were strong and positive.
ON GOAL 1 The board determined that the superintendent
had done a satisfactory job of attaining the goals set by the board and superintendent last August to provide a culture of care and belonging by providing students and staff time, support, and connection. ON GOAL 2 Curtis earned an above See CURTIS on Page 4
“
We will be working with Superintendent Curtis over the next several weeks to develop goals that align with our district goals. We look forward to working together to continue our district’s success. Taylor Wilhour, South Lane School District Board Chair
Taking a stand Courtesy photo This is a conceptual drawing of the proposed technologically advanced waste processing facility for Lane County.
AI may lead county’s waste processing Lincoln Middle School bullying incidents spark police investigation CINDY WEELDREYER Cottage Grove Sentinel Two incidents of bullying at Lincoln Middle School in Cottage Grove have triggered a law enforcement investigation. The incidents also have raised concerns among parents, students, and community members voicing that these situations point to a serious problem at the school. A contingency of parents brought their concerns about the incidents that occurred in March to the South Lane School District public meeting on April 8 and insisted the district do more to protect students. THE INCIDENTS On April 5, in response to the two incidents Principal Bill Bechen, Assistant Principal Sarah Drew and Dean of Students Zane Butler sent a detailed letter to the parents of the 550 Lincoln Middle School (LMS) students. The letter explained how important student safety is
to the school’s staff and described their efforts to teach students the expectations of being “safe, respectful and responsible” in the hall, classroom, cafeteria, etc. The letter said, “Middle school students can sometimes be unpredictable and impulsive and then, when put in groups of two or 10 or 200, this challenge becomes even greater… We’ve done training with staff to make sure they have the tools to help students meet these expectations. We have See BULLY on Page 6
“
“This is what “creating a culture of care and belonging” means in practice. Staff and students alike have praised the progress that has been made, even though these incidents show there is still a long way to go.” Taylor Wilhour, South Lane School District Board Chair
WHO WE ARE
Local business is a real treasure hunt CINDY WEELDREYER Cottage Grove Sentinel
TODAY’S EDITION
Junkin’ [iv] The art of finding hidden treasures among discarded items. It’s been described as a modern-day treasure hunt, but with a twist of quirkiness and a dash of nostalgia. This popular activity offers the thrill of the hunt
Weather — 2 Obituaries — 4 Opinion — 5
among a wide variety of cool stuff found at flea markets, garage, yard and estate sales. It unleashes creativity by giving new life to old items and transforming them into unique objects of art and decorations for the home and yard. Junkin’ is more than just a hobby. It’s a way of life that brings joy and
Comics — 7 Classifieds 8-9
excitement to those who embark on the adventure. Pat and Barb Reilly, owners of Good Bones Mercantile, embarked on that adventure and turned their junkin’ hobby into a local business. The two said Good Bones offers shoppers inexpensively priced items such as jewelry, clothing and fashion accessories,
books, crafting and sewing supplies, linens, tools, toys, household items, furniture and home décor. The store offers both new and used items at low prices that start at 25-cents. The Reilly’s business model is to buy entire estates as far away as Portland. This bulk-buying See BONES on Page 4
Read developing news and story updates @CGSentinel CGSentinel.com
CINDY WEELDREYER Cottage Grove Sentinel Editor’s Note: This story is the first in a three-part series about Lane County’s plan to create what has been described as the most technologically advanced waste processing facility in the country. The earth’s climate is changing. While irrevocable human-caused climate change remains an ongoing political debate, the combined effects of emerging technologies and societal shifts in the last 150 years has had negative impacts on the natural world. Global initiatives, designed to change the trajectory of harmful human impacts on the environment, are now proactive mandates adopted by America’s national, state and local governments to address climate challenges. PLANNING PROCESS In February 2020, the Lane County Board of Commissioners passed a resolution to address these challenges. The resolution required Lane County to form a Climate Advisory Committee to develop a three-phase action plan. The plan outlines its
FAST FACT The estimated total costs for the project is $155 million dollars. internal operations, the reduction of greenhouse gas, and the creation of a climate adoption and resilience plan. Two years later the Board of County Commissioners disbanded the committee, adopted its plan, and directed staff to implement it. Passage of the bipartisan Infrastructure Law in 2021 and the Inflation Reduction Act in 2022 makes billions of federal dollars available to public and private entities to combat the effects of climate change. Collaborative planning efforts identified strategic opportunities to invest Lane County’s share of federal and state dollars to implement its Climate Action Plan. One of the outcomes of a commissioned study was the need of a more efficient way to lower greenhouse gasses emanating from the Short Mountain Landfill. It is the biggest source of greenhouse gas emissions See TRASH on Page 6