Woodburn Independent

A GoFundMe webpage has been established to help the Woodburn family that lost a teenager in a June 28 crashA GoFundMe page has been established for a Woodburn family who lost a teenage boy following a recent crash on Hwy. 99E. A friend of Priscilla Lobo, who lost her 14-year-old son, Isaac Abarca Lobo, in the accident, established the page to help the family with expenses. The family friend, Celestina Paleo, said Isaac's friend was driving him home from another friend's house on the evening of June 28 when the crash occurred. "Unfortunately, Isaac didn't have the seatbelt on and at the time of the accident he got out of the car," the post notes. "He was about 3 minutes from his house and his mom got there right away. He was still breathing. But unfortunately, he passed away in her arms." The post added that Isaac was a Woodburn High School student, and a loving and caring kid with many dreams. The GoFundMe page is online at https://gofund.me/c47c4b99. {loadposition sub-article-01}

A $20 billion bill in Congress would help every state make elections more secure with predictable funding. Elections systems in the United States are considered critical infrastructure. That means that like energy, food and transportation, they must be modern, secure and properly maintained. Afterall, these systems support our fundamental political right — the right to vote. Unfortunately, we don't fund elections like critical infrastructure. According to the Election Infrastructure Initiative, a nonpartisan partnership of elections officials, nonprofits, counties and state governments, Oregon is $767,477,251 short of what it needs to fully fund elections over the next 10 years. I love...

Montana cowboy matches arena record with saddle bronc riding win; California cowgirl wins barrel racingST. PAUL — If Sage Newman ever decides he's done riding bucking horses, he could always be part of a NASCAR pit crew. He and his 3 saddle bronc riding buddies had to change a tire a few miles out of St. Paul on the night of July 3, after a blown tire, and they made it fast, working together so they could get back on the road to Mandan, N.D., a nineteen hour drive. But that was after the Melstone, Mont. man won the saddle...

Annual event is set for July 8-10 at the state fairgrounds with animals, rides, food, art, music, moreA year ago the Marion County Fair awoke from the widespread pandemic hibernation and provided a welcome event for county residents to attend. This year fair planners have taken steps beyond the awakening and toward normalcy. The fair kicks off at 10 a.m. Friday, July 8, and runs through Sunday, July 10, at the Oregon State Fairgrounds, 2330 17th St. NE, Salem. It will open at 10 a.m. each day, closing at 11 p.m. Friday and Saturday and 6 p.m. Sunday. "We are...

Oregon steer wrestler takes lead at St. Paul Rodeo; fourth performance of the 4th of July Rodeo takes placeST. PAUL — A home state cowboy took the lead in the steer wrestling at the St. Paul Rodeo on Sunday. Blake Knowles made two fast runs on July 3 during slack and the evening performance, 4.4 seconds in the first round and 3.8 seconds in the second round, to lead the average (the combined time on two runs) at the rodeo (8.2 seconds). Knowles, a native of Heppner, hadn't done well this past week, at rodeos in Cody, Wyo., Oakley, Utah...

Oklahoma man leads bull riding after third night of action; claims a piece of the money.The number eight bull rider in the PRCA world standings is taking home a piece of the money from St. Paul. Trey Kimzey, Strong City, Oklahoma, made a 90.5-point ride on the Sankey Rodeo Co. bull Tool Box to be the high score for the July 2 night of the rodeo. The bull was just what he needed. "He's not very big, but he tries real hard," Kimzey said. "He's an all-around great bull from Matt Scharping." It's been a busy...

The Oregon Air National Guard will help set the Independence Day mood in several local communities. F-15 fighter jets from the Oregon Air National Guard are set to fly over several cities in Oregon and two in Southwest Washington for Independence Day. The jets, part of the 142nd Wing, will take off from the Portland Air National Guard Base at Portland International Airport and will soar above multiple July 4 celebrations and parades at a noticeably lower-than-normal altitude of 1,000 feet. Beginning at 10 a.m. Monday, the first community will see the aces' aerial "salute" at speeds of around 400...

Oklahoma man leads bull riding after third night of action, claims a piece of the moneyST. PAUL — The number eight bull rider in the PRCA world standings is taking home a piece of the money from St. Paul. Trey Kimzey, Strong City, Okla., made a 90.5-point ride on the Sankey Rodeo Co. bull Tool Box to be the high score for the July 2 night of the rodeo. The bull was just what he needed. "He's not very big, but he tries real hard," Kimzey said. "He's an all-around great bull from Matt Scharping." It's been a busy but...

Speeding ticket, sprint don't deter bronc rider from stellar second-day performance in St. PaulST. PAUL — By the time Damian Brennan arrived at the St. Paul Rodeo, he had run a quarter mile to get there. And within minutes, he was on his saddle bronc horse, scoring 85.5 points on the Big Bend Rodeo Co. horse Crash Gate to take the lead in his event. The reason for his exertion? A speeding ticket. Brennan and five other saddle bronc riders had competed at the Molalla rodeo and were hurrying to St. Paul when they were stopped just outside St. Paul...

Gentle and quiet, fat and toothless, old and set in their ways - we love our pets anyway.Oregon pet owners agree: pets are best for making you laugh. A survey from Oregon Values and Beliefs Center found that 75% of Oregonians say their pets often make them laugh. Only 2% said their pet never makes them laugh. Roughly two-thirds of Oregonians said their pets often reduce their stress levels or feelings of loneliness. One in three Oregonians have adopted a pet in the past two years, roughly since the start of the pandemic, the survey found. Nearly all Oregonians consider...

World champion returns, Sandy cowboy leads bull riding in first day action at St. Paul RodeoST. PAUL — A six-time world champion bareback rider has made his comeback at the St. Paul Rodeo, and he's making a big splash. After sitting out of rodeo for four months, Kaycee Feild, Genola, Utah, scored 89.5 points to take the lead after the first performance of the rodeo, tying the arena record set in 2017 by Tim O'Connell. He was aboard the Four Star Rodeo Co. horse Big Star, owned by Jeff Davis. Davis gave him advice about how the horse would buck....

Marion County Democrats' precinct representatives choose former Keizer city councilor to run for District 11 seat.The Democratic Party of Oregon announced Thursday, June 30, that Democratic Precinct Committee Persons (PCPs) from Senate District 11 met at Whiteaker Middle School in Keizer and selected Richard Walsh to serve as the party's candidate in Oregon Senate District 11. The party invited the 47 precinct representatives to the Keizer meeting to vote on the selection. Each applicant for the candidacy was given a few minutes to speak prior to the vote. Other applicants for the candidacy, which was vacated when Woodburn Mayor Eric...

The musical performances, beginning July 13, will lead up to Aurora Colony Days.The city of Aurora recently announced its summer concert series, which kicks off from 7 to 9 p.m. Wednesday, July 13, with Kelsey Bales at the Aurora City Park Amphitheater. The concert series will run through Aug. 13 when the group Best Night Ever will play at the park from 7 to 10 p.m. as part of the 33rd Aurora Colony Days. "There are a set of concerts that happen in succession prior to the finale," Aurora City Recorder Stuart Rodgers said. Following Bales, succeeding park concerts are:...

Series of upcoming concerts, beginning July 13, will lead up to Aurora Colony DaysAURORA — The city of recently announced its summer concert series, which kicks off from 7 to 9 p.m. Wednesday, July 13, with Kelsey Bales at the Aurora City Park Amphitheater. The concert series will run through Aug. 13 when the group Best Night Ever will play at the park from 7 to 10 p.m. as part of the 33rd Aurora Colony Days. In August Aurora will host its Aurora Colony Days in the Main Street Park, beginning with a parade that loops the park and several...

Nearly 80% of respondents had moderate or great concern about the loss of public forestland.Significant rainfall this spring noticeably greened up the Oregon countryside and appears to have calmed nerves across the state, according to a survey about wildfire danger conducted in June by the Oregon Values and Beliefs Center. The survey, conducted from June 2-11, found that 60% of respondents felt wildfire was a threat to their local communities. In May 2021, that number was 68%. The wildfire perception survey interviewed 1,446 Oregon residents 18 or older. The survey sought to gauge how concerned Oregon residents are heading into...

The team from North Marion High is getting solid contributions in offseason play from the likes of Reilly, VanVleckLittle more than two weeks into the summer season, the Marion Berries baseball team of North Marion High School has run up a 6-2 record against Legion competition. The Berries, a Legion single A team, have competed against larger schools and held are more than hanging with the competition. Here's how the Berries contests have shaken out over that time. Berries 14, Eastside 2, June 15 In the first game of the summer season, Marion defeated the Eastside baseball team of...

Mount Angel Mayor Don Fleck passed away Sunday, June 26, of natural causes at his home.Mount Angel residents are in mourning after losing their beloved civic leader. The city of Mount Angel reported Wednesday, June 29, that Mayor Don Fleck died of natural causes at his home on Sunday, June 26. Fleck has served as Mount Angel's mayor for the past 1 ½ years, and city officials stressed that he had been a significant leader for the community for many years. Fleck served two terms on the Mount Angel City Council prior becoming the mayor. Mount...

Author's work explores western Oregon's endangered and abandoned short-line railroadsWhen Washington State University Press first reached out to D.C. Jesse Burkhardt about a book he'd published decades earlier, the retired journalist was circumspect. The book, "Backwoods Railroads: Branchlines and Shortlines of Western Oregon," was originally published in 1994, and its title is tight to the topic — those side rail lines that feed into the main backbone railroads rolling through the west side of Oregon. "When WSU first contacted me, I didn't know what to think at first," said Burkhardt, 68, who lives in White Salmon, Wash. "It had been...

Charles Gallia: Congress should make American Rescue Plan Act subsidies permanent before insurance premiums rise.Through my work as a co-founder of the Oregon Pediatric Improvement Partnership, which ensures children with special health needs receive the care they deserve, I have witnessed the need for greater access to quality, affordable health coverage across Oregon. When this need was exacerbated by the COVID-19 pandemic, Congress expanded health insurance subsidies to more Oregonians and Americans than ever through the 2021 American Rescue Plan Act (ARPA), helping thousands of families find plans that fit their budgets. Unfortunately, as those same families are paying higher...

OSP report: Teen passenger dies after the car he was in hits motorcycle in oncoming traffic Tuesday night. Oregon State Police reported that a teenage passenger died from injuries suffered in a crash that closed Highway 99E for about seven hours Tuesday night. Police reports said that at about 9:40 p.m. a southbound gold Chevrolet Classic driven by a 17-year-old Woodburn male passed a vehicle at milepost 33 near Woodburn, lost control and collided with a northbound Indian motorcycle operated by Jamil Nester, 52, of Woodburn. The Chevrolet left the road, rolled several times and came to rest in a southbound ditch. A 13-year-old passenger was ejected and suffered fatal injuries. Police determined that he was not wearing a safety belt. The 17-year-old driver and Nester were transported to an area hospital with undisclosed injuries. Hubbard fire and police departments, Woodburn Police Department, Marion County Sheriff's Office and ODOT all assisted OSP at the scene. An investigation of the crash is ongoing. {loadposition sub-article-01}