The Pleasant Hill Police Department has found a teen who is believed to have run away Blessing Barney, 17, was last seen by her father after being dropped off at Southeast Polk High School on Tuesday, but is believed to have run away that evening, according to a Facebook post from the Pleasant Hill Police Department The post said Barney was found but did not give any other details This story was updated to add more information Kyle Werner is a reporter for the Register Pleasant Hill track and field athlete Soleis Jones is the winner of the Eugene-area high school girls Athlete of the Week Jones won the 200 meters (personal-best 26.84 seconds) and ran on the winning 4x100 (52.19) and 4x400 (4:29.2) relays April 22 in a 3A Special District 1 meet at Creswell Jones received 50.34% of the reader poll votes Junction City track and field athlete Aspen Gambee was second (40.88%) Boys Athlete of the Week: South Eugene baseball player wins award 9 inches) and long jump (19-½) April 25 at the Nike/Jesuit Twilight Relays in Portland The long jump mark tied for the state’s best result in the 2025 season Kleinke is also first on the state’s pole vault season list (13-6) Cottage Grove softballThe senior had allowed five hits three runs and two walks with 14 strikeouts in seven innings April 22 in a 12-4 win at Marshfield in Coos Bay She also batted 2 for 4 with a home run and two RBIs struck out nine batters and went 3 for 3 with three RBIs at the plate to lead the Lions to a 4-3 win over Marshfield In the first game of the doubleheader earlier that day Pacheco pitched a two-hit shutout and went 2 for 4 with one RBI Sheldon softball Gallegos went 3 for 4 with a home run and two RBIs April 22 to help lead the Irish to a 10-6 win over South Eugene South Eugene track and fieldThe sophomore won the 100-meter hurdles (16.69 seconds) and 300 hurdles (personal-best 48.74) and ran on the winning 4x400 relay (4:23.28) April 23 in a home dual meet with Grants Pass long jump (15-8) and triple jump (29-6) April 23 in a home dual meet with Oakridge long jump and triple jump results were personal bests The senior won the long jump (15-4¾) and triple jump (34-1) April 22 in a 3A Special District 1 home meet The junior won the high jump (personal-best 5-2) long jump (personal-best 16-6) and triple jump (31-4¼) April 22 in a league meet at Marist Catholic The high jump mark was tied for fourth on the 4A season list while the long jump mark was good for sixth North Eugene track and fieldThe junior won the 1,500 meters at the Nike/Jesuit Twilight Relays in a personal-best 4:35.43 April 25 in Portland she knocked more than six seconds off her previous personal best It also put her sixth on the state’s all-classification season list Submit nominees for Athlete of the Week to sports editor Jesse Sowa at jsowa@gannett.com statistics and any other relevant information about the performance rewritten or redistributed without permission 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prayers be with you all We knew your mom from being our bus driver for pretty much most of our teenage years She was our bus driver at one house we lived in and then we moved and she ended up switching routes and being our bus driver again at our new house I extend my condolences to her family and brother Barry You were hands downs the best bus driver I ever had One of the sweetest most caring people I have ever met Chris and I met in 1968 when we went to high school We shared several classes together and marched with band -- she as a baton twirler and me as a flag twirler I looked forward to her daily comment/posting online often with laughter I have treasured her friendship for these five decades Chris and I met when we were 12 years old and remained friends all thru the years I know you're happy because you're with Ted again but those of us left behind will sure miss you © 2025 Hamilton's Funeral and After Life Services Get the best experience and stay connected to your community with our Spectrum News app. Learn More — A young driver says extra lighting is needed along Pleasant Hill Road who is 17 years old and has his learner's permit drives on Pleasant Hill Road to get to and from school when it looks like complete darkness,” he says Montgomery says learning to drive isn’t easy when there are few street lights along Pleasant Hill Road “It's only lit up by old lights only on one side of the road,” Montgomery says The teenager says there are very few lights on the west side of Pleasant Hill Road and those on the east side of the road aren’t very bright Osceola County spokesperson Nicky Vasquez says from Harbor Road down to Poinciana there are 146 lights installed along Pleasant Hill Road “The way I'd fix this is to put brighter LED lighting on both sides of this road,” Montgomery says Vasquez says currently there are no plans to install additional lights “A recent study was conducted along Pleasant Hill Road traffic signal warrants and modifications to enhance traffic flow and safety,” Vasquez says but if it finds visibility to be a concern at night more lights could be approved for the road we do not have plans to install additional lighting along Pleasant Hill Road unless a traffic or lighting study identifies a specific issue requiring attention beyond the general condition of reduced visibility at night,” Vasquez says Montgomery says he hopes the study reveals more lights are needed on this busy roadway If you’ve got a traffic trouble spot, a question or a solution to a road related problem, let us know about it by filling out the form on the Traffic Inbox page Reimagining the Civic Commons — a collaboration of national foundations and civic leaders dedicated to revitalizing public spaces in ways that benefit communities — announced its third round of investment in 10 cities The funding will be used in the cities to transform public spaces in ways that counteract harmful trends facing America from social isolation to economic segregation to climate change The cities will use the investments to create or enhance a variety of civic spaces active transportation corridors and public gardens Macon-Bibb County will receive $750,000 over the next three years to continue the neighborhood-led multi-organization collaborative work happening in the Historic Pleasant Hill Neighborhood This will include continuing the work to reconnect the neighborhood and mitigate the damage done by the interstate’s construction decades ago funding capacity-building for leadership to improve outcomes of impoverished neighborhoods through public spaces investment “Our team has been dedicated to creating a stronger sense of belonging in the Pleasant Hill Neighborhood through cultural preservation and collaborative planning with partners,” says Community Planner Tonja Khabir “We are excited to continue the work we’ve done in connecting with over 400 residents and community members to shape a vision for the future we’re pumped to push forward with our plans heal past wounds from divisive infrastructure and power up our neighborhood for sustainable growth!” “Macon’s RCC efforts stand apart because of the broad array of partners at the table together focusing on solving issues in real time Participating in the network has unlocked new potential for projects and healing in Macon’s urban core,” says Alex Morrison Executive Director of the Urban Development Authority “It has been a joy to lead it for the last several years and this expansion and funding will take our work to the next level.” “With Americans’ trust in government at an all-time low the collaborative efforts in Macon-Bibb’s Pleasant Hill neighborhood show a new way forward,” said Bridget Marquis “This community-driven approach to the public realm will be a model for any city aiming to co-create a hopeful future for neighborhoods that have experienced disinvestment.” “Some people say you can’t fix the wrongs of the past but our work through Reimagining the Civic Commons and Macon Action Plan are showing that we can make things right moving forward that we can come together to make life better for everyone,” says Mayor Lester Miller “What’s happening in Historic Pleasant Hill – from the Blight Fight to new affordable housing to creating new parks to reconnecting the two halves to downtown to eating to services and more…is just the start of what needs to be done The Macon-Bibb County Urban Development Authority is the convening agency for this effort Active and engaged partners working together include the AARP the Community Foundation of Central Georgia Macon-Bibb Community Enhancement Authority Main Street Macon Christmas Lights Extravaganza About Macon’s work with Reimagining the Civic Commons Macon was host to a Design Studio in April 2023 – Investing with Intention: Our Four Outcomes – when the group spent three days learning about Macon’s public spaces and revitalization efforts exploring Downtown’s connection to the Historic Pleasant Hill neighborhood and learning about the collaborative efforts to turn Ocmulgee Mounds National Historic Park into Georgia’s first National Park Macon was selected because of its work to advance civic engagement and strengthen democracy through public spaces RCC cites the Macon Action Plan (MAP) as a national example of how cities can creatively involve residents in improving their communities The RCC’s report cites the Macon team’s use of “democratized implementation,” meaning they actively engage people and groups in planning as opposed to centralizing it with one organization It was approved in 2015 after an 18 month-long planning process that was open to the entire community and included input from more than two thousand people through engaging public meetings and events With the Plan – thanks to initial funding from the John S Knight Foundation and Peyton Anderson Foundation ($1.5 million from each) and grant implementation by the Community Foundation of Central Georgia – the Downtown community and surrounding neighborhoods have completed eighty percent of the strategies and projects in the original plan has also attracted more than $400 million in additional public and private investment Reimagining the Civic Commons is an ambitious national initiative demonstrating that strategic investments in public spaces can connect people of all backgrounds cultivate trust and create more resilient communities it has worked with a network of leaders across the public private and nonprofit sectors to change how they design The initiative’s innovative model supports cities to invest in civic spaces like parks libraries and public gardens in ways that deliver critical social The next phase of the initiative is funded by The JPB Foundation Knight Foundation and The Kresge Foundation Launched in 2016 in five cities with an initial $20 million investment the initiative expanded to include additional cities in 2020 Cities receiving funding from this round of investment are Akron Customer Service Sign up for email updates from Macon-Bibb County to get information on announcements 2025) — A large crowd gathered at City Hall in Pleasant Hill today for a rally organizers called “Hands Off.” The event coincided with similar rallies across the country and a larger one in Washington The rally’s stated purpose was to send a message of “hands off” to the current federal administration as it makes sweeping and questionable changes to health care Many participants at the local event carried signs expressing frustration with the actions of Donald Trump and Elon Musk Contra Costa County supervisor Ken Carlson took the bullhorn to thank all who showed up for the event in his hometown of Pleasant Hill I’ve never been as impassioned as I am now…I’m so angry We do not practice the principles of DEI because it’s government policy We do not punish those who practice the principles of DEI..” Participants lined the streets at Cleveland Road and Gregory Lane cheering and waving signs as passing cars sounded their horns there’s more work to be done to engage the people and support our local government to hold the line By now you’ve heard many programs could face large federal reductions to pay for a massive $4 trillion in tax cuts for corporations and the wealthy $1.5 trillion in cuts to programs for working class Americans.” “I’m here as a resident of Contra Costa because I do care about this country This country means so much to me and my family and I know it means a lot to you… This rally …sends a strong message to those in charge of government that we are not willing to give in we are not willing to give up… I am grateful to all the things you have done to make this…a free country or maybe it’s changing already right before our eyes So we have a moral responsibility to stand up and take corrective action before it’s too late.” 2025) — The Pleasant Hill community came together in Crescent Drive Plaza for its annual Earth Day celebration on Thursday hosted by the city and local environmental organizations offered a vibrant mix of education and fun Booths included native plant promotions offering cuttings to visitors information from local beekeepers and a bike clinic A representative from PG&E showcased a lesson on how to survive dangerous downed power lines with a diorama of a deadly scenario Music and games for children kept things fun and festive while the Off The Grid food trucks provided tasty dinners and snacks If you are the site owner (or you manage this site), please whitelist your IP or if you think this block is an error please open a support ticket and make sure to include the block details (displayed in the box below) so we can assist you in troubleshooting the issue PLEASANT HILL 2025) — Have you ever wondered what the process is for getting an ordinance passed Or how the city puts together large capital improvement projects like the Pleasant Hill Library To learn more about how Pleasant Hill government operates you can sign up for our Local Government Academy and it is currently registration time for our upcoming session The program runs one night a week for six weeks aimed at educating residents on city departments and processes Participants gather at various locations around Pleasant Hill to meet members of the city’s executive team and partners who offer presentations and conduct activities based around their subject matter areas Activities include tours of the Police Department and the Public Service Center plus an overview of the city’s finances and budgets There will also be information on ways the public can help serve their community If the academy is more than your schedule can accommodate right now there are a number of other ways to get accurate information about what’s going on with your local government The easiest way is to read the Outlook newsletter that is sent to every household in Pleasant Hill every other month The next and most obvious way to learn about your government is to attend meetings commission meetings and other special meetings/events like our recent Climate Action Plan meetings so pick and choose by asking to get the agendas sent to you by email You can do this by going to the city’s website at www.phillca.gov and signing up for notifications and agendas for upcoming meetings be sure to sign up for the city’s bi-weekly updates It’s like a mini Outlook and is sent out via email every other Friday The city website is an invaluable resource You can find a tremendous amount of information there and ways to contact staff members and the City Council Please don’t hesitate to contact the City Council as we are here to serve you Contact Mayor Noack at Snoack@phillca.gov Riley Smith scored a game-high 16 points Thursday night to lift Pleasant Hill past Creswell in the OSAA 3A boys basketball state quarterfinals Thursday night at Marshfield High School in Coos Bay Gavin Inglish had 14 points for the second seed Billies while Logan Melvin added 13 and Jacob Neely had nine Luke Bailey led Creswell with 11 points while Tyler Whitson added 10 and Darien Dewey had eight Pleasant Hill (25-3) advances to the state semifinals for the first time since the 2018-19 season The Billies will face third seed Valley Catholic (20-7) at 6 p.m Creswell (17-10) plays 6 seed Cascade Christian in a fourth-place semifinal at 10:45 a.m Central Linn girls falls to Western Christian in 2A quarterfinalsCentral Linn lost a close matchup to defending champion Western Christian in a 2A girls quarterfinal Peyton Gaskey led the sixth-seeded Cobras with 14 points Addie Wolff had 12 and Raegan Day added 10 Kylie Sommer scored a game-high 15 points for the third-seeded Pioneers Runon Muroya had nine points and Kinsey Wark added eight Central Linn (19-7) led 23-22 at halftime and 32-29 after three quarters The Pioneers (24-3) went on a 4-0 run twice to take a 38-33 lead with 3:33 left in the game The Cobras play 7 seed Knappa in a fourth-place semifinal at 10:45 a.m Edith Noriega is a sports reporter for The Register-Guard. You may reach her at ENoriega@gannett.com and follow her on X at @Noriega_Edith KSHB 41 reporter Ryan Gamboa covers Miami County in Kansas and Cass County in Missouri. Share your story idea with Ryan. Pleasant Hill is rounding out 2024 in the early phases of construction on its largest one-year development investment in the city's park system "Quality of life is important," said City Administrator Shelby Teufel "This community is ready to invest in its future.” Pleasant Hill's park renovation projects are funded through an $11.5 million voter-approved 'P1 initiative' on April 2 The ballot measure funds major upgrades to City Lake hasn’t been renovated for the most part in 20-30 years We are doing a complete renovation of this site redoing the tennis courts we have on-site," Teufel explained "We're also upgrading our playground equipment and adding the city’s first splash pad.” development plans are revolutionizing disabled youth's access to playground fun "We'll be one of the first public parks in the KC metro to offer a '360 loop slide,'" Teufel said "What that does is it allows any child to have the ability to get themselves up but then also to slide down and do that on a continuous loop.” Youth opportunity is a driving force in the communities decision to revitalize local parks Jeff Hull is the director of Parks and Facilities and he's overseeing construction operations at the Recreation Complex the complex will be home to playgrounds and multiple athletic playing surfaces "We hope this will encourage tournaments and teams from other communities to utilize what our town has to offer," Hull said "This is a good way of getting everyone outside and doing a big upgrade for community betterment.” The current recreation complex houses Pleasant Hill High School's varsity baseball field It's the Hull's goal to open the 2025 baseball season with a new field this spring as the first completed portion of the project I was here when the high school started its first baseball program We had some very minimal facilities," he said "Seeing this kind of upgrade is huge for our youth My passion is youth development of all aspects not just sports and this overall project is great for the community.” The final leg of the 2024 ballot initiative is to improve camping accessibility at Pleasant Hill City Lake north of town The recreation area will receive upgrades to the main entrance including a paved drive entrance and parking spaces Other site improvements include the addition of a shower and restroom facility and collaboration and just getting together as a community," Teufel explained "It's located on the Rock Island Trail System.. it makes that a more attractive space for people to stay even if they just need an overnight stay.” voters also approved funding for law enforcement facility renovations and water and sewer infrastructure upgrades I think the opportunities are about endless on this," Hull added about the entire project "We are going to be able to partner with some of the local communities to bring in some interest for these facilities as well as other activities that can be held here." The City of Pleasant Hill operates a website with project updates and historical data for project funding The timeline of each individual project varies More information on the development's status can be found here Report a typo Macon-Bibb County leaders announced the Historic Pleasant Hill Neighborhood will be getting new housing for 64 families overgrown playground and around it behind me will again be a place where children and families can gather and enjoy each other’s company,” said Mayor Lester Miller this abandoned area will once again live as a center of the community and that is truly what makes today a great day.”   The 1–3-bedroom units will go up on the corner of Walnut and Madison Streets They will be income restricted to limits set by the Department of Housing & Urban Development but there will be more mixed income housing “Everybody knows you can’t turn on the news these days and not see a story about the demand for affordable housing but throughout the entire United States,” said Macon Housing Authority CEO Mike Austin and that’s why it’s important that we take on projects like this and provide more affordable housing for the residents of our community.”  The abandoned former school building will be demolished to make room for the housing “This project helps fight blight and brings back hope,” said Historic Pleasant Hill Neighborhood Organization Chair Erion Smith “We must ensure that the best interest of the Pleasant Hill neighborhood one of the great treasures of Black Macon are served and protected in this process.”  This project is in its early stages but is expected to cost about $18 million and Affordable Housing Fund marked the start of demolition of the former Macon Charter Academy in Historic Pleasant Hill which will make way for affordable housing for 64 families The former school building has sat empty for about eight years and had been crumbling on the inside “Housing has been a top priority for our administration since the beginning and we have constantly been working to provide more,” says Mayor Lester Miller “This is going to be great for our community and future generations.”   and that’s why it’s important that we take on projects like this and provide more affordable housing for the residents of our community.”     “This is a major milestone for the Affordable Housing Fund’s focus as it eliminates blight and removes safety hazards from the community while creating high density quality units for dozens of families,” says Natalie Bouyett Executive Director of the Affordable Housing Fund “This is the kind of project we want to make happen across the county SPRINGFIELD — Lucas LaBounty nailed the game-winning 3-pointer late in the fourth quarter Saturday in Thurston's 50-48 OSAA Class 5A boys basketball playoff home win over Centennial capped a 7-0 run and was the culmination of teamwork With the second-seeded Colts (22-3) trailing by five points with just under four minutes left Nate Stiffler got things started with a layup LaBounty added a layup of his own before the 3-pointer put Thurston ahead but I just felt like we needed to talk about trusting yourself trust in the guys," Colts head coach Blaine Liberatore said "And I thought we did that in the last two minutes." The victory marked the program's first playoff win since the 2018-19 season LaBounty scored a game-high 19 points and grabbed eight rebounds and one assist while Stiffler tacked on 15 points who was recently named Midwestern League player of the year I found the spot and worked on that shot every day Thurston then kicked its defense into high gear to prevent the No 15 Eagles (14-12) from scoring with just over a minute left in the game Led by league defensive player of the year Noah Blair Centennial had several offensive opportunities to tie or take the lead with time running low Sincere Powe's jumper with a few seconds left was off the mark Thurston survived despite shooting just 13 for 21 (61.9%) on free throws Thurston will face last year's state champion and No 7 Summit (18-8) in a Thursday quarterfinal "The biggest thing is to recover," Liberatore said of Thursday's showdown Go do something fun and let us take care of the scout stuff." really good basketball team," Liberatore added of Centennial They're gonna be really good the next two years Powe finished with 17 points for the Eagles The third-seeded Marist Catholic boys saw their season end unexpectedly Saturday with a 77-67 home loss to No 14 Mazama in the first round of the Class 4A state playoffs Mazama senior Kai Hunt stunned the crowed with a game-high 30 points while senior Gabe Nanni netted 20 and senior Jordan Beals had 11 and we couldn't really get shots to fall," said Spartans junior Kai Holmes They played hard and props to their coach for getting them ready." The Spartans struggled offensively throughout the contest making only two shots from 3-point range in the first half They trailed 39-27 at halftime and managed to rally late on a 5-0 run late the fourth quarter but it was too late Holmes and senior Christian Guerrero each contributed 18 points for the Spartans Sophomore Bodey Drennan added 10 points also going 3 for 4 on free throws in the loss Marist (17-6 )will lose seven seniors to graduation in June But the Spartans do return their leading scorer in Holmes who spoke about what the seniors have meant to the program I really feel for the seniors," Holmes said Second-seeded Pleasant Hill came up short in the 3A state championship game Saturday night falling to the top seed Westside Christian Eagles Gavin Inglish scored 16 points for the Billies while Landen Melvin added 10 points and Riley Smith had nine Inglish was named to the all-tournament second team Three Westside Christian players scored in double figures: Jack Leland led with 18 points Cole Chiong 16 and Kyler Crites 14 points while shooting 4 for 7 from 3-point range Pleasant Hill closed its season on a high note reaching the state final for the first time since 1999 The Billies finished with a 26-4 overall record after going 10-0 in Mountain Valley Conference play The Central Linn girls defeated league rival East Linn Christian to clinch fourth place in the 2A state tournament bracket Saturday morning at the Pendleton Convention Center Peyton Gaskey scored a game-high 19 points for the Cobras Gaskey and Wolff earned all-tournament second-team honors Piper Sewell scored 13 points and Josie Grunerud eight for East Linn Luke Jackson loved playing basketball from the time he was little His dad played the sport in college and even described his grandpa "I grew up playing all day every day at the park in Creswell rain or shine," Jackson recalled A fan of the early '90s Portland Trail Blazers Jackson never had thoughts of playing in the NBA because of the "statistics of people not making it." However he still managed to find success that eventually helped him get there So when the opportunity arose to connect with his basketball roots the former NBA and Oregon legend didn't think twice is in his first year as head coach of the Pleasant Hill High School boys basketball team while spending time as the Oregon men's basketball radio analyst alongside play-by-play broadcaster Joey McMurry at Ducks home games "It made sense to have a former NBA player with head coaching experience and a guy who really works well with kids," Pleasant Hill athletic director Kyle McClain told The Register-Guard "There's times where it makes sense to have a coach who was a great player and vice versa experience and has the passion for the sport." After leading Creswell to a state title his senior year in 2000 where he finished as the second all-time leading scorer in program history with 1,970 points in his four seasons Jackson already knew his potential as a freshman He remembers walking into coach Ernie Kent's office with a message: "I feel like I earned some minutes I think I'm going to be a big part of the future of this team." 10 assists) that season at Washington and again in 2002 against Florida A&M (14-11-10) Ron Lee recorded the first in Oregon program history in 1972 and Will Richardson followed with another in 2022 but he learned the importance lesson on work ethic from his father "I got a tool belt for my eighth-grade graduation and I spent a lot of time in the summers bucking hay and working for my dad," Jackson said "Even though I didn't like all those chores as a 14-year-old and I think that translated into being competitive Sometimes that's just wired into somebody." Even while playing college Jackson never thought about playing in the NBA His dream of playing close to home and being an Oregon fan had already come true Opportunity came knocking when he was selected as the 10th overall pick in the 2004 NBA draft by the Cleveland Cavaliers He also had stints with the Los Angeles Clippers Toronto Raptors and Miami Heat as well as in the D-League (now G-League) and overseas until he retired in 2011 Jackson dealt with many injuries during professional career He said he gave everything he had to the game as a player to the point where his body completely broke down he still wanted to be involved with the sport and felt like coaching would be a natural transition "I've been able to take things that I love from Hall of Fame coaches like Pat Riley," Jackson said coaches like Mike Dunleavy with the Clippers and got to brush shoulders and be around Doc Rivers It's just a really unique experience to see how so many different guys motivated their teams and how they treated guys in certain situations "I think one of the reasons why I've been able to be successful as a coach is to be able to draw on my own playing experience Jackson coached from 2013-17 at Northwest Christian University which changed its name to Bushnell in 2020 He notably coached eventual Oregon State alum Kylor Kelley Kelley made his NBA debut with the Dallas Mavericks last week It was December 2019 when McMurry brought Jackson as a guest analyst during an Oregon men's basketball preseason game at Michigan McMurry was hoping to move forward with a permanent analyst before the COVID-19 pandemic put a pause on it "He makes the broadcast better," McMurry said "He's very good at picking his spots of when to jump in But he's descriptive and that's the real art of it and then also making it so that the general fan can understand what's going on very knowledgeable basketball fan can pick up what he's talking about." Jackson's preparations before every home game is thorough researching the opponent extensively to provide insight to fans that are not able to watch or are traveling He's also talked with people who are blind that have enjoyed listening He tries to listen to every broadcast afterward to see where he can improve so it takes a long time to hone that craft "And I would say working with Joey Mac makes it really easy because he's so talented." Jackson didn't intend on becoming the head coach at Pleasant Hill after previously serving as a volunteer coach with the program during the 2023-24 season But after Darwin Terry stepped down as head coach to spend more time with his family Jackson was already involved in coaching his two sons who are in fifth and eighth grades in Pleasant Hill and community support for him to take over continued to grow With his first year of running the program almost near complete he's trying to give his basketball players the best experience and providing fun along the way while also teaching them hard work "There's something so special about high school basketball that brings out a lot of great memories as a youngster for me," Jackson said "And to be able to give that to other kids and their families is a really fun thing And hopefully try to win a state championship along the way." Pleasant Hill (18-3 overall) has surpassed its expectations this season with its star players – senior guard Gavin Inglish and junior guard Landen Melvin – leading the way plus an extended roster that is bound to push the limits further ranked second in the latest 3A coaches poll and 6-0 in the Mountain Valley Conference went through a tough early season schedule loaded with strong teams Pleasant Hill lost to 2A defending champion Western Christian and defeated current 3A No The slate has also included matchups with 4A No The Billies are on the path for a state tournament berth and they're led by a coach who has their attention done that and seen a lot of basketball and learned a lot of things it makes it really easy to trust him and buy into everything he says A new addiction treatment center in Pleasant Hill hopes to partner with community agencies and create a stronger support system for central Iowans coping with substance abuse One of the few medical detox facilities in the Des Moines metro seeks to help fill the resource gap and work with law enforcement officials mobile crisis response teams and other health care workers the center's senior development and community relations coordinator The center's launch comes as Polk County opens its sobering center to help those with alcoholism The sobering center only allows for brief stays and those interested in receiving more care and expanded programming can turn to ThriveNow "We'll be one of their resources," he said A former site of an assisted living community ThriveNow was renovated into a recovery center for adult men and women with 12 medical detox beds It also offers residential treatment program stays for 28 days He added that the center accepts Medicaid and private or commercial insurance "We want to be inclusive of all different types of people," added Brandon George chief strategy officer of Ascension Recovery Services We have to be able to serve everybody in the community The Iowa Department of Public Health has reported an increase in drug and alcohol use in the state particularly with nicotine and binge drinking Substance-related deaths reached record highs in 2021 Iowa ranked 35th in the country in illicit drug use and 48th in overdose deaths To learn more about ThriveNow Recovery Center, visit thrivenowrc.com/about-us/ (This story was updated to correct a misspelling.) F. Amanda Tugade covers social justice issues for the Des Moines Register. Email her at ftugade@dmreg.com or follow her on Twitter@writefelissa The Pleasant Hill City Council approved a subdivision plan at its Tuesday meeting as part of a proposal for new commercial buildings at 5200 Maple Drive, next to the library and City Hall. The first phase will include four commercial lots, including two new additions to Pleasant Hill: Dollar Tree and Starbucks The property is currently vacant and owned by LRE IA Pleasant Hill LLC Planning is underway and officials will make further approvals for the projects The two new businesses are expected to open in summer 2025 according to information presented at the meeting Plans also include extending the trail north of Maple Drive to the site and adding a right turn-in/right turn-out access at University Avenue The eastern section of the property could be divided into more lots for development in the future and the same firm owns two more properties at the corner of Maple Drive and North Shadyview Boulevard Traffic study approved as part of proposed mixed-use development in Pleasant HillThe City Council also approved a traffic study in a rapidly growing area in eastern Pleasant Hill as a developer eyes property for a possible large mixed-use development The study will consider the possible connection of Martha L Miller Drive is currently unbuilt and incomplete through the area The $25,000 cost for the study will be split by the city and Magnus Capital Partners the company interested in developing an 18-acre property off the southwest corner of University Avenue and 64th Street Magnus Capital Partners, which is based in Grand Rapids, Michigan, has developed a handful of HoM Flats apartment sites in western Michigan the sites offer amenities that could vary by site And more HoM Flats developments have been proposed, including one in Michigan and another in Olathe, Kansas Both developments also would include commercial space for businesses A concept site plan for HoM Flats in Pleasant Hill proposes more than 300 housing units Miller Drive extension would run through the site The project would be near the Rising Sun area a collection of single-family homes that is largely outside city limits the proposed concept would be subject to further review and approvals from city officials Chris Higgins covers the eastern and northern suburbs for the Register. Reach him at chiggins@registermedia.com or 515-423-5146 and follow him on Twitter @chris_higgins_ Firefighters battled a large field fire that burned several acres of land along University Avenue in Pleasant Hill early Monday afternoon along with multiple other nearby fire departments responded to reports of a fire around 12:30 p.m. city spokesperson Candace Bell told the Register The winds and dry conditions caused the fires to spread The fire caused "some damage" to the home and "many" acres burned Officials did not immediately say what caused the fire Traffic was blocked westbound on East University Avenue between 80th Street and 75th Street for about two hours Portions of central and southern Iowa were under a fire weather watch Monday due to warm temperatures It advised against outdoor burning as conditions would cause fires to rapidly spread A high wind watch is in effect until 8 p.m Wednesday with wind speeds up to 55 mph possible José Mendiola is a breaking news reporter for the Register Reach him at jmendiola@dmreg.com or follow him on X @mendiola_news A Pleasant Hill man was sentenced to up to 17 years in prison Wednesday for leading police on a car and foot chase and injuring an officer in July 2024 pleaded guilty to eluding as a second offense and interference with official acts resulting in serious injury Weir to the terms of the guilty plea: consecutive prison sentences of 15 years on the eluding charge The defendant must serve a minimum of three years in prison before he is eligible for parole Weir must also participate in a victim-offender dialogue with the injured officer and pay any damages to him A Pleasant Hill officer suffered a broken leg during the incident Weir admitted in court that he was at fault but said he wanted an alternative to prison to seek treatment “I have been a drug addict my whole life,” he told Judge Beattie Assistant County Attorney Leslie Nesbit noted that the outcome could have been worse in the case Weir put multiple lives in danger because of his selfish actions,” she told the judge “A person dies every day in this country because of eluding.” Weir was previously convicted of eluding in September 2020 he also has been convicted of several other felonies including drug charges involving marijuana and methamphetamine Evidence in the case showed that on July 15 a Pleasant Hill police officer noticed a gold 2008 Pontiac G6 with an expired plate and followed as the car ran a red light at the intersection of Northeast 12th Avenue and Northeast 56th Street The driver then took off at speeds exceeding 90 mph in a 35-mph zone the driver broke several traffic violations including running red lights and crossing over the center line into oncoming traffic The vehicle eventually came to a stop in the 2200 block of East 38th Street and the driver climbed out of the car and began running through yards with Officers Jeshua Smith and Steven Burroughs in pursuit Both officers fired their Taser guns and struggled with the suspect before apprehending him