Please select what you would like included for printing: Copy the text below and then paste that into your favorite email application Surrounding her in her final moments were her beloved family members who supported her through a long and courageous fight with cancer She had an innate ability to see the good in others and never spoke ill about anyone Her zest for life was contagious; she approached each day with an ever-present smile and genuine laughter guiding her actions and interactions with others Rex Ray Denton; mother Helen Irene Baskerville Denton; brother Dan Denton; nephews Stu Apley and Jeremy Denton; and her niece Kady Krenzke and she cherished her children and grandchildren more than anything else Debby's love for them was unconditional and she instilled in them the values of kindness She is survived by her children Jamie Denton as well as her devoted fiancé Larry Wright Her legacy continues through her grandchildren: Cailey Jo all of whom were sources of immense pride and happiness for her Debby also leaves behind her siblings: Les (Dea) Denton Each of them carried a special bond with her and together they created countless memories that will forever be cherished Family and friends are invited to pay their respects during the visitation on Monday both taking place at Bush’s Chapel Church of Christ located at 601 S Tunnel Rd Debby Lorraine Stayton will be remembered not only for her unwavering faith and vibrant personality but also for the love she poured into every relationship Her spirit will live on in the hearts of those who knew her Enter your phone number above to have directions sent via text This site is protected by reCAPTCHA and the Google Privacy Policy and Terms of Service apply Service map data © OpenStreetMap contributors FOREST GROVE  — The first two showdowns this season between Stayton and Philomath were too close to call The Warriors and Eagles — who earned the No in the Class 4A girls basketball postseason after steamrolling their ways through the Oregon West Conference — split a pair of wins during the regular season the mid-valley rivals got a highly anticipated rematch that lived up to the billing — and resulted in a long-awaited banner for the Eagles in the OSAA state title game at Forest Grove High School to earn its first girls basketball championship since 2007 "This is a team that you don't find very often," Stayton senior forward Kenzi Hollenbeck said "Everyone brings something special to the table It's just something exciting; I'm so grateful to be a part of this team You just don't find that very often — in any sport After reaching the state quarterfinals a year ago this season the Eagles leaned on a group of close-knit seniors and a couple of star sophomores who all played important roles during the stretch run They also built their team foundation through faith and shared belief we held bible study and grew together as a team through bible study," senior guard Haley Butenschoen said of what helped the Eagles grow as a team this season "It's been super helpful in coming together as a family and with the diversity we have with this team we have our one faith and one God; that keeps us all together the Oregon West Conference co-player of the year Korbyn Schmidt and Johanna Comstock were driving forces throughout the season because we're losing five awesome seniors," Stayton head coach Tal Wold said I'm really excited for them and just excited for our community; you saw the turnout It was fun to see this town show up and just bring that energy for these girls." Sophomore guard Kathryn Samek led Stayton with 18 points — 13 of which came in the second half Hollenbeck chipped in six points and 10 rebounds and Butenschoen had a team-high six assists Samek and fellow sophomore Breeci Hampton — who scored seven points Saturday — were named to the Class 4A all-tournament first team Hollenbeck received second-team recognition Reagan Heiken led Philomath with 14 points and three assists frenetic clash that featured 27 total turnovers and 27 fouls Stayton found an advantage on the glass that proved to be the difference-maker The Eagles out-rebounded the Warriors 31-29 and converted 10 offensive rebounds into 10 second-half points (Philomath) just had so many more possessions than us; we couldn't keep them off the boards," Wold said "We talked about it tonight — 'It's not going to be easy You're gonna have to find a way.' I think we did I just felt like (Philomath) weren't getting all those second and third chances who tallied nearly 33% of Stayton's total rebounds on the night Watch her play shortstop on the softball field 'I'm giving everything I have.' She's an incredible human." but it wasn't necessarily a comfortable advantage as Philomath answered each scoring run with a surge of its own Just had to work through that last 16 minutes; start fresh; everything is new." The Eagles look like a reenergized group out of the break and Samek began to take over the game soon after and finished a layup through contact for an and-one that gave Stayton a 31-25 lead Samek was fouled and sank a pair of free throws to push the Eagles' lead to 35-28 "We went over what (Philomath) did in those first two games; they're really long and we knew it was going to be hard in the paint," Samek said we just needed to work together and find ways to get open We knew we had to stay together as a family and everything would be good." Hampton drilled a gutsy three to push the Eagles' advantage to 42-30 Samek hit a running floater to make it 44-33 and put the game on ice "It's been really amazing," Butenschoen said "We didn't talk about (winning the title) a whole lot because we didn't want to hype ourselves up too much before we got here It's a heck of a way to go out this season." When Stayton last won a girls basketball title Chad Meadors' squad emerged with a blowout win over Gladstone at Gill Coliseum the Eagles' current group of players cut down the nets in a gym jam-packed with community members who made the 78-mile trek to show their support "It's such a great feeling — such a great feeling knowing that we did it together," Hollenbeck said It's the girls on the bench cheering us on "All of the little things played into it." Jarrid Denney covers high school sports and Oregon State for the Statesman Journal. He can be reached at JDenney@salem.gannett.com or on X @jarrid_denney passed away quietly surrounded by his family on Monday at the Parkview Regional Medical Center in Fort Wayne at the age of 38 the son of David and Diane Stayton (Quimbach) Jon was a 2004 graduate of Northrop High School His time at school was marked by a passion for the arts and athletics; he was not only a talented musician who played the saxophone in the marching band but also an accomplished cross-country runner he went on to earn his bachelor’s degree in interior design from IPFW in 2010 known for creating clay models and other art He also was a devoted cat lover and enjoyed traveling and exploring new places His true passion was playing video games of all kinds.  He was preceded in death by his grandparents Clayton and Carol Jean Quimbach and Lauren and Katie Stayton Titus Funeral Home and Cremation Services is entrusted with the care of Jon His family is grieving privately therefore no public services will be held Memorial contributions in honor of Jon may be given to the Fort Wayne Rescue Mission IN 46802 or https://fwrm.givevirtuous.org/donate/webpage-giving-page To leave a condolence FOREST GROVE — It probably wasn’t a surprise that the Philomath-Stayton state championship game match-up Saturday night came down to the team that played the best defense The Stayton Eagles played the best defense Stayton made on-court life miserable for Philomath’s offense and the No 2-seeded Eagles did more than enough at the opposite end pulling away in the second half for a 47-36 victory over the top-ranked Warriors in the final of the OSAA/OnPoint Community Credit Union 4A girls basketball tournament at Forest Grove High School The Eagles had a 22-19 lead at the end of a hard-fought first half and then just picked away The lead grew to 37-30 after three quarters and then Breeci Hampton drilled a three-pointer to make it 42-30 with 3:32 to play in the game Stayton came up with another six defensive stops on eight possessions in three minutes as the Eagles (27-1) clinched their third state championship and first since 2007 “Every basket was so hard to come by for both teams,” Stayton coach Tal Wold said “I don’t know how all of a sudden we separated we’re were up 10.’ I don’t know how we got there Here were two Oregon West Conference rivals who had split their regular-season series in a pair of one-point games — Philomath winning 27-26 at home on Jan 31 and Stayton winning 40-39 at home on Feb And both went into Saturday’s final prepared for another nail-biter The difference this time was Stayton's defense the Eagles’ interior defense anchored by Haley Butenschoen Kathryn Samek and Korbyn Schmidt and a group that limited Philomath to six points in the paint The place where the Warriors went again and again and again and again in Thursday’s 53-35 quarterfinal win over Crook County and Friday’s 43-37 semifinal win over Cascade “Stayton is just so physical down low,” Philomath coach Ben Silva said “They have three or four girls that guard in the paint where a lot of teams at our level don’t have that Stayton takes a lot of pride in playing defense The Eagles had held 21 of their first 25 opponents to fewer than 30 points and reached the quarterfinals having held opponents to a state-best 25.5 points a game “That’s what we worked on all season — to be the best defensive team in the state,” said Hollenbeck “Tonight, we did really well sticking together deflections — the little things that sometimes go unnoticed that I think are the biggest things for us “That kind of defense just creates momentum for us and builds excitement that just fuels the fire for our offense.” Wold pointed to Stayton’s 31-29 edge in rebounds as another key “We knew we had to rebound with them,” Wold said “They just kill so many people on the boards with their length and their physicality you have to defend and you have to rebound And we were lucky enough to get a lot of that done.” Philomath had a 16-15 lead with just under two minutes to play in the second quarter but a 7-3 Stayton run in the closing 1:27 of the half gave the Eagles a 22-19 advantage at the break Stayton gradually pulled away behind a string of big plays Samek stole the ball and scored on an uncontested layup to make it 24-19 and completed the three-point play to make it 31-25 Butenschoen grabbed an offensive rebound and scored on the putback to make it 37-28 Hampton buried the three-pointer that made it 42-30 and set off the “Loud Environment” warnings on everybody’s smart watches “It’s kind of a blur right now,” Silva said “I think everyone was a little anxious to start the game But both teams are just so physical.  We struggled a little bit executing offensively and I thhink that’s probably the biggest difference in the game going 5 for 9 from the field and 8 for 9 at the free-throw line Hampton added seven points and Hollenbeck had six points and a game-high 10 rebounds It’s like the biggest thing ever and we’ve been working toward this for forever Philomath is really long and they made it hard for us in the paint But we worked together and found a way to do it.” Reagan Heiken led Philomath with 14 points and was the only player to score in double figures for the Warriors and Aspen Russell and Anneka Steen added five points each “They had some kids who showed up and hit some shots We just didn’t hit quite as many as them.” The all-tournemant first team included Stayton’s Hampton and Samek Hampton and Heiken were both unanimous selections 5 Cascade 35: When Emilia Myers comes off the Baker bench she has the green light to shoot from three-point range The senior guard had already connected three times from long range when she hit a another sparking a 12-0 run at the start of the fourth quarter that helped lift the Bulldogs over the Cougars in Saturday’s third-place game Baker’s Gracie Spike scored a team-high 14 points and Molly Rasmussen had seven points and five rebounds to help the Bulldogs (19-10) rebound from Friday’s 59-35 semifinal loss to Stayton “Our girls played really well today,” Baker coach Jason Ramos said We had high hopes and that third-place game meant a lot to these girls and they played really hard.” The Bulldogs carried a 31-30 lead into the fourth quarter when Myer rebounded her own miss from long range and buried the next one That was followed by a Mary Schwartz jumper and a Spike jumper that made it 43-30 with five minutes remaining The lead stayed at double digits the rest of the way “We just had an amazing fourth quarter,” Ramos said “We held Cascade to five points and knocked down a bunch of baskets and that was the difference “We talked about what our expectations were at the beginning of the season and getting to the tournament was a legitimate goal for us the girls played really well down the stretch and we were playing our best basketball this time and they just came down and had an amazing tournament.” Cascade’s Rozalyn Schmunk finished 16 points and 10 rebounds while the Cougars’ other four starters had a combined eight points on 1-for-20 shooting from the field and 6-for-10 shooting from the free-throw line 4 La Grande 48: Makayla Schroeder had 18 points and 15 rebounds — both game highs — and Ann Harper added 17 points as the overwhelmed the Tigers to claim the fourth-place trophy in Saturday’s 9 a.m The Hornets of Klamath Falls jumped out to a 26-8 lead at the end of the first quarter and then maintained at least a 15-point advantage until the final two minutes of the game Henley’s Prestyn Schade finished with 10 points who shot 44.6 percent (25 for 56) from the field and enjoyed a 42-16 advantage in points in the paint La Grande’s Rowan Evans had a team-high 11 points for the Tigers who got another nine points and six rebounds from Carlee Strand (KATU) — The mother of a 16-year-old girl killed in a crash Sunday night near Stayton is calling for justice in the case against 33-year-old Christopher Atkinson of Salem who is accused of DUI "I do not think he should ever get out," Kristina McDaniel said in tears on the phone during a pre-trial bail setting hearing for Atkinson Marion County Judge Drew Taylor ruled Atkinson would be a danger to society and ordered him held without bail was killed and her 12-year-old Zamora Miller was injured and is in the hospital Two other teens ages 14 and 16 were also injured "I have a daughter in Doernbecher (Children's Hospital) right now with tubes in her with broken ribs and a punctured lung," McDaniel said in court "He took my daughter away from me." The single-vehicle crash happened in the 17000 block of Fern Ridge Road around 9:50 pm Atkinson's car drove off the road and collided with trees before coming to a stop The father and mother of one of the other teens also spoke in court saying the girl is afraid Atkinson will target her "She was terrified scared to sleep alone because she thought that because she was the one that called 911 that the man would be coming after her," the mother said in court READ ALSO: Teen critically injured in early morning north Portland shooting McDaniel lives in California and said she was getting ready to bring her daughters home after working on getting her life together During an interview with KATU before the hearing she said she had just spoken to the girls Sunday afternoon about their move to California The girls have been living with their grandmother in Salem McDaniel said Johnson had told her and her grandmother that she and her little sister were having dinner with a friend and would be home by their curfew at 9 p.m She said she had last spoken to her around 6 p.m "She was a beautiful comedian a typical teenager," she said of Johnson Now all we have is memories of that and it hurts so bad that beautiful innocent soul was taken too soon." Johnson was a junior at McNary High School in Keizer Principal Scott Gragg said Johnson touched many lives "Every loss of a student's life impacts us all and she will be greatly missed," he wrote Atkinson faces one count of second-degree manslaughter and four counts of providing alcohol to a minor He is scheduled to appear in court again on April 2 It is unknown how the girls ended up in Atkinson's car McDaniel believes they did not know him before Sunday night Full Message from McNary High School Principal Scott Gragg It’s with a very heavy heart that I share difficult news about the passing of one of our students who was involved in a traffic accident this weekend Zolayha was a junior at McNary and touched the lives of many people Every loss of a student's life impacts us all and she will be greatly missed We know that news like this affects each student differently and we are available to support As we get closer to coming back to school next week we’ll share information about counseling services that will be available at school for students I encourage you to review these resources for additional support for your child This is a difficult time for our Celtic family please don't hesitate to contact our office The Stayton City Council voted 4-1 this week to ask voters to approve an increase in the library levy during the May 20 election City staff say the money from the increased levy would fund the Stayton Public Library operations at the current hours and programs The library is funded almost entirely from the money it receives from an operation levy Voters will be asked to pay 56 cents per $1,000 of assessed property value up from the current 40 cents per $1,000 for five years For a homeowner with an assessed property value of $250,000 an increase of about $40 a year over the current levy The levy would bring in an estimated $472,000 the first year and $2.6 million over its five years Most of the increase in cost to property owners would cover things like personnel for which costs have risen sharply in recent years “I think it’s part of the identity of our city,” City Councilor Steve Sims said Tuesday who voted Tuesday night against sending the measure to voters requested to see proposed cuts to the library’s budget “We’re asking for about $150,000 more per year from the taxpayers to pay for the library with basically no new services and we haven’t looked at any cuts we can make before asking people to pay more on their taxes,” Bauer said is the largest of any library between Salem and Sisters welcoming place that I have ever been and it’s just a very unusual library,” Stayton resident Eileen Kamilos said “And we are so fortunate in our small community to have something like this that is staffed by people who not only care about what they do Voters in Stayton have approved similar operations levies to fund the library seven times since 1999 In May 2021, voters approved the five-year operations levy that provides funding for the library through June 30 the increased rate would start in July 2026 “What I would like to advocate for is the library has run with no fluff in our budget,” Library Director Janna Moser said “I have less staff than I had when I started here because we’ve already been through cuts We are really creative in how we fund the things that we are doing.” About 77% of the library’s budget goes to pay staff Moser said the library has three full-time employees and the rest are part-time The City Council has been presented a proposal to break up the current parks and pool levy which currently taxes property owners at 50 cents per $1,000 The proposal would charge 45 cents per $1,000 for parks and 40 cents per $1,000 for the pool Councilors will consider putting those to voters in the November election Bill Poehler covers Marion and Polk County for the Statesman Journal. Contact him at bpoehler@StatesmanJournal.com As much as Stayton's girls basketball team is encouraged by its 12-0 start and No 2 ranking in the OSAAtoday 4A coaches poll the Eagles are keeping their early success in perspective They know that big tests lie straight ahead in the tough Oregon West Conference teams they shared the conference title with last season “Those two programs have just been dynamite for so long,” Stayton coach Tal Wold said but we're still trying to get our program to their level Stayton made a jump last season in its first year under Wold whose nine-year tenure at 5A Silverton included a 2016 state championship and reached the 4A tournament before quickly bowing out with two losses “We were thrilled to get there,” Wold said Four starters are back from that team in 5-foot-8 senior post Kenzi Hollenbeck 5-6 senior guard Brookelynne Morley and 5-8 sophomore wing Kourtney Samek Hollenbeck and Butenschoen were Oregon West first-team picks With senior leadership and a strong sophomore class Stayton is evolving into a state contender The Eagles' only championships came in 1995 and 2007 which was their last appearance in the final “It's one of the most enjoyable groups I've had in 20 years,” said Wold “Our seniors want to go out being the best they can be We just want to find out how good we can be.” The Eagles are dominating with their tenacious man-to-man defense they held opponents to a 4A-low 29.0 points per game “All of our girls have to be able to guard the ball a two-time state champion in the 800 meters She typically draws the opposing point guard or a dangerous wing who played linebacker in football through the eighth grade She also excels in softball and volleyball “She's kind of the glue of every sport she's played on,” Wold said of Hollenbeck has moved into the starting lineup and is averaging a team-high 14 points per game Wold said he was worried about adding Hampton to the mix but the fit has been “incredible.” “It's my first transfer in 20 years of coaching,” he said 'This is going to work out great.' They welcomed her with open arms.” The Eagles are averaging 54.4 points per game They have had six different leading scorers “We have a few more girls who can score this season,” Wold said Stayton's most impressive wins came in the semifinals and finals of its own SCTC Holiday Tournament in the days after Christmas In the only other game against a team currently ranked in the coaches polls Salem and Stayton could struggle to produce enough drinking water for the 200,000 people that rely on it this fall if the planned drawdown of Detroit Lake moves forward and sends muddy water into the North Santiam River Earlier this year, the Statesman Journal reported on plans by the U.S Army Corps of Engineers to drop the reservoir east of Salem to the lowest water level in its history to help endangered salmon migrate through the dam — a requirement to stay in compliance with the federal Endangered Species Act The drawdown is likely to flush sediment from the reservoir’s bottom into the North Santiam That could easily clog the network of sand filtration systems the two cities rely on to purify river water before it is sent to homes and businesses It's a scenario similar to what Sweet Home and Lebanon faced the past two years after thick sediment was released into the South Santiam River by the drawdown of Green Peter Reservoir leading to discolored and off-flavored water and damage to city water filters but our worst case scenario is weeks or even months with no water in Stayton,” said Julia Hajduk “This is serious and we’re doing our best to prepare for it.” City of Salem officials are also preparing They're cultivating backup water supplies from groundwater wells aquifers and even Keizer to try and reach the 24 to 25 million gallons of water per day the city typically uses in winter they could end up a few million gallons short “We’re very concerned," Salem Public Works director Brian Martin said "We're looking at all the options that would allow the system to continue operating." A lawsuit to stop the drawdown is also being considered Salem Mayor Julie Hoy said in her State of the City address on Wednesday that "as a city we support efforts to protect endangered fish As a water provider to 200,000 residents and businesses we also need to protect our precious drinking water."  The situation marks the second threat to Salem's drinking water in the past decade. Cyanotoxins detected in the city's water led to a do-not-drink advisory for the young and elderly in 2018 It prompted the city to install a $48 million ozone treatment facility to keep drinking water safe in 2021 said it's working closely with the cities to understand potential impacts The drawdown was planned for late fall 2025 Willamette Valley operations project manager for the Corps “It’s not certain that we will implement the deep drawdown in 2025,”  Petersen said “We are raising this issue as an important priority We can also commit to communicating with the public as soon as we do have a path forward from leadership.” Petersen said the Corps would take the impact on drinking water into account in an environmental assessment that determines the path forward Each winter Detroit Lake is dropped to its “low pool” level — 1,450 feet above sea level That’s so it can absorb major rain events and limit flooding downstream which is the main purpose of the 13-dam system in the Upper Willamette Basin would drop the reservoir 55 feet lower in late fall or early winter It would be the lowest level since the dam was constructed in the 1950s Detroit Lake would become the fifth reservoir in the Upper Willamette Basin to undergo a “drawdown” — turning a reservoir into a river for a temporary period each year It’s part of a wider strategy to keep dams in place for flood control while reopening habitat blocked for decades to endangered salmon and steelhead teetering on the brink of extinction The drawdown at Detroit was mandated by what’s known as a biological opinion published on Dec. 26, 2024 Authored by the National Marine Fisheries Service the document outlines actions the federal government must take to stay in compliance with the federal Endangered Species Act it means improving conditions for wild spring chinook and winter steelhead two species protected since the 1990s that have seen their numbers drop so low biologists say they could go extinct as soon as 2040 The biological opinion requires the Corps to improve habitat But the hardest part is fish passage — allowing salmon and steelhead to spawn in habitat above the dams and their offspring to migrate back down to the ocean Because Willamette Basin dams are too tall for traditional fish ladders and building fish collection devices is time-consuming and expensive “deep drawdowns” have emerged as the best option They allow baby salmon spawned above the dam to migrate through regulating outlets at the base of the dam to reach the ocean they'd return as adults to continue the cycle Local tribes and environmental groups have advocated for drawdowns as the best shot at saving the iconic fish They say the Corps have had decades to take action to improve the situation but have stalled so long the fish are now at real risk of extinction The region deserves a future with vibrant salmon runs where dams control floods when needed but the rivers flow more freely We commend NOAA Fisheries for requiring the Corps to make sensible improvements in the way the dams are operated to help protect salmon.” deep drawdowns have been taking place at Green Peter and Lookout Point reservoirs In both years, the water released during the drawdowns was thick with silt and mud requiring a major effort by cities such as Sweet Home and Lebanon to produce safe drinking water from the South Santiam River The turbid water put extreme stress on the filtration system the cities use and required them to put extra chemicals in the water to meet state laws The two cities sued the Corps for $38 million for damage to their water systems. This past year, after a water filter in Sweet Home failed, the drawdown of Green Peter was ended early. “It’s created serious public mistrust in government,” Lebanon City Manager Ron Whitlatch told the Statesman Journal earlier this year and that really raises alarms for residents when our water has always been pristine It's been a big disruption and I'd love to see it stop for good." It’s not clear whether the deep drawdown of Detroit Lake will produce muddy water in the North Santiam on a similar scale any extended turbidity on the North Santiam could bring major problems for Salem and Stayton The two cities use a slow sand filtration system located about 27 miles downstream of Detroit Dam in Stayton. Salem uses Geren Island Water Treatment Plant while Stayton uses a plant that gets water just downstream Sand filters are excellent for filtering water that is largely clear — as the North Santiam normally is — but it’s not good at dealing with muddy “When we have a lot of sediment in the water it does not react well with sand filters,” said Jason Pulley senior utility planner for Salem Public Works “The sand is very fine and those suspended sediments will start to clog the sand and not let water move through.” When there are major rain events that make the Santiam too muddy to filter — which typically happens once or twice each rainy season — Salem closes the river gates and uses backup water sources until the river clears up But if the water stayed muddy for weeks or months — as happened on the South Santiam — both cities could struggle to produce enough water for their populations “If the sediment loading is similar to what we saw on the South Santiam it would clog the filters very quickly and we would not be able to produce water,” Martin said “If we’re talking about 30-60 days of turbid water The water filters used by Sweet Home and Lebanon are actually better at filtering muddy water than the system Salem and Stayton use Numbers illustrate the issueThe amount of sediment in a river is measured on a scale called nephelometric or formazine turbidity units — NTU or FNU The North Santiam is typically pretty clear — it’s currently around 5 NTU/FNU below Detroit Dam In the first year of the drawdown of Green Peter the NTU/FNU in the river below the reservoir measured well over 100 for almost two months was over 500 for multiple weeks and even spiked over 1,000 and 2,000 turning the river the color of dark chocolate but turbidity still rose well over 100 and up to 300 to 400 for extended periods the sand filters really only work well up to 10 to 20 NTU/FNU “Anything above 20 and we usually stop taking in river water,” Martin said We just have not faced anything like what they saw on the South Santiam (during the drawdown).”  if the sediment released from Detroit is even close to what came from Green Peter Salem and Stayton could be forced to take filters offline for weeks or months The demand for water in the Salem area is about 24 to 25 million gallons per day during winter Salem would need to pull in water from its backup sources That includes groundwater wells at Geren Island a large aquifer in south Salem and 5 million gallons per day from Keizer But those sources only get Salem to about 22 million gallons per day Salem would need to drill additional wells "We'd have to take money from other public works projects to fund it," Martin said "unless the federal government can offset what this is going to do to us." Salem officials say they’re supportive of helping save endangered salmon — but they need time and money “We understand the need for fish to pass through Detroit dam and support it," Pulley said "We assume at some point this is going to happen That’s just not a lot of time when it comes to major infrastructure improvements "We are working on this daily," Pulley added "I want our customers to feel confident we’re on top of this and we’re going to have water one way or the other Situation worse for StaytonStayton produces water for a much smaller population — averaging around 1.5 to 2 million gallons per day in winter for approximately 8,500 people Stayton has no pre-treatment filters so river water enters directly onto the sand filtration system it has far less treated reserve water to draw from when the North Santiam turns muddy Re-sanding its clogged and damaged sand filters would cost $4 to $5 million and rebuilding them would cost more than $10 million A pre-treatment system would cost $10-15 million plus “We don’t have the time or resources to put any of that in place,” said Hajduk “We would need time and money if they are in fact going to go forward with this.” The Corps cited multiple "competing requirements" to consider before charting a path forward on the drawdown “We’re working with our headquarters in Washington to discern our course of action,” Petersen said “Our timelines for decisions were made more complicated with the change in administration as senior leadership remains in transition “We are working to design the Detroit drawdown and to conduct environmental compliance documentation and public outreach needed before we can start the drawdown but this effort may not be finished in time for the 2025 drawdown.” Salem and Stayton are preparing for it to happen — if not this year legislative and policy director for the Native Fish Society said she expected the Corps to "follow the law and put this plan into action." "That's exactly why they included a brief drawdown at Detroit Dam in the new plan." She stressed it is not a fish or people scenario We also need the Corps to work closely with local communities to update their infrastructure if necessary so they can provide safe drinking water while we are helping recover our salmon and steelhead runs," she said other cities considering lawsuitIf the drawdown did go forward this year Stayton and other cities in the Santiam Canyon have indicated a willingness to file a lawsuit against the Corps in hopes of getting an injunction that stops the drawdown "If we do not feel we can make up difference in terms of supplying water (a lawsuit) is an option we're considering," Martin said The point of the drawdowns is to allow salmon and steelhead to colonize superior habitat in the upper North Santiam River to help rebuild its population The hope is that it works something like this: When the fish return from the ocean, they are collected at Minto Fish Facility. Then they’re put into special trucks, driven above Big Cliff and Detroit dams juvenile salmon begin the process of migrating back to the ocean they’d get stuck in Detroit Lake and often wouldn’t make it through dam openings to reach the ocean it increases the probability the baby salmon will move with the current and migrate through a large opening in the dam — the regulating outlet — that is safer than passing through the dam’s turbines “Data collected during past operations indicates that the surface elevation needs to be within 50 feet or less from the outlet for better passage downstream,” said Greg Taylor lead fish biologist and spokesman for the Corps The fish would swim through Detroit Dam and into Big Cliff Reservoir which is shallow enough that fish can navigate out through its spillway gates the baby salmon could continue to the ocean feed and return years later and repeat the cycle The same process would be taking place at other tributaries of the Upper Willamette with the hope of forming a growing population that helps numbers rebound Both are a tiny fraction of their historic numbers a culturally critical fish to tribes and an iconic fish for anglers all while dams stay in place to protect cities from floods "The Grand Ronde people have lived with salmon since time immemorial," George said previously "Native salmon — icons of the Pacific Northwest — are a part of our identity The trickiest part of a drawdown is that nobody actually knows what will happen once the reservoir is dropped to its lowest levels since its construction in the 1950s In the run-up to the drawdown at Green Peter and Lookout Point in May 2023, Corps officials said the drawdowns “were not expected to affect drinking water in nearby communities.” The drawdowns not only brought impacts but created a borderline crisis There is some reason to believe a Detroit drawdown won’t bring water nearly as muddy as happened below Green Peter It’s a smaller drawdown and the Corps said it didn’t see a major uptick in turbidity when water levels have dropped to historically low levels in the past nobody really knows what will happen until a reservoir bed is exposed that hasn’t been above water in more than 70 years “We know there’s going to be some turbidity we’re just not expecting it to be as bad as other locations,” said Taylor “It’s been different for each dam so we just don’t know.”   The situation marks a second challenge to Salem's drinking water in the past decade An algae bloom discovered in Detroit Lake in May 2018 sent cyanotoxin levels in the North Santiam River above EPA health advisory levels and those with weakened immune systems avoid drinking the water The crisis triggered a shortage of bottled water in the region and caused weeks of uncertainty The event spurred the city to invest in a $48 million state-of-the-art ozone treatment facility at Geren Island The system went online in 2021 and this year the treatment kept all toxins out of Salem's drinking water "The ozone treatment kills the microorganisms that cause cyanotoxins," said Martin "But sediment is a completely different animal." Both Salem and Stayton have created websites about the situation Information on the drawdown's impact on Salem can be found at: cityofsalem.net/community/household/water-utilities/salem-s-drinking-water Stayton's can be found at: staytonoregon.gov/page/resources_drawdown Zach Urness has been an outdoors reporter in Oregon for 18 years and is host of the Explore Oregon Podcast. He can be reached at zurness@StatesmanJournal.com or (503) 399-6801. Find him on X at @ZachsORoutdoors and BlueSky at oregonoutdoors.bsky.social (This story was updated to include new information) A 33-year-old Salem man was arrested Sunday night after police responded to a single-vehicle crash that killed a 16-year-old female passenger and injured three others near Stayton Marion County Sheriff's Office said first responders received a call at about 9:50 p.m Responders found a 2014 Mercedes-Benz 250 driven by Christopher Atkinson with extensive damage The 16-year-old passenger was pronounced dead at the scene The deceased was identified Monday as McNary High School junior Zolayha Johnson according to an email to parents from Principal Scott Gragg shared with the Statesman Journal were taken to a hospital with serious injuries Court documents said Atkinson was not the parent or guardian of any of the passengers Marion County Sheriff's spokesperson Jeremy Schwab said the Mercedes-Benz left the roadway Atkinson was arraigned Monday at the Marion County Court Annex on charges of second-degree manslaughter reckless driving and four charges of furnishing alcohol to a person under 21 Marion County Judge Drew Taylor ruled Atkinson would be a danger to the public if he was released The mother of one of the girls in the car spoke over the phone in court to ask the judge not to release Atkinson saying her daughter was the one to call 911 "(She) began having nightmares immediately after she fell asleep," the mother said "She saw things that she should never have seen .. this man is responsible for horrific things." The mother of the teen who was killed also spoke on the phone through sobs Atkinson appeared unemotional and did not speak in court Gragg wrote in his email to parents Johnson "touched the lives of many people Every loss of a student's life impacts us all and she will be greatly missed." A GoFundMe set up by the board of the Southeast Keizer Community Center for Johnson's burial and funeral costs said she and her sister were regular attendees of the center Johnson loved to cook and planned to become a chef after graduating high school "They always showed up with a smile and brought joy to all who interacted with them," the GoFundMe said of Johnson and her sister Atkinson said he was driving one of the girls who he identified as his "home girl," and some of her friends around police allege in the probable cause statement for his arrest one of the teenagers said Atkinson was her friend and texted her that he was going to pick her up The teen said the group decided they wanted to drink so Atkinson took them to a corner store and purchased a large flavored mixed drink that they drank together The teen remembered Atkinson taking two or three shots The teen said Atkinson smoked a "ton" of weed using a vape They decided to go "joy riding" and headed toward the backroads near Stayton The crash occurred just after a curve in the road in a remote The car appears to have continued straight into a wooded area Debris from the crash could be seen Tuesday afternoon as well as items that appear to have come from the car Atkinson told police he was driving too fast and didn't make the corner He said he thought he was going about 90 to 100 mph One of the teens said she saw the speedometer read 120 mph at one point Police allege Atkinson initially refused to provide his name or cooperate with medical personnel but was eventually taken to the hospital where a blood draw found he had a blood alcohol concentration of 0.02% Police said the laboratory has not received results from Atkinson's urine test yet which would show if any drugs were in his system Isabel Funk covers breaking news and public safety for the Statesman Journal. Funk can be reached at ifunk@statesmanjournal.com or on X at @isabeldfunk STAYTON — Tal Wold grew up an admirer of longtime Oregon State football coach Mike Riley and has taken a page or two out of Riley's proverbial playbook during his own decorated coaching career. Above all else, Wold, now in his second season as Stayton's head girls basketball coach, wants his players and assistant coaches to cherish and celebrate the bright moments that accompany a long season. After each win, Riley's trademark celebration of "hip hip hooray!" erupts from the Eagles' locker room — one shout for every game they have won this year With three games left in the regular season, the Eagles are 20-1 on the year, 6-1 in Oregon West Conference play, and No. 1 in the Class 4A state rankings. Stayton saw one of its biggest wins yet, a 59-29 drubbing of rival Cascade on Tuesday the Eagles blew out Sweet Home 75-19 in a league matchup on the road Stayton is in the midst of its best regular season in nearly two decades and is chasing the program's first state title since 2007 "Going into this year with all five of our seniors we wanted to go out with a bang — kick butt and take names," Stayton senior forward Kenzi Hollenbeck said Eagles have made big-time offensive improvementsDuring last season's run to the 4A state quarterfinals Stayton featured just one senior and leaned heavily on its juniors and underclassmen In order to break through the next barrier the Eagles took a rather unconventional offseason approach Rather than play a summer schedule jam-packed with games Stayton played just 20 and spent the rest of the days in their own gym it was really hard for us to score," Wold said "So we decided to make it a huge emphasis this summer — like let's get better individually.' We really went to work getting in the gym and working on our skills the Eagles owned the fourth-highest-scoring offense in Class 4A with 1,044 points on the year A major reason for that is the play of Hollenbeck who earned 4A all-state honorable mention recognition last season and has upped her game across the board this winter tallied five steals and was generally all over the place for an Eagles' squad that used physicality to its advantage during the rivalry victory just knowing all of our hard work is just paying off," Hollenbeck said "We keep showing up to get 1% better every day as a family and as a team It's fun to see it all come together and hang our hats on our defense." Senior forward Haley Butenschoen earned honorable mention all-state recognition last year and still provides plenty offensively for Stayton But she has also become a standout defensive stopper who can be counted on to take care of "the dirty work" on that end of the floor "She's a great defender; she just plays so hard and is willing to do whatever we ask her to do We usually stick her on the other team's best perimeter player," Wold said of Butenschoen She has embraced it and she defends like crazy Stayton has also benefited from the addition of sophomore guard Breeci Hampton who earned honorable mention all-league honors as a freshman at Cascade last year While operating as the Eagles' primary ball-handler this winter Hampton has proven to be a reliable facilitator who keeps the offense flowing and can also create her own shot when needed playing good teams and going against good defenses," Hampton said of where her on-ball composure comes from "It also comes from my teammates pushing me hard in practice." Stayton's close-knit bond doesn't just shine through in postgame locker room celebrations Hollenbeck believes her team's cohesiveness has paid dividends during tough moments on the court "I think that we've grown a ton at just being a family," Hollenbeck said Being there for each other and getting touches; whether it's a physical touch 'Nice pass!' I think we've grown tremendously at picking each other up staying up and letting each other know that we've got each other's backs." The Eagles' lone loss this year came on the road at the hands of league rival Philomath The two teams will square off again in the penultimate game of the regular season when the Eagles host the No The matchup could potentially decide the league title "It was a great game," Wold said of the Philomath loss or we could have.' I think the biggest thing that we took away is that we were right there with them hard-fought — everything you want in high school sports There were some things that we need to get a little better at defensively and skill-wise We need to be a little quicker in everything we do "You learn a lot from losses; you try to learn from wins Stayton basketball player Kathryn Samek is the winner of the Maps Credit Union high school girls Athlete of the Week More: Sheldon basketball player wins Register-Guard girls Athlete of the Week Samek buried the go-ahead free throw with 3.2 seconds left in regulation to push Class 4A No Stayton secured a share of the Oregon West Conference title with one game remaining in the regular season Samek received 90.92% of the reader poll votes Silverton basketball player Hadley Craig was second (5.79%) Silverton senior guard Hadley Craig scored 24 points on 9-of-15 shooting and grabbed 10 rebounds to lead the Class 5A No Craig nearly tallied a triple-double with 17 points 10 rebounds and eight assists in 53-22 road win over Central South Salem swimmingSouth Salem senior Malia Davis won the 100-yard breaststroke in a photo finish at the Central Valley Conference championships on Feb 14.30 seconds — just .28 seconds ahead of the runner-up West Salem sophomore Odelya Laroya won district titles in the 50-yard freestyle (23.93 seconds) and 100 backstroke (1:01.26) at the Central Valley Conference championships on Feb Laroya's state qualifying time in the 50 freestyle was the third-best in the state among Class 6A athletes West Salem basketballWest Salem junior Emma Zuniga scored a team-high 23 points on 10-of-22 shooting and grabbed 10 rebounds to lead the Titans to a 75-58 home win over McNary on Feb 21 that helped them keep pace in the Central Valley Conference title race To submit an Athlete of the Week nomination please email Statesman Journal sports reporter Jarrid Denney at JDenney@salem.gannett.com with the athlete's name stats and any other relevant information about the performance they are being nominated for That came about three months after he resigned from the position Quigley was elected mayor in 2022 for a four-year term that runs through 2026 He resigned on Sept. 24 due to “medical issues.” I didn’t know the extent of the situation or the length of time it would take me to recover I only knew my experience was very harrowing and life threatening,” Quigley told the city council at its Dec “Stepping down was critical for me for healing myself and recovering fully," Quigley said a medical leave of absence would have provided me the same opportunity while still serving as mayor My action at the time seemed appropriate for what I had just experienced.” Quigley said he has since received a clean bill of health 2 he wanted to come back to the position and serve out the remainder of the term for which he was elected “I am deeply grateful for the outpouring of support from the community and the city council during my time of recovery,” Quigley said in a statement Council president Steve Sims had been the mayor pro-tem since Quigley resigned The council had tentatively decided to appoint Sims as mayor at a Nov Sims was appointed to the council in 2023 to take Quigley’s former city council seat and was elected to the position in the November election but I ran unopposed so I felt a little bit of guilt about that,” Sims said I feel like the former mayor coming back and filling out his term is great for us.” Stayton's Addison Samuell is the Salem-area high school boys soccer player of the year Samuell was named the 4A player of the year the Oregon West Conference player of the year and earned first-team all-state honors after helping lead the Eagles to a 15-1 record and a trip to the state semifinals Samuell received 29.74% of the reader poll votes Stayton sophomore Ruben Bell earned 4A first-team all-state honors after helping lead the Eagles to a 15-1 record and a trip to the state semifinals McNary senior Luis Camacho earned 6A second-team all-state honors after helping lead the Celtics to a 13-3-2 record and a state semifinals appearance Blanchet CatholicBlanchet Catholic senior Geovanny Escobar earned first-team 3A/2A/1A all-state honors after helping lead the Cavaliers to a 10-5-1 record and a trip to the state semifinals McNaryMcNary senior Jay R Flores earned 6A first-team all-state honors and was named the Central Valley Conference player of the year after helping lead the Celtics to a 13-3-2 record and a state semifinals appearance Stayton senior goalkeeper Roman Gould earned 4A first-team all-state honors after helping lead the Eagles to a 15-1 record and a trip to the state semifinals WoodburnWoodburn junior Jorge Alejandro Mandujano Lule earned 5A second-team all-state honors after helping lead the Bulldogs to an 11-4-2 record and the semifinals of the state playoffs WoodburnWoodburn senior Misael Diaz Rivera earned 5A first-team all-state honors after helping lead the Bulldogs to an 11-4-2 record and the semifinals of the state playoffs McNary senior Jonathan Ruiz earned 6A second-team all-state honors after helping lead the Celtics to a 13-3-2 record and a trip to the state semifinals Silverton senior goalkeeper Sawyer Stewart earned 5A second-team all-state honors after helping the Foxes to a 4-10-1 record and recording three shutouts Stayton basketball player Breeci Hampton is the winner of the Maps Credit Union high school girls Athlete of the Week Hampton scored a team-high 22 points on 7-of-13 shooting — including 5-of-7 from 3-point range — March 13 in the Eagles' 59-35 win over Baker in the Class 4A state semifinals at Forest Grove High School Hampton received 67.52% of the reader poll votes Cascade basketball player Olivia Bennett was second (31.9%) Maps boys Athlete of the Week: Sprague basketball player wins award Cascade junior guard Olivia Bennett scored 26 points on 8-of-16 shooting — including 4 of 8 from 3-point range — March 13 in the Cougars' 66-47 win over La Grande in the Class 4A state quarterfinals at Forest Grove High School Silverton basketballSilverton senior guard Hadley Craig had a team-high 19 points on 7-of-13 shooting 5 assists and 4 steals March 12 in the Foxes' 63-58 win over West Albany in the Class 5A quarterfinals at Linfield University In a semifinal loss to South Albany two days later Craig scored 22 points and tallied 12 rebounds and 4 steals Salem Academy senior guard Celia James scored a team-high 16 points on 7-of-16 shooting and tallied 3 assists March 8 to help the Crusaders to a 43-29 win over Western Christian in the Class 2A state title game at Pendleton Convention Center Western Christian basketballWestern Christian senior Runon Muroya scored a team-high 24 points on 8-of-16 shooting — including 6-of-11 from 3-point range — March 7 in the Pioneers' 54-27 win over Weston-McEwen in the Class 2A state semifinals at Pendleton Convention Center Amity basketballAmity junior guard Adie Nisly scored a team-high 17 points on 6-of-11 shooting and nabbed four steals March 8 to help the Warriors to a 43-41 win over Banks in the Class 3A state title game at Marshfield High School in Coos Bay Jefferson senior guard Gretchen Orton scored 20 points grabbed 11 rebounds and tallied 7 assists March 8 in the Lions' loss to Vale in the Class 3A third-place/fifth-place game at Marshfield High School in Coos Bay Orton scored 26 points on 9-of-20 shooting and pulled down 12 rebounds in a semifinal loss to Amity The Stayton Eagles pose for a photo after beating Philomath in the Oregon Class 4A girls basketball championship game on Saturday Stayton won 47-38.Aaron Brewer for The Oregonian/OregonLive .st1{fill-rule:evenodd;clip-rule:evenodd;fill:#2a2a2a}By Elias Esquivel | for The Oregonian/OregonLiveAfter both regular season contests had been decided by a combined two points the Class 4A girls basketball state championship game between No 2 Stayton seemed bound to end in a similar conclusion The Eagles commanded the championship bout en route to a 47-38 victory on Saturday at Forest Grove High School to capture the program’s third state title and first since 2007 1/73Stayton beats Philomath for Class 4A girls basketball championship“This has honestly been one of the most fun teams I’ve ever been a part of,” Stayton senior and Oregon West Conference’s co-Player of the Year Kenzi Hollenbeck said “I think we are very grateful for what we have Hollenbeck finished with six points and a game-high 10 rebounds Sophomore Kathryn Samek led the Eagles with a game-high 18 points on 5-for-9 shooting from the field and an 8-for-9 outing at the free throw line so it was really exciting to win this for them,” Samek said “This is what we were working for all season.” The title game was the highest scoring affair between the two teams this season Both teams shot under 40% through the first period Philomath had little issue finding quality looks in the paint a trend that continued throughout the night “They have three or four girls that can guard in the paint so we’re (usually) able to get an advantage inside,” Philomath head coach Ben Silva said The Eagles' interior defense certainly made things difficult resulting notably in a two-minute-plus scoring drought in the first quarter and over a four-minute drought in the fourth for Philomath Even the best struggled to get decent looks with Philomath sophomore Reagan Heiken – the OWC co-Player of the Year alongside Hollenbeck – shooting just 6-for-16 and meeting many contests at the rim “They know our looks; they know our personnel,” Heiken said they just already know everything we’re going to try to do.” Philomath didn’t score its first point of the second quarter until the 4:23 mark its previous bucket coming in the final 30 seconds of the first off a free throw by Heiken A five-point spurt by Philomath cut the deficit to two courtesy of a 3-pointer by Shaylee May and a jumper by Heiken Zoee Howard then drained a 3-pointer from the top of the key only for the Eagles to respond with a 7-0 run fueled by five points from Korbyn Schmidt and a 3-pointer by Makenzie Schacher The Eagles shot 8-for-20 from the field and 3-for-9 from beyond the arc sinking just six shots through two quarters Samek had a steal-and-score for Stayon’s first points of the half The third period was the highest-scoring quarter of the game five turnovers by Philomath in the third period impeded any chance of claiming the lead Philomath opened the fourth with a turnover as well with Anneeka Steen being called for a double dribble The fourth quarter on its own was a bit uneventful featuring a scoreless three minutes from both sides Each side only registered two made field goals Philomath was unable to mount any meaningful momentum Philomath ends its season with a 23-6 overall record it’s going to be to (Stayton head coach Tal) Wold and the Eagles … I can accept that They have great kids on their team that really represent him and their community really well and represent the Oregon West Conference really well.” “I think it’s a big deal to get second place,” Heiken added we weren’t on the side of the court that we wanted to be at the end of the night orchestrating perhaps the best season in school history but we haven’t once talked about a trophy all year,” Wold said Let’s be unbelievable teammates.’ Obviously in this game Subscribe to the High School Sports+ newsletter Sign up here to get exclusive news and insights from high school sports editor Nik Streng Use of and/or registration on any portion of this site constitutes acceptance of our User Agreement, (updated 8/1/2024) and acknowledgement of our Privacy Policy, and Your Privacy Choices and Rights (updated 1/1/2025) © 2025 Advance Local Media LLC. All rights reserved (About Us) The material on this site may not be reproduced except with the prior written permission of Advance Local Community Rules apply to all content you upload or otherwise submit to this site YouTube's privacy policy is available here and YouTube's terms of service is available here Ad Choices Brian Quigley has resigned as Stayton mayor Quigley stepped down immediately because of medical reasons He made his intention to resign known Tuesday to City Manager Julia Hajduk "The City wishes to thank Mayor Quigley for his service and dedication to the City and hopes for a quick and thorough recovery," the release said Quigley was elected mayor in 2022 with over 70% of the vote he served on the Stayton City Council from 2011 to 2019 and before that Parks and Recreation Board and Charter Review Committee Stayton City Council President Steve Sims will become acting mayor until the council appoints someone to fill the remainder of Quigley's term The council will discuss the process to fill the vacancy in the next "several weeks," the release said Dianne Lugo covers the Oregon Legislature and equity issues. Reach her at dlugo@statesmanjournal.com or on X @DianneLugo Racers still have time to train and register for the Santiam Canyon River Run The race is chip timed and features three distances — a 10K The multi-surface course runs through Stayton and along the Santiam River "Whether aiming for a personal best or simply looking to complete the course," the event description said "the Santiam Canyon River Run is an excellent opportunity for runners to challenge themselves in a scenic environment." The race is hosted by Santiam Hospital & Clinics Foundation All races begin and end at Snow Peak Brewing Co in Stayton before following a trail along parts of the North Santiam River For more information or to sign up go to the race's Facebook or events page at bit.ly/4d16EPa Elliott Deins is an outdoors journalism intern for the Statesman Journal You can reach him at edeins@salem.gannett.com Students walk toward the Zenith Vineyard for Stayton prom on April 11 in Salem A student exits their car for the Stayton prom at Zenith Vineyard on April 11 in Salem Students vote for Stayton prom king and queen at Zenith Vineyard on April 11 in Salem Students get drinks during the Stayton prom at Zenith Vineyard on April 11 in Salem Cake pops are on display during the Stayton prom at Zenith Vineyard on April 11 in Salem Students get their photo taken by Stayton activities director Danielle Flood during prom at Zenith Vineyard on April 11 in Salem during the Stayton prom at Zenith Vineyard on April 11 in Salem Stayton students attend prom at Zenith Vineyard on April 11 in Salem and Rayne Collins dance during the Stayton prom at Zenith Vineyard on April 11 in Salem Students dance during Stayton's prom at Zenith Vineyard on April 11 in Salem Students enjoy the fire pit during Stayton's prom at Zenith Vineyard on April 11 in Salem Students slow dance during Stayton's prom at Zenith Vineyard on April 11 in Salem and Carson Higley slow dance during Stayton's prom at Zenith Vineyard on April 11 in Salem Kaden Arnold gets carried by his peers during Stayton's prom at Zenith Vineyard on April 11 in Salem Prom king Trent Bentz looks at his peers from the balcony during Stayton's prom at Zenith Vineyard on April 11 in Salem and Gabby Lara dance during Stayton's prom at Zenith Vineyard on April 11 in Salem Stayton basketball player Kenzi Hollenbeck is the winner of the Maps Credit Union high school girls Athlete of the Week 2 Stayton to a dominant 59-29 home win over No Hollenbeck received 55.39% of the reader poll votes Silverton swimmer Breeza Rodriguez was second (33.71%) Maps boys Athlete of the Week: Sprague wrestler wins this week's award South Salem senior Sophia Buswell won the 100-yard butterfly in 59.46 seconds and took second in the 200 freestyle Feb 15 to help lead the Saxons to the Central Valley Conference team title at the Kroc Center West Salem swimmingWest Salem junior Abby Evans won the 100 freestyle in 55.41 seconds won the 200 freestyle (1:59.58) and swam legs on two first-place relay teams Feb 15 at the Central Valley Conference championship meet at Kroc Center Central swimmingCentral senior Gentry Hagedorn won the 50 freestyle in 25.81 seconds Feb 15 at the Mid-Willamette Conference district meet at Albany Community Pool Silverton junior Breeza Rodriguez won the 100 freestyle (56.48 seconds) and 100 backstroke (1:01.96) Feb West Salem junior Emma Zuniga filled up the box score with a team-high 19 points on 8-of-13 shooting 11 to lead the Titans to an 82-27 home win over Sprague Stayton Police said one person died Friday afternoon and another person has been arrested and charged with murder Police say they found Curtis Nathan Longfellow at a home on the 1200 block of West Locust Street Police said Longfellow was dead when they arrived and charged him with murder and unlawful use of a weapon He was arraigned on the charges Monday afternoon Bill Poehler covers Marion and Polk County for the Statesman Journal. Contact him at bpoehler@StatesmanJournal.com — A single-vehicle crash occurred on Sunday night around 9:50 p.m Marion County Sheriff's Office (MCSO) tells us First responders arrived to find extensive damage and a devastating scene A 16-year-old passenger was pronounced dead at the scene sustained serious injuries and were transported to area hospitals for treatment identified as 33-year-old Christopher Atkinson of Salem was arrested and booked into the Marion County Jail including Manslaughter in the Second Degree Driving Under the Influence of Intoxicants and Assault in the Second and Fourth Degrees Atkinson is scheduled for arraignment today at 2:30 p.m at the Marion County Court Annex on Monday MCSO expresses their condolences to the families affected by the crash and extended gratitude to the Stayton Fire Department and Marion County Public Works for their assistance in the case This document may not be reprinted without the express written permission of Northwest Arkansas Newspapers LLC Material from the Associated Press is Copyright © 2025 audio and/or video material shall not be published rewritten for broadcast or publication or redistributed directly or indirectly in any medium Neither these AP materials nor any portion thereof may be stored in a computer except for personal and noncommercial use The AP will not be held liable for any delays errors or omissions therefrom or in the transmission or delivery of all or any part thereof or for any damages arising from any of the foregoing Ore — Stayton Police Officers responded to the 1200 block of West Locust Street in Stayton on Friday 55-year-old Curtis Nathan Longfellow of Stayton with the assistance of several local agencies conducted a coordinated investigation and developed a suspect 30-year-old Skylair James Gendhar has been taken into custody and is being charged with Murder in the Second Degree and Unlawful Use of a Weapon.