Oregon
Vote: Who should be SBLive’s Oregon High School Team of the Week (10/28/2024)?
Here are the candidates for SBLive’s Oregon High School Team of the Week for Oct. 21-27 as nominated by coaches, fans and readers.
Read through the nominees and cast your vote. Voting will conclude Sunday at 11:59 p.m.
If you would like to make a nomination in a future week (any team, any sport), email danbrood91@gmail.com or tag us on Twitter or Instagram at @sbliveor.
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Amity girls soccer
The Warriors scored a 1-0 win over Blanchet Catholic in the Class 3A/2A/1A Special District 2 championship match, held at Dayton High School. Junior Haley Miersma scored the only goal of the match.
Banks girls cross country
The Braves triumphed at The Bigfoot Classic, held at Alderbrook Golf Course. Banks took first place at the meet with a score of 32 points. Sisters was second at 57. Junior Sophie Schoolmeester won the 5,000-meter race in a time of 18 minutes, 4.6 seconds to help lead the Braves to victory.
Barlow boys soccer
The Bruins clinched a Class 6A state playoff berth, ending a 13-year playoff drought, by scoring a 3-0 win over Reynolds in a Mt. Hood Conference match played at Barlow High School. Marco Hernandez-Torres, Alexis Avalos and Matty Callison each scored a goal for the Bruins, who improved to 4-1-1 in conference play, and to 9-4-1 on the season with the victory.
Burns boys cross country
The Hilanders ran to victory at the Gold Rush Run, held at the 7th Street Park Complex in John Day. Burns had a score of 52 points to take first place. Riverside was second at 58. Senior Tanner Joyce finished in fourth place in the 5,000-meter race in a time of 17 minutes, 37.5 seconds to pace the Hilanders.
Canby boys soccer
The Cougars scored a 5-0 win at Putnam in Northwest Oregon Conference play to move to 7-7 overall – marking their first seven-win season since 2009. It was also the team’s fifth shutout of the season, with junior Devyn Kinzie being one of the Cougars’ key defenders.
Cascade Christian volleyball
The Challengers claimed the No. 1 seed out of the Southern Oregon Conference by scoring a 25-19, 25-15, 25-20 win over St. Mary’s of Medford in a conference playoff match played at Cascade Christian High School. Poppy Freeman had nine assists for the Challengers, who improved to 14-6.
Crook County girls soccer
The Cowgirls wrapped up their Tri-Valley Conference schedule by scoring a 5-0 win at Madras and a 2-0 home win over Gladstone. The two victories gives the team an 8-3-3 record going into Class 4A postseason play. According to Crook County coach Mary Buell, that record is the best ever for the school in 33 years of soccer. The 34 goals scored this season are the most in school history and 20 goals given up is the fewest allowed in school history.
Crosshill Christian volleyball
The Eagles scored 3-0 wins over both Monroe and East Linn Christian to finish Valley Coast Conference regular season play. With the two wins, Crosshill Christian has now won 24 straight matches and 62 straight sets heading into postseason play.
Grant girls soccer
The Generals wrapped up sole possession of the Portland Interscholastic League championship by scoring a 2-0 win at Cleveland in a league finale. Grant finished regular season play with a 6-0 league record and an overall mark of 13-0-1. Tessa Martin and Willa Stockton scored the goals for the Generals in the victory.
Henley girls soccer
The Hornets clinched the Skyline Conference championship for the second straight year by scoring a 1-0 win over Mazama in a conference match played at Mazama High School. Henley improved to 7-0 in conference play and to 11-2 on the season with the victory. Sophomore forward Sarah Edwards scored the game-winning goal for the Hornets.
Hermiston boys cross country
The Bulldogs turned in a dominating performance in winning the Mid-Columbia Conference championships at the conference meet held at Richland, Wash. Hermiston took the top spot at the meet with a score of 18 points. Walla Walla, Wash., was second at 50. The Bulldogs also boasted the individual winner at the meet in senior Jaysen Rodriguez, who had a time of 15 minutes, 55.7 seconds for the 5,000-meter race.
Imbler girls cross country
The Panthers triumphed at the Gold Rush Run, held at the 7th Street Park Complex in John Day. Imbler took first place at the event with 41 points. Burns was second at 54. Senior Paiten Braseth finished in second place in the 5,000-meter race in a time of 19 minutes, 39.0 seconds to lead the way for the Panthers.
Lake Oswego boys water polo
The Lakers posted a 9-6 win over Newberg in a Three Rivers League showdown played at the Lake Oswego School District Pool to clinch the league title. With the victory, Lake Oswego improved to 8-0 in TRL play, and to 24-4 on the season, to that point. Senior Henry Saur scored four goals to help lead the Lakers to the victory.
Lakeridge boys soccer
The Pacers scored a 2-0 win over rival Lake Oswego in a Three Rivers League match to wrap up sole possession of the league title. Lakeridge moved to 5-0 in TRL matches, and to 14-1 on the season with the victory. Senior Liam Kutella and junior Max Harris-Inman each scored a goal for the Pacers in the win.
Marist Catholic football
The Spartans scored a 47-0 win over top-ranked Cascade in a Class 4A showdown played at Marist Catholic High School. Marist Catholic improved to 4-0 in Oregon West Conference play and to 7-1 on the season with the victory. Quarterback Nick Hudson threw for 255 yards and three touchdowns to help lead the Spartans to the win.
McLoughlin boys soccer
The Pioneers scored a 9-1 win over Irrigon in a Class 3A/2A/1A Special District 6 finale to finish the regular season with a perfect 10-0 district record (12-3 overall) for the second straight year. Senior Michael Wolden had four goals and an assist in the victory.
McNary boys soccer
The Celtics stayed unbeaten in Central Valley Conference play, moving to 6-0-1 (9-2-2 overall) by scoring an 8-0 victory at West Salem in a conference match. Senior Jay R Flores scored six goals for McNary in the win, giving him 24 goals so far on the season.
Mountain View football
The Cougars clinched at least a share of the Intermountain Conference crown by scoring a 28-27 win over Summit in a conference clash played at Mountain View High School. The Cougars, who improved to 4-0 in conference play and to 8-0 overall, got 229 passing yards and a pair of touchdowns from quarterback Mason Chambers in the victory.
Oregon Episcopal School girls cross country
The Aardvarks ran to victory at the Valiant Invitational, held at Valley Catholic High School. OES topped the 13-team field with a score of 47 points. Scappoose was second at 78. Senior Lauren Tittel finished in second place in the 3,000-meter race in a time of 10 minutes, 20.9 seconds to lead the way for the Aardvarks.
Sheldon girls soccer
The Irish wrapped up an undefeated regular season schedule by scoring a 2-1 win at North Medford in a Southwest Conference finale. The victory gives Sheldon an 11-0-1 conference mark and an overall record of 13-0-2 going into postseason play. Senior Jaida Easter scored the game-winning goal for the Irish in the win.
South Medford boys cross country
The Panthers ran to victory at the Umpqua Invite, held at Stewart Park. South Medford took first place at the 23-team meet with a score of 70 points. Sheldon was second with 90. Sophomore Ezra Dixon finished in eighth place in the 5,000-meter race in a time of 16 minutes, 17.5 seconds to lead the way for the Panthers.
South Medford girls cross country
The Panthers claimed victory at the Umpqua Invite, held at Stewart Park. South Medford triumphed at the 18-team meet with a score of 105 points. Pleasant Hill was second with 131. Senior Cyerra Mejia was the top runner for the Panthers’ pack, finishing 12th on the 5,000-meter course with a time of 19 minutes, 54.4 seconds.
Valley Catholic boys cross country
The Valiants got the victory at the Valiant Invitational, held at Valley Catholic High School. The host team triumphed with a score of 53 points. The Dalles was second at 85. Senior Peter Davis finished in third place in the 3,000-meter race in a time of 9 minutes, 22.2 seconds to pace the Valiants.
West Albany football
The Bulldogs powered their way to a 34-20 win over previously unbeaten Dallas in a Mid-Willamette Conference showdown played at West Albany High School. West Albany moved to 4-0 in conference play and to 6-2 on the season with the win. Senior running back Tyler Hart-McNally ran for 175 yards and three touchdowns in the Bulldogs’ victory.
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Oregon
John Day, Oregon: Camel population — 2 – East Oregonian
JOHN DAY — Grant County’s camel population doubled on March 20.
That’s when Hilde, the county’s famous 1,700-pound Bactrian camel, gave birth to Cora.
Talyn and Tabitha Elliott brought Hilde to the county about a year ago. The Elliotts didn’t know it at the time, but Hilde was beginning her 13-month-long gestation period with Cora before she arrived in John Day from Oklahoma.
“What happened is, Hilde was in a field with other female camels and a bull, and she wasn’t supposed to have her first heat until spring,” Talyn said. “She went into heat a year early, and the camel rancher knew she’d gone into heat but wasn’t sure if she’d actually been bred.”
Talyn said it became apparent to Tabitha last summer that Hilde was pregnant, but he was skeptical. In the end, Tabitha was proven correct.
What followed was a gestation period that stretched through the summer, winter and into the springtime, ending with Cora’s birth March 20 on the hill behind the Elliots’ home up West Bench Road.
Talyn said Cora was between 65 and 105 pounds when she was born.
Proud mom
Hilde conducted a sort of official introduction of Cora on March 22 to drivers along West Bench Road, Talyn said, bringing her into the front yard to “show her off” to passersby. Hilde attracted attention from passing cars along the same road, and Cora was no different.
“She’s already getting a lot of socialization for sure,” Talyn said.
Interacting with Cora behind the Elliots’ fence makes one thing apparent — Hilde is never far away.
She’s not threatening or intimidating, and she’ll let people get close to pet the baby — if Cora doesn’t eagerly approach the visitors first.
Talyn said as Cora gets older and larger, Hilde likely will be less protective. For now, Hilde and the occasional grunt she unleashes to remind people that she’s a watchful mom can be expected.
Hilde will nurse Cora for about a year. After that, Cora will move on to the alfalfa, grass hay, rose bushes, thistles and other plants that make up Hilde’s diet.
Hilde is 75% Bactrian, the two-humped camel variety, and Cora’s dad is 100% Bactrian, meaning Cora will have two prominent humps, just like her parents. Her coat will remain white, but its silver patches and streaks will become more prominent as she grows.
Future plans
Talyn called Cora’s birth a welcome surprise and was ecstatic the calf was white instead of Hilde’s traditional brown.
Talyn and Tabitha’s two children, ages 14 and 12, were excited as well.
“They were just kind of in awe of the baby; it was cool,” Talyn said. “They didn’t know what to think at first, and then they just started loving on her, and it was cute.”
Talyn said he hopes to get Cora “excellently trained.” He’s already been picking up the calf’s feet to help her walk better.
The goal is to have Hilde and Cora walk in a line behind Talyn while he makes one of his famous walks through town.
There may be interest to breed Hilde again, but Talyn said that can’t be done for at least two years, so he doesn’t have any plans to do so yet.
“I probably will want to have a little herd of camels,” he said, “but I’m not in any hurry to breed her again.”
For now, Talyn welcomes anybody who wants to make the trip up West Bench Road in John Day to stop by and catch a glimpse of Cora. He asks that visitors stay outside the fence to interact with young camel.
Those who want to keep up with Hilde and Cora can follow hildethecamel on Instagram.
Oregon
How did a small Oregon town become a hub for industrial development?
What to know about Millersburg’s economic development
Millersburg is an attractive place for big companies to build new facilities, making the small town a hub for economic development.
Ball Corporation, Timberlab, ATI and Gordon Truck Centers are pouring a combined $500 million, at least, to build manufacturing plants and other businesses in Millersburg.
That’s the kind of economic development any city would love. Large employers bring jobs and an expanded tax base, among other benefits.
In a city of 3,000 like Millersburg, just south of Salem, those numbers make a major impact.
While some governments get “caught up in red tape and rule books” that make development difficult, Linn County Commissioner Roger Nyquist said, Millersburg city leaders welcome businesses.
“How can we get to yes for you on this?” Nyquist said.
When Millersburg uses the slogan “We Are Open for Business” on its website, it’s not just a line.
Millersburg’s low taxes, large tracts of developable land and easy access to Interstate 5 and rail service have made it popular for businesses. Few cities along Oregon’s predominant north-south arterial highway have experienced the city’s level of industrial growth, and certainly none of its size.
“What the difference is that attitude is from our council,” former City Manager Kevin Krietman said. “I will tell you that historically Millersburg has always had a council that understands the value of the industrial base and protecting that industrial base and growing that base for the benefit of the community.”
Millersburg was incorporated in 1974 to keep taxes low
The town was established as Millers Station in 1871 when a rail station was built for the Southern Pacific Railroad. It became a large shipping point for cattle in the 1880s and renamed Millersburg around 1900.
The U.S. Bureau of Mines established a facility to produce zirconium there in the 1940s. That plant was sold to Wah Chang and the company produced metals including hafnium, tantalum and niobium. The company was later renamed Teledyne Wah Chang and it became a Superfund site.
The environmental clean-up took 20 years.
The Willamette Kraft Corporation built a paper mill along one of the two rail lines that cut through it in 1952 to process wood chips into kraft paper. When it was owned by Weyerhaeuser, the plant was known for a smell reminiscent of rotting cabbage that greeted people driving by it on I-5.
“That was the smell of money, man,” Nyquist said.
Millersburg incorporated as a city in 1974, partially so businesses and residents could avoid being annexed into Albany and pay that city’s higher property taxes.
About a third of the city’s land was designated for residential development, which left lots of room for industrial and commercial growth.
International Paper created new urgency in attracting industry
The paper mill closed for good in 2009 and cost 270 workers their jobs. It was then owned by International Paper and torn down by 2012.
At the time of its closure, the mill was paying about $2.6 million per year in property taxes, the most in Linn County.
“We lost a lot of jobs,” Millersburg Mayor Scott Cowan said. “And so that was a big impact, and then of course as that sort of was the immediate situation once that news got out was of course the financial impact to the city was by the franchise fees and taxes from the IP property, we felt that.”
The loss of that revenue was significant to the taxing districts — officials had to find ways to replace the revenue to pay for city services and road repair, for example.
Millersburg didn’t levy a property tax for its first 40 years because the city earned enough money from franchise fees to pay for basic city services. It now charges the maximum $3.50 per $1,000 of assessed value. Most of that goes to contracted fire and sheriff’s services.
The city long tried to attract businesses to fill the gap left by International Paper.
In 2008, Peak Sun Silicon broke ground on a 10,000-square-foot building where it would employ 500 people to product an ingredient in solar cells.
The state foreclosed on the property when Peak Sun defaulted on a $14 million loan in 2012.
In 2019, the state gave $25 million to Linn County to build an intermodal facility on a portion of the former International Paper property.
That project cost $35 million, but has never operated.
Why companies are building in Millersburg now
When Timberlab was looking to build a new facility to manufacture mass timber, the company considered locations around the Willamette Valley including Independence and Corvallis, President Chris Evans said.
Then Timberlab found a 33.5-acre site in Millersburg. The location had challenges. It had a fish bearing stream, needed an entry road and the main connecting road to Old Salem Highway was under construction.
Still, Timberlab purchased the land from the city and expects to complete its first building this year. That project will bring an estimated 100 jobs to Millersburg.
Gov. Tina Kotek, who attended the March 2025 groundbreaking, said Oregon is “leading the way” in mass timber and pointed to the new roof at the Portland International Airport terminal.
“The city really facilitated taking a lot of the issues out of the sites here, so they could invite somebody into the community and have a quicker turnaround to have something rezoned from agricultural to industrial,” Evans said at the facility’s groundbreaking.
That will include a 185,000 square foot manufacturing facility and it has plans for 85,000 and 126,000 square foot buildings in the future.
Companies that build in Millersburg reap the same tax rewards as its citizens.
Property owners in Millersburg pay a combined tax rate of $15.61 cents per $1,000 of assessed value, one of the lowest rates in the state for a city that offers the services that Millersburg does.
A company building a $100 million facility can save over $1 million per year on property taxes compared to other cities if it builds in Millersburg.
The money brought in from taxes and fees also means residents don’t have to worry about being barraged with bonds and levies from the city.
“But don’t worry, our residents still complain about our taxes,” city manager Janelle Booth said.
Companies like Timberlab also get a tax break by building in enterprise zones, areas designated for large-scale industrial development by the state.
Enterprise zone projects have to meet requirements including a minimum investment cost, employee count and must pay workers between 130% and 150% of the county’s average wage.
Businesses are also exempt from paying property taxes on capital improvements for three to five years. In a rural enterprise zone, such as the one in Millersburg, businesses could be exempt from paying taxes on those improvements for up to 15 years.
In the meantime, the city will still benefit from the Timberlab development as it collects franchise fees from the company. Millersburg received nearly $1.2 million per year from Pacific Power last year, and that will go up with more power being used by Timberlab and Ball Corporation.
That money pays for basic city services like roads, parks and city administration.
“We’re looking at it for that long-term benefit, too,” Booth said.
Infrastructure investments make economic development possible
Millersburg has invested heavily in infrastructure that benefits residents and businesses. The city shares water filtration and wastewater treatment facilities with Albany.
Pacific Power owns and runs a regional operations center in the southern part of the city.
Millersburg city leaders convinced Pacific Power to build a new substation on Conser Road across the street from the Jefferson Fire Department station in 2024. That provides large industrial users with plenty of electricity for whatever they plan to build.
Several large parcels inside the city limits were zoned industrial and never developed. Over the years, Millersburg acquired several of those parcels for free or close to it.
To spur economic development, the city took an active approach in marketing the industrial properties.
The city updated its comprehensive plan in 2020, which essentially served as a sales brochure for prospective development.
“That’s an incentive that we can have with the industries to encourage them to come in,” Kreitman said. “We went through and we put together a presentation and the state asked us to come and talk about it for other communities to look at. It’s really helped us.”
The city council opted to be selective which companies it would sell properties to. For example, they chose not to sell land for warehouses that employ few people.
“As the property owner, the price of the property is one of our tools to get what we want in here,” Booth said.
The city still owns about 70 acres of flat, undeveloped land that is zoned industrial.
Ball Corporation development leads to interest from others
Cowan said Ball Corporation’s plans to build a plant helped spur much of the new economic development in the city.
“We heard about another company that was interested, but it was a lot of this loose interest and no one really serious until Ball came along,” Cowan said. “That really was a big one.”
Ball Corporation’s facility could be larger than 500,000 square feet when it’s finished, according to city planning documents, but will be smaller to start, Kreitman said.
It is unclear how many jobs the Ball facility will provide once it’s finished. The company did not respond to requests for comment from the Statesman Journal.
Center Market is planning a new 5,200 square foot building for its store and offices. Pure Energy is build a 7,480 square foot building.
Several businesses have announced plans for the former International Paper property.
Aymium, formerly known as National Carbon Technologies, signed a 16-year lease on 22 acres in 2022 to build a plant that uses carbon products to produce things like filters. Linn County approved a pause in that lease in 2025.
“And if they don’t go forward, we’ve got, guess what, flat land available at a reasonable price in close proximity to I-5 and rail,” Nyquist said.
In 2024, Omni Energy agreed to lease the site to transfer biodiesel from train to trucks. That still hasn’t happened.
“It’s going to take some infrastructure investment,” Nyquist said. “The operators want to work out a longer-term lease to justify that investment, and so that’s what we’re working on today.”
Corvallis-based Samaritan hospitals owns a 2.3-acre plot of land in the north part of the city at the intersection of Old Salem Highway and the I-5 interchange.
The hospital system planned to build a regional medical center when it purchased the property for $1 million, according to city documents.
“While we do not have definitive plans for that property at this time, we do consider it a very important asset that can help us meet community health needs as Millersburg and surrounding areas continue to grow,” Larissa Balzer, vice president of strategy and planning at Samaritan Health Services, said in a statement.
Millersburg still lacking in commercial, residential development
While Millersburg has a lot of industrial development, it lacks commercial businesses.
Humpty’s Dump Bar & Grill and Oregon Barbecue Company are among the few commercial properties in town.
The Love’s Travel Stop just off the North Millersburg exit, which opened in 2018, is the city’s most recent commercial development.
The city owns about 8 acres along Old Salem Highway between the new fire station, which the city built for $5 million in 2023, and Center Market. It has designated that for commercial development.
Unlike many small Oregon cities, Millersburg doesn’t have a downtown.
“We’re hoping to create one,” Booth said.
The city also lacks affordable housing. The only houses for sale in Millersburg are advertised for over $500,000. There are no apartments or multi-family housing.
“That is the constant feedback we hear from our community and our council and our planning commission, 10,000 square foot lots is the hill to die on for our folks,” Booth said.
There are a couple large parcels of undeveloped property zoned for residential development in the city limits. The city had significant housing growth until 2023, when the last parcel of developable land in the city limits was built on.
City leaders say they can’t expand the urban growth boundary to the north or west because of the prime farmland in those areas.
The city is looking to expand to the east side of I-5 at a long-hoped-for new interchange for more commercial and high-density residential growth.
Millersburg also owns land it intends to use for a YMCA building and a school, something the city hasn’t had since the last one closed in 1983.
“Last we knew, they are very interested in getting something in here,” Booth said.
Bill Poehler covers Marion and Polk County for the Statesman Journal. Contact him at bpoehler@StatesmanJournal.com
Oregon
PHOTOS: No Kings protests begin in Portland
PORTLAND, Ore. (KOIN) — No Kings protests are underway in Portland, with crowds already gathering in opposition to the Trump administration.
Event organizers said they are expecting tens of thousands of protesters to take to the streets today.
See photos from the March 28 No Kings protests below:
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