TCW April 23, 2014

Page 1

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The Canyon Weekly April 23, 2014

Volume 5, Issue 17

Your local news source for the North Santiam Canyon

Serving the communities of Lyons, Mehama, Elkhorn, Mill City, Gates, Niagara, Detroit, Breitenbush, Idanha and Marion Forks

Mill City home destroyed by fire

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Family of 6 displaced. “We lost everything!”

James Pond isn’t sure what woke him up in the middle of the night last Thursday. The first thing he saw were flames pouring out of the wall socket near the foot of his bed. Pond jumped up alerting his 9 year old twins, Harmony and Wyatt and his wife Melody, who all were sleeping nearby. After getting them outside he went back in look for 14 year old Isaac, who had already gotten out on his own. James Pond when into the house a third time, now with flames pouring out the windows, to search for 16 year old Selena. “That’s when I got burned, the flames flew into my my face so I put up my arm like this,” Pond said, motioning with his left arm

in the air that is now covered to the fingertips in gauze. Selena had escaped through the back window unscathed. Their two dogs were able to flee at well. Their elderly cat, however, wasn’t so lucky, and was found dead inside the home. “We lost everything,” said Melody Pond. Everything except for a couple photos, and the box that held their daughter Autumn’s cremation remains. “The fire just seemed to skip around it, leaving it alone,” said Melody Pond. Luckily Melody and the children were unharmed. James Pond suffered 2nd and 3rd degree burns to his left hand and arm, and scattered about his

body. In all, they estimate they had about three minutes to get out before the entire home was engulfed in flames. Mill City Fire Department was dispatched by 911 at 3:15 on the morning of April 17. A neighbor up the hill called it in after hearing the commotion. By the time the firefighters arrived, the house was totally engulfed in flames

and five to ten feet over the roof line. It took about 15 minutes to knock it down completely,and three more hours to make sure it was out. “It appears to have started from a space heater too close to combustibles,”said Fire Chief Leland Orht. “We need to remind people to have an escape plan and a meeting place (cont’d on page 3)

City of Lyons gov’t: One Alcohol related crash more councilor resigns, injures local woman several residents ask for Cllr. Orr to step down

Lyons city council hosted another packed meeting on Tuesday, with citizens coming to question several councillors about their actions. Some wanted Councillor Mark Orr to resign, and some thought the entire council should resign. Others defended Orr’s actions, indicating that they had experienced problems with the current council and staff that were not related to Mark Orr. Still others thought that the members of the current council were manipulating policy and leading them to “succumbing to

blackmail.” Councilor Byron Brown also resigned at the meeting. These are just some of the statements and conversations that were made that evening. Citizens are encouraged to go online to www.sctcweb.com and view the meeting in it’s entirety. “The complete resignation of a full city staff is shocking, and probably unprecedented and it concerns me as a citizen,” said resident Shannon Stinnett. “My understanding is that there is one councilman who is having a lot of conflict (cont’d on page 7)

A 48-year old woman was seriously injured Friday night in a single vehicle, alcohol-involved traffic crash along Highway 22E in the Gates area. Oregon State Police (OSP) troopers investigating the crash later cited the driver who is being treated at Salem Hospital. On April 18, at 11:13 p.m., a 1986 Toyota pickup driven by Tammy Helton, age 48, from Gates, was traveling on Highway 22E near milepost 34 when she lost control and the pickup rolled off the highway.

Helton was ejected and came to rest on the roadway seriously injured. Helton was transported by air ambulance to Salem Hospital. Subsequent to the initial investigation, she was cited to appear at a later date in Marion County Circuit Court for DUII and Reckless Driving. OSP troopers from the Salem Area Command office are continuing the investigation. Gates Rural Fire Protection District responded to the scene to assist. The highway was blocked for about an hour. 1


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TCW April 23, 2014 by The Canyon Weekly - Issuu