http://www.forestgrovenewstimes.com/news/index.php Portland and surrounding area community news and information http://www.forestgrovenewstimes.com/news/story.php?story_id=121063302680746500 An 82-year-old man died Monday after his tractor slipped and tumbled 40 feet into a creek near his home just east of Cornelius. The Washington County Sheriff's department reported that Laurence "Larry" Bren, 82, was doing yard work with his wife when his tractor slipped, taking Bren and ... http://www.forestgrovenewstimes.com/news/story.php?story_id=121062374842983100 A late morning fire ravaged a Forest Grove mobile home and sent its occupant to the hospital Monday. More than 20 firefighters from Forest Grove, Cornelius and Hillsboro responded to a fire call at Quail Run Estates around 10:30 a.m. this morning. The resident of the home was able to escape the ... http://www.forestgrovenewstimes.com/news/story.php?story_id=121037818544294900 It was a bad day to be a liquid natural gas developer. First, Clatsop County Circuit Court Judge Cindee Matyas ruled that a referendum effort on the part of LNG opponents that could complicate development of the Bradwood Landing LNG terminal in the works near Astoria. The referendum effort has ... http://www.forestgrovenewstimes.com/news/story.php?story_id=120976245560323000 Hillsboro Police arrested former Forest Grove Schools superintendent Irvin Nikolai this morning in La Grande, Ore, on sex abuse charges. Lt. Michael Rouches, Hillsboro Police Spokesman, said that detectives arrested Nikolai, 71, at 8 a.m. Friday, May 2. His son posted bail by paying $100,000 ... http://www.forestgrovenewstimes.com/news/story.php?story_id=121019090819810400 The vacant houses that litter the site of a future Wal-Mart in Cornelius will be demolished soon, but eager shoppers shouldn’t pull out their Visa cards just yet. There’s no set date for a groundbreaking on the project, and the store could open its doors as late as 2010. Wal-Mart ... http://www.forestgrovenewstimes.com/news/story.php?story_id=120950571347405600 Over the course of a day, the Bonnie Hays Small Animal Shelter in Hillsboro went from a quiet home for 108 stray cats and dogs to a veritable canine refugee camp. Last Thursday morning, Washington County Sheriff’s deputies helped a handful of animal shelter employees gather up 141 dogs ... http://www.forestgrovenewstimes.com/news/story.php?story_id=121019129363977500 Although they’re not actively campaigning for Washington County’s enhanced sheriff’s patrol district replacement levy, Hillary Clinton and Barack Obama may be responsible for the measure’s fate. That’s because getting the needed turnout to pass the $47.5 million levy ... http://www.forestgrovenewstimes.com/news/story.php?story_id=121019028080076100 The Forest Grove School District’s dreaded “dip in the middle” will get some serious attention in the 2008-09 academic year. In order to fit in more time for core subjects — math, science, language arts and social studies — administrators at Neil Armstrong Middle ... http://www.forestgrovenewstimes.com/news/story.php?story_id=121018977556039400 An early morning break-in at Van Dyke Appliances in downtown Forest Grove has police searching for clues. Around 5 a.m. Tuesday morning, someone kicked in the back door to the appliance store, located on Main Street in Forest Grove. The burglars yanked a 50-inch Mitsubishi plasma television worth ... http://www.forestgrovenewstimes.com/news/story.php?story_id=121018969827430700 Multnomah County’s Board of Commissioners gave unanimous approval Tuesday morning to a $2.5 million loan to Cascadia Behavioral Healthcare, avoiding for now a shut down of regional mental-health services. The state will provide $1 million of the money. Multnomah County will come up with the ... http://www.forestgrovenewstimes.com/news/story.php?story_id=121018955857611300 You may have missed your chance to get your footprints immortalized on Hollywood Boulevard, but there’s still time to leave your mark on the sidewalks of Forest Grove. A group of business boosters is dusting off the city’s buy-a-brick program, which is responsible for the personalized ... http://www.forestgrovenewstimes.com/news/story.php?story_id=121018910023383800 David Kintz isn’t a smoker. He doesn’t have elevated cholesterol levels or high blood pressure. He doesn’t take any medications and never was much of a drinker. Not only that, but his physical appearance supports his claim that, at 60, he is “strong as an ox.” So ... http://www.forestgrovenewstimes.com/news/story.php?story_id=121018927549792100 They may not know what they’re writing when they scrawl some arcane Roman numerals on a bathroom stall. But teenage graffiti hounds are causing all kinds of headaches for city officials in Forest Grove and Cornelius. “They’re starting to hit our government buildings and other ... http://www.forestgrovenewstimes.com/news/story.php?story_id=120959075528951300 When the Democrats seeking the U.S. Senate nomination hit Forest Grove on Sunday, they were greeted by a string of crosses. Pacific University students Nikki Hurtado and Elias Gilman hoped the display would catch the eyes of the four Democratic senate hopefuls who showed up at McCready Hall for ... http://www.forestgrovenewstimes.com/news/story.php?story_id=120959043497623000 On the surface, the latest dropout data from the Oregon Department of Education in Salem doesn’t look particularly positive for the Forest Grove School District. Among the five school districts in western Washington County, Forest Grove comes in dead last with a graduation rate of 84 percent ... http://www.forestgrovenewstimes.com/news/story.php?story_id=120958990991089100 When faced with six 45-foot-tall trees in the path of a sidewalk renovation project, most local government officials would fire up the chainsaw. In Forest Grove, they pick up the phone and call Tom Epler. Epler, owner of EF Nursery, was a logical choice for a couple reasons. First, he has a lot ... http://www.forestgrovenewstimes.com/news/story.php?story_id=120958949744908700 Trampled fields, busted pipes and stolen metal. They’re inconveniences all too common in rural Washington County where, trodden plants and water lines ravaged by metal thieves mean expensive time and money losses for area farmers. The rural setting also means that finding the culprits is ... http://www.forestgrovenewstimes.com/news/story.php?story_id=120958935974354600 The Banks Planning Commission was supposed to meet and discuss the city’s effort to expand its Urban Growth Boundary on Tuesday evening. But the volunteer city panel didn’t have the required three voting members present and was forced to adjourn. The aborted meeting was just the ... http://www.forestgrovenewstimes.com/news/story.php?story_id=120958926329934200 Sunday’s debate between Democratic candidates for U.S. Senate was mainly a “me too” affair, with the four political hopefuls agreeing on the need to end the war in Iraq, overhaul federal health-care policies and promote alternative fuels. But one candidate, David Loera, ... http://www.forestgrovenewstimes.com/news/story.php?story_id=120958893550456600 The school board approved a financing plan for a new artificial turf field at Forest Grove High School Monday night, plugging the final piece into a million-dollar project puzzle that has garnered $534,000-worth of community fund-raising support. Construction on the project’s first phase ... http://www.forestgrovenewstimes.com/news/story.php?story_id=120958864251406600 A student health center at Forest Grove High School will soon be under construction after the school board gave the project a green light Monday night. The clinic, which could open as soon as next January, will become the 48th School Based Health Center in Oregon, part of an initiative promoted by ... http://www.forestgrovenewstimes.com/news/story.php?story_id=120941361464134300 Forest Grove Police are increasing patrols at the Forest Grove Skate park following a pair of altercations that led to a mob. Police were dispatched to the park, located at 2725 Main Street in Forest Grove, shortly before 7 p.m. Sunday evening to reports of a fight involving 20 people with ... http://www.forestgrovenewstimes.com/news/story.php?story_id=120942220475283800 After nine years at the helm of the Forest Grove School District, Superintendent Jack Musser has decided to call it quits. At a meeting Monday night, Musser plans to ask the school board to accept his retirement “on paper” as of June 30 but to allow him to remain as the ... http://www.forestgrovenewstimes.com/news/story.php?story_id=120941119433406200 Portland’s Mercy Corps has created a Global Food Crisis Fund to battle rising food prices around the world. The fund will raise and distribute money to countries where Mercy Corps works and people have been most severely impacted by rising food prices. “The prices of basics like ... http://www.forestgrovenewstimes.com/news/story.php?story_id=120900440624287400 A machine malfunction caused the evacuation of Sheldon Manufacturing in Cornelius Wednesday. Cornelius Police Chief Paul Rubenstein said that workers evacuated the building around 6:15 p.m.. One employee went to the hospital with an unrelated injury. Officials notified residents in the the ... http://www.forestgrovenewstimes.com/news/story.php?story_id=120916822138595900 Supporters of Sen. Barack Obama's bid for the Democratic presidential nomination will be grilling up dogs and celebrating the grand opening of the Forest Grove campaign office this Saturday. But Democrats won't be having all the fun. Republican Jeff Duyck, who will run against Incumbant Chuck ... http://www.forestgrovenewstimes.com/news/story.php?story_id=120907369514849500 Washington County sheriff’s deputies removed 150 Chihuahuas from a Gaston-area house Thursday morning, April 24, in a case of alleged animal neglect. Sgt. David Thompson, spokesman for the sheriff’s office, said Carolyn Ohlhauser, 59, was still feeding the animals, but the home, off ... http://www.forestgrovenewstimes.com/news/story.php?story_id=120898464561438700 This time each year, as temperatures start to warm, allergies begin to flare and the first whirring sounds of lawn mowers can be heard around town, amateur gardeners looking for the best deals in bedding plants and baskets listen for word of the Forest Grove High School FFA Plant Sale. The wait is ... http://www.forestgrovenewstimes.com/news/story.php?story_id=120906004687651000 U.S. Rep. David Wu, one of Oregon’s superdelegates, threw his support Thursday to Illinois Sen. Barack Obama in the race for the Democratic presidential nomination. Wu is a Hillsdale Democrat representing Oregon’s 1st Congressional District, covering Washington County and parts of ... http://www.forestgrovenewstimes.com/news/story.php?story_id=120898428586989000 Less than a week after the eyes of the nation turned to Pennsylvania to see the Democratic presidential candidates duke it out, the focus of many Oregon Democrats will be on Forest Grove this Sunday afternoon, April 27. That’s when Pacific University, KATU-TV and the Oregon League of ... http://www.forestgrovenewstimes.com/news/story.php?story_id=120898422045581400 With a recession looming nationally and trickling down locally, area business leaders and industry representatives continue to push for a temporary reprieve from increased traffic impact fees. On Monday, members of the Washington County Coordinating Committee heard continuing concerns about the ... http://www.forestgrovenewstimes.com/news/story.php?story_id=120898381402069900 Opening a health center at Forest Grove High School that targets uninsured students is more than a nice philanthropic gesture to Taylor McCahon. If the 15-year-old FGHS sophomore could assign a medical designation to the project, words like “stat” and “critical” might come ... http://www.forestgrovenewstimes.com/news/story.php?story_id=120898371005380400 Samantha Leon thinks it’s hard for parents who regularly enjoy a bottle of beer or a glass of wine to tell their kids not to imbibe. “If parents drink it sends the message that drinking is OK,” said Leon, a junior at Forest Grove High School. Jean Laschever, however, has a ... http://www.forestgrovenewstimes.com/news/story.php?story_id=120898306055742300 The City of Forest Grove might be playing a bigger role in helping the area’s unemployed. That is, if a proposal to restructure Forest Grove’s primary workforce-training facility passes muster. Last month Jeff King, the city’s economic development director, found out that ... http://www.forestgrovenewstimes.com/news/story.php?story_id=120898292971331800 Kayla Varde, the Forest Grove teen who ran into a burning home last month to alert a mother and her sleeping child, was honored last week by city officials. Varde, 14, was heading home with her father from Forest Grove High School on March 6 when she noticed flames and smoke coming from the roof ... http://www.forestgrovenewstimes.com/news/story.php?story_id=120898269014702200 A half-dozen Gaston High students are taking the old slogan “be true to your school” to heart by mounting a protracted campaign to resurrect their school’s positive image in the community. They’re doing it anonymously, but they’re doing it nonetheless. “Share ... http://www.forestgrovenewstimes.com/news/story.php?story_id=120898259374081800 It’s the kind of battle you’d expect to play out in a courtroom on network television. A veteran defense attorney who claims Atticus Finch as a hero is pitted against a county prosecutor from a long judicial lineage. But if the characters sound familiar, the conflict isn’t. ... http://www.forestgrovenewstimes.com/news/story.php?story_id=120898215875472200 Forest Grove has narrowed its options down to three finalists to head the police department. Though none has worked for the Forest Grove Police Department, all three are from Oregon. The finalists are: • Mike Moran, retired after 29 years at the Medford Police Department and currently working ... http://www.forestgrovenewstimes.com/news/story.php?story_id=120890674657186200 Washington County detectives and state officials are investigating allegations of sexual and drug activity among residents of Connell House, the controversial group home in Cornelius. The investigations come in the middle of statewide talks about procedures for siting facilities like the Connell ... http://www.forestgrovenewstimes.com/news/story.php?story_id=120836886292599400 Three Banks city councilors resigned Monday amid concerns about a disclosure form required by new state ethics rules. The disclosures have been filed by most elected officials in Oregon since the Oregon Government Ethics Commission was established in 1974, but six counties and 97 small cities, ... http://www.forestgrovenewstimes.com/news/story.php?story_id=120837000915764400 The Banks City Council wants to become a little more environmentally sensitive. The goal, set during a recent council retreat, isn’t really intended to swing the small city’s government far to the green end of the political spectrum, however. Instead, says City Manager Jim Hough, the ... http://www.forestgrovenewstimes.com/news/story.php?story_id=120836993280829400 Cornelius residents like that their city of nearly 11,000 still has a small-town feel. But they’re concerned about encroaching big-city crime problems. Residents don't have a lot of discretionary income to spend on services like police or fire, but they do seem to cautiously support an ... http://www.forestgrovenewstimes.com/news/story.php?story_id=120836984780606200 Oregon House Speaker Jeff Merkley brought his campaign for the U.S. Senate to western Washington County last week and made it clear who his target was: Republican Sen. Gordon Smith. Merkley, a Portland Democrat, opened his remarks in Forest Grove Tuesday evening with a backhanded compliment of the ... http://www.forestgrovenewstimes.com/news/story.php?story_id=120836962066032800 A Dilley area resident was sworn in Monday night as the newest member of the Forest Grove School Board. Alisa Hampton, a global strategies manager with Intel Corp. in Hillsboro and the mother of four children, replaced Shawn Vilhauer in Position 3. Her 14-month term will expire on June 30, ... http://www.forestgrovenewstimes.com/news/story.php?story_id=120836939091676900 The Pacific University campus was transformed into Ka Honua Kamaha O — “A Wonderful World” — last Saturday as the school’s Hawaiian club celebrated its 48th luau. Traditional Hawaiian food, music and entertainment were the center of the event, which raises money for ... http://www.forestgrovenewstimes.com/news/story.php?story_id=120836927731567700 It’s a gray morning, the color of gunmetal, the color of pavement, the color of approaching storms. But it isn’t raining – which is good, since Jules Boykoff is arriving at the coffeehouse by bike. Lean, mid-thirties, hair with a mind of its own – you might peg him as the ... http://www.forestgrovenewstimes.com/news/story.php?story_id=120836915990868100 Community members are asking for a second opinion on a proposed School Based Health Center in Forest Grove. The issue is slated for a vote before the Forest Grove School Board April 28, but several parents at a meeting last Thursday insisted the idea needed a thorough checkup. “If the ... http://www.forestgrovenewstimes.com/news/story.php?story_id=120836897978967500 The smell of toast wafts through George Dallas’ kitchen and a familiar wet nose sniffs along the edges of his sliding glass door. Liquid black eyes stare into his Hagg Lake home, imploring him to unlatch the door. Short-Timer wants inside. It’s a common occurance at the Dallas home. ...