Today at WOU

 

MONMOUTH — The best basketball team you don’t know about is led by a player who, except for a series of fortuitous events, almost never arrived on campus. It took a snub, a cross-country trip, a hurt knee, and a connection going back to a spring break trip in the 1980s to lead Tanner Omlid [more…]

Who deserves the in-state recruiting championship belt? The Oregon Ducks? They signed just one of seven in-state four-star prospects in the class of 2018, missing out on elite athletes Talanoa Hufanga, Chase Cota, Braden Lenzy, Trey Lowe, Eli’Jah Winston and Draco Bynum. The Oregon State Beavers? They failed to sign a top-nine prospect in the state, according [more…]

Duane Nault remembers when his son, Brian, needed to take driver’s education classes, it seemed like there was always a wait list at Shelton High School. When it came time for Nault to contemplate a career change, he turned to his newly retired friend, Ted Drogmund, about embarking on an idea he’d bounced around for [more…]

IDAHO FALLS, Idaho (KIFI/KIDK) – The College of Eastern Idaho has named Rick Aman as president. More than 46 candidates were interviewed after a national search since the community college was changed from a technical college. Aman was one of four finalists named on November 27th. He was the Interim President of the College of Eastern Idaho. He [more…]

The NW Natural Holidays with the Trail Band concert series benefitting Friends of the Children returns to the Aladdin Theater!  This is a unique event that attracts music lovers throughout Oregon. The band’s selection of classical and modern holiday music will get you into the holiday spirit. See for yourself why so many people make [more…]

April 4 marks 50 years since the assassination of Martin Luther King, Jr. But, before that, the third Monday of January is dedicated to honoring the memory and contributions of the civil rights and religious leader. This year, Martin Luther King Jr. Day falls on his birthday, Jan. 15. It’s not just a day off. Local businesses, [more…]

The community is invited to hear Portland scholar and activist Walidah Imarisha speak at Western Oregon University for their annual Martin Luther King Jr. commemorative dinner on the school’s campus in Monmouth on Wednesday, Jan. 17 at 6 p.m. “We chose Walidah Imarisha because of her scholarship and background,” said Emmanuel Macias, educational advisor for [more…]

Some students worry they can’t afford college. Others think it will be too hard. Many aren’t sure if they’re really that interested in the classes. The partnership between local high schools and Western Oregon University is designed to quell those doubts by giving students an introduction to college in a low-cost, familiar atmosphere. Willamette Promise [more…]

The Aurora Colony Historical Society relies on a passionate group of volunteers and to help manage the resource, the ACHS board recently filled a newly created position. Beth Fleisher was recently hired to focus on recruiting and maintaining the volunteers that help make so much of what ACHS do. Beth Fleisher was recently brought on [more…]

Eighteen Madras High School graduates, who are now attending college, visited MHS guide room classes to talk to juniors and seniors about their experiences and share advice on Dec. 20. That morning, the college kids gathered in the library, where they enjoyed catching up with each other and teachers before heading out to classrooms. One [more…]

Gary Buhler has been a well-known name in the local art scene for three decades, particularly as one of the first participants in the popular monthly Art Walk events. But Buhler’s artistic connection to the Newberg area dates all the way back to his childhood. GARY ALLEN – College Street, which he occasionally opens as [more…]

The Willamette Valley Concert Band is gearing up for its annual free Christmas concert. The 60-minute performance will be at 2 p.m. Saturday, Dec. 16, at Linn-Benton Community College’s Russell Tripp Performance Center, 6500 Pacific Blvd. SW, just south of Albany. Featuring a variety of old and newer Christmas music, the concert will open with [more…]

Varsity baseball head coach Matthew Matuszak has the game down to a science, literally. A groundskeeper for the San Francisco Giants, he tends fields for a living, although he considers it a hobby. His unique approach is a welcomed change in the formula for success for a team now on their fourth coach in four [more…]

Last month Colton High School participated in Oregon’s statewide College Application Week. The program assists students in preparing for and applying to colleges. The goal of the week-long event was to help all CHS seniors apply for some type of post high school education including certificate programs, two-year degree programs and four-year programs. “Oregon College [more…]

Enterprise alum and current Western Oregon University cross country and track and field standout David Ribich continues to gather accolades. Last winter, Ribich was part of a record-setting national championship run in the distance medley relay in the National Collegiate AthleticAssociation Division II indoor track and field championships. In the spring, he claimed the outdoor [more…]

IDAHO FALLS, ID — The College of Eastern Idaho (CEI) Board of Trustees is pleased to announce that we have selected four finalists for the presidency of CEI. We recruited a highly competitive and strong pool of candidates from throughout the state, region and nation. Your contribution to CEI’s many accomplishments was instrumental in attracting [more…]

Kelli Little graduated from high school at 16 and attended Western Oregon University. She bounced from pre-dental to business to pre-nursing, until she took a contemporary health issues class that changed her life. “I immediately changed my major to community health education,” Little said. “I knew this was my calling, and I’ve never looked back.” [more…]

A Clatskanie local who became the sheriff in Yahmhill County was recently honored for his commitment to mental health training. The 7th Annual Northwest Regional Crisis Intervention Training (CIT) Conference was recently held with the goal of drawing awareness to techniques for dealing with people in a vulnerable state of mental health. As part of [more…]

Mike Day grew up on the poverty line with his single mom and occasionally was homeless, living for a time at a family friend’s house. Now as the Oregon City Police Department’s new homeless liaison officer, Day is responsible for all of the locals who have lost their homes or who are in danger of [more…]

Hunting down that perfect school is, more often than not, treacherous. Other times, it just falls right into your mailbox. That’s how it all started for former Winter Park resident Trevor Brown, who found his path with the arrival of a simple flyer he received from the American Museum of Natural History in New York [more…]

COOS BAY – In the art room at Marshfield High School, cabinets are filled with dusty remnants from discontinued jewelry and photography classes. When art teacher Heidi Ositis took the job, she didn’t realize she was walking into a dying program. Now she is bringing it back to life, leading six packed classes. Some of [more…]

Two Keizer elementary schools will have new principals when the 2017-18 year begins on Wednesday, Sept. 6—Christine Bowlby at Keizer Elementary and Stacey Lund at Weddle Elementary. Bowlby is transferring from Washington Elementary, where she was principal for the last five years, but she already calls Keizer home. Her oldest son will be a seventh [more…]

DES MOINES, Iowa (KCRG-TV9) — Iowa Department of Human Services Director Jerry R. Foxhoven announced on September 1 that he has appointed Jerry A. Rea as superintendent of the Glenwood Resource Center. Iowa has two resource centers that provide a full range of active treatment and habilitation services to individuals with severe intellectual disabilities. The resource [more…]

MONMOUTH — Western Oregon University’s football team is coming off an uneven 2016 season. But with a solid core of returning players, the Wolves may be ready to challenge the Great Northwest Athletic Conference’s top teams — if questions at key positions are answered quickly. On offense, WOU returns eight starters. The Wolves will look [more…]

Young Adult Sci-fantasy author Emily Lloyd-Jones works at a bookstore during the day and writes at night. Her latest novel, “The Hearts We Sold,” published by Little, Brown and Company, is listed on Entertainment weekly’s list of the 35 most anticipated YA novels of 2017. A book release celebration and signing was held at Gallery [more…]

Adam Watkins has been selected as the next principal at Creswell High School, Superintendent Todd Hamilton announced Thursday. Watkins comes to Creswell from the Salem-Keizer School District, where he currently serves as a district-level administrator supporting instructional services and career technical education programs, Hamilton said. Before joining the Instructional Services Department, Watkins spent 11 years [more…]

MONMOUTH/INDEPENDENCE — A few changes are in store for the third annual Discover MI Town Saturday from 3 to 7 p.m., sponsored by the Monmouth-Independence Chamber of Commerce. “Discover MI Town is an opportunity to stop in and check out many local businesses,” said Ryan Kingsella, chamber executive director. “Each location will be giving away [more…]

‘Miss Chudderley’s Fairy Tales With a Twist!’ is the spring offering from Karlyn Love’s play production class Karlyn Love likes her fairy tales a little bit offbeat, and that is why she chose to adapt and modernize five iconic stories, turning them into “Miss Chudderley’s Fairy Tales With a Twist!” the spring offering from her [more…]

I remember Brandi Jackson as a fiery competitor on the diamond during the glory days of Roseburg High School softball. A coach’s daughter, so what else would you expect? Kendra Hamlin was a teammate of Jackson’s at RHS. A fine player in her own right and an excellent centerfielder on an outstanding Indians club that [more…]

MONMOUTH — Western Oregon University is open for eclipse viewers. The college is renting dorms, apartments and camping spots — both for tents and recreational vehicles — for the weekend of the Great American Eclipse, Aug. 19 and 20. Costs vary, depending on accommodations, and apartments are selling fast, said Erin McDonough, executive director of [more…]

Thumbs up for Western Oregon junior David Ribich, who ran last weekend’s fastest 1,500-meter time by any college runner regardless of classification. Ribich clocked a time of 3 minutes, 41.45 seconds while winning at the Oregon State High Performance Meet on Friday. It’s a WOU and Great Northwest Athletic Conference record, and would tie him for [more…]

MONMOUTH — There are many unknowns in Andy Avgi’s future, but the former Western Oregon athlete is enjoying every moment of it. Avgi, from Woodburn, was a standout in both basketball and football for the Wolves, and now he is training ahead of the NFL draft with hopes that a team will call. “Training is [more…]

If you milled around the starting line of the Corvallis Half Marathon before the race got underway, you would have seen a microcosm of Corvallis: People of all ages talking, knots of people in matching group shirts taking photos together, people with signs to support family members and friends, a toddler throwing a tantrum in [more…]

Debates about whether the United States should intervene in wars fought in other countries; African Americans, women and other minority groups demanding equal rights; citizens resenting the federal government’s encroachment into their daily lives; and the government cracking down on those who dare question the rightness of the U.S. approach to national emergencies. That list [more…]

MONMOUTH — There have been few names that have stood as tall in Western Oregon University athletics as Andy Avgi. On the hardwood, he helped lead the men’s basketball team to the NCAA Division II Final Four during the 2015-16 season. On the gridiron, he played football for the last two years, and had 16 [more…]

At first glance, Shayna Hicks’ second-grade class at Mountain View Elementary School in Corvallis looked a little chaotic: A couple of students lounged in bean bag chairs. Others sat in a small group around a coffee table in comfy chairs, while others lay on the floor on their stomachs looking at iPads as a steady [more…]

TURNER – Much has changed for Tyrell Williams since he roamed the halls at Turner Elementary School as a fifth grader. These days Williams is a standout wide receiver for the Los Angeles Chargers. On Tuesday he was back at his old school, a guest of principal Dan Petersen, Williams’ track and field coach at [more…]

PORTLAND, Ore. – The Western Oregon men’s and women’s track and field teams combined to break two GNAC records and five school records at the University of Washington Invitational over the weekend to claim this week’s Red Lion/GNAC Team of the Week honor. David Ribich broke the WOU and GNAC records in the men’s mile, [more…]

At 2 and 7:30 pm on Saturday, January 21, Laura Stilwell, Felice Moskowitz, Terry Brock and Emma Mochnick will dance Les Watanabe’s Love Songs, part of Fertile Ground’s Groovin’ Greenhouse, hosted by Polaris Dance Theatre. I was initially interested in learning more about Watanabe when I heard that Love Songs was being performed by a [more…]

MONMOUTH/INDEPENDENCE — Ryan Kingsella has a passion for helping his community in positive ways. “There’s no cooler feeling than knowing that I’ve really helped a business succeed,” he said. Kingsella, 28, started his job as director of the Monmouth Independence Chamber of Commerce and Visitor’s Center on Sunday, though the work didn’t really start until [more…]

MONMOUTH — It’s not very large — it fits in the driver’s side visor — and could make a difference in how smoothly a routine traffic stop could be for someone who is hard of hearing or deaf. Allison Kingsella, 21, is the driving force behind visor cards to bridge the communication gap between police [more…]

Clackamas Community College and Western Oregon University signed a dual enrollment agreement Nov. 14 that creates a supportive pathway for students between the two schools. “We are excited to work with Western Oregon University in creating another opportunity for Clackamas Community College students who want to complete their bachelor’s degree,” CCC President Joanne Truesdell said. [more…]

Students applying for admission to Western Oregon University will no longer be required to submit an ACT or SAT test score. This change goes into effect for fall 2017 applicants with a cumulative high school GPA of 3.0 or higher and who have successfully passed the required college prep high school courses, according to a Western Oregon [more…]

MONMOUTH — Oregon’s largest volunteer-based literacy program, SMART (Start Making A Reader Today) announced it will open a program at The Child Development Center at TRI on the campus of Western Oregon University. SMART delivers one-on-one reading support for TRI’s preschool students, who also will receive up to 14 new books to take home and [more…]

INDEPENDENCE — For three years, the city of Independence has had a community liaison focused on improving connections between government and Latino residents. Community liaisons were filled by interns, until now. The outreach was so successful, the city hired a full-time community liaison, Erubiel Valladares. “My job is to figure out how the community interacts with [more…]