Betty Marshall

April 11, 1924-Feb. 15, 2013

East County resident Betty Marshall, also known as “Betty Boop,” died Friday, Feb. 15, in Clackamas. She was 88.

At her request, no services will be held.

Betty was born April 11, 1924, in Dutchflat, Calif., to Albert and Claudine Phillips.

Betty worked as an administrative secretary for many years at Mt. Hood Community College. She loved gardening, ferns and people.

Betty is survived by her daughter, Claudia Curio of Eugene; one grandchild; and many friends.

Donations may be made to KMHD jazz radio.

Bateman Carroll Funeral Home is handling arrangements.

Frances ‘Dot’ Hansen

June 11, 1922-Feb. 3, 2013

Longtime East County resident Frances “Dot” Hansen died Sunday, Feb. 3, in Wilsonville. She was 90.

A memorial service will be held at 1 p.m. Saturday, March 2, at Charbonneau Country Club, 32000 S.W. Charbonneau Drive, Wilsonville.

Attendees are asked to honor Dot’s sense of color coordination by wearing something blue, purple or pink.

Dot was born June 11, 1922, in Portland. She graduated from Washington High School and the University of Oregon.

Dot married David Hansen in 1946 in Portland. She dabbled in numerous careers and volunteer activities, eventually helping to found the Oregon Trail Paraplegia Foundation in 1975.

Dot was a birdwatcher, equestrian, golfer, skier, fisher, swimmer and bridge player.

She was preceded in death by her husband. Dot is survived by her children, Lisa McDonald and Kevin Hansen; her loving companion, John Oswald; and many nephews and nieces.

Riverview Abby is handling arrangements.

Paid obituaries

Bob Baxter

August 19, 1943 - February 14, 2013

James Robert “Bob” Baxter, a lifelong Gresham resident, died February 14th from cancer. He was 69 years old.

A funeral service was held on Monday, February 18, at Gresham Memorial Chapel.

Bob was born in Portland on August 19, 1943 to Ralph and Pearl Baxter. He attended Boring and Gresham Grade Schools. Bob graduated from Gresham High School in 1961. Bob worked as a machinist until his retirement in 2009.

On May 27,1977, Bob married Carolyn Haneberg Alcorn. He enjoyed golf, fishing, walking his dog Mikey ,and spending time with friends and family. Bob was known for his exceptional sense of humor.and his ability to light up the room.

He was preceded in death by his parents and sisters Marlene Porter and Virginia Rutz. Bob is survived by his wife, Carolyn Baxter, sister Helen Williams, sons Brian and Doug Baxter, Daughter-in-law Teresa and granddaughter Hailey.

The family suggests that remembrances be made to the Pixie Project, an animal rescue organization in Portland.

Clinton Dwight Stoddard

Sep. 19, 1942 - Feb. 14, 2013

Clint Stoddard of Troutdale OR died Thursday Feb 14th. He was 70.

A service will be held at Gresham Elks, 3330 NE Division, Saturday Feb 23rd 2-5pm.

Clint grew up in Banner County NE. He graduated from Lagrange WY HS and attended U of WY Laramie.

He worked in real estate, insurance and had several jobs at USPS. His favorite job was on the railway postal service. He loved horses, skiing, dancing, and playing guitar and his large family.

He is survived by his wife Vickie, sons Kevin of NE, Kelly of WY, Colin of CO, Matt & Jim of IN, daughters Lauhri of WA, Mary of OR, Stephanie of UT and Donna of CA, 20 grandchildren and 15 great- grandchildren.

Donations may be made to Gresham Elks Lodge 1805 or Oregon Public Broadcasting.

Mt. Hood Community College Theatre presents the popular Broadway musical Rent

With 525,600 minutes, how do you measure a year?

Mt. Hood Community College Theatre poses this question in its production of the popular Broadway musical “Rent,” opening Friday.

The Pulitzer Prize and Tony award-winning musical chronicles a group of young artists living in New York City’s East Village and grappling with poverty, AIDS, drugs and sexuality during the late 1980s.

“As we face challenges in this life, we combat them by creating community,” said Jesse Merz, director. “This musical suggests we should measure our life in love and not in what we earn or wear.”

Written by Jonathan Larson in the early 1990s, “Rent” is based on Giacomo Puccini’s opera “La Boheme.” After playing on Broadway from 1996-2008 — the ninth longest run in the history of Broadway — the play was adapted as a movie in 2005.

Mt. Hood’s “Rent” features a cast of 26 students and adult actors from around the Portland area, several designers, a band of five and numerous backstage technicians.

“The cast really embraces the light of the show,” Merz said. “There’s so much joy, so much heart. It’s very optimistic — you just have to crawl through challenges along the way.”

Elizabeth Sanchez, a second-year funeral student at Mt. Hood, portrays Maureen Johnson, the rambunctious lesbian performance artist with a diva streak.

“The show is a reminder to be proud of who we are and what we contribute to this life we were given,” Sanchez said. “Why not be caring and accepting of your neighbor? At the end of the day, we are all humans just trying to make it.”

Also in the cast is Peter Molof, a Portland State University student and community activist. Molof has returned to theater after thinking three years ago his acting career was over.

“I became really involved in social justice activism and wasn’t sure how to reconcile those two things,” Molof said. “The message I’ve internalized from ‘Rent’ is that I have a different relationship with acting, but I don’t have to let go.”

Molof’s character, Angel Dumott Schunard, is a gay drag queen and percussionist who battles AIDS.

“Angel is a vibrant character, but also a person who has confronted unsafe situations and times at which he had to reconcile his identity with what was going on in the world,” Molof said.

Similarly, after transitioning from female to male three years ago, Molof has grappled with issues of identity and how the world perceives him.

“A lot of folks have the attitude of ‘Why would you go through the trouble of transitioning medically, physically, surgically and all these things if you’re just going to play a character who identifies femininely?’” Molof said. “To me, gender presentation is not gender identity.

“I was at first concerned about the pronouns and how I would feel, but I think that I’ve been able to separate from the character and engage with the parts we may have in common. I’m at a point in my life where I feel good about it.”

Despite the challenges characters in “Rent” face, they create a community of compassion, support and love.

“This generation of young people have very beautiful hearts and care for each other,” Merz said. “Sometimes we see people dressed a little bit differently — people with different sexual orientations and people who battle diseases. It’s my hope our audience walks away realizing they’re all people, they all have kind souls and they’re all worthy to get to know.”

Containing mature subject matters such as AIDS, drugs and sexual themes, “Rent” is recommended for audience members 13 and older.

Volunteers plan to partner with DHS in the future

More than 300 volunteers representing eight churches and 12 businesses in East Multnomah County have poured tender loving care into the Gresham Child Welfare office.

After three months of planning, the volunteers collectively logged 4,000 hours between Feb. 16-18 by renovating and decorating the Department of Human Services lobby and 25 rooms, mainly visitation rooms for children.

The group also spread bark dust, pressure washed pavement and pruned bushes.

“It was definitely an extreme makeover project,” said Marc Estes, an organizer and executive pastor of City Bible Church.

Among the volunteers was Lenny Langley, 60, of Troutdale. The First Baptist Church of Gresham member grew up in a foster home from age 8 to 21 and remembers all too well how scared he was while waiting for a foster placement.

He spent all of his foster care years with the same family — a wonderful religious family who deeply influenced his future.

“This weekend is a little piece of what I can give back to the program that helped me so much,” Langley said. “It’s amazing to see the transformation of these rooms. (The kids) are going to know somewhere out there someone loves them.”

The weekend work also was touching for Jason Patton, a volunteer with Clear Creek Community Church of Gresham.

Generations of Patton’s family have taken in foster children, with his aunt and uncle reaching 300 children.

Three years ago, Patton’s children were taken out of their mother’s custody in southern Oregon. It took six days before Patton could bring them home and gain full custody.

“I don’t mind that we’re going 1,000 miles an hour,” Patton said during the work weekend. “I like to see people smile.”

The visitation rooms have themes — The Portland Timbers, Winnie the Pooh, and a circus room — and include new furniture, toys and art.

“We wanted to create a very cool atmosphere for kids,” Estes said. “A happier environment. This is an opportunity for them to hope and believe — to know someone cares for them.”

While many hands made the beautification of DHS possible, the interior decorating was led by Estes’ wife, Susan, and Kelly Brandoll, a foster parent and liaison between the project and the DHS office.

The project was paid for through a combination of $25,000 in cash donations from churches and businesses and $25,000 in donated resources.

Estes said the project was one of the beginning steps in developing a stronger partnership among faith-based communities, businesses and child welfare.

In the future, volunteers hope to help with cleaning toys, tutoring students and finding potential foster parents.

“There’s something unique going on in the Portland metro area,” Estes said. “There’s a huge collaborative effort among the government, businesses and the faith-based community. It is a new model and paradigm we should pay close attention to. None of these three sectors can tackle significant issues alone.”

In its seventh year, 'Who I Am' draws awareness to Black History Month

About seven years ago, Shalanda Sims was taking a class about community issues with state Sen. Avel Gordly.

At the time, Sims felt frustrated by a lack of black history awareness and the unfair treatment she and her family experienced in her community.

“What are you going to do about it?” Gordly, an activist, community organizer and the first African-American woman elected to the Oregon Senate, asked Sims.

Spurred to action, Sims combined her love of theater and history, writing “Who I Am,” a theater production celebrating Black History Month.

“Somewhere along the line, African-American history here in Oregon kind of missed my generation and my children’s generation,” said Sims, a Troutdale resident. “I noticed there wasn’t a lot being done in the community for Black History Month, and I wanted to bridge that gap of educating all youths and the community.”

Seven years later, the “Who I Am” production continues to raise awareness about black history, drawing participants from throughout the Portland area, including Sims’ children.

With most performances at Jefferson High School, this year’s production will feature a show at 7 p.m. Friday, Feb. 22, at Reynolds High School.

“Who I Am” weaves together significant national stories in black history, beginning with slavery, highlighting freedom, chronicling the Vanport era in Oregon and leading up to today.

Each year, the stories are varied, but they retain the same message.

“The entertainment and education collide,” Sims said. “Let’s get some information into these kids and in the process, even the adults who didn’t learn the history will be involved.”

A Jefferson High School alumna, Sims attended the University of Portland on a scholarship for theater and toured with a choir for five years before working with five theater companies. In the past decade, she has taught theater to schools, businesses and organizations.

Former students of Sims have gone on to college and performed in plays; written scripts and books; and performed with theater companies.

Her children, Elijah, Isaiah and Syairah, have inherited a love of theater and have participated in “Who I Am” since its inception.

“I’ve always been a little dramatic,” Syairah Sims, a 10-year-old fifth-grader at Margaret Scott Elementary School, said with a laugh. “I love to act and sing and dance.”

One of Syairah’s scenes revolves around Madam C.J. Walker, an African-American woman who made her fortune developing beauty and hair care products for black women and secured a legacy as the first self-made female millionaire in America.

While Madam C.J. Walker’s lavish costumes are fun, Syairah admits her favorite character to portray is Willa Smith in the “Whip My Hair” scene.

Zahira Hurst, an 11-year-old sixth-grader at Walt Morey Middle School, said she’d learned on a deeper level how difficult it was to be a slave. She’s also developed a deep admiration for Sojourner Truth.

Sims’ son, Isaiah, a 14-year-old freshman at Reynolds High School, said his favorite part of the play is teaching those who don’t know about his culture.

“It shows how we’ve come a long way and what we’ve been able to do,” Isaiah said.

Black History Month was first celebrated in 1926, held as a weeklong event in February to coincide with the birthdays of Abraham Lincoln and Frederick Douglass.

In 1976, the celebration was extended to a month, with President Gerald Ford urging Americans to “seize the opportunity to honor the too-often neglected accomplishments of black Americans in every area of endeavor throughout history.”

Seven years after her first production, Sims has seen significant growth in Black History Month programming and awareness. But there’s still room for “Who I Am” to expand.

“I hope it will start conversations and unify communities,” Sims said.

The following students have been named to the first quarter honor roll at Reynolds Middle School:

4.0 — Mardan Aqaei, Josh Blegen, Colin Brummer, Ben Burcham-Howard, Peter Camacho, Alicia Estes, Pancho Gonzalez-Cruz, Veronica Hernandez-Flores, Diana Luis-Contreras, Miriam Martinez, Gabrielle Mengis, Bao Anh Nguyen, Duy Nguyen, Tammi Nguyen, Janey-Mae Dela Pena, Iriabeth Sanchez-Jaime, Eric Sosa-Lesso, Jessica Tran and Vicky Vdovich.

3.75-3.99 — Ricardo Covarrubias, Alexis DeJesus, Alondra Dominguez, Jasmyn Ferguson, Liliya Gorbaenko, Ka Kaw Htoo, Thor Johnson, Raquel Ramos Grano, Patricia Guarneros-Carrasco, Shanea Jorden, Pascual Jose Juan,Ku Moo Ler Paw Shee, Kaitlynn Marlin, Kaylea Marberry, Christopher McMichael, Hannah Meisenhelder, Linda Nguyen, Alyssa Porter, Delanie Rackham, Juan-Pablo Sanchez-Huerta, Mildred Prado-Maldonado, Lilia Serna-Serna, Ryan Spahn, Hannah Spaulding, Nkaoyoua Thao, Yaima Verdecia and Ilannah Vu.

3.5-3.74 — Faiza Abdi, Cynthia Aguilar-Gomez, Mohamed Ahmed, Yousif Al Shammari, Jennifer Alvarado-Rubio, Toni Arrazola Rosa Avalos-Manriquez, Kobie Balfour, Kallen Booth, Lucero Brambila-Guzman, Austin Bui, Yulia Bukmyrza, Mario Calderon, Emma Callaway, Jessica Camarillo, Marissa Carpenter, Jonathan Chanocua, Jonathan Chavez, Chloe Crowder, Ismahan Dahir, Carolina Enriquez, Alyssa Felix, Chasity Felix, Tray Gaines, Elsie Garcia, Joana Garcia, Oliver Girardet, Obse Gitaw, Jennifer Gonzalez-Garcia, Anastasia Higgins, Tere Huerta, Elaine Huynh, Javier Jimenez, Paola Jimenez, Sir Kelley, Brian Kim, Inein Koichy, Ulises Ku-Cejin, Abby Kudrna, Kahlea Lande, Martha Lopez-Custodio, Stephanie Lopez-Medel, Harli MacKinon, Jadon Marquez, Ricardo May Baeza, Blakelee Maria Meisenhelder, Meredith, Isabella McManus Marianna Moncada, Jessica Meeks, Matthias Ngo, Nini Nguyen, Ana Oliveros-Armenta, Hannah Onderdonk, Katelyn Payne, Jonathan Pena-Rosales, Justin Powers, Dmitriy Puzur, Celeste Ramirez-Soto, Ariah Rivers, Morgan Rose, Cameron Salewski, Kaelin Spring, Elton Sumano, Malia Theodore, TJ Thompson, EmiLee Torres, Andy Truong, Emilia Vazquez Sanchez, Francisca Vazquez Sanchez, Roxanne Vazquez, Rosario Villafuerte, Law Wardi, Aundre White, Ashley Yoshida and Mirella Zamora.

The Bruins finish 6-6 in leagu and will host a play-in qualifier game

Points weren’t easy to come by in the fourth quarter Wednesday night, but Barlow found them when needed most to survive 27-22 in its girls basketball season-finale at Gresham.

The teams combined to score just nine points down the stretch, putting a premium on each ball that found its way through the net.

The Bruins moved in front to stay 23-21 with about five minutes left when Taylor Rispler snagged an offensive board on the left side and went straight to the basket.

Gresham missed a series of 3-pointers that would have given it the lead in the closing minutes.

Barlow gave itself some breathing room when Karissa DeLaunay spotted Brooke Trammell wide open under the basket for an easy two that put the Bruins up 25-22 as the clock rolled to under a minute.

The Bruins put the game out of reach on its next trip downcourt when DeLaunay was fouled and sank the first of two free throws to make it a two-possession game.

Barlow finished league at 6-6 and will host a play-in qualifier game either Friday or Saturday. Gresham ended the league season at 1-11 and will be on the road for the play-in round.

Look for extended game coverage in the Friday, Feb. 22, print edition.

View a photo gallery from the game at …

http://daveball.exposuremanager.com/g/feb21_bar-gre_girls_hoops

Fairview council votes 4-3 not to fund the Chili on the Green

The Fairview City Council has officially pulled funding for the town’s Chili on the Green festival, despite droves of support from people far and wide, pleading with the council to save the city’s signature event.

The decision passed with a 4-3 vote during the Feb. 20 council meeting, leaving some council members, as well as the mayor, stunned.

“It’s important to me that Fairview has an event that puts the spotlight on our city,” Mayor Mike Weatherby said. “It’s sad and difficult to understand because it was really something that was so good for the city.

“It’s not the best day for Fairview.”

The decision was in contrast to the recommendation from a special committee that Weatherby appointed to examine the financial feasibility of holding special events this year.

A committee consisting of Council President Lisa Barton-Mullins and first-year Councilwoman Tamie Tlustos-Arnold, presented their recommendation to the council during Wednesday’s meeting.

They revealed that the city never spent $5,000 it had allocated for the Chili on the Green festival during a prior year’s budget. So, in order to fund the Chili Festival this year, the committee recommended that the council vote to supply $2,500 from the city’s general fund, which consists of approximately $3 million.

The council did approve, 6-1, to spend $300 on the annual Easter Egg Hunt, $600 on the Bike Rodeos and $2,000 on National Night Out.

But the council rejected the committee’s suggestion for the Chili Festival, with Tlustos-Arnold voting against her own recommendation.

“I don’t understand it,” Barton-Mullins said. “When we were having our meetings, she seemed like she was all for all of the events that we proposed to bring back.”

Barton-Mullins and Tlustos-Arnold twice met to discuss the future of the city’s special events, and during those meetings, Barton-Mullins never thought Tlustos-Arnold would disagree with their proposed suggestions.

“I’m stunned,” said Barton-Mullins, who called Tlustos-Arnold the “tiebreaker” vote. “Of course, I’m very disappointed that the four councilors wouldn’t support the Chili on the Green. I’m surprised that Councilor Arnold, who put together the proposal with me, decided to change her mind.”

But Tlustos-Arnold said that she didn’t see the proposal until it was made available to all the council members prior to the meeting.

She added that after reviewing the proposal, she was in favor of spending $2,900 on three separate city events, but her “sticking point” was the Chili Festival.

“I had an issue with where the funds were coming from,” she said. “And in our climate, I’m not in support of spending funds on events that don’t directly support our citizens.”

Tlustos-Arnold also said that she believes the Chili Festival should be privately funded, and she didn’t want money for that one event coming from the general fund.

But Councilman Ken Quinby, who also voted against the recommendation, said he thought Tlustos-Arnold didn’t want to impede the recommendation that only Barton-Mullins wanted to present.

“Basically, the mayor put her on the committee hoping to sway her to be in favor of that recommendation,” Quinby said. “She wanted Lisa to bring her proposal forward. She just played the nice guy, but I don’t think that’s what she wanted, obviously.”

Regardless of the outcome, Barton-Mullins and Councilman Steve Owen both questioned councilors who didn’t provide reasoning for voting against the proposal.

“That was the other disappointing part,” Barton-Mullins said. “Not one of them explained why they weren’t going to vote for it to the people of Fairview.”

Owen, who voted to fund the festival, said it was “irresponsible” not to do so, and believes the vote was influenced by political agendas.

“Some people have some hard feelings,” he said. “This is some spillover from the election year and they’re acting out.”

This is the second year in a row that the council has voted against funding Chili on the Green. Last year, though, the vote was unanimous.

But this is one of the first times in the history of Fairview that the council has been nearly split on a decision involving special events, said Samantha Nelson, city administrator.

Quinby said the festival benefits plenty of people from neighboring cities, but he doesn’t believe Fairview residents reap enough rewards to justify funding the event.

“Absolutely every one of us wants as many events as we can, and none of us are against the Chili on the Green,” he said. “But the issue is more along the lines of what are we buying and for who with the tax dollars.

“I want to do what’s best for the people I represent, not what’s best for people from Gresham or Troutdale or Eugene or Washington.”

Quinby wants to spend city funds — recommended to be spent on the Chili Festival — instead on Park Cleone, which he said needs new playground equipment.

“I represent those people and their children, and I want to give them a place to play, not a festival that’s gone in one day,” he said.

However, Barton-Mullins said Quinby “has never mentioned” purchasing playground equipment for Park Cleone.

But she said there are “definitely enough funds to do both projects.”

Weatherby agreed that the city could afford to fund its signature event.

“I know this is a money issue, but given the relatively small amount and the positive report from the committee, there’s a lack of understanding,” he said.

Brian Cooper, a former Fairview councilman, had been one of the most outspoken Fairview residents trying to save the festival.

He said he was “deeply saddened” by the vote and upset with Tlustos-Arnold’s decision.

“What had happened last night was a complete betrayal of that committee as Councilor Arnold worked to undermine her own recommendation that led to officially killing the 2012 city-sponsored Chili Festival,” he said.

Cooper created a Facebook page to save the festival and inspired many people to write the city and express their desire to see the council fund the event.

But Quinby didn’t believe the letters and support were an accurate portrayal of the city’s general consensus.

“The vast majority were either person friends of that (former) councilman or stated that they live outside of Fairview,” he said.

Agreement saves youth center from certain closure

The Boys & Girls Clubs of Portland Metropolitan Area is taking over Gresham's PAL Center, putting an end to the possibility that the center would close its doors.

Gresham Mayor Shane Bemis said it's his understanding that on Wednesday, Feb. 20, the Police Activities League (PAL) Board of Directors voted to turn its Gresham facility over to the Boys & Girls Club.

“The Boys & Girls Club intends to request a transfer of the PAL lease with the city,” he said. “It is our understanding that Boys & Girls Club would keep the facility open through the transition.”

PAL also agreed to return the Beaverton center to the city of Beaverton, and has canceled its major fundraiser set for Friday, Feb. 22.

Erin Hubert, CEO of the Portland Boys & Girls Clubs, was unable to immediately comment on taking over the Gresham center as she was busy setting up for the organization's huge fundraisers taking place on Feb. 21 and 22.

Spinning the youth centers off to other service providers allows both centers to remain open while enabling PAL to oversee its remaining Portland programs while trying to pay off debt.

The agency has struggled in the past two years under its new executive director, Patricia Day TenEyck, to secure increasingly scarce grants from government agencies and foundations. Its previously successful fundraisers also failed to make much money.

As reported in the Tuesday, Feb. 19, issue of The Outlook, PAL's board members approved using an endowment fund as a reserve for its 2012-13 fiscal year budget, but still operated at a nearly $200,000 deficit, which would have topped $336,000 had the endowment funds not been used.

This week, the board agreed to let the Beaverton youth center return to the city of Beaverton, which used to operate the youth center before the city transferred it to the Portland league in 2006, said board member Geoff Spalding, who represents Beaverton as the city's police chief on PAL's board of directors.

As for parents whose children attend Gresham's PAL Center — which narrowly avoided closing last week — they can finally breathe easy now that the Boys & Girls Clubs of Portland Metropolitan Area has agreed to keep the center open.

“At the end of the day, we want to make sure the kids are served,” Spalding said. “It's a sad situation.”

Last week, on Tuesday, Feb. 12, PAL announced that without additional financial support, it would close its Gresham youth center at 424 N.E. 172nd Ave. and its administrative office in North Portland on Friday, Feb. 15.

Community donations poured in, raising enough money to keep the Gresham center open until the end of the month.

Parents whose children depend on the center for safe, reliable after-school care, however, remained in the dark.

At a meeting of 20 parents at the center on Wednesday night, the center's two co-directors had no idea that the board was turning the center over to the Boys & Girls Clubs.

They told parents that higher ups were telling them that it will take $100,000 to fund the center through the summer, or roughly $20,000 a month.

In the largest enterprise zone request to come before Gresham city councilors since such zones were created in 2006, the council on Tuesday, Feb. 19, unanimously approved an agreement with Boeing that will bring in an anticipated $300 million in investment at the company’s Gresham plant.

According to the agreement, Boeing plans to finish the expansion of a shipping and receiving building while also replacing old equipment at its sprawling 60-acre campus in the 19000 block of Northeast Sandy Boulevard in exchange for an estimated $12 million property tax abatement over three years, with partial abatements for the last two years of the five-year deal.

But really the abatement and investments will take place over the course of seven years due to the rolling nature of the agreements, said Janet Young, Gresham’s Economic Development Manager.

Boeing will have three years to invest in new machinery. Once the equipment is in place for five years, it returns to the tax rolls, resulting in an estimated $145 million in additional assessed value, Young said.

Councilors also unanimously approved a five-year property tax abatement for ON Semiconductor, clearing the way for a $4 million investment in new equipment and at least 55 new jobs at it’s Gresham facility. ON Semiconductor is considered a premier supplier of high performance, energy efficient silicon solutions for green electronics with clients in automotive, communications, computing, consumer, industrial, LED lighting, medical, military/aerospace and power applications.

It purchased the former LSI Logic facility in 2006, maintaining much of the existing work force on its 83-acre campus in the 23400 block of Northeast Glisan Street. The Gresham fabrication plant employs 547, a number that will top 600 under the new tax abatement.

Under the conditions of these agreements, the city isn’t the only entity affected: Metro, Multnomah County, TriMet and the East Multnomah County Soil and Water Conservation District also will temporarily forgo additional tax revenue under the agreement.

No new jobs are pledged as part of the deal because such requirements are waived when investment totals more than $25 million. But Young pointed out that the agreement requires Boeing to maintain existing job levels, adding that companies that apply for enterprise zone tax abatements have track records of adding jobs even when they’re not required to under the terms of the agreement.

In addition, tax abatement agreements can also spur even more investment than originally planned. For example, On Semiconductor’s 2010 enterprise zone agreement on a $7 million investment ended up generating $30 million of investment, plus 100 new jobs, for a total of 600 jobs, Young said.

The abatement agreement that Gresham city councilors approved this week is Boeing’s third request for a property tax break under Gresham’s enterprise zone program, launched in 2006 to attract industry that creates family-wage jobs with benefits to key parts of the city.

Gresham also granted Boeing abatements in 2007 and in 2010, adding up to $200 million in local investment, allowing Boeing to expand its Gresham facility and create more than 400 new jobs locally.

The 2010 agreement paved the way for creation of 350 new jobs and $120 million in investments, including a massive chemical plant, enabling it to process larger parts for the new 787 Dreamliner. The plant was completed this summer and early this month, two of the plant’s four tank lines were brought online, said Vicki Ray, Boeing spokeswoman. The other two plant lines are expected to bin operation early this summer, she added.

Boeing boasts 1,758 employees at its Gresham facility, which specializes in complex machining, gear systems and flight controls. The plant includes more than 1.3 million square feet of manufacturing and facilities space where employees make plane parts out of aluminum, steel, titanium, magnesium and other specialty metals for Boeing 737, 767 and 787 planes.

Boeing also recently made headlines for the worldwide grounding of its much anticipated 787 Dreamliner. The malfunctioning batteries blamed for the problems that plague the new jetliner are not manufactured at the Gresham plant.

Young said the abatements are designed to create an incentive for companies with local ties to expand here instead of a different facility in another state or even another country.

“These companies have choices,” she said. “And programs like this help create a local climate that encourages those companies to make their investments in Gresham. ... It’s just a really good tool.”

According to the agreement, Boeing also pays a community service fee of an estimated $1.3 million earmarked for economic development.

Boeing is the city’s largest private employer and its largest taxpayer, paying $2.8 million in property taxes last year.

A town hall meeting to discuss the working draft of the Damascus comprehensive plan and zoning map is from 1-3 p.m. Saturday, Feb. 23, at Sunnyside Community Church,16444 S.E. Highway 212, in Damascus.

The meeting will begin with a presentation of the working draft maps and an explanation of the zoning designations, including how elements of the development code proposals combine with the zoning to describe how future development may occur. The remainder of the meeting will devoted to discussion, questions and answers. For example, how might your property or the vacant land next-door be zoned, or what kind of housing might be built Damascus? Maps and zoning table are available on the city's website.

Childcare will be provided. To RSVP, contact the city of Damascus at 503-658-8545.

Give blood, save lives

Boring Fire District is hosting a blood drive from 2-7 p.m. Wednesday, Feb. 27, at the fire department, 28665 S.E. Highway 212.

To sign up, call 1-800-RED CROSS or visit redcrossblood.org and enter sponsor code DamascusBoring.

Learning historical preservation

Troutdale Historical Society is offering a Preservation 101 program at 2 p.m. Sunday, Feb. 24, at the Barn Museum, 732 E. Historic Columbia River Highway.

The event will feature the criteria for listing a property on the National Register of Historic Places.

It also will highlight regulations and standards pertaining to historic properties, helping residents to think creatively about how to preserve historic places in the 21st century.

For more information, visit troutdalehistory.org or call 503-661-2164.

Discover native use of Sagittaria Latifolia

McMenamins Edgefield will hold an Oregon Encyclopedia History Night at 6:30 p.m. Tuesday, Feb. 26, at 2126 S.W. Halsey St., Troutdale.

Melissa Darby, a principal investigator with Lower Columbia Research and Archaeology, will make a presentation about the Native American use of Sagittaria Latifolia. Darby has worked for more than 30 years as an archaeologist and historian in the Northwest.

For more information, call 503-669-8610 or visit mcmenamins.com

Coffee shop offers art, programming

Coffee’s On-Gresham will hold an artist meet and greet with Katie West at the café.

The event will run from 5-7 p.m. Friday, Feb. 22, at 600 N.W. Eastman Parkway.

For more information, visit West’s website at artsimplicity.com.

Additionally, Coffee’s On-Gresham will offer a presentation, “Marketing With A Vision,” at 5:30 p.m. Tuesday, Feb. 26, at the café.

Seating is limited. RSVPS at ymurocks.com/coffeeson.

Coffee’s On-Gresham has moved to its second charity in its “Twelve Months of Giving” program, Multnomah County Animal Shelter.

Hope and Healing seminar

Author and speaker Freda Emmons will share her story of overcoming abuse and depression at a seminar at 5 p.m. Wednesday, Feb. 27.

The event will be held in Town and Gown Hall at Mt. Hood Community College, 26000 S.E. Stark St., Gresham.

Sponsored by the NAVS group, the event will include a free dinner for Mt. Hood students. Emmons is the author of “Flame of Healing: A Daily Journey of Healing from Abuse and Trauma.”

For more information, visit flameofhealing.com.

Reynolds High School is seeking volunteers for ASPIRE (Access to Student Assistance Programs in Reach of Everyone), a statewide mentorship program new to the high school.

ASPIRE volunteers mentor students once a week on their paths during and after high school, connecting them with college and career resources.

“I’ve seen (the program) open a lot of doors for kids,” said David Hopper, a first-year counselor at Reynolds introducing the program. “This is a great opportunity to support them through graduation.”

Hopper is looking for about 50 volunteers to mentor Reynolds students anywhere from one to five hours a week. Each volunteer works with up to 10 students in 20- to 30-minute increments.

“We’re teaching skills to help them get through challenges that come up each week,” said Gail Stevens, a Reynolds parent, life coach and the first Reynolds ASPIRE volunteer.

“It’s a lot of work figuring out college nowadays — knowing the big picture and what’s available,” Stevens said. “Some of these kids speak foreign languages or are the first in their families to go to college. They learn that life doesn’t end or begin at graduation. It continues to the next phase.”

Along with offering college and financial aid resources, mentors help students explore careers and offer a career assessment.

“It will feel really good to see the students get across the stage at graduation and know they have a plan for the day after,” Stevens said.

By June, ASPIRE is expected to reach 145 schools across Oregon, including Reynolds. The program, which began in 1998, is sponsored through the Oregon Student Access Commission.

All volunteers must pass a background check and go through an ASPIRE training before mentoring students.

To begin the process of becoming an ASPIRE mentor, contact Hopper at 503-667-3186 or dhopper@rsd7.net. For more information about ASPIRE, visit OregonStudentAid.gov/ASPIRE.

Challenge Day

Along with ASPIRE, Hopper is introducing Challenge Day, an antibullying program, to Reynolds.

“The program completely changed the chemistry of my last school,” Hopper said.

Challenge Day, March 18-20, will coincide with Reynolds’ Fusion Month, an effort that raises awareness about diversity within the school and attempts to unify students.

The premise of the program is for each child to feel safe, loved and celebrated within their schools. About 360 students and 120 adults — teachers, staff and community members — will attend the interactive training.

“Everyone is really excited about it,” said Maddy Trattles, a senior and student leader.

Trattles created a video, “I Am Me,” that underscores how people can be quick to judge, but should remember everybody is his or her own person.

After the training, participants will take part in community service projects and teach the lessons from Challenge Day to elementary school students.

Hopper said the training would take place again in the fall and continue year after year.

“This is going to impact a lot of students,” Trattles said. “We want to celebrate everyone as their own person.”

For more information, visit challengeday.org. To see Trattles’ video, visit the “I Am Me” YouTube video under Reynolds Raiders.

Members of the Gresham-Barlow Bond Measure Planning Committee will recommend to the school board a $210 million bond be put forth to voters in May.

After meeting since late December 2012 and reviewing polling and forum data, the committee reached a consensus Tuesday, Feb. 19. Committee members are expected to make their recommendation at the Thursday, March 7, school board meeting.

While committee work groups agreed on the price and date of the potential bond, they expressed concerns about certain bond specifics that have been reflected in community polling and forums.

Namely, concerns include Gresham High School receiving significantly more money than Sam Barlow High School at $82 million, or close to half of the bond; how West Gresham Elementary would be repurposed; and the bond being presented at a time when a weak economy is struggling to rebound.

Another concern committee members expressed revolved around the athletic fields the public frequently uses at Damascus Middle School. The bond includes a plan to combine Deep Creek Elementary and Damascus Middle in a kindergarten through 12th model at the elementary school. There is concern that closure of the middle school will also mean the community loses access to those fields.

Community reaction

Between late January and mid-February, 200 people — 135 community members, 81 staff members and 15 students — attended forums about the bond.

Of the groups of residents in the forums, 68 agreed with the idea of a bond and nine disagreed. Forty-five groups agreed with the bond amount, 14 disagreed (four thought the amount was too low), three said they needed more information and one was undecided.

Because some groups didn’t say a straightforward yes or no, agreeing with certain parts of the bond and not others, there is a discrepancy between the total number of groups.

Athena Vadnais, Gresham-Barlow Community Relations Director, said the forum information was intended as more general, qualitative feedback.

Those who attended the forums said the things they liked best about the bond were its focus on security and safety, technology, emphasis on Gresham High School and the fact that every school would benefit.

A January survey, funded by Citizens for School, polled 400 residents in the district from Multnomah and Clackamas counties with an estimated 5 percent margin of error.

Of the respondents, 45 percent gave the district an A or B grade for performance, with 78 percent of respondents giving it a passing grade, or most of them giving it a B or C.

Half of respondents said the district did a good or very good job of spending money, with 20 percent of respondents giving a negative response and 25 percent saying they were unsure.

“One issue from the campaign perspective that’s concerning is the number of ‘don’t knows,’ ” said Bob Lawrence, an independent campaign consultant working for Citizens for Schools. “You have a number of residents who are aging and getting away from the schools.”

According to the survey, 73 percent of respondents favored renovations of the 98-year-old Gresham High School. Because of its additions over the years, though, some residents were confused about the school’s actual age. Some were under the impression it was built in 1928, others thought it was 1940.

The most significant reason 181 respondents gave for supporting a bond was its ability to improve education, but members of the public also expressed reservations.

“We need to acknowledge people’s concerns about the poor economy,” Lawrence said. “There is more of a conversation that has to happen with voters.”

It’s clear from polling and forums that the district’s patrons want to see the West Gresham Elementary building preserved for some use; but they generally reacted positively to phasing students out of the building and into different schools.

Still, many questions linger about how the school would be repurposed, questions Superintendent Jim Schlachter said can’t be answered without a significant amount of money invested into research.

Also, the timeline of bond projects could stretch into the 2020-21 school year.

“There’s perception that once you have the bond, the work is done in 12 months,” Schlachter said. “For the high school, it would take 18-20 months just to plan and another two years to build it.”

Were a bond to pass, that would mean Gresham High School’s renovation would be completed in the 2017-18 school year.

The 38-member advisory committee will draft a recommendation in the coming weeks to present to the school board. From the recommendation, the school board will vote on its next step.

If the school board were to favor a bond proposal, a campaign would begin for the May 2013 election.

Infusion Gallery, in Troutdale, opens with special cause

Paintings, drawings and oil pastels line the walls of a Troutdale art gallery where Anton Jarmer meticulously practices an artistic technique called “shading.”

He takes the fine-point brush, used to accentuate precise details, and begins layering the paint under the eye of his latest work, the face of a blond-haired, blue-eyed woman.

A shadow develops, contrast emerges and Jarmer shows off his painting, proud most of the new talent he’s learning to master.

“I started it last week and finished it today,” he said. “I’m getting better and better.”

Next, it’ll be framed and hung beside the works displayed inside Infusion Gallery, which features numerous other developmentally challenged artists along with professional artists from throughout the Pacific Northwest.

The gallery, at 305 E. Columbia River Highway, opened Thursday, Feb. 7, several months after Parris Foley, a volunteer art teacher with Adult Learning Systems of Oregon, brainstormed the idea.

ALSO, a nonprofit organization providing residential and vocational services for people with developmental challenges, worked with Foley to create a place that nurtures the passion of people with special needs.

“This is just something I had in my head, and we made it happen,” Foley said.

In a back room of Infusion Gallery, with inspiration sprouting from windows open to the surrounding snow-topped mountain range, developmentally challenged artists use an array of materials to create memorable works.

They mold sculptures with clay and string necklaces with beads.

It’s also where they learn from Foley and occasionally other artists who volunteer their time.

“It’s not like a class where we’re telling them what to do,” Foley said. “We’re just showing them that they don’t have a disability. ‘You can use a roller. You can paint however you want. It’s OK.’ ”

Under Foley’s guidance, the artists go to work, spending days, even weeks, creating portraits, scenics, abstractions.

Hanging on a wall behind Foley’s desk is one of her favorite pieces in the gallery, painted by a 24-year-old woman with a disability so severe it renders her hands almost unusable.

But Foley placed a thin brush on the back of the woman’s hand and gently secured it with Velcro. Then she put on music and slightly guided the woman’s hand as she stroked the canvas in rhythm with the song.

“It’s a way for freedom of speech,” Foley said of why the developmentally challenged people she works with enjoy art. “A lot of the people we work with can’t even speak. This gives them an opportunity to express themselves and show what they’re really feeling inside.”

Foley has been destined to help the developmentally challenged.

In high school, she was the teacher’s assistant in a class for students with special needs. In her 20s, Foley worked at Home of Guiding Hands, an organization that provides living arrangements and assistance for people with developmental challenges.

And early last year she joined ALSO and recently was named volunteer of the year.

“I’ve always had a special place for people with disabilities,” she said. “It takes a lot of compassion and a lot of patience. It’s like being a mom. And just the fact that they do it keeps you going.”

As Foley envisioned, the artists earn commission checks for their work, just like professionals.

Jarmer hopes his portrait will find a home. So, when he’s working at the gallery, he speaks with potential buyers, explaining the intricacies of his work and the techniques used to accentuate the face.

Like a professional, he unveils a stack of other drawings, mostly of cars, his favorite subject.

And seeing Jarmer paint, interact and earn a paycheck, like a professional, is everything Foley had imagined.

“It’s breaking down the wall,” she said. “Some people are really intimidated by people with developmental challenges. But once they realize how amazing these guys are and how happy they are — if they can break down that wall, I’ve done my job.”

Spellman

Hailey Mae Spellman, the daughter of Kristen and Zachary Spellman of Sandy, was born at 8:04 a.m. Thursday, Feb. 7, at Mount Hood Family Birthing Center in Troutdale. She weighed 7 pounds, 14 ounces.

Hailey joins sister Naomi, 16 months. Hailey’s paternal grandparents are Brenda Blinsky of Gresham and Donn Spellman of Yoncalla. Her maternal grandparents are Dena Stein and Jack Stein, both of Portland.

Barbara C. Greene

Sept. 29, 1946-Feb. 4, 2013

Portland resident Barbara C. Greene died Monday, Feb. 4. She was 66.

A celebration of life will be held at 2 p.m. Saturday, March 2, at Hillsview Community Church, 23225 S.E. Borges Road, Damascus.

Barbara was born Sept. 29, 1946, in Portland to Orville and Adeline Yeager. She grew up in Damascus and attended Gresham High School.

She spent her early years as a preschool and kindergarten teacher. Later on, Barbara worked for Jantzen Swimwear and Check Printing. She enjoyed traveling, sewing, painting and gardening.

Barbara is survived by her daughters, Colleen Schriever, Laurel Greene and Kimberly Sparr; son, Douglas Greene; brothers, Terry Yeager and Vern Yeager; and nine grandchildren.

Omega Funeral Services is handling arrangements.

Harvey Frank (Skip) Longanecker

Aug. 17, 1948-Feb. 12, 2013

Happy Valley resident Harvey Frank (Skip) Longanecker died Tuesday, Feb. 12, after a battle with pancreatic cancer. He was 64.

A memorial service was held Friday, Feb. 15, at East Hill Church in Gresham. Internment will take place at I.O.O.F. Cemetery.

Harvey was born Aug. 17, 1948, in Hoven, S.D., to Orval and Hester Longanecker. He graduated from Bandon High School in 1966 and pursued his business degree at Oregon Institute of Technology and McPherson College.

He is survived by his parents; wife, Mary Lou Longanecker; children, Harvey Longanecker Jr. and Shonia Heston; and brothers, Danny Longanecker and Michael Longanecker.

Paid obituaries

Muriel D. Gray

April 23, 1919-Feb. 6, 2013

Portland resident Muriel D. Gray died Wednesday, Feb. 6. She was 93.

A memorial service will be held at 5 p.m. Sunday, Feb. 24, at Gresham Seventh-day Adventist Church, 223 S.E. Cleveland Ave.

Muriel was born April 23, 1919, in LaHarpe, Kans., to Alvis and Bessie (Colwell) Dick. She grew up all over Montana, where her parents were teachers in small mining and lumber towns.

In 1945 she received her nursing degree at RN Paradise Valley Sanitarium School of Nursing. Muriel received her bachelor’s degree in 1946 from Union College in Lincoln, Neb.

Muriel worked as a nurse in San Diego, Calif., Baltimore, M.D. and for various healthcare institutions in Baker City, Ore. during her 40-year career. She married Frank I. Gray June 8, 1950.

A fundraiser for Adventist Development and Relief Services and Adventist Community Services, Muriel wrote poetry and enjoyed word-search puzzles.

She held many offices as a Seventh-day Adventist Church member, including greeter, potluck coordinator, Sabbath-school teacher, prayer-chain facilitator and community services leader.

In 1993, Muriel retired. She moved to Gresham five years ago from Eastern Oregon.

Her husband preceded Muriel in death. She is survived by her daughters, Elizabeth Parker of Eugene and Rosalyn Patton of Gresham; son, Peter Gray of Rockdale, Texas; sister, Bonita Kraemer of Catonsville, M.D.; four grandsons; four great-grandsons; and many nieces and nephews.

Gresham Seventh-day Adventist Church is handling arrangements.

Memorial contributions may be made to Portland Adventist Community Services, in care of Gresham SDA Church, 223 S.E. Cleveland Ave., Gresham, OR 97080.

Robert Scott Nelson

March 14, 1942 - February 16, 2013

Long time resident of Gresham, Oregon, Scott Nelson passed away in his home at the age of 70. Born in La Jolla, California to Jesse and Opal Nelson, Scott is survived by his wife, Caryn; their children: Jana, Holly, J.R., Eric, Lindsay, and Aimee; seventeen grandchildren; one great-grandchild; and his sister, Julie Johnson of Phoenix, Arizona. In addition, Scott was a foster parent to many children in the Portland area.

Scott served in the military as a Captain. He also worked in real estate and corporate sales, and most recently was the owner and proprietor of Harvest Mill Bakery for over fifteen years. He was an active member of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, and served as a volunteer in several community organizations. With a lively sense of humor and genuine interest in people, Scott touched the lives of many throughout his life.

He is preceded in death by his parents and brothers Denny and Jim.

Mt. Hood funeral services program holds exercise

Coffins, urns, funeral arrangements, oh my!

There may be cookies and refreshments, but this isn’t your average volunteer experience.

For 17 years, Mt. Hood Community College has held a mock funeral arrangements exercise on campus as a way for second-year Funeral Service Education students to gain experience in making arrangements with families.

While some curious onlookers were spooked by the exercise and quickly retreated from the college’s Town and Gown Room on Tuesday, Feb. 19, just as many were intrigued enough to participate.

Volunteers from the campus and community posed as bereaved family members, discussing with students funeral service options, urn and casket selections and other topics such as environmentally friendly “green” burials (picture old-school burials before people were embalmed, with caskets made out of wicker and no grave liners).

“Some people will visibly back off and think you’re weird because you decided to do this work,” said Casandra Hardman, a second-year funeral student. “Personally, I think of (funeral services) as honorable work. It’s something not many people want to do and takes a lot of inner strength because you’re dealing with other people’s grief most of the time.”

Nine years ago, Hardman’s experience with her great-grandfather’s funeral planning in Idaho inspired her to pursue funeral services, and today, the 23-year-old is training in embalming and funeral directing to become a crematory operator.

“People will say, ‘Oh, you like to work on dead people,’” Hardman said. “No, I like to work with the living and help the living. They are the ones who have to continue on. You help them to facilitate their grief and moving-on process.”

Instructor Terri Canfield said the exercise not only prepares students to interact with grieving families, it also offers volunteers an opportunity to think about arrangements in a setting that isn’t emotional.

She likened funeral planning to car maintenance — the more you plan ahead, the less likely you’ll be caught off guard.

“The experience helps to alleviate the stress and anxiety that comes with the real death of a loved one,” Canfield said.

While some volunteers chose to make preparations for a loved one, some made their own funeral arrangements.

“Now I have a plan,” said Shadow Fann, a volunteer who created her own arrangements with student Davis La Muerta. “It helps you to accept death.”

Mt. Hood’s Funeral Service Education program is the only one of its kind in Oregon and one of three in the Pacific Northwest. Students often pursue careers in embalming, crematory operations, funeral direction and management.

David Douglas looks to hold off Hillsboro and Roseburg when the tournament concludes Saturday.

PORTLAND — The David Douglas wrestling team is in prime position to chase down the 6A trophy heading into the semifinals Saturday morning at Memorial Coliseum.

The Scots finished Day One with 70 points, leading runner-up Hillsboro by 3.5 points and reigning 6A champ Roseburg by nine.

The Scots moved to the top of the ladder by going 7-2 in Friday’s quarterfinals, advancing more wrestlers into the final four than any other school.

Thomas Ayala provided the highlight with a 6-3 win over Hillsboro’s T.J. Cavender — the only head-to-head quarterfinal matchup between the two top teams. Ayala took the lead with a near-fall late in the second round only to see Cavender pull even with a takedown near the edge of the mat with 1:01 on the clock.

Needing to keep his opponent under wraps, Cavender aggressively slammed Ayala down on his shoulder in the center circle forcing the Douglas junior to spend some injury time before deciding to continue.

“I felt this stinging all the way down my arm, but if I default they get the points and our team is further away from that first-place trophy,” Ayala said.

A trainer spent a couple minutes checking him out before the bout continued.

Ayala scored the winning escape point 20 seconds later, putting his opponent into desperation mode down the stretch. Cavender attempted a throw with :06 on the clock, but Ayala antipated the move, shifted his weight and fell on top for the clinching takedown.

Ayala’s 6-3 decision caused a 10-point shift in the team score, allowing David Douglas to finish the opening day with the lead.

The Scots also won two of three showdowns with Roseburg in the quarterfinals.

Jeremiah Baker (126) scored a takedown with 10 seconds left to beat the Indians’ No. 2 seed Cole Van Anrooy 3-1, while teammate Vagif Afrasov (138) overcame a late 1-0 deficit to beat Roseburg’s Brody Faas in overtime.

Also advancing to the semis for David Douglas are Ricky Molinari (145), Elijah Taylor (160), Quincy Clarkson (182) and Ihoghama Odighizuwa (195).

The semis begin at 9:45 a.m. Saturday are each victory in that round is worth 11 team points.

The tournament finishes with the parade of champions at 6 p.m., followed by the championship bouts.

Look for expanded state tournament coverage in the Tuesday, Feb. 26, print edition.

View a photo gallery from Friday’s opening action at …

http://daveball.exposuremanager.com/g/feb22_1st_day_state_wrestling

The Scots finish with three champions and 146 points to claim the big-school wrestling crown

PORTLAND — David Douglas turned away all challengers to win this weekend’s 6A state wrestling championship going away. The Scots crowned three weight-class champions Saturday night and finished with 146 points, beating runner-up Oregon City by almost 20.

Senior Ihoghama Odighizuwa led the charge with a perfect 30-point effort in the 195-pound bracket. He scored first-round pins against each of his first three opponents, getting pushed past the minute mark just once.

Odighizuwa would have to work a bit harder in Saturday’s title bout. But the result would be the same.

He held a 3-1 lead early in the third period when his opponent, Clackamas sophomore Kyle Anderegg, made a move to try and knot the score. He went low trying to take out the legs of Odighizuwa, but it proved to be like trying to tackle a Douglas fir to the ground.

The Scots’ senior didn’t budge, then countered with a shot of his own, burying his shoulder into the hips of Anderegg and taking him to the mat for a takedown and a clinching 5-1 lead.

But Odighizuwa wasn’t looking for a decision. He wanted a fall.

With 15 seconds left, he trapped his opponent into a cradle hold cinching it up tight with shouts of encouragement coming from his teammates in the stands above the mat. The referee dropped to the mat to get in position, Odighizuwa squeezed tighter, the clock ticked under 10 seconds.

Then the sound came — the slap of the mat.

Odighizuwa had officially flattened all four of his state tournament foes.

“We got to the third period, and I pushed the pace just like we do all the time in practice, and I came out with the ‘W’,” he said.

Teammate Vagif Afrasov got the night rolling for the Scots with a 3-1 overtime win over West Linn’s Tim Harman. Afrasov took out a leg halfway through the extra session for the winning takedown on the edge of the mat. West Linn challenged the call, but after a brief conference, the referees upheld the ruling.

Elijah Taylor scored a 6-3 win over Crater’s Chase Mackey in the 160-pound championship. The wrestlers entered the final two-minute period deadlocked 3-3, but Taylor was granted a quick escape then shot in on Mackey’s hips for a clinching takedown with 1:04 on the clock.

Quincy Clarkson (182) also reached his weight-class finals before falling 10-2 against Hillsboro’s John Morin.

Douglas qualified 13 wrestlers for the tournament and 10 of them contributed points toward the team championship.

“We really focus on team unity,” Douglas coach Ron Holyoak said. “These kids are a big family — they care about each other. The bleed together, they sweat together and they win together.”

Look for expanded state tournament coverage, including a look at other East County wrestlers in the finals, in our Tuesday, Feb. 26, print edition.

View a photo gallery from Saturday's championship bouts at ...

http://daveball.exposuremanager.com/g/feb23_state_wrestling_finals

Clackamas County Administrator Steve Wheeler announced on Monday that he has agreed to part ways with the Board of Commissioners after his replacement is chosen.

The mutual decision comes on the heels of last month's installation of three newly elected board members.

Wheeler and County Chairman John Ludlow's Feb. 25 announcement noted that Wheeler’s job status will be changed to acting county administrator effective immediately.

Wheeler was appointed in December 2009 after serving as interim county administrator following the resignation of Jon Mantay in March 2009. Prior to that, Wheeler had served as deputy county administrator since 2006. He also served in senior leadership positions at other local governments.

"This is an amicable arrangement that enables the county to move forward with our important business," said Wheeler. "We have a truly outstanding group of employees serving our community and I am confident that the successes we have achieved over these past years will continue into the future."

Clackamas County will launch a nationwide search for a county administrator. Details of that recruitment will be unveiled in coming days, a press release said.

"The Board of County Commissioners is grateful for the leadership Steve has provided over the years," Ludlow said. "We appreciate that Steve is staying on during the search for a replacement. Under Mr. Wheeler’s leadership Clackamas County adopted its 2010 Strategic Plan; greatly improved the quality and level of services provided to vulnerable populations; and participated in the passing of a renewed law enforcement levy. I also want to acknowledge the excellence of our county employees and assure our residents that we will work diligently and expeditiously to choose a replacement to lead our county forward."