  A thirty-year-old man is in custody after a pursuit by Lane County sheriff’s deputies and faces multiple charges.
At about 5 a.m. on March 27th, deputies responded to residence in the block of 88700 Territorial Road after receiving a report of a dispute. The residents at the address reported that Josephy Spencer Gale-Smith, 30, of Eugene, who was known to them, came onto their property and proceeded to threaten one of them with a taser. Deputies were able to locate Gale-Smith driving a silver 2003 Honda CR-V in the vicinity and attempted to make a traffic stop. Gale-Smith did stop his vehicle but then left after a deputy attempted to speak with him. Deputies began to pursue him until he turned south onto Highway 99 from Clear Lake Road. AT this point, a deputy conducted a Pursuit Intervention Technique (PIT) which forced the vehicle off of the road and kept it from driving into Eugene. In the process of arresting Gale-Smith, it was found he was in possession of methamphetamine. Gale-Smith was lodged at the Lane County Jail without further incident and faces the following charges: -Menacing -Unlawful Use of a Weapon -Felon in Possession of a Restricted Weapon -Criminal Trespass in the 2nd Degree -Attempt to Elude Police by Vehicle -Unlawful Possession of Methamphetamine (Misdemeanor) -Lane County Circuit Court warrant for a probation violation
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  A twenty-year-old man is in custody and facing multiple charges after a late-night pursuit by Lane County Sheriff’s deputies.
Shortly before midnight on March 19th, a Lane County Sheriff’s deputy noticed a black 1994 Dodge Ram pickup driving recklessly in the vicinity of W. 11th Avenue and Beltline Highway. The vehicle matched the description of a truck stolen recently in Eugene. The deputy activated his vehicle’s lights and siren as he initiated a traffic stop, but the driver of the truck only turned off the vehicle’s headlights, increased driving recklessly and accelerated to speeds of over 100 mph. Because of the other traffic in the area, the deputy ended the pursuit and instead began to communicate with other deputies regarding the direction the truck was traveling in. The truck was located driving recklessly several miles away on Highway 126 by another deputy who then began a pursuit of his own as there was no other traffic in the area and the driver had not amended his behavior. The pickup driver eventually lost control of the vehicle and the truck rolled near milepost 36. The driver, Jaedin Renae Duwell of Eugene, and a passenger were detained. Methamphetamine was found during a search of the vehicle. A further investigation resulted in the passenger being released while Duwell was taken into custody and lodged at the Lane County Jail on the following charges:
 The artist Jo Marie and Guild President Sharon Jesson pose by the Kids Kits shelf at the Applegate Art Guild. The year was 1985. Ronald Reagan was sworn into his second term in office that January 20th and on January 28th, the song We Are the World was recorded by an ensemble known as USA for Africa to raise money for famine relief. Route 66 was officially removed from the U.S. Highway System after 60 years, and the wreck of the Titanic was finally located in the north Atlantic. One of the biggest mistakes in marketing history took place when Coca-Cola changed its formula and released New Coke which was a dismal failure. Rent for an apartment was typically $325 a month, a gallon of gas cost $1.09, the average house cost $89,000 and a stamp set one back a total of 22 cents.
In entertainment, Calvin and Hobbes were introduced to comics readers, TV viewers tuned into The Cosby Show, Murder She Wrote, Dallas, Dynasty, and Miami Vice. If Tomorrow Comes by Sidney Sheldon, The Sicilian by Mario Puzo, Family Album by Danielle Steel, Texas by James Michener and The Mammoth Hunters by Jean Auel topped the New York Times Bestseller List and radio listeners sang along with such tunes as Wake Me Up Before You Go-Go by Wham!, Everybody Wants to Rule the World by Tears for Fears and I Want to Know What Love Is by Foreigner. In Veneta, a group of artistically minded women decided they wanted a way to get their work out where it could be seen and admired and thus began the Applegate Art Guild. First located on E. Broadway, the guild operated out of a private home with members meeting on the first Monday of every month and paying dues of $5. Bob Bettencourt became the guild’s first director, and it wasn’t long before it had to move to the now vacant building next to the food court. The Guild remained at this location until 1988 when it then moved to a building on Highway 126 near Dixie’s Café. At this point, it boasted 55 members and one of its good works was to raffle off an oil painting to help raise funds towards the purchase of a seeing eye dog for local resident Terry Muller, who had lost her eyesight to diabetes. Guild members also painted the exterior of the locker rooms for the original city pool. In 1989, the guild achieved nonprofit status. Two years later in 1991, the guild moved to the old church building that is now home to Our Daily Bread and soon after began holding shows at such places as Lane Electric. Unfortunately, this location did not last after the furnace quit and the paintings that hung on the guild’s walls became at risk for developing a type of mold called bloom. This was deeply disappointing as the extra room here allowed the guild to be able to include crafters and hold painting and drawing classes. It had been hoped that they could also offer classes to children after the school district found it necessary to eliminate certain electives. Now, it looked as though the guild might have to disband. Fortunately, more space was found at the Fern Ridge Center Mall in 1994, but when the rent rose to an untenable rate, the guild moved once more to an empty store front at the West Lane Center where it remained until staying in Veneta city limits became impossible. Now, the Applegate Art Guild calls the Applegate Regional Theatre campus home and creations by various artists bedecks the walls of the small but comfortable area where artists fashion their works and teach others how to do the same. Currently, the guild only has 18 members, but they hope to see this number rise and they are always open to suggestions as to how to accomplish this and what sorts of things the guild should offer. Currently, the guild offers several classes with the artist Jo Marie teaching woodburning, current President Sharon Jesson teaching painting with acrylics, Emily Fraizer teaching two types of weaving, Elizabeth Chamberlain teaching book binding, Carol Lewis teaching handmade greeting cards and Dana Doyel teaching the making of glass bead earrings. For those with children who enjoy art, the guild offers small packets of goodies such as paints and paint brushes that sit on a pair of shelves and await being used by little hand as they create miniature masterpieces that can hang with pride on a refrigerator door. For 40 years now, the guild has persisted and when the chips have been down, it has persevered in staying a part of the community. While many of the guild’s members have grown old and gone on to their Heavenly reward, those who enjoy being a part of its membership now hope that that guild will continue and that others will be able to enjoy having a space to create their art and show it off, while also imparting their knowledge to others. Having a space to express their creativity has been important to them, and it is their hope that others with an interest in art might like to wander through the guild’s doors and see what the guild can offer them.  Laura White is right at home as Fern Ridge Library’s new Assistant Director. While growing up in Salem, she was encouraged by her friend’s mother Mrs. Richards, who worked as a librarian, to obtain her library degree one day. While this never happened, she did find her niche in working at bookstores once she graduated from the University of Oregon.
It was while working at Barnes & Nobel that she met Brian Juenemann, then an employee of the University of Oregon’s bookstore, during the formation of the Reading in the Rain program that was begun by Tsunami Books Scott Lanfield. Originally, Lanfield was going to start this program with the reading of Sometimes a Great Notion by Ken Kesey, with Kesey himself giving a talk. However, when Kesey passed away, Lanfield opted to expand this program to involve all area bookstores as well as both the Eugene and Springfield Public Libraries. When White’s path crossed with Juenemann at Reading in the Rain, he informed her that he was leaving his position at the University of Oregon bookstore to work for the Pacific Northwest Booksellers Association and encouraged her to apply for his old job. White did so, and was hired as the store’s Event Coordinator, which she described as a “fun job” as she got to work with various groups and departments at the college. The University then decided to no longer have a book department in favor of selling textbooks online and Covid also hit with a vengeance, resulting in White’s being out of a job. Eventually, she began to work part-time at Tsunami Books, and it was while she and the Tsunami crew were at PNBA conference in Portland, that she crossed paths with Juenemann once more. Juenemann told White about a position coming open at Fern Ridge Library, which he himself had heard about from Director Colin Rea, who was volunteering at the conference and had mentioned then Assistant Director Laura Blankenship’s impending retirement. As he did with the U of O job, he encouraged White to apply. White, for her part, wasn’t particularly interested, but after receiving a link from a friend about the position, she gave it a look and was impressed that it was in fact her dream job as it incorporated parts of all the other positions she had held. This was combined with the “sweet memory” she had of being at Fern Ridge Library years before at an event that featured author Garth Stein and his book The Art of Racing in the Rain approximately ten years before after Rea contacted the U of O bookstore who then provided copies of Stein’s book. “I wanted to see if the feeling was still there,” White states while explaining why she finally decided to apply. During the online interview process, White says she loved meeting Blankenship and describes both her and Rea as “wonderful.” She was offered the job shortly before Christmas, but because she could not leave Tsunami Books during the height of the Holiday season, she continued to work there two days a week while learning the ropes at the library. Now that she has taken over as Assistant Director, White is making some changes to some existing programs such as changing the name of the Death Cafés led by Deanna English, retired RN and death doula, to something more pleasant and English is also considering leading a book group on death and dying as she and White try to find a time for her programs that will work better for people than the current time does. White is also working to change the Hobby Hangout program so that participants will be able to come once a month with a project to work on while the following session would feature a guest who would teach certain things such as paper making. This month, the first of a series of “Good to Know” programs will have a guest teach how to write a letter to the editor or to a congressperson, and next month will feature a session on how to care for houseplants. White is open to suggestions from people about other things they would be interested in learning. Come autumn, she may decide to add a non-fiction book group to the slate of programs, but at this point, tax season is in full swing with AARP taking over the Konnie Room on Monday’s and Saturday’s and then Summer Reading will be commencing soon after. “I’m still getting my feel for the library, coming from a retail background” says White. “It’s exciting to be a part of something so vital to the community, a place where people can be entertained, learn something, be around others.” White says that she also enjoys talking with the substitutes who are working on their library degrees and remarks about how many opportunities there are to learn. Everyone has been “so welcoming”, and she describes the library’s volunteers as “amazing.” It is White’s hope to be a part of Fern Ridge Library for a good long time and already she has made a positive impact in the short time she has been on staff. She may not have gotten that library degree (Mrs. Richards still asks) but she has done well and Fern Ridge Library is lucky to have her.  Illegal dumping is an issue throughout Lane County and the Fern Ridge area is not exempt. Recently, bags of garbage and an old recliner were left near the railroad crossing in Veneta and a boat filled with garbage bags was left at the pullout on Territorial near the Long Tom River.
County Public Information Officer Devon Ashbridge says there is no lack of work for the two Abatement Officers who work hard to address this issue and will respond to anything left in the country right of way. Because the two officers have such a large area to cover, they rely on people making reports, as happened in the case of the illegal dumping at the railroad tracks. Once they have responded and the mess is cleaned up, Ashbridge says officers will comb through it to look for clues as to who the responsible party is. If they can be identified, they will be hit with a stiff fine as punishment. Ashbridge says that illegal dumpers typically look for roads with a pullout or where there is room for a vehicle to pull off the road or turn around. She cites Bolton Hill Road as a place where illegal dumping is common, despite the fact that there is a transfer station at that location. Ashbridge also acknowledges that places such as Highway 126 from Veneta to Eugene are bad for litter, but this roadway falls under the authority of the Oregon Department of Transportation while the County Corps of Engineers were responsible for removing the trash filled boat from the pullout by the Long Tom River. Ashbridge asks that people who see illegal dump sites please report it by calling 541-682-4533 or emailing [email protected] or by filling out an online form at lanecountyor./waste.  Helen Louise Casmey Hardenbrook-Peitersen
April 7, 1942 - February 21, 2025 Helen Louise Casmey Hardenbrook-Peitersen of Elmira, Oregon, passed away peacefully on February 21, 2025. She was born to parents Margaret Mary Menard and Earl Arthur Casmey, in Longview, Washington, on April 7, 1942. She came into the world feet first, born right after her twin sister, Mary Lou Vaughan. Helen was also the sister of Carol and Richard, all of whom preceded her in death. She is now reunited with her parents, sisters, and brother in Heaven, along with her beloved son, Frank Richard Pacheco, who passed away in 1983, and her late husband Harold Hardenbrook, who passed in 2011. Helen's family was her heart and soul. She is survived by her only daughter, Heidi Louise Bhan, with whom she shared an unbreakable bond, and stepdaughter Barbara. She also leaves behind her husband Jim, numerous grandchildren, great-grandchildren, nieces, nephews, and many other beloved family members and friends. Helen was raised in Sweet Home, Oregon, and after graduating from Sweet Home High School in 1959, she went on to marry and start a family. Her strong faith, love for God, and deep sense of devotion to her family guided her every step. On July 5th, 1992, she married Harold Hardenbrook, and they shared a beautiful 19 years of marriage before Harold passed away in 2011. Helen began a distinguished career as a U.S. Postmaster in 1977, moving to Elmira in 1980 to become the Elmira Postmaster. She was incredibly proud to be named Postmaster of the Year in 1993, a testament to her dedication, radiant and compassionate soul, and tireless work ethic. Her successful career was one of dedication and service, and she was incredibly loved, recognized, and respected by her colleagues and her community. After retiring in 2005, Helen found her joy and peace in the beauty of nature, the love of her family, and the comfort of her faith. She loved camping, spending time at the coast, and travelling on road trips around the country. She loved to play card games with her daughter and grandchildren, and she had an amazing gift for sewing and creating beautiful things. Her love and devotion to her family were evident in everything she did, and she took great pride in being a constant presence in their lives. Although Helen will be deeply and profoundly missed, her unending love, faith, and kind spirit will live on in the hearts of all who were blessed to know her. A memorial service to honor and celebrate Helen's life will be held on March 8th at 11:00 at Olivet Baptist Church, Veneta. Family and friends are invited to come together to remember her and celebrate the love and joy she brought into their lives. |
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