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Hometown Newspaper of Dianne Mclntosh
Serving the Sweet Home community since 1929
Wednesday, January 11, 2012 Vol. 83, No. 2
75 Cents
Longtime local enthusiast
finds niche in roller derby
By Sean C. Morgan
Of The New Era
Anthony "GQ" Warner, 33, has been a longtime
roller skater, but now he's taking his sport to the next
level, moving from the rink to the roller derby track.
Warner and his team, the Lane County Concus-
sion, open their second season of roller derby at the
Willamalane Sports Center in Springfield on Jan.
15.
Warner, who plays the blocker and jammer po-
sitions, got into roller derby last March while at a
session skate at Oaks Park Roller Rink. He saw some
people wearing roller derby shirts and asked them
what it was all about.
The roller skating is in his blood, he said. His
mother, Vernell Warner, was a figure skater and der-
by skater in the 1960s.
Warner, who works at Game Time Sports Bar
in Lebanon and skates two to three times a week,
moved to Sweet Home from Salem in the first grade.
He first skated at Skate Palace in Salem. He attended
Sweet Home High School and Linn-Benton Com-
munity College.
Warner also enjoys Airs0ft, swimming and
camping-,~
He has two sons, Layne, 7, and Lawson, 5, who
are both learning to skate.
"It's a stress relief," Warner said. "It keeps me
fit. I love being on skates. In the summer, I skate
around town. Roller derby itself is a team sport."
It's a new option since hockey went away in this
area, he said.
Photo courtesy of Cindy Hart
• See Skater, page 8 Anthony "'GQ" Warner circles the track during a roller derby event.
B ard plans
ay
By Sean C. Morgan
Of The New Era
School District 55 will host an open
forum at 5:30 p:m. on Jan. 23 to share
information and take input from the public
regarding the proposed four-day week.
The forum is tentatively planned to be
• See Board, page 5
FBI report SH
crime rate up
By Sean C. Morgan
Of The New Era
According to the FBI's Uniform Crime
Reports, Sweet Home has a higher crime
rate than Linn County's two larger cities,
Albany and Lebanon.
But law enforcement officials question
whether those numbers represent an actual
• spike in crime in this area of Linn County or
whether they simply reflect a change in how
crimes are counted.
In past years, Sweet Home boasted a
lower rate, and then after a local spikein the
crime rate in 2004 and 2005, Sweet Home
held an advantage over Lebanon while stay-
ing about even with Albany.
According to data released late in 2011
for 2010, Sweet Home had a rate of 52.4 re-
• See Crime, page 11
P
Neighbors say skate park woes persist
By Sean C. Morgan
Of The New Era
After complaining to the City
Council on Nov. 8 about perva-
sive foul language and other al-
leged offenses by some users of
the city's skate park, neighbor
Dan Kilpatrick said things im-
proved for a couple of weeks and
then returned to usual.
In 2005, the year the park
opened, the Sweet Home .Police
Department handled 49 calls
there, said Police Chief Bob Bur-
ford. In 2010, they responded to
the park 23 times, and in 2011, 29
times. Several of the complaints
have been in regard to skaters'
behavior after dark, around clos-
ing time, which is one hour after
sunset or, during the summer, 9
p.m.
"We've been monitoring out
there," said City Manager Craig
Martin.
The city has seen improve-
ment in the number of problems
with graffiti and that sort of activ-
ity, said Carol Lewis, Community
Development Director.
City personnel have talked
Devin Stafford performs a trick as
at the Sweet Home Skatepark.
Photo by Miriam Swanson
other skaters watch Monday afternoon
with park users since the initial it's another group," Lewis said.
complaint to the City Council, The users change every single
Martin said. Patrons there have day, and different people are there
told the city it wasn't their groups day in and day out, although she
causing the problems, but rather knows that some individuals are
other groups from out of town. there more than others.
"If you talk about a specific "When spring comes around
activity, that group will tell you • See Park, page 8
Photo by Scott Swanson
SHEDG and Jamboree staff members stand in the lobby of their new of-
rices. From left are Carlene Erickson, Sarah Winslow, Brian Hoffman,
Cathi Hay and Erin Regrutto.
SHEDG Staffers say new
offices raise profile, cut costs
By Scott Swanson Jan. 1, also included the Sweet
Of The New Era Home Economic Development
After more than l0 years in the Group staff, which had been pre-
1300 block of Long Street, theOre- viously located at 1331 Main St.,
gon Jamboree has moved its offices next to Steve Hanscam's account-
to the commercial complex located ing office. Hanscam owns both of
at 401 Main St., also occupied by the vacated offices.-
Heritage Northwest Realty.
The move, which took place • See SHEDG, page 5
