Multi-agency safety drill scheduled Tuesday at Sprague High School

Salem-Keizer Public Schools will host a multi-agency safety drill Tuesday at Sprague High School.

The event will include local and state emergency responders so all organizations can train together to respond to a major emergency in a school setting, district officials said. The campus will be closed during the exercise.

It’s the second time the district has held such a drill. Last year, the exercise was held at the district’s Career Technical Education Center on Portland Road NE.

Participants last year included the Salem and Keizer police departments, Marion County Sheriff’s Office, the Oregon State Police, Marion County, Salem and Keizer fire departments, Salem Health and multiple school district departments.

“From that training we quickly realized best practice is to do this every year, and really work as a region to standardize what that process is,” Chris Baldridge, the district’s director of safety and risk management, told the Statesman Journal.

“If something tragic were to happen in our schools, we know it’s not going to be perfect, but we can at least be a bit more well-oiled,” he said.

–Tracy Loew

Nightly single lane closures on northbound I-5 for Santiam Bridge work

Construction crews will be working on the northbound lanes of Interstate 5 on the Santiam Bridge this week.

There will be single lane closures from 9 p.m. to 5 a.m. Sunday through Friday and the speed limit will be reduced to 55 mph in the work zone.

The more than $1.2 million project includes repaving the bridge built in 1994, installing new railing, replacing joint seals, grinding and then repaving the road surface before and after the bridge, and applying new permanent striping.

–Bill Poehler

Marion County Fire District No. 1 to hold push-in ceremony

Marion County Fire District No. 1 will hold a push-in ceremony for its new fire trucks from 8:30 a.m. Tuesday.

The ceremony will take place at the district’s station 1 at 300 Cordon Road in Salem.

The district is starting service on a ladder truck and a heavy brush truck.

–Bill Poehler

Salem-Keizer NAACP hosts Juneteenth event downtown

The Salem-Keizer NAACP will host a community block party to celebrate Juneteenth from 1 to 3 p.m. Wednesday . The free event will have food, music, and words from Johnny Lake, a former chairman of the State of Oregon Commission on Black Affairs and educator.

“Dr. Lake’s work focuses on the influence of diversity, race and culture on student academic achievement & business performance,” the event description said.

The event will be on Cottage Street in downtown Salem by the Micah Building, 680 State St. More information is available at sknaacp1166.org or on Facebook.

— Dianne Lugo

YMCA offers free memberships to impacted school employees

The Family YMCA of Marion and Polk Counties will provide a complimentary individual or family membership through the end of 2024 to local school district employees impacted by the recent layoffs.

“We understand that job loss can create significant challenges and stress,” said Tim Sinatra, CEO of the Family YMCA of Marion and Polk Counties. “At the YMCA, we are dedicated to supporting our community members through difficult times by promoting stability, health, and well-being, for all.”

“Our YMCA is more than just a gym; it’s a community hub where people come together to improve their overall well-being,” added Sinatra. “In these uncertain times, we want to be a source of support and resilience for those who have given so much to our children’s education.”

• Who is Eligible: Employees from Silver Falls or Salem-Keizer school districts who have lost their jobs.

• What is Provided: Complimentary individual or family membership at the Family YMCA of Marion and Polk Counties.

• Duration: Memberships are valid through Dec. 31, 2024.

• Verification: Employees must show the email they received about their position being eliminated to YMCA membership staff.

For more information on redeeming the offer or any other inquiries, contact Anna Marquez (Salem-Keizer) at amarquez@theyonline.org, or Kristi Horner (Silver Falls) at khorner@theyonline.org.

— Capi Lynn

Jesus movie staring OSD grad plays at Regal Stadium

A new movie, Jesus, staring Salem native Miles Barbee will play at Regal Santiam at 6:30 p.m. on Thursday and at 2 p.m. Sunday, June 23.

Barbee, a graduate of Oregon School for the Deaf, plays Peter in the film by Deaf Missions.

Featuring an all-hearing impaired cast, the movie brings the story to life from a deaf perspective.

–Bill Poehler

New book digs into the roots of Roberts

The launch of a book highlighting the colorful, 175-year history of the Roberts community will be from 2 to 4 p.m. Sunday, June 23, at Lively Station, 3635 River Road S.

Lively Station is a restaurant and bar in the former Roberts Store.

The book, titled “The Roberts Community: Echoes of the Past,” is a project of the Riverdale Committee: Hal Nichols, Doug Pettenger, Tari Sutton and Ron Miner, with Miner and Nichols writing.

The book touches on steamships, ferries, a railroad, schools, pioneers and hop farms and features recollections of current and former neighbors, residents and their extended families.

For more information, email riverdalecommittee@gmail.com.

— Capi Lynn

Dallas Rotary fundraising events

The Dallas Rotary Club is holding a fundraising golf tournament Friday, June 21 at Cross Creek Golf Club and a Breakfast in the Park on July 28.

Tickets are on sale for Breakfast in the Park for $11 for those 12 years and older, $6 for children ages 4 to 11. Tickets purchased by July 27 are discounted $2.

The event takes place from 7 a.m. to 11 a.m. at Dallas City Park at 690 SW Brandvold Drive.

For more information about the golf tournament and the breakfast, go to https://dallasarearotaryclub.square.site

–Bill Poehler

This article originally appeared on Salem Statesman Journal: I-5 lane closures, YMCA offers free membership, Sprague safety drill