Gresham News

A five-hour float on a Portland fire boat will be one of the prime oral auction items up for bid at the 8th annual Valentine dinner/auction fundraiser for SnowCap Community Charities.

• For details on the fundraiser

Seven high school stars, including the national leader in the javelin who is from Gresham, have signed National Letters of Intent to join the University of Oregon’s men's track team next season, Associate Athletic Director Vin Lananna announced Thursday.

The seven are throwers Sam Crouser of Gresham, and Jacob Budwig of Fowler, Calif., decathlon state record-holder Dakotah Keys of Sweet Home, Ore., distance runners Parker Stinson of Austin, Texas, and Colby Alexander from Strongsville, Ohio, and middle distance standouts Cole Watson of Rogue River, Ore., and Brian Shrader of Flagstaff, Ariz.

“We are thrilled to announce that we have signed seven of the top recruits in the nation, and that three are from the State of Oregon,” said Lananna. “These young men know how special it is to compete at Hayward Field and will be welcomed enthusiastically by our Track Town, USA, community.

“Our entire staff did an excellent job of assessing our needs and attracting these talented student-athletes to the University of Oregon,” said Lananna.

The seven will join an Oregon team in 2011 that will feature All-Americans A.J.

GRESHAM, Ore. - Rockwood business owners sounded off Tuesday night on a proposed new methadone clinic they say will interfere with their struggles to improve their neighborhood.

Methadone helps addicts beat the cravings for drugs like heroin and pain killers.

A deal is in place to put a methadone clinic in an empty storefront at 192nd and East Burnside but businesses and residents say they don't want to bring a bad element into an area they are already working so hard to improve.

Gresham Mayor Shane Bemis is on their side. He thinks another clinic at 162nd and Burnside already sufficiently covers Rockwood's methadone needs.

Related Links

• Landlord, mayor don't see eye to eye
• Mayor Shane Bemis on Facebook
• Wikipedia entry on methadone

GRESHAM, Ore. - The City of Gresham now has the largest ground-mount solar power array in the Pacific Northwest. The system fired up on Dec. 31, with plans for a Feb. 9 party to celebrate its activation.

"The City's commitment to this project demonstrates that solar is a viable source of energy for our community," Mayor Shane T. Bemis said in a press release. "By having such a visible display we are showing that Gresham is a player in the solar industry and is a strong market for solar products."

The solar power array is at the city's wastewater treatment plant, 20015 N.E. Sandy Blvd. It comes at a savings to taxpayers because Sun Edison owns, operates and maintains it. 

"They're selling the power created by the system back to the wastewater treatment plant, at or below what PGE would sell it to us for, for the next 20 years," said Andy Noel, a project partner with REC Solar. "It's referred to as a power-purchase agreement, which allows a government entity - in this case Gresham's waste-water treatment facility - to use solar power with no upfront costs."