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Posted by Jonathan Crane on January 17, 2012 at 3:41 pm
Recently I was reading how the ancient Mayan predictions of the end of the world in 2012 were taken out of context. Phew! I mean just when things seem to be coming back so nicely it would be horrible to have an apocalyptic ending to all this. I like this world and hope it’s around for a very long time.
Life does come at you fast and sometimes it’s difficult to keep pace. Serious chunks of life can pass before you know it, so if you are the resolution type, perhaps taking stock of your life and including time to smell the roses would be well advised…whether or not the Mayan’s were off base.
Tualatin is clearly on the grow. We have proud new signage adding to our unique identity. And now the Chamber, the City and the Historical Society are busily planning how to make Tualatin a fabulous tourist destination for ice-age relics, ancient glacial erratic rocks brought to us by the Missoula Floods, (read article page 3), Mastodon bones and much more. This sounds very exciting and certainly has potential for success.
I always appreciate hearing from new people with fresh ideas to feature. The front cover piece about Stroller Strides byTrishaHighlandis just such an article. There’s no end to the creativity of people and combining the elements of postnatal health, exercise and a positive mental outlook sounds like a very uplifting mix for new Mom’s. Please keep your articles coming. Local people want to hear from you.
The economy certainly seems to be perking up, both nationally and locally. Tualatin’s Chamber of Commerce has more members than ever before (350!) and many new businesses are coming to town, opening their doors. We need to support these local businesses so they keep their doors open. Frequenting locally owned businesses pays huge dividends to our local economy.
If you are willing and able, it would be great if you’d “Like” us on Facebook. I’m hoping we can communicate local happenings between issues and Facebook postings would be an excellent means of doing that.
Happy New Year to all and I hope 2012 turns out WAY better than the ancient Mayans predicted.
Jonathan Crane
Publisher
Comments
Posted by Jonathan Crane on December 6, 2011 at 10:55 pm
By: Jonathan Crane Each month I tend to feature feel-good, pay-it-forward types of stories not because I seek them out, but because that is what is sent in. I am truly amazed at the general goodness of people and their willingness to step up and rise to the occasion when needed.
When Gabe Karapando had his snowboarding accident, people rallied. When the Food Pantry needed additional donations, they received them. When our local charities needed additional funding, we supportednthem. There are dozens of examples I could list, but I think you get my point.
It is typical to have such stories during the holiday season, but we have them every issue because people needing people is a year round event.
In this issue there are two stories that ask you to think differently. They offer a means to make subtle changes which can translate into major impacts on other peoples lives.
The first such story (page 21) was written by a very close friend of mine who was weeks away from losing his life to liver failure, but through a transplant was able to get well and has a new lease on life. He discusses organ donation and how it saved
his life.
The second is the front cover story. Susan Saari received an e-mail that she passed on which empowers us to make some simple adjustments in our shopping patterns which could have profound effects on our local economy. Just raising our consciousness of this topic is a great start.
I hope you enjoy this issue of Tualatin Life. There are many features which highlight what a vibrant and engaging community in which we live. Tualatin’s Gateway Feature is being constructed which will dramatically change the look of our main road. The CIO’s (Citizen Involvement Organizations) are in their infancy but seem to be taking root. The Tualatin Police had their annual physical testing which I’ve highlighted on page 7. Softball teams and other spring sports are forming. There is a lot going on.
Please make every effort to shop locally during this peak retail season. The impacts will be felt all year long.
Have a safe and happy holiday and please keep your stories rolling in.
CommentsPosted by Jonathan Crane on October 26, 2011 at 11:37 am
COME TOGETHER written by: Jonathan Crane
This time of the year there are many activities for all ages and interests. There are a number of local theater projects happening in and around Tualatin, many of which are featured in this issue. Supporting local theater keeps the arts alive and can be a great deal of fun as well. Additionally, each month Larry McClure and Tualatin Tomorrow arrange our Arts & Culture Calendar (page 18) and it has plenty of ideas of fun, local, affordable venues that would benefit by your participation.
For those interested in local politics, the formation of our local CIO (Citizen Involvement Organizations) is in full swing. Last week I had the pleasure of attending the very first public meeting of CIO 1 (Northern Tualatin) and it couldn’t have gone more smoothly. This week CIO’s 2 & 5 meet for their initial meetings and hopefully they’ll be as well attended and spirited. This is the culmination of a great deal of energy by many caring citizens. The number of local people who showed up and wanted to be involved was truly impressive.
Last week when I went the Chamber of Commerce meeting it was hosted by the Tualatin Schoolhouse Pantry inside Rolling Hills Church. It was great to see such an organized effort to take care of our own. However, when Program Coordinator Tracy Smith spoke, she told the group that the shelves were emptier than she had ever seen them. Local families need the resources now more than ever and they need more contributions to keep up. She speculated that the uptick is due to the fact that so many unemployed people are losing their benefits and their savings have run out. Please see her article on page 16 and perhaps your family might be able to assist. We need to help each other during tough times and this is a great program. With the holidays fast approaching, perhaps this year you can make the effort to shop locally. The benefits of shopping with locally owned merchants during the holidays pay dividends to our community all year long.
I hope you enjoy this issue and please keep your articles coming. It is your content that makes Tualatin Life the voice of our community.
CommentsPosted by Jonathan Crane on September 21, 2011 at 9:44 am
By: Jonathan Crane
When I started Tualatin Life in March of 2009 it seemed to many that the World as we knew it was going to end. The stock market had plummeted, banks were collapsing, unemployment was on the rise, and fear was rampant. My goal was to put together something positive for local people to enjoy in an otherwise dark period.
As the paper has taken root, many people now send me stories that tell of circumstances that seem unbearable, yet somehow people not only survive, but emerge stronger and committed to giving back in an effort to help others. This issue has several such stories.
On page 1 you’ll find a remarkable story of a local family determined to make life better for young cancer patients after losing their five year old daughter to cancer in 2009. The Chelsea Hicks Foundation began as a simple idea to help others who found themselves in this most difficult situation and has blossomed into a nationally recognized charitable entity.
Dale Lembke writes about the cause he and his wife Claudia spearhead to honor their fallen son, Cpl. Matthew Lembke. The article (page 7) reveals the pain of such a loss, but also the desire to make a positive difference to honor their son and keep his spirit alive in our community. The Regatta Run, which is a primary source for the Matthew Lembke scholarship fund for college boundTualatinHigh Schoolstudents, received thousands of dollars in proceeds last year from the event and hopefully will this year as well.
We also get a Jake Dering update from his Mom, Chellie. This boy’s smile lights up a room despite his long, tough road of numerous surgeries and struggles. His vibrant, relentless spirit is really a lesson for all of us.
We all have problems, but at times a reality check is in order to get a decent perspective of our good fortune and the things we take for granted.
This issue is packed with stories of local interest. You’ll read about an emerging local musician, Women of Watercolor, Gluten-Free diets, local Arts & Culture, Chamber of Commerce’s Economic Gardening of Business concept and outstanding columns from regulars you will love as well.
As always, you are highly encouraged to shop locally. Circulating your dollars in Tualatin makes our city stronger and builds a better community.
CommentsPosted by Jonathan Crane on August 17, 2011 at 4:29 pm
By: Jonathan Crane, Publisher.
With all the uncertainty in the news, it’s pretty clear that there are things in this world we simply can’t control. However, no matter how dire the global situation might be, we can certainly take comfort in the great things happening in our little slice of the world.
You can dwell on the negative or you can focus on the positive. There is no shortage of sources for you to get information that will make you quake in your boots, but this issue is filled with local stories that will renew your faith in humanity, our community and our ability to make a difference.
Since the inception of Tualatin Life there hasn’t been an issue filled with more stories about our resilience, our kindness, our desire to improve our community and our achievements from individuals, teams, and local organizations.
From the CIO’s official acknowledgment by our city council, to a young woman’s struggle to make it through an extremely rough road to get to college, from an organization helping a small city in Africa get reading glasses, to a group of people trying to keep drugs and crime out of their neighborhood, our community is filled with people who are determined make the world a better place.
Because many of us view our homes as investments, I thought I’d ask three extremely sharp local real estate professionals to give their spin on our local market. I found their responses enlightening and I’m hoping you will as well.
I felt badly that I couldn’t run all the articles that were submitted this month. However, I was able to post additional stories on our website and some expanded versions of stories I had to trim down. I especially invite our local baseball/softball league fans to see expanded coverage of All-Star results and stories I couldn’t fit in the paper.
Our local economy depends on your dollars to support our community. It’s a very circular thing. The more we support them, the more they support us. Please make every effort to shop locally and support our advertisers. They are the one’s your kids ask to sponsor their teams/programs/schools so investing in them is an investment in Tualatin.
Comments
Recently I was reading how the ancient Mayan predictions of the end of the world in 2012 were taken out of context. Phew! I mean just when things seem to be coming back so nicely it would be horrible to have an apocalyptic ending to all this. I like this world and hope it’s around [...] »»