ALBANY

North Albany group to meet with councilors

The North Albany Neighborhood Association invites city councilors and staff along with the community to a meeting at 6 p.m. Tuesday at Ciddici’s Pizza, 133 Fifth Ave. S.E.

The association is hosting the event.

Association President Bill Root said the plan is for people to talk with and ask questions of city officials in a relaxed atmosphere.

AARP to hold driver safety class Wednesday

An AARP Driver Safety program will be held from

9 a.m. to 1 p.m. Wednesday and Thursday at the Albany American Legion Post 10, 1215 Pacific Blvd.

The cost is $10. Checks can be made out to AARP on the first day of class.

For more information, contact Jim Jones at 258- 2271, 730-6519 or jjjones02@centurytel.net.

LEBANON

LBCC students seek volunteers for blood draw

The Phlebotomy Program at Linn-Benton Community College is in need of volunteers for a blood draw to help train students.

Phlebotomy students must meet a blood draw quota prior to working at their clinical sites. Blood draw dates will be Monday and Wednesday from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. at the Samaritan Lebanon Community Hospital Training Center, room F, 525 N. Santiam Highway.

Cookies and juice will be provided.

For more information, contact the LBCC Health Occupations and Workforce Education Division at 917-4923.

Forestry group to learn about nutria

Nutria — friend, foe or just the other dark meat? That will be the topic of a talk by Mike Martin at the Monday meeting of the Third Force for Forestry, at Bing’s Kitchen, 2416 South Santiam Highway, Lebanon. Lunch orders will be taken starting at 11:30 a.m. with the speaker starting at noon.

Martin heads several businesses in Albany. These include: Security Alarm Corporation, Security Alarm Central, Albany Lock & Key, Paragon Communications and Valley Fire Control. An earlier part of his family business experience in the 1950s was raising and marketing nutria, and he’ll give a PowerPoint presentation about this unique and often humorous business venture. Time will be available for questions from the audience.

All meetings of Third Force for Forestry are open to the public. The cost of the no-host luncheon is $7.60 including the tip.

To make reservations, call Betty Udell, secretary of Third Force for Forestry, at 258-6643 to make reservations. Walk-ins are welcome.

LINN COUNTY

Search and rescue training scheduled

Applications are now being accepted for the Linn County Search and Rescue Training Academy.

The program is recruiting young men and women, ages 14 through 18, who are interested in community service and who have a desire to be part of a highly trained and professional life-saving organization.

Linn County Search and Rescue has participated in many missions over the years, including the emergency response last month to assist residents of Idanha and Marion Forks who were stranded in their homes by more than 6 feet of snow.

The application process includes oral interviews, a background check and physical aptitude test. Successful applicants will be eligible to attend a 12-day search and rescue training course held June 18-29.

The training will include classes in wilderness survival, shelter building, search tactics, first aid/CPR, rappelling, map and compass reading, and a three-day field exercise in the Cascades.

For more information, call Deputy Micah Smith or Deputy Ken Stewart at the Linn County Sheriff’s Office at 967-3950 or visit www.linnsheriff.org.

MID-VALLEY

Group offers help getting special education

The Linn-Benton-Lincoln Education Service District reminds that as part of the federal Individuals with Disabilities Education Act, all children with special needs have a right to special education. The disability conditions could include physical impairments, chronic illness, mental retardation, hearing and vision difficulties, speech or language impairments, emotional impairments or learning disabilities.

If you know a child who is school age and you suspect a disability, contact your school. If the child is 5 or younger and you live in Linn or Benton Couny, contact the Linn and Benton County Early Intervention Program at 753-1202, ext. 111. In Lincoln County, contact the Lincoln County Early Intervention Program at (541) 574-2240, ext. 201.

SCIO

Work continues on veterans memorial

Work has resumed on the Scio Veterans Memorial site on Main Street across from the ZCBJ Hall.

Several members of the Vietnam Veterans of America No. 585 recently used a power washer to clean off the current concrete pad to see if it could be used for the new memorial. After four hours of work, it was determined that it could, said Jesse Davis, a member of the group.

A sign, gun and flagpole from the previous memorial have been removed, he said.

Next up is to cut the concrete so the bases for five columns can be installed, one for each branch of the service. There will be palm trees to salute World War II Pacific Theater veterans and two bamboo trees to recognize Korean War and Vietnam veterans.

There will be two spiral trees to show the continual spiral of life and, in turn, the continuing spiral of new veterans, some not born yet.

Bricks in the memorial will have the name of every veteran in the Scio area, and there will be guns to represent the arms of war.

Completion is expected in time for a July 4 ceremony.