The Corvallis School Board has been generally happy with Superintendent Ryan Noss, so when the formality of extending his contract another year hit the agenda last week, the vote was affirmative. The board also voted to retain their current chair, Sarah Finger McDonald.
Free Summer Gym Membership for Teens: If your high schooler is making noise about maybe joining a gym, here’s a chance for a good long – and free – try to see if they really, really like it.
Planet Fitness says students ages 14 to 19 can use their facility from now until the end of August for free. Pro tip, ask your prospective gym rat if they’re willing to try three one and a half hour gym trips a week for at least a couple weeks. It’s just enough time to start feeling some results, and if they stick for a month, it may be a hint they really love it.
U.S. Department of Education Poverty Numbers Released: In Oregon, 22,336 public school students reported being homeless during the 2019-2020 school year. This translates to 0.36% of the state’s students, and that’s the highest rate in the nation. Here in Corvallis, there’s consistently been 200 to 300 homeless students a year.
Now, according to a new analysis from a financial research firm, WalletHub, Oregon ranks 22nd in the nation for child poverty, with 24% of the state’s children meeting the federal definition.
Local Food Shortage for Kids in Need: The Corvallis Boys & Girls Club distributes food to needy families, but according to their CEO, Helen Higgins, the folks at Linn Benton Food Share which supplies that food haven’t been able to of late. Given the economy, the nonprofit agency has run short of food, so if you can donate, click here.
Major Autism Care Provider Leaving Oregon: The Center for Autism and Related Disorders (CARD) will be closing their 10 treatment centers throughout the state in August, and sources at the Autism Society of Oregon say speculation among parents, who are upset, is the move is fueled by low reimbursement rates from public and private insurers in the state.
CARD, which operates over 200 centers in 24 states, issued a statement that said its Oregon operations weren’t financially viable. “After careful consideration, we have made the difficult decision to close CARD Centers in Oregon effective Aug 15, 2022,” the company said. “We have come to this disappointing outcome following negotiations with our healthcare plan partners to secure adequate reimbursement rates reflective of the increasing costs and staff shortages affecting our services.”
According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, one in 44 children aged eight years old are on the autism spectrum. Private equity firm, Blackstone Group, purchased CARD in 2018 for a reported $600 million.
Go Jump in a Swimming Hole: All around the Heart of the Valley lies the closest natural source of respite you can hope for on a hot summer day – a swimming hole. Here are the ones we recommend.
Avery Park
Our first swimming hole of note sits along Marys River just behind the Parks and Rec office on the northwest side of Avery Park. While keeping an eye open for poison oak (yep, it’s out there), take the path to the left of the building for about 200 yards – or about 183 meters for the metric among us – and you’ll find a rocky outcropping with access to the river. There’s a rope swing, places to lie in the sun, and a plethora of deeps and shallows to play the day away. It can get crowded here, but a swim up or down river may get you away from others.
Willamette Park
Looking for a way to relax your waterway away? Head over to the south edge of Corvallis, at the end of Goodnight Ave., where you will find Willamette Park. From the parking lot, there are three trails that’ll take you down to the river. You can get a good two-to-three hours’ worth of floating in on the average day, with the occasional sandbar or beach for a break from the monotony of chilling out. Land at Michael’s Landing – behind the Old Spaghetti Factory – and you can Uber-it back to the car (or, you know, pre-arrange for a pickup from a friend).
Pioneer Park (Brownsville)
If rivers behind buildings aren’t your thing, then maybe you’ll like to take a hop-skip-and-a-30-minute-jump to the southeast across I-5 to Brownsville’s Pioneer Park. This place is a gem of a spot to rest your weary bod into the Calapooia under the trees.
Foster Lake
If you’re up for a little longer drive to start the soak, then you can stretch yourself out for a 45-minute trek along Hwy 34 through Lebanon, along Hwy 20 over to Lewis Creek Park where you’ll find Foster Lake. Bring a picnic because there are plenty of spots to sit down and eat, as well as a large, cordoned off swimming space protected from boats.
Be Careful!
Regardless of where you enter the waters of Oregon on a hot summer day, remember to be safe.
Let someone know where you’re going. That way, if something goes wrong, they’ll know where to look. For that matter, bring your cell phone – most of them are waterproof these days.
If the plan is to be out in the sun for hours on end, bring sunscreen. It’s all about not getting skin cancer.
And, of course, if life vests are recommended, wear a life vest!
Finally, Are You a Parent: We at The Advocate recently learned we’re going to need a new columnist for this weekly compendia. You’ll learn everything that goes on around here for and about kids, and it can be a really fun gig for the right person. Interested? Please email us at editor@corvallisadvocate.com.
Do you have a story for The Advocate? Email editor@corvallisadvocate.com