Hans Boyle

1 week ago | democratherald.com | Hans Boyle

The Albany City Council has appointed Christopher Van Drimmelen, an Oregon State University business process manager, to fill its empty Ward 2 seat. Van Drimmelen will fill the spot vacated by former Ward 2 office-holder Jackie Montague who resigned earlier this month. Montague took a new job as a business analyst at the city’s IT department and stepped down to avoid any conflict-of-interest issues. Van Drimmelen will hold the seat for the remainder of Montague’s term, which expires Dec. 31, 2026.

1 week ago | democratherald.com | Hans Boyle

Retired Albany teacher Kris McLaughlin is declaring victory in the tight race for the at-large seat on the Greater Albany school board. More than a week after the May 20 election, she leads in the three-way race by 97 votes. That’s according to results posted to the Oregon Secretary of State’s website as of May 29. Both Linn and Benton counties have finished their counts this week and are now working on curing ballots with missing or nonmatching signatures, according to their respective clerks.

1 week ago | democratherald.com | Hans Boyle

Earlier this month, the Eugene-based nonprofit Ophelia’s Place announced it will close its Albany location after two-plus years in the city. The organization, which runs prevention-based programs to support girls ages 10 through 18, opened for business downtown in 2022 on the corner of Fourth Avenue and Lyon Street. The move to close the location comes as program participation in the area has dropped by half and competition grows for grants amid federal funding uncertainty.

1 week ago | democratherald.com | Hans Boyle

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1 week ago | democratherald.com | Hans Boyle

Albany city Councilor Steph Newton-Azorr recently had a bone to pick with Walmart. To be clear, while speaking at the end of an April 23 council meeting, she didn’t call out the corporation by name. What she said is that she’s concerned about a small number of Albany retailers making up a significant proportion of calls to the Albany Police Department, whether it’s about shoplifting or trespassing.