Mount Hood

Wolves have first meet at the University of Portland

Hannah Greene  | Sports Editor

This last weekend, Jan. 25 and 26, the Western Track and Field team stuck closer to home, competing at the University of Portland. This was the first time any of the Wolves had ever competed here and what a surprise it was.

Entering into the facility, everything sparkled and seemed new and exciting until one saw the track. The track was not banked, having a slight tilt, and there were only three lanes, making each heat very small or too crowded. Spectators had a difficult time viewing the competitions due to the basketball stands being built on the outside of the lanes, causing blocked views all the way around. There were small gaps where viewers could see runners, and after a few seconds they were out of view. This track measured out to be 240 meters, comparative to University of Washington’s 307 meters and Washington State University’s which is 200 meters, making it difficult for runners to keep track of where they actually were in their race. Though the track was different the Wolves proved to overcome and make it the top results.

In the Men’s 800 Hunter Hutton, sophomore, placed second with a time of 1:56.4, followed by Emmett Klus, first year, and Trey Reed, junior, taking sixth and seventh. 

Hunter Mosman, a junior, placed seventh overall in the Men’s 3000 with a time of 8:41.83 — Mosman’s first time running the 3K since high school. The Wolves’ 4×400 meter relay men’s team took first with a time of 3:24.75, starting with Deshaun Stevens, a first year, to Reed, to Klus and finishing with Max Carmona, sophomore. The Wolves also had men that finished with top marks in the high jump, long jump and weighted throw.

In the Women’s 60 meter dash, Maya Hopwood, first-year, took first with a time of 7.62 and first in the 200 meter dash with a time of 26.10. Following those, Ana Popchock, a junior, and Bethanie Altamirano, sophomore, took ninth and tenth in the 400 meter dash. 

In the mile event, Jillian Greene, first-year, placed second with a time of 5:10.79. The 60 meter hurdles called for two Wolves placing, both Popchock and Jenelle Hurley, first-year. Kalulusno Ngaida, sophomore, took first again in the high jump followed by Hurley and Darian Wilson, a junior, in the long jump. Ending the women’s events was Moana Gianotti, junior, who threw 15.06 meters in the weighted throw, placing first overall.

Next week the Wolves head back up to Washington to compete in the University of Washington Invitational on Jan. 31 and Feb. 1.

 

Contact the author at hgreene18@wou.edu

Photo by Hannah Greene

Winter Guard getting ready for upcoming shows

Hannah Greene  | Sports Editor

Winter Guard, color guard, was created by Kayla Dow, sophomore, through her passion — started last year with a group of eight members and since then are growing.

Color Guard is a uniformed group of individuals who choreograph and parade with their school or organization’s flag during ceremonial occasions. 

Dow participated in Color Guard all throughout middle school and high school, and was also a part of the Drum Corps International. 

Winter Guard will be performing during the Men’s and Women’s Basketball games during halftime on Thursday, Feb. 27 and Saturday, Feb. 29. The team will also be attending the Strawberry Festival in Lebanon with Western’s Marching Wolves on Saturday, Jun. 6.

Anyone is able to join the Winter Guard by, either showing up to rehearsals — on Fridays in Maple Hall 6 p.m. to 8 p.m. and Sundays in Maple Hall from 3 p.m. to 5 p.m. — or by contacting a member already involved, by emailing Ben Prothero at protheroeb@wou.edu or Dow at kdow17@mail.wou.edu. There will be some fees, but none too expensive and they are more than willing to work with anyone, the last season’s cost was 35. “I want to stress that anyone can join the guard,” Dow said about those who may be undecided about joining. There are some group members who have “never touched a flag in their lives” but other members who have experience and won’t judge. Everyone is out there to have a good time and create “something beautiful,” according to Dow.

 

Contact the author at hgreene18@wou.edu 

Photo by Ashlynn Norton

Meaningful figures pass in helicopter crash

Hannah Greene  | Sports Editor

Trigger Warning: This is a tribute piece for Kobe Bryant and the lives lost in the helicopter accident in Calabasas on Jan. 26. Though Kobe touched multiple lives and influenced countless people globally, his death has stirred mixed emotions from those who have been sexually assaulted or affected by the allegation/case against Kobe Bryant. This piece is to share the positives of his life and the ripple effect his efforts towards basketball and sports in general have made.

 

At some point in our lives we’ve all thrown a piece of trash away and shouted, “KOBE!” Today, this holds an entirely new meaning. On Sunday, Jan. 26, the world lost nine souls too early — from a hero, to a daughter who was on her way to shaping the future of women’s basketball and two of her teammates, their parents, a baseball coach and “the Mother of Defense,” — a coach for the Mamba Academy. 

Though many of us never knew him, he touched the lives and hearts of people across the globe. Kobe is an inspiration to athletes in any sport, students at any school, the young and the old. He shared his success with his family, his team and his fans, never holding back. Kobe made a name for himself and a repertoire that will go down in history. He uplifted the youth, created an after-school program that encouraged boys and girls to set goals for themselves and have the trust to achieve them. His support for women’s athletics, not only in basketball, reached beyond the stars and pushed many to follow their desires and dreams. 

Turning 24 just won’t be the same anymore.

Here’s to the impact those young future WNBA players could have created, to the inspiring words from the coaches, to the pilot and his efforts in trying to keep the passengers safe, to the parents and what they had planned to teach and build, to a mother and daughter, to Gigi who had her life ahead of her, and to Kobe — a basketball star that made other stars shine brighter.

 

Contact the author at hgreene18@wou.edu

Salem issues a city-wide camping ban resulting in homeless from surrounding areas congregating on the streets of downtown.

Sage Kiernan-Sherrow  | News Editor

As students drive into Salem as part of their daily route or for a day perusing the shops of downtown, they’re met by sidewalks lined with sleeping bags and valuables belonging to the Salem homeless community. 

The homelessness situation in Salem is a complicated one and the dates for each individual instance that escalated the current issue are difficult to place. In early May of 2019, the homeless community members residing in Wallace Marine Park were given an ultimatum to vacate the premises following dangerous floods that caused rescue efforts to become necessary for several homeless folks. Prior to that decision, the homeless were also told to vacate Salem’s Marion Square Park underneath the bridge that leads into historic downtown Salem where nearby, the city’s new $61.8 million police station — with a $3.3 million boost from the Salem City Council, according to the Statesman Journal — is currently being built.

Recently, Salem issued a complete citywide camping ban, and groups were forced to stop setting up camp outside places like ARCHES, a service provider whose goal is to “promote housing and self-sufficiency by navigating clients from homelessness to stable housing and then to self-sufficiency,” according to their website. 

Homeless folks from those areas had little choice but to congregate inwards towards the city center, first lining the walls of Rite Aid and later expanding into the mall vicinities where, now, every morning, the homeless of downtown Salem are asked to move in order for ServiceMaster Clean crews to purge the streets of human waste. Anthony Stevens, a member of the Salem homeless community, said that they were being treated better on the sidewalks compared to the sweeps through the parks which resulted in volunteers cutting up tents and tossing out people’s keepsakes.

“I’ve had friends lose their mother’s ashes and important documents,” Stevens stated. 

Stevens has a mental disability which prevents him from finding work and he said that he suspects that is the case for many of the other homeless in Salem.

A regular of City Council meetings and a spokesperson for the homeless community, Stevens said that the city is currently considering declaring a state of emergency and bringing in FEMA to address the current situation. Stevens relayed that the homeless community felt torn about this possibility, with some members feeling victimized and others hoping that it would bring them much-needed support. Regardless, Stevens said “if the camping ban lifted, these streets would be empty … normally, we’re out of the public eye,” and concluded by stating, “we’re regular citizens, we just don’t have homes.”

 

Contact the author at howlnews@wou.edu 

Photo by Sage Kiernan-Sherrow

Family Weekend invites students’ families to campus for a three-day weekend packed full of memory-making activities.

Sage Kiernan-Sherrow  | News Editor

Becoming an annual tradition, Family Weekend brings relatives and chosen family of Western students to campus for a three-day bonding experience and the chance to learn what Western has to offer. This year’s Family Weekend took place Jan. 24-26 and was packed full of activities and entertainment. 

 

Day 1

Following a warm welcome issued by President Rex Fuller, students and their families headed over to the Werner University Center to engage in some pop-culture trivia spanning generations. Those uninterested in that escapade had the chance to play a giant game of Hide ‘N Seek in the Hamersly Library.

 

Day 2

The WUC had a myriad of activities set up on Jan. 25, including a photo booth, crafting DIY Wolfie ears, the opportunity to get caricatured, bracelet-making and origami. While waiting in line for the caricature artist, the Mahoney family said they had enjoyed going to The Donut Bar near campus and that they were “looking forward to the show tonight,” regarding Western hosting comedian Jonathan Burns. 

Over in the Willamette Room making bracelets, LeAnne, the mother of Western student Hailey Struble, said that she was reassured “seeing the way that (her) daughter is thriving and that she’s made a home.”

The WUC wasn’t the only place holding events on campus; over at the Student Health and Wellness Center, first-year Nate Henninger’s mother, Tracie Henninger, and the rest of their family waited for their turn during the Cornhole Tournament. Tracie said that the transition of Nate going to college wasn’t too hard, as they live only an hour away. 

 

Day 3

Sunday was all sunshine and goodbyes following the Brunch Send-off catered by Valsetz and the conclusion of on-campus activities like the scavenger hunt and the look-alike contest. Even though students prepared for the upcoming school day and parents went back to their jobs, the possibility of future bonding events like Family Weekend was a reassurance as they departed.

 

Contact the author at howlnews@wou.edu

Photos by Kay Bruley

A plan long in the works, development has recently begun on Monmouth’s “S-curves.”

Sage Kiernan-Sherrow  | News Editor

As one drives down Main Street towards Independence, there is a large chunk of land currently being developed to the right of the road. Many locals know this area as the “S-curves,” but Monmouth City Council building official, Larry Thornton, says the area will be known as the Ash Creek Station when it is fully developed.  

Salem resident, Jack Fox, purchased the land in 1999, which will be transformed into a small shopping center complete with nine buildings plus a medical facility. Thus far, three businesses have been confirmed as tenants: a larger and improved Roth’s grocery store, a Papa Murphy’s and a Tractor Supply Co. 

“This has been an ongoing process for quite some time,” Thornton stated, “Mr. Fox has been trying to develop the land for a lot of years. There was a Wetlands issue on the property and until those issues were mitigated, everything was basically put on hold.”

Fox originally applied for permits back in 2018, according to Thornton, and since they’ve received approval from the Corps of Army Engineers, they are now in the second stage of building — a technical process of “framing,” a process where concrete blocks are arranged to act as the buildings frame.

“Roth’s is further along. They’ve got all their walls up and they’re putting on the roof system … once the building is watertight, they can start working on a lot of the other issues like putting the concrete floor down and the wiring and plumbing,” said Thornton.

The prospect of a new grocery store is something Thornton thinks the community will be excited about as Monmouth hasn’t had their own grocery store for the past 15 years.

“There’s a need for these kinds of businesses in Monmouth … I think the general public is totally behind it and probably thinking it’s been a long time coming and we’re glad it’s here,” he said.

The project is expected to be finished sometime in April, according to Thornton, who also warns there might be delays due to the winter weather. 

 

Contact the author at howlnews@wou.edu

Photo courtesy of Monmouth Community Development Director, Suzanne Dufner

Women’s Basketball takes two L’s during the weekend

Hannah Greene  | Sports Editor

The Women’s Basketball team had their work cut out for them this last weekend, holding two GNAC games at home. Thursday, Jan. 23 the Wolves played against the Northwest Nazarene University Nighthawks followed by the Central Washington University Wildcats on Saturday, Jan. 25.

In the Wolves’ first game, they were putting in the work for the win, but fell short in the final quarter. The Wolves continued to lead into each quarter, one step ahead of the Nighthawks, but lost footing throughout the fourth quarter. The Wolves were only able to put up three points on the scoreboard, allowing the Nighthawks to score 23 — a 20-point difference and a long finish to a loss that should have been a win.

The second game for the Wolves brought roadblocks at every turn. The Wildcats came ready with a strong defense and scoring offense. In two of the four quarters the Wildcats were able to score 22 points and maintain the Wolves at only 13 points, keeping a nine-point lead. 

Wildcats came off every break with energy and urgency to score, but the Wolves were able to successfully counter on multiple turnovers. The Wolves were tested and reached a breaking point, ending the game with the Wildcats ahead 70-50.

The Women’s Basketball team leave their home and head up to Canada to play against Simon Fraser University on Jan. 31. Their next home game is set for Feb. 4 versus the Concordia University Cavaliers.

 

Contact the author at hgreene18@wou.edu

Photos courtesy of Kay Bruley

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