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Mike reviewing Mike

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  40 Years and A Stroke Didn’t Stop Me From Going Back to Linn-Benton Community College!     Well, Mike How Do You Think You Did? I was nervous when I thought about going back to Linn-Benton Community College. I went to LBCC 40 years ago right out of high school. I had no idea what I wanted to be and wasn’t very focused. I struggled in most of my classes and after two years dropped out and joined the Air Force.  Fast forward to 2018. The year started out with an injury to my back getting off the city bus on my way to work on a rainy day in January. One MRI later and I had a herniated disk in my lower back. Surgery would have to wait because my family was taking care of my mother-in-law and I was needed at home and work.  Finally, in October I was able to have the surgery. I would have to take a week off to recover in bed. I was given the OK to go back to work at Shirt Circuit as a screen printer. That was Thursday, Nov. 1. I worked the rest of the week. That was the last day I
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10+ Questions for Sarah Rose Larson.

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Ten-plus Questions with Sarah Rose Larson Sarah Rose Larson has been a big part of my return to Linn-Benton Community College. She sat in the back of my first class back from a 40-year absence from Linn-Benton. Larson was there as a resource for my fall term Photojournalism class. She encouraged me and everyone in that class.  She tutored one of the photographers that she mentions during this interview. I had some of my photos posted on The Commuter website along with others in my class. Larson serves as The Commuter’s photo editor, providing good feedback on our photos and encouraging us to post photos on our journalism blog.  Larson, an LBCC student working on her own degree, has been in all the journalism classes that I took this year. Larson is an excellent writer as well as a photographer. I was honored to get the chance to interview her and get to know her better.    How long have you been at LBCC? Well, I am a full -time student. I'm in my second year at Linn-Benton Communit
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Postcard from Garibaldi, Oregon

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  Bucket List - Barcelona, Catalonia, Spain Reality List - Garibaldi, Oregon, USA  A view of the Mediterranean Beaches from above. https://travel.usnews.com/rankings/best-places-to-visit-in-march/ – Ever since watching the Summer Olympics in 1992, I have been in love with this city. I can’t put my finger on the reason why. I could say because of the beautiful architecture, but that would be too superficial of an answer. I could say it is the beaches, people, food, art, or/and entertainment, but that doesn’t explain the warm feeling in my heart I got when I first saw pictures of her. I feel like I’ve been there before… I know where I've seen you … Garibaldi, Oregon!  What are you talking about? Barcelona is warm and the water is warm and the people are warm. Garibaldi is on the Northern Oregon Coast, which is none of those. Except for the people. They are really nice and there are far fewer of them. Which is the whole reason you take a vacation in the first place.   Oh sure, you co
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Transplanting Grass Roots

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Transplanting Grass Roots The Grass Roos sign looks great in the sun after being thoroughly cleaned, after hanging in the shade collecting moss and mold all these years on Second Street. Moving is never easy. We all have to go through it some time in our lifetime. Why we move ranges from outgrowing the space you're in to just needing a change of scenery. Sometimes we have no choice. The most stressful move is thrust upon you in the form of an eviction. That is what happened to Grass Roots’ owners, Jack Wolcott and Sandy Smith, back in September 2023. That is when a miracle happened. Smith said, "I heard that The Shoe Hutch was closing their doors." Wolcott told her "to call them to make sure what she had heard was correct." It was.  So Wolcott called the building owner to see if they could lease the space. The building owner gave him an enthusiastic yes! But it would take a few months to get the place ready. The new building owner offered to pay for the renovati
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