ALBANY

Holsworth named to Commission for the Blind

Gov. Ted Kulongoski has appointed Annis Holsworth of Albany to the Oregon Commission for the Blind. The governor's office said Holsworth currently works at the Oregon School for the Blind as a teaching assistant in the computer lab. She is also active on the advisory board for the talking book and braille services of the Salem library.

The appointment is pending Senate confirmation.

Mall to host art auction to aid SafeHaven

The 16th Annual Heritage Mall Mother's Day Art Show & Benefit is seeking donations for a silent auction to raise funds for Safehaven Humane Society.

The event, hosted by Heritage Mall and sponsored by Cameron Blagg III of Albany, will be held May 10-13. People in the community with artwork they would like to donate can e-mail Blagg at AlbanyBenefit@aol.com for a pick-up, or drop off their art with Heritage Mall Customer Service, care of Joni Hickey, marketing director.

Last year's event raised more than $1,000 for the animal shelter. For more information, call 967-7882.

Steelheaders group to host extravaganza

The regular monthly meeting of the Albany Chapter, Association of Northwest Steelheaders, will be at 7 p.m. Wednesday at the Albany Senior Center. The meeting is open to the public and non-members are invited.

The program will be a fishing extravaganza with nine tables covering almost every type of fishing and outdoor activity available to Oregonians.

Topics will be salmon, steelhead, sturgeon, shad, trout, kokanee, offshore bottom fishing and tuna, South Santiam steelhead and salmon, clamming and crabbing, walleye and bass.

CORVALLIS

Author Tagatac to read at Oregon State

Oregon Book Award finalist Geronimo Tagatac of Salem will appear at Oregon State University to read from his short story collection, "The Weight of the Sun," at 7 p.m. Thursday.

The event, hosted by the Craft of Writing Series, will be held in OSU's Memorial Union Journey Room. It is free and open to the public.

"The Weight of the Sun," Tagatac's first book, was nominated for the 2006 H.L. Davis Award for Short Fiction. His short stories have appeared in publications such as Writer's Forum, The Northwest Review, The Chautauqua Literary Journal and Best Stories of the American West. He also is a recipient of the Oregon Literary Fellowship and the Fishtrap Fellowship.

Tagatac's father was a Filipino from the northwest area of Luzon in the Philippines. His mother was a Russian Jew living in New York when the couple met. Tagatac's father ended up raising the children alone, in farm worker houses among mostly Filipino immigrant men.

LEBANON

Schools to hold kindergarten orientations

Lebanon schools will hold kindergarten orientations throughout the month of May.

The schedule:

Cascades, 3 p.m. Thursday.

Green Acres, 1:30 p.m. Thursday.

Hamilton Creek, 9 a.m. May 22.

Lacomb, 1 p.m. May 17.

Pioneer, 9:30 a.m. May 9.

Riverview, 1 p.m. May 10.

Jazz concert will aid scholarships

The 40th annual Grant Johnson Memorial Jazz Concert is set for 7 p.m. Friday, May 4, in the Lebanon High School Auditorium. The show will feature the Seven Oak Jazz Band, the Lebanon High School Jazz Band and guest artist Stan Bock on trombone.

Tickets cost $7 for adults, $5 for students and seniors, and $20 for families, and are available in the finance office at LHS, 1700 S. Fifth St.

Proceeds support the Grant Johnson Summer Music Camp Scholarship, which is available to LHS students who apply and are selected based leadership and commitment to the band program.

For more information, call 451-8555, Ext. 1056.

MID-VALLEY

Blue moon set to occur at May's end

A blue moon - usually defined as the second full moon in a calendar month - is in the offing for May. Full moons will occur at 3:09 a.m. on Wednesday, May 2, and 6:04 p.m. on May 31, making the second one a blue moon. A blue moon comes about every three to four years.

Marys Peak road again open to public

The road to the top of Marys Peak is now open to the public, the Forest Service announced Friday.

Crews worked over the past two weeks to clear rocks and other debris from the roadway and ditches, and to install protective barriers along a large slide that damaged the road, creating concerns for public safety.

About 80 feet of concrete barriers were placed on the road at the slide area. The road at this location has been reduced to single lane traffic.

The Marys Peak road was scheduled to open April 1, but a large slide during heavy winter storms, plus late-season snowfall, prompted forest officials to delay the opening until the road was safe to travel.

Closures planned for Grand Prairie, Hoefer

The Linn County Road Department will close Grand Prairie Drive on Wednesday, through May 22, to install new water and sewer lines.

The closure will be between Waverly and Lexington drives. The road will only be open to local and emergency traffic. All other drivers will need to use alternate routes.

The county will also close Hoefer Drive in the Dever-Conner area from May 7 through May 14 to replace a bridge.

The bridge is on Hoefer between Dever-Conner Drive and Harnisch Road. Northbound traffic can take Dever-Conner to Cooper Drive. From there, go to Harnisch to get back Hoefer.

Southbound traffic can follow this route in reverse.