Brenda Autry Journalism Blog

  Local Yoga Studio Provides a Welcoming Community Atmosphere, inclusive to all. Katy Rosecrans and Wendy Humphreys owners of Sole to Soul Yoga For me, self love and self care mean doing something that is good for me. I like to read books and take classes to learn new things to take care of my mind. I like to lift weights and eat healthy foods to take care of my body. And I like to walk through the woods or sit quietly on a beach watching the waves to take care of my soul. But when I need to take care of all three - mind, body and soul - I do yoga.  I started practicing yoga about three years ago and it has changed my life. Yoga has been proven to increase strength and flexibility, reduce stress, and can even improve your mood. It is adaptable to all skill levels and today, more than ever, it is easily accessible.  Owner,Wendy Humphrys poses I usually take yoga classes here at Linn-Benton but when there is a break or between terms, I’m left without a class to do. I decide...

  Beyond Van Gogh: The Immersive Experience Brings the Past to Life The purpose of art is to express and elicit emotion. It teaches us how to look beyond the necessary and find a meaning. It helps us to feel something new, and possibly excite some unknown desire within ourselves. Is it possible for the static art of the past to elicit the same emotions today as they did a hundred or more years ago? As technology claims more areas of our lives - including the way we create and consume art - are we losing the ability to meaningfully experience the old forms? The art of today moves and speaks and flashes. It’s fluid and fast and dynamic. We no longer live in a static world. So, can we look at a static work of art and feel what the artist wanted us to feel? Can it evoke the same overwhelming rush of emotions in a person today as it did in a person in 1921? What if it could…? ‘Beyond Van Gogh: The Immersive Experience,’ presents the works of Vincent Van Gogh in a dynamic new way that m...

In the early morning hours of Tuesday, Sept. 8, Idahna residents David Stevens and JoAnn Serdy were awoken by a pounding at their front door.  “The fire department was telling us we had to evacuate now,” Serdy said. “We had no time, so we just grabbed our medication and jumped in our car. By the time we reached the Detroit dam [just 15 minutes away] the fire was everywhere.” “It was like we were in the movie ‘Volcano,’” Stevens added. This scene was the terrifying reality for many Santiam Canyon residents who fled their homes, narrowly escaping the flames of the Beachie Creek Fire, which spread rapidly overnight. The evacuees, many of whom have lost their homes entirely, have sought shelter with friends, family or, like Serdy and Stevens, at the Linn County Evacuation Shelter set up at the Linn County Fairgrounds in Albany.  According to County Commissioner Will Tucker, the Linn County Evacuation Shelter is currently housing around 450 people and more than 1000 animals...

Every February, competitors from every corner of Oregon and every walk of life come to meet in the ring and battle for the title Oregon Golden Gloves Champion. For some, the road to this moment is long and paved with sacrifice. But still they come; with smiles on their faces and dreams in their hearts, hoping that at the end of the night they will don the blue and gold jacket that will brand them a champion forever. Golden Gloves Champions Past and Present. Photo courtesy of Kelvin Watkins Photography. Half an hour before the competition starts, the audience trickles in to fill hundreds of available seats in the large auditorium of the Salem Armory. The ring-side tables already hold a few of the more devoted boxing fans who are willing to pay a premium for the privilege of better proximity to the action. For now, the real action is behind the curtain on the stage that serves as a preparation area for tonight's fighters and their teams. Scattered across the dimly lit stage ...