MONROE — The Monroe School District has received $107,000 in federal stimulus funding, and part of that money is going to replace outdated windows. But Superintendent Randy Crowson said he thinks the district also will use the funding to create an all-day kindergarten in September.

ALBANY — The South-West tug o’ war signups at Summerfest on Saturday didn’t look promising at first. Only five people signed up to represent each of the two high schools.

In Corvallis, the Fourth of July is a day when anyone — or anything — can don red, white and blue and parade through town for all to see.

Independence Day 2009 started off with generous servings of pancakes, tofu scramble, granola and yogurt for people who made it to the Buy Local First breakfast at the Corvallis Oddfellows Hall.

Benton County sheriff’s deputies and the Albany Fire Department are investigating the death of a man whose body was found early Friday in a blazing travel trailer.

A family used garden hoses to control a fire in the garage of their north Corvallis house Friday night, Corvallis fire officials said.

On June 4, we had a very large thunderstorm that brought heavy rain, high winds and lightning to the mid-valley. In my June 7 column, I asked readers to share stories of the event. I was not disappointed.

Even before Riverfront Commemorative Park filled with people Friday night, the Red, White and Blue Festival offered plenty of diversions.

With dry, hot weather here, it’s particularly important to be careful when snuffing out that cigarette, as two recent fires attest. Fire officials say both were ignited by smoldering cigarettes.

Summer is often considered the traditional time to be outdoors. Despite that tradition, there is evidence that our nation’s children are not making that connection, even in summer. Many children have a greater knowledge of consumer brands than local plants and animals.

Even though their uniforms hadn’t arrived, the newest recruits for Capt. Dave Baty’s Company B of the 16th Pennsylvania Volunteer Infantry were still being put through their paces.

Here is the schedule of closures for the Independence Day holiday:

Corvallis Fire Department

By summer’s end, Community Services Consortium should have two new tools to help struggling mid-valley renters stay in their homes or quickly find new housing after becoming homeless.

It was hot as a firecracker Thursday, but not hot enough to break a record.

The following events are taking place over the Independence Day holiday weekend:

Here is the schedule of closures for the Independence Day holiday weekend:

The annual benefit sale for the Vina Moses Center is scheduled for July 10 and 11 in the First United Methodist Church Community Building.

Six young adults have jobs clearing vegetation for the Benton County Natural Areas and Parks Department to restore the habitat of the Taylor’s Checkerspot Butterfly.

To keep students’ minds engaged this summer, Oregon State University is offering dozens of lively camps, residential camps and workshops in math, engineering, art, journalism, chemistry, physics, life science and ecology.

This log includes incidents in which there may have been a public disturbance or a risk to the public. Information comes from reports of the Corvallis Police Department, Benton County Sheriff’s Office and Oregon State Police. It does not include all calls for service. The status of incidents may change after further investigation. Locations are approximate. People arrested or suspected in crimes are considered innocent until proven otherwise.

The Gazette-Times seeks to correct all errors of fact in our newspaper. If you see something that needs clarification or correction, call the newsroom at 758-9525.

ALBANY — Detectives for the Linn County Sheriff’s Office raided a field of what they called illegal poppies, Sheriff Tim Mueller announced.

BAKER CITY — Three cows or three chicken nuggets? For Mike Corley, the choice was easy.

SALEM — Republicans are accusing Democratic Gov. Ted Kulongoski of using a delaying tactic to try to keep Oregon voters from having their say on income tax hikes just passed by the Legislature.

State and local agencies have one message: Have fun celebrating, but do so safely and legally.

A heat wave expected to bring some the warmest conditions so far this year has come to the Willamette Valley.

Over the course of the past 100 years, Oregon State University has provided numerous big stories for the Gazette-Times to cover. Narrowing the list to 10 wasn’t easy, and some accomplishments and stories could very easily have made the cut.

1855: For most of the year, until December, Asahel Bush II published his Oregon Statesman at a wooden frame building at Second Street and Adams Avenue.

As is the case with the top accomplishments by teams and individuals at Oregon State, the successes of teams and individuals in Benton County are just as impressive, and too numerous to appropriately highlight in a list of the top 10. While one Richey’s Market team that reached the American Legion World Series makes the list, two others also reached the series. Then think of the numerous high school state championship teams that could have made the list. Oh, and decathlete Dave Johnson spent a year at Crescent Valley as well and later won the silver medal in the 1992 Olympic Games in Barcelona.

Technological improvements, most significantly the rise of the personal computer, have brought sweeping and rapid developments to the Corvallis Gazette-Times since the mid-1980s.

The story goes that the Corvallis Gazette-Times was launched on a coin flip in 1909. To mark the run-up to our 100th birthday, we shared historic vignettes. Below are the links to the entire collection with the date that each vignette ran in the G-T and,in parentheses, the year of the historical selection and the headline that appeared with it:

A questionnaire has been posted online as part of an ongoing project to locate and map unused wells in Linn and Benton counties.

The Benton County Republicans are hosting a Fourth of July breakfast.

The following events are taking place this weekend:

Here is the schedule of closures for the Independence Day holiday weekend:

The Oregon State University Craft Center summer membership, classes and workshops are under way.

The Benton County Fairgrounds Office has moved into the red and white, two-story Carriage House in preparation for the fair and rodeo.

This log includes incidents in which there may have been a public disturbance or a risk to the public. Information comes from reports of the Corvallis Police Department, Benton County Sheriff’s Office and Oregon State Police. It does not include all calls for service. The status of incidents may change after further investigation. Locations are approximate. People arrested or suspected in crimes are considered innocent until proven otherwise.

SWEET HOME — Plastic wrap covers four piles of rubble on former mill property in Sweet Home. Nearby, a few ragged pieces of tape bearing the words “Danger: Asbestos” flutter in the wind.

ALBANY — Richard Robert Lee will remain on parole while his case is brought before the Ninth Circuit Court of Appeals, the federal court decided Monday.

CAMP LEATHERNECK, Afghanistan, July 2 — Thousands of U.S. Marines descended upon the volatile Helmand River valley in helicopters and armored convoys early Thursday morning, mounting an operation that represents the first large-scale test of the U.S. military’s new counter-insurgency strategy in Afghanistan.

SALEM — Oregon voters might be willing to support the state Legislature’s income tax increases if opponents succeed in forcing a statewide vote on them, Gov. Ted Kulongoski said Tuesday.

The Oregon Department of Forestry’s West Oregon District will enter fire season on Thursday. The district encompasses Benton, Lincoln and Polk counties along with the southwestern portion of Yamhill County.

ALBANY — The East Albany Lions Club’s annual Lumberjack Breakfast will take place Thursday through Sunday at Eleanor Hackleman Park, 654 Pine St. S.E.

Some of the major bills approved by the 2009 Oregon Legislature:

ALBANY - Oregon Attorney General John Kroger says he’s following a two-part strategy for fighting crime.

SALEM — Against a backdrop of the worst economy in decades, the Oregon Legislature patched a $4 billion deficit while raising taxes and fees to put thousands of people to work through public works projects.

Some of the major bills approved by the 2009 Oregon Legislature:

ADELPHI, Md. (AP) — Government experts called for sweeping safety restrictions Tuesday on the most widely used painkiller, including reducing the maximum dose of Tylenol and eliminating prescription drugs such as Vicodin and Percocet.