Corvallis Update: E-bikes on Mac Forest Trails, Shari’s Closes, Pollock’s Cartoon, Samaritan Shuffles Plastic Surgeons

As some of you may know, OSU’s College of Forestry is planning a Mac Forest public input session for Monday, October 28 – and just like that, what shows up in our editor’s inbox… a cartoon from Doug Pollock.

He’s that guy that blew a gasket last decade when the university ‘accidently’ cut down a bunch of old growth trees that were, in many instances, hundreds of years old. Said gasket was then picked up by the community at large, and for a time the university was a lot less log-y and even downright contrite.

Well, that was then, and this is now, and Pollock reports fairly regularly that the university is back up to some of their old choppiness.

And after this summer, anyone that regularly hoofs, hikes or bikes the Mac on the regular probably wonders if Pollock has a point that they’re back at it – the whole season was like a logjam of logging closures at various trails and trailheads and forest roads.

So, we’re guessing Pollock could have a point, but we don’t really know, and then comes this cartoon. Which now begs a whole other question: who knew Doug Pollock was into cartooning?

Getting back to the forest though – it’s not just Pollock with questions. We’ve learned the College of Forestry has been planning this whole rework of their strategic plan without including a recreation plan – but should those really be separate?

Also, if you have thoughts about permitting e-bikes on the Mac’s trails, they’re considering it. Here’s a link to express yourself on all things recreational in Mac Forest, e-bike or otherwise. In a release, the university says they’ll be ‘archiving’ your comments.

All this may beg a larger question too: should the County or state start offering some oversight into how our local forests are managed – but that’s a subject for another time.

Shari’s Serves Its Last Pie

Shari’s Café & Pies has suddenly shuttered amid scuttlebutt that includes unpaid taxes and other bills – and apparently, the chain’s employees had no idea the closure was coming.

“I can confirm that at this time that all Oregon Shari’s restaurants are closed,” Sam Borgese, CEO of Gather Holdings LLC, the parent company that owns Shari’s, wrote to the Oregon Lottery in an October 21 email obtained through a KGW public records request. The chain owes the Oregon Lottery at least $900,000 – and quite probably more than that. They also owe taxes in Idaho and bills pretty much everywhere.

Location managers throughout the state had been reporting for months that the chain was clearly not paying vendors – reporting that suppliers, trash haulers, and other services had started to cutoff the chain, location by location. The parent company had received several eviction notices.

Shari’s had 42 Oregon locations at the start of the year and was down to just 17 at the start of this week.

Shari’s mixed legacy: Because it was open 24/7, Shari’s evokes many memories among locals – though out-of-town visitors would often refrain that maybe a Denny’s would be better. But pretty much everyone could agree the pies were the thing at Shari’s – we at The Advocate will miss the place.

Samaritan Hires New Plastic Surgeon, Sued by the Ones They Fired

Samaritan Health has hired a new plastic surgeon for post-mastectomy reconstruction patients – an announcement that comes the same month we learned that their prior specialist docs are suing the healthcare organization in a $4.5 million whistleblower lawsuit.

You may recall Samaritan fired two of their plastic surgeons last year, leaving several patients in the lurch until now. The doctors filing the lawsuit allege their sacking was retaliatory, motivated by their complaints about the company having to cancel necessary surgeries because they had also canned an anesthesiology group – no anesthesiologist, means no reconstructive surgery.

The fired docs say Samaritan started assigning them overly small operating rooms, writing-up their support staff for no good reason, and yes, arbitrarily cancelling surgeries. Anyhow, healthcare news outlet, The Lund Report, has done the best reporting we’ve seen on the matter – and you can click here to read that. Although, we have to say, Samaritan may well have a side of this story that we have yet to hear in their responsive legal filings.

Here’s the release from Samaritan about the new doc they hired: Plastic surgeon Gary Donath, MD, recently joined breast surgeons Yarrow McConnell, MD, FACS, and Rachel Shirley, DO, FACS, at Corvallis-based Samaritan Breast, Reconstruction & Surgical Oncology. Dr. Donath will initially focus his practice on reconstructive surgery for breast and skin cancer patients as a compliment to the treatments Dr. McConnell offers for melanoma, squamous cell cancer of the trunk and extremities, and sarcomas.”

“Dr. Donath is a great addition to the practice not only for his experience and his compassion for patients, but also because his focus on reconstructive surgery will enable a truly team-based approach to treating our patients from surgery to recovery and reconstruction,” said Chris Blakely, associate vice president of surgical specialties for Samaritan Health Services.

It’s in a new location: Samaritan Breast, Reconstruction & Surgical Oncology, formerly known as Samaritan Breast & Surgical Oncology, moved to a new location in early October accommodate the growing team. The clinic is located at 996 NW Circle Blvd., Suite 103, in Corvallis, and can be reached by calling 541-768-1252.

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