By Starla Pointer • Staff Writer • 

Along the Street: Starbucks going into former Pizza Hut building

Rusty Rae/News-Register##After sitting empty for more than a year, the McMinnville Pizza Hut will be remodeled to hold a Starbucks coffee shop
Rusty Rae/News-Register##After sitting empty for more than a year, the McMinnville Pizza Hut will be remodeled to hold a Starbucks coffee shop

McMinnville’s former Pizza Hut building is being remodeled to become the city’s first free-standing Starbucks coffee outlet.

MTCOR LLC took out a building permit in December for a $1.25 million remodeling project at the site, 1425 N.E. Highway 99W. JHC Commercial LLC is listed as the contractor.

The permit calls for an “interior commercial remodel” that will include new interior walls, new electric and plumbing work, new restroom, new interior ceiling, floor and wall finishes and new furniture. Outside, the building will get new paint and cladding, and a bump-out with a new drive-through window will be added.

Pizza Hut closed in September 2020. The building, with its signature swooping red roof, has been empty since then.

 

WorkSource sets healthcare recruitment day

WorkSource Oregon will host an “Oregon Healthcare Heroes Recruitment Day” Wednesday, Jan. 12, in McMinnville.

The program will run from 11:30 a.m. to 1:30 p.m. at 334 N.E. Norton Lane, in the state Department of Human Services building.

Numerous health care employers will have information booths, including Brookdale Hillside, Visiting Angels, Home Instead Senior Care, Friendsview Manor, Vineyard Heights Assisted Living, HDE Home Care, Essential Services, HelloCare, Life Care Center, Willamette Valley Medical Center and Providence Newberg Medical Center.

For more information or reservations, call 971-718-4546 or 503-434-7588, or send email to oed.170@oregon.gov.

 

 

Love for nonprofit

Flavors of Love, formerly Flavors of Carlton, will return this year with its new name and a new location, but with the same purpose: to raise money for the nonprofit Yamhill Carlton Together Cares organization.

YCTC sponsors youth sports, a preschool and other activities for people in the two cities. According to Director Kristi DeGroat, the nonprofit is focusing on expanding its scope and creating a community center.

Flavors of Love will start at 5 p.m. Feb. 12 at Abbey Road Farms, just east of Carlton. It will feature food, wine, music and other activities.

Tickets are $125 each. Sponsorships are available at the $800, $1,500, $2,000 and $4,000 levels; the various levels include tickets, advertising on the YCTC site and other perks.

The in-person fundraiser was not held in 2020 or 2021 because of the pandemic.

For more information, go to the YCTC website, www.yctogethercares.com, or its Facebook page.

 

Costs less for locals

Oregon residents will pay less than visitors from out-of-state for recreational vehicle sites at state parks.

The change took effect Jan. 1. Visitors from other states will pay 25% more than locals.

The state Legislature changed the fee structure, directing that the surcharge go toward day-to-day operations and repairs at parks.

Other types of camping sites, such as those for tents or cabins and yurts, will continue to cost the same for residents and non-residents.

Rates can be found on the stateparks.oregon.gov website. Reservations can be make by calling 1-800-452-5687 from 8 a.m. to 5 p.m. weekdays, or at oregonstateparks.reserveamerica.com.

 

Financial learning

Thanks to First Federal, students at seven Yamhill County schools are using Banzai, an online financial literacy program.

The program, available free to teachers at the schools because of the bank’s sponsorship, also offers a content library of articles, calculators and personalized coaches. The resources can be used by students working at home remotely or in their classrooms.

Seventeen teachers and more than 900 students are using Banzai at Duniway Middle School and McMinnville High School in McMinnville, and high schools in Newberg, Amity, Dayton, Sheridan and Yamhill Carlton.

For instance, at Duniway, teacher Deanne Motz is using Banzai in her new financial class. She said the program and accompanying booklets have been “lifesavers,” she said.

First Federal, a county-wide bank based in McMinnville, also offers programs in local elementary schools taught by bank personnel. They tell children about the benefits of saving and using money wisely.

With Banzai, older students have their own accounts, said Morgan Vandagriff, co-founder of the program. They work through assignments based on real life, learning tools to create a sound financial future such as budgeting and financial trade-offs.

“More than ever, it’s important that kids develop sound financial skills to prepare them for the real world, and FirstFederal realizes that and they’re doing something about it,” Vandagriff said.

For more information about First Federal and Banzai, go to firstfedweb.teachbanzai.com. Teachers who want to use the program can call 888-8-BANZAI.

 

Charitable soup

Guest Chef Robin Miguel will prepare chicken corn chowder for the Elena’s Wine Bar charity soup night Wednesday, Jan. 12.

Soup is served from 4 to 7 p.m. Cost is $10 per bowl, with proceeds going to a charitable organization of the guest chef’s choice.

In this case, since Miguel is the director of The Soup Kitchen at St. Barnabas, proceeds will benefit the soup kitchen. The nonprofit organization serves meals to people in need.

 

Housing & economy

The third annual Oregon Housing Economic Summit will bring together housing industry professionals, economists and Oregon legislators on Jan. 13.

During the virtual event, they will discuss housing and economic environment, barriers facing the industry and what the future holds.

The summit is being organized by the Oregon Home Builders Association, Oregon Bankers Association, and Oregon REALTORS.

Association representatives said Freddie Mac research shows that Oregon has the largest housing deficit in the nation. And Oregon housing prices are rising beyond the reach of the average family.

“Solutions to Oregon’s housing supply shortage and affordability issues require the engagement of many stakeholders,” said Linda Navarro, president and CEO of the Oregon Bankers Association.

She said bringing them together for a summit will “provide insights and ideas into how we move forward for Oregon communities.”

The event will begin at 9 a.m. with a keynote address by National Home Builders Association Chief Economist Robert Dietz. Additional sessions on the homeownership gap as well as industry and legislative panel discussions are also part of the program, which concludes at noon.

The summit is open to the public, but space is limited by the virtual event platform.

Registration is $49. To register, become a sponsor, or for more information visit http://oregonhousingeconomicsummit.com.

 

Chamber Greeters

The McMinnville Area Chamber of Commerce’s Friday, Jan. 14, Greeters program will be held at The Grand McMinnville, 325 N.E. Third St., formerly known as the McMinnville Grand Ballroom. It is accessible by staircase from the north side of Third Street in the middle of the 300 block.

The Chehalem Valley Chamber of Commerce in Newberg also plans a Greeters program Jan. 14. It will be held at Art With Elegance gallery, which features art by Marion McMuldren and other members of the Geezer Gallery, at 306 E. Sherman St. in Newberg.

In both cities, Greeters will run from 8 to 9 a.m.

For more information, go to the McMinnville Chamber website, mcminnville.org, or the Newberg one, at www.chehalemvalley.org.

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