Monday Mid-Day News Report With Kevin Hays (AUDIO)

Salem-News.com

(SALEM) - Here are today's top stories from Salem-News.com with Kevin Hays reporting.

A safety plan is in place, however tension and fear is running high for students and staff of Sprague High School, after a `hit list" containing students and staff members names was found in a classroom last week.

School officials say so far they have made NO connection between the `hit list" and a note found last month, that made a threat against the school on 6-6-06.

As to what the threat note contained, or how many people were on the `hit list" Salem-Keizer School District spokesman Jay Remy said they could not release that information because the cases are being handled as criminal investigations.

Sprague high sophomore Christina Petersen says she and her friends are concerned by the two notes. She said she hopes her parents will allow her to stay home from school on Tuesday.

Her brother, Rian, a freshman, says he isn`t worried and will attend school that day.

Sprague staff, campus security and Salem police have formulated a campus safety security plane for Monday and Tuesday.

Anyone wishing to enter Sprague will have to do so through the schools front doors, all other doors will be locked.

Students will NOT be allowed to carry backpacks, duffle bags, or coat to class, they MUST remain in student lockers.

Additional security will be on-hand both days assigned to specific duties.

Parents have also volunteered their time to help out throughout the week doing various things, to make students feel safe while at school.

Sprague Principal Cheryl Bower says they will honor parents request if they call in and excuse their student(s) for the day.

Students will have the opportunity to make up any/all work that was covered that day without penalty � as long as their absence is excused.

June 6th is also a senior final exam day and it is very important for seniors to complete their finals Bower said.

Seniors will need to arrange for an alternate exam time with their individual teachers if they are absent.

All finals MUST be completed by June 8th in order to be cleared to participate in the graduation ceremony.

Bower and Salem police are still searching for the writer or writers of the notes.

Anyone with information is urged to contact Salem police, you can remain anonymous.

The fair parking coalition is demanding that the city of Salem return all of the money that disabled persons paid for a city issued disabled parking permits.

In 2004, the city began demanding payment from state issued disabled placard holders for a city issued disabled parking permit.

The rules applied to handicapped individuals who wished to park in certain areas of Salem. Including around the Capitol Mall and downtown.

The practice was stopped in the fall of 2005, on the advise of city`s legal council.

Now, the coalition is demanding that the city refund all of the money they collected from the placards in 2004-05.

Those who paid for the placards, say they paid the city over $400.

Salem city manager Bob Wells said the city made a mistake.

Cherriots will join with other public transportation systems throughout the country to highlight that public transit offers a quick, easy alternative to the high cost of driving during dump the pump day on June 8th.

As gasoline prices have increased, public transit systems across the U.S. are seeing an increase in ridership.

In Salem and Keizer, Cherriots ridership is up 5 - 10% over the past several months.

Three deserving Salem families will be moving out of their inadequate housing and moving into a new place to call home this summer, thanks to three mid-valley builders, a Salem building company, and hundreds of Habitat for Humanity volunteers.

Two 4-bedroom homes and one 4-bedroom manufactured home, will be built on adjacent lots on Valley View Drive N.W., as part of Habitat for Humanity`s Home Builders Blitz 2006, a national campaign to build 500 Habitat homes in five days.

The homes will be built from Monday through Friday.

Construction will begin each morning at 7:00 AM and wrap-up every evening at 7:00 PM.

By Friday evening, all three homes will be completed, including landscaping and cedar fencing.

A Linn County Grand Jury has indicted the parents of an autistic 19-year-old boy who died in an Albany apartment fire last month with murder.

45-year-old Nicolaas DeGroot and 48-year-old Elizabeth DeGroot are being held at the Linn County Jail since their arrest May 19th.

The DeGroot`s are accused of starting the fire that killed their son Christopher, who later died at a Portland Hospital.

Authorities say the couple locked their son inside the apartment.

The couple were originally charged with manslaughter and arson.

The count of arson has been dropped.

The latest Salem-area news, weather, sports, and traffic is on demand at Salem-News.com.

I'm Kevin Hays reporting for Salem-News.com. Have a safe and wonderful day!