IN CASE YOU MISSED IT.

Byline: The Register-Guard

Seven years later, new hospital opens its doors

Sacred Heart Medical Center at RiverBend - which opened Sunday, seven years after it was conceived - is the biggest, most expensive building ever built in Lane County.

With 1.2 million square feet over nine stories, and a cost of more than $500 million, the state-of-the-art hospital is drawing accolades for its design, including a lodge-like lobby filled with art and a three-story river rock fireplace; sweeping views from patient rooms of the Mc Kenzie River and the Coburg Hills; and a stand of towering fir trees on the grounds.

The project cost $547.6 million, which includes the main hospital building, the attached Oregon Heart & Vascular Institute, the adjacent RiverBend Medical Pavilion medical office building, a central utility plant, a parking garage, site work, and land and development costs.

Woman who stole to buy drugs gets 11-year term

A Springfield woman who supported her drug habit with checks and credit information stolen from two businesses and nine individuals was sentenced to more than 11 years in prison.

Tashyena Marie Altstatt, 28, pleaded guilty to 14 counts of identity theft and two counts of first-degree theft on Friday.

Lane County Circuit Court Judge Doug Mitchell also ordered Altstatt to pay nearly $10,000 in restitution.

Her attorney, Howard Grooters, described her crimes, committed less than two years after her release from a previous prison term, as "testament to the power of her drug addiction." Court records show she was previously convicted of identity theft in 2003 under the name of Toshina Marie Lentz.

New shelters, dog park planned for Lively Park

A half-million dollar grant from the state will soon bring amenities that include the city's first dog park to Jack B. Lively Memorial Park, a 32-acre site that has gone unchanged since the wave pool was built there 20 years ago, Willamalane Park and Recreation District officials said.

The grant matches $557,833 from Willamalane that the recreation district will spend to develop the mostly grassy park in east Springfield. Construction will begin in spring 2009, Willamalane Superintendent Bob Keefer said.

Swimmers and other park visitors will be able to rent one or both of two planned 120-person-capacity shelters that will be installed as part of the upgrade. A new playground will feature structures, a sand area and a water element, plans show.

The planned 3.5-acre dog park is something that has been in "high demand" from the community, Keefer said.

The Oregon Parks and Recreation Department awarded the city the money for Lively Park as part of its local government grants program, said Michele Scalise, grants program coordinator for the department.

The goal of the grant program, which is funded by Oregon Lottery dollars, is to encourage Oregonians to explore the outdoors, she said.

Massachusetts fugitive spotted at Wal-Mart

Police say an "America's Most Wanted" fan spotted a potentially dangerous fugitive featured on the television show buying camping gear Aug. 2 at the Wal-Mart Supercenter on Olympic Street.

Michael T. Bresnahan, 36, was seen later that night near the Belt Line Road/Interstate 5 interchange, possibly preparing to try to hitch a ride from motorists traveling north on the freeway from Springfield, police said.

"America's Most Wanted" featured Bresnahan's story in April. He allegedly broke into a 61-year-old woman's Massachusetts home in August 2007 and sexually assaulted her while armed with a knife.

He then fled Massachusetts, prompting officials to place him on Massachusetts' most-wanted fugitives list.

Springfield police Sgt. John Umenhofer said local officials are operating under the assumption that Bresnahan might still be in Lane County.

Police warn that Bresnahan should be considered dangerous.

Anyone with information about his whereabouts is asked to contact their local police.

Police said Bresnahan has several tattoos including a music note on his wrist, a rose and a heart on his right forearm, an eagle on his left forearm and one reading "Amy" on a finger on his left hand.

Resident awakes to find boa constrictor in his yard

First there was "Snakes on a Plane," starring Samuel L. Jackson. But Jeff Berger was shocked when he found himself in a real life sequel - snake on the lawn.

Berger stepped out on his porch at 6 a.m. Aug. 4 to grab the paper, only to be greeted by the sight of a 3' foot boa constrictor dead on his lawn.

"It's not something you see every day," said Berger, 59, who operates an adult foster care home with his wife, Carol, at Fourth and C streets. "It gave me pause for thought when I was going out for The Register-Guard that day."

Initially, Berger poked the snake with a stick just in case "he had any fight left in him."

After ascertaining the animal - which had bite wounds near its head - had expired, the couple called the Springfield police.

Staff at Lane County Animal Services first thought the snake on the Bergers' lawn could be the red-tailed boa constrictor reported missing from west Eugene at the beginning of the month.

But that boa was reported to be 6' feet in length, ruling out the Bergers' snake.