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3 of 3 Premium Clicks used this month SUBSCRIBE Print + Online Subscriber Activation | Register x Forgot Password | Need an Account? subscribe | newsletter | deals Home News Latest Stories Ashland Woodland Trails Association volunteers create new link on Bandersnatch Trail Mt. Ashland Ski Area to reopen some runs Friday LOCAL TAKE: Do we need daylight saving time? Ashland Rowing Club to hold get-togethers this weekend at Emigrant Lake Police department helps community fight fraud Education Rogue Valley musicians shine in OLLI’s spring class schedule Work your body to save your braaaaains Ashland robotics team fares well at Oregon City ASHLAND: High school principal receives national award Willow Wind students raise money for water Environment Mt. Ashland Ski Area: Low snow closes 'bunny hill' chairlift for beginning skiers With pre-season conditions worst in 25 years, catastrophic wildfires expected in region this summer Legislature might be divided on clean fuels bill, but these Ashlanders weren't Ashland Rowing Club members put their backs into Emigrant Lake clean-up The birdman of Bellview Business Ride & Drive: 2015 Honda Civic sedan Silvio Calabi: Mercedes-Benz ML250 raises the diesel 4×4 stakes Ride & Drive: 2015 Chrysler 300 Silvio Calabi: Volvo XC60 is sexy safety in an SUV Ride & Drive: 2015 Audi R8 Politics and elections Arthur I. Cyr: South Korea represents long-term triumph – for them and for US Mark L. Hopkins: Looking for a political straight shooter Oregon's governor appoints new secretary of state Ballots on Jackson County marijuana tax go out today Kate Brown sworn in as Oregon's 38th governor State News Oregon's governor appoints new secretary of state Kate Brown sworn in as Oregon's 38th governor Federal investigation of Kitzhaber to focus on potential financial crimes Gov. Kitzhaber announces resignation Read Gov. John Kitzhaber's statement on his resignation Nation - World Leonard Nimoy, famous as Mr. Spock on 'Star Trek,' dies Obituaries Death Notices William F. Christofferson Death Notices Death Notices Death Notices Shareable Bank of America is predicting a massive Tesla collapse Mars One attracts science fiction geeks and people who hate society Sports Latest Stories Ashland High's Honsinger tops field in final nordic ski meet Ashland Rowing Club to hold get-togethers this weekend at Emigrant Lake No. 21 SOU stuns No. 11 Midland in final seconds Dynamic offenses square off in SOU-Midland first-round matchup SOU women end first-round slump, crush Robert Morris by 25 High school Ashland High's Honsinger tops field in final nordic ski meet Grizz snowboard team heads to state with repeat potential Grizzlies let second-half lead slip away in season-ending loss to CV Williams named first-team all-star Owls stun No. 8 Raiders Southern Oregon University No. 21 SOU stuns No. 11 Midland in final seconds Dynamic offenses square off in SOU-Midland first-round matchup SOU women end first-round slump, crush Robert Morris by 25 No. 10 SOU women brace for national tourney breakfast bracket Raiders tied for third, Gutches two wins from four-peat at NAIA nationals Voices Latest Stories Editor's Notes: Rooting for Eliza Schaaf in The Arc dance competition Arthur I. Cyr: South Korea represents long-term triumph – for them and for US Our View: Ashland backs residents over visitors in lodging decision Letters to the Editor, March 12 Kent Bush: The Internet is governed by people who have never sent an email Editorial Our View: Ashland backs residents over visitors in lodging decision Our View: No need for blame in Hannah Thomas-Garner case Our view: Ashland tackles school attendance areas the right way Our View: Spelling out safety Our View: Letters Letters to the Editor, March 12 Letters to the Editor, March 11 Letters to the Editor, March 9 Letters to the Editor, March 7 Letters to the Editor, March 5 Guest opinions Guest Opinion: It's Groundwater Awareness Week; test your well Guest Opinion: Ashland schools failed to protect my son from bullying Guest Opinion: There is nothing uniform about the Uniform Crime Report Guest Opinion: Growth carries risks Guest Opinion: Legal poisons in our waters Columns Editor's Notes: Rooting for Eliza Schaaf in The Arc dance competition Arthur I. Cyr: South Korea represents long-term triumph – for them and for US Guest Opinion: It's Groundwater Awareness Week; test your well Kent Bush: Things will never change unless we change them Guest Opinion: Ashland schools failed to protect my son from bullying Chris Honore Council Corner Editor's Notes Jeffrey Gillespie Herb Rothschild Revels Latest Stories Movie listings: March 13-18 Nitty Gritty Dirt Band co-founder John McEuen performs at the Unitarian Fellowship in Ashland Thanks for the Memories presents 'Anastasia' Community blog: Take a peek at poet Scott Wozniak Community blog: Memorize poems with your whole body Theater Ticket availability Thanks for the Memories presents 'Anastasia' Ticket Availability Ticket Availability Ticket Availability Music The Farr Side: Madonna — ever the trendsetter Nitty Gritty Dirt Band co-founder John McEuen performs at the Unitarian Fellowship in Ashland Alice DiMicele plays Unitarian Fellowship The Farr Side: Another career highlight for Kelly Clarkson Music on the Mountain: Ski area launching concert series Visual Art Ashland's First Friday Art Walk showcases new exhiits by regional artists Movies Shailene Woodley returns as Tris in ‘Insurgent’ Movie listings: March 13-18 'Chappie' fails to make you care Ashland Independent Film Festival announces this year's lineup AGING HAPPENS: Ashland synagogue hosts screening of Chopra film Food and Drink Sammich does it Chicago-style Cruelest Month: Poetry Blog Lifestyle Latest Stories Police department helps community fight fraud Religion News: Austria defends new law on mosque funding Dr. Murray Feingold: What’s your excuse for being late? Using universal design Suzette Martinez Standring: Reiki - healing energy Aging Happens Inner Peace Column Inner Peace Blog Classifieds Jobs Autos Real Estate FEATURED » Obituaries Photos Videos Blogs Business Business Services NEWS NOW Mt. Ashland Ski Area to reopen some runs Friday ... LOCAL TAKE: Do we need daylight saving time? ... Ashland Rowing Club to hold get-togethers this weekend at Emigrant Lake ... Mt. Ashland Ski Area to reopen some runs Friday ... LOCAL TAKE: Do we need daylight saving time? ... Ashland Rowing Club to hold get-togethers this weekend at Emigrant Lake ... MISSING ASHLAND TEEN MISSING ASHLAND TEEN: 'Why?' still unknown in Thomas-Garner case Dad describes initial conversation 'a blur' By Joe Zavala Ashland Daily Tidings DailyTidings.com By Joe Zavala Ashland Daily Tidings Posted Mar. 10, 2015 @ 2:00 am By Joe Zavala Ashland Daily Tidings Posted Mar. 10, 2015 @ 2:00 am » Social News p bs:newslist StartDate="20121121" EndDate="p bs:datecalc Months="3"" DateSort="1" UseObjects="1" ObjectClass="81" Taxonomywords="2324,665" ExactTaxonomyMatch="1" Image="1" Count="4" --> Jeff Garner picked up his phone Saturday morning and was dumbstruck by what came across the line. It was a voice he had not heard in more than three months, frantically apologizing: “I’m so sorry, I’m so sorry, I’m so sorry for putting you and everybody through all this.” “And then,” Garner said, “she said, ‘I’m ready to come home.’” And just like that, Hannah Thomas-Garner, the Ashland High School senior who had been missing since Nov. 30 — a disappearance which set off a police investigation, a separate volunteer-led investigation, the hiring of a private investigator and inspired scores of social media posts and a BringHannahHome Facebook page — came out of hiding. “I was like, ‘OK, just calm down, let’s talk about this, it’s OK’” Garner said of the short conversation. “She said, ‘I’m ready to come home,’ and she kept crying and said a word, and I don’t remember what the word was. The whole thing was a blur. And I looked at my wife, who was on the phone as well, and I said, ‘Oh my gosh, that’s her.’ And she said, ‘I know.’ “It was so exciting,” he said. “I can’t even think of the word. It was shocking, actually. I was in disbelief because I didn’t think it would be possible. I was just elated.” A few hours after he hung up the phone Garner was on a plane that took off from Dallas/Fort Worth International Airport. That night, he was driving through a quiet neighborhood in Santa Cruz, Calif., following directions, when he saw Thomas-Garner standing on the sidewalk, waiting. “I don’t even know if I pushed the brake, but the car stopped,” Garner said. “So the car’s in the middle of the road and I went over to her and gave her a big old hug, and we started crying, of course. I just said, ‘We’ll get over this, it’s OK.’” It was the first time he had seen her since last summer, and Garner said she looked tired and appeared to have lost some weight, but otherwise fine. “She did not look like she was in distress,” he said. Garner phoned the Ashalnd Police Department that night to report that the search was over and provided a photograph to prove it, then arranged to take Thomas-Garner back with him to his home in Texas. As far as disclosing why Thomas-Garner decided to run away and where she was staying, Garner said as of Monday afternoon those topics had not been discussed yet. Thomas-Garner, through Garner, turned down an interview request. “Her and I haven’t talked about what happened,” Garner said, “because I’m trying to give her time to realize that it’s OK to open up to us. … We don’t’ know why (she ran away). We have no idea. Only she knows and I don’t want to start bombarding her with questions and then we’ll never know the real reason.” Both Garner and Thomas-Garner were interviewed by Newswatch 12 on Sunday. During the 10-minute segment, Thomas-Garner said that she was in California the entire time she was gone, knew about the public’s interest in the case and broke her own car window after accidentally locking her supplies inside — the broken window led to speculation among volunteers that she had been kidnapped. When she was asked with whom she stayed with, she declined to answer. “I don’t really want to talk about, too specifically, where I was because I do have people I’m protecting,” she said, before quickly correcting herself. “Not 'protecting.' Sorry, wrong words. Yeah, I’ve been safe. I’ve been helped by a lot of people.” Later, when asked about the response to her disappearance by the Ashland community, she said, “After a little bit I did see them, but I still had things that I needed to figure out for myself before I felt comfortable coming home.” That was about as in-depth as Thomas-Garner was willing to go, as a follow-up question asking for some elaboration on why she stayed away for so long and another asking her to explain why she left in the first place were both answered the same way: “I don’t really want to talk about that.” Garner said that Thomas-Garner has no plans to return to Ashland High School to complete her diploma. Ashland High principal Michelle Zundel sent out an all-staff email on Saturday announcing that Thomas-Garner had been found after the BringHannahHome Facebook page made it official. The AHS staff then met Monday morning and was brought up to speed. Later, Zundel made an announcement to the student body over the PA system. “I would say that the Ashland High community has breathed a huge sigh of relief today,” Zundel said. “We have been consumed with worry and concern for (Thomas-Garner’s) welfare and our hearts are a little lighter today. A lot lighter today. “One of the things that I would like to emphasize is that we know that not all runaway stories have a happy ending, and that there are teenagers that are really vulnerable when they run away. There are so many other ways that this scenario could have ended.” There are still some loose ends Thomas-Garner must tie up with the Ashland Police Department. Ashland police chief Terry Holderness said that the department will interview her soon, but whether or not that meeting will be handled in person or through Skype he could not say. The interview, he said, will be used in part to narrow down her motive for running away and may be conducted by a “local agency” which has experience dealing with distressed teens. “It’s just a standard thing we do,” Holderness said. By Joe Zavala Ashland Daily Tidings DailyTidings.com By Joe Zavala Ashland Daily Tidings Posted Mar. 10, 2015 @ 2:00 am » Comment or view comments /* $( document ).ready(function() { // Jquery mobile is trying to style the button and leaving a blank gry button on top of a white button $("#viafouracoms .vf-comment-controls li.vf-right").html(' Submit '); });*/ » STAY INFORMED Email NewsLetter Sign Up Today Sign up for our newsletter and have the top headlines from your community delivered right to your inbox. calendar Connect with DailyTidings.com Facebook Twitter RSS Back to top Reader Services Reader Services home Subscriptions Subscriber controls Contact us Submissions Photos Events Letters to the editor Corrections Alerts Email alerts RSS feeds Text Alerts Advertise Media Kit Home Products and services Ad rates Advertising contacts Mail Tribune Daily Tidings The Nickel Shop Our Valley Blogs Stay Informed Email newsletter Sign Up Today Sign up for our newsletter and have the top headlines from your community delivered right to your inbox. 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