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0 of 3 Premium Clicks used this month SUBSCRIBE Print + Online Subscriber Activation | Register x Forgot Password | Need an Account? e-edition | subscribe | newsletter | deals Home News Latest Stories Shots fired into Medford home Wind pushes tree over onto Grants Pass woman's car Bates-Dotterrer race leads state's campaign spending spree Elderly woman's kidnapper sentenced to 15 years Restaurant Inspections Crime, Courts and Emergency Services Shots fired into Medford home Wind pushes tree over onto Grants Pass woman's car Elderly woman's kidnapper sentenced to 15 years Emergency Services 'Constant state of paranoia' Politics and Elections Fire chief has sheriff's back Phoenix council races draw a crowd — and debate Winters worn down by criticism Eagle Point might get on the bus Richardson accuses Kitzhaber of 'corruption' in final debate Education Kids Unlimited Academy awarded $450,000 grant County helps fund RCC job training SOU student says free speech issue overblown SOU interim president leads in a different direction Medford school officials consider costs of full-day kindergarten Environment Reintroduction of McCloud River salmon inspires film, tribe Rite Aid bear cub may be released into the wild in spring Rite Aid cub well, could come back to southern Oregon Neighbors smell trouble in proposal to spread waste on Sams Valley farmland Bear cub captured in Ashland pharmacy State news Nation - World Obituaries Donna Lee Norvell Faith Ann Honer Sherry Nell Bean Pat V. Cutler James Luther Hinds, Jr. Weather Photo Galleries Since You Asked Videos Web Cams Mail Tribune 100 Sports Latest Stories Wilson leads Seahawks over Panthers again, 13-9 Earnhardt wins at Martinsville Speedway Streb wins McGladrey Classic in a playoff Beavers’ defense wilts in loss Ducks do a lot of bending in victory Varsity 541 College Sports Beavers’ defense wilts in loss Ducks do a lot of bending in victory Victory puts Raider netters atop standings Beavers fall flat OSU’s pass defense gets failing grade Pro Sports Wilson leads Seahawks over Panthers again, 13-9 Streb wins McGladrey Classic in a playoff New season looks like it’s can’t miss North Carolina coach Williams ‘dumbfounded’ by report LSU pulls off upset of No. 3 Mississippi Community Sports LOCAL EVENTS LOCAL RESULTS Business Latest Stories Southeast Village Center inches closer to reality Winco to build Grants Pass store Business briefs Blog: Let's Celebrate! Old-fashioned hat maker Real Estate News New I-5 interchange puts south Medford on fast lane to fast food Lithia buys Clovis dealership Rental vacancies increase Jackson County real estate sales, prices continue rebound Pallet Wine Co. expands in downtown Medford People In Business People in Business Transportation Frontier Airlines to end Eugene-Denver service Business Resource Fair has answers Erickson's Navy contract extended Lithia buys Clovis dealership Agriculture Hundreds look for work at Harry & David hiring fair Umpqua Holdings more than doubles net earnings Harry & David will hold hiring fair Thursday Ranchers offer livestock exchange 1-800-Flowers CEO: Labor shortage an issue for Harry & David Opinion Latest Our View: Cost is a poor excuse for local pot tax Letters to the Editor, Oct. 26 Dana Milbank: Larry Pressler's quirky Senate campaign Guest Opinion: Common Core testing sets math students up for failure Guest Opinion: Campaigning and voting 'the Oregon way' Editorials Our View: Cost is a poor excuse for local pot tax Don't bet on pot windfall for schools Our View: SOU's 'free speech zone' constitutionally questionable Our View: Kitzhaber is still the best choice Our view: Merkley-Wehby race leaves us unconvinced; Walden seems destined for permanent position Letters to the Editor Letters to the Editor, Oct. 26 Letters to the Editor, Oct. 25 Letters to the Editor, Oct. 24 Letters to the Editor, Oct. 23 Letters to the Editor, Oct. 22 Guest Opinions Guest Opinion: Common Core testing sets math students up for failure Guest Opinion: Campaigning and voting 'the Oregon way' Guest Opinion: A glimpse into the reality of our elections Don't overlook importance of Jackson County commissioners race Measure 92 misleads rather than enlightens Lifestyle Latest stories Rocks and Rhetoric Engagement Wedding: Potter-Hazel Wedding: Martin-Berg Wedding: Hale-Lombardi Food Community blog: Quick breads take well to gluten-free ingredients Community blog: Barrel Aged and Sour Beers Ledger David Cellars has a new winemaker and big plans Community blog: There's a method to mix, match alternative grains Ashland resident's cookbook showcases gluten-free creativity Home and Garden How to live and work in a tiny home Dear Monty: Rent-back clause prevents financial disaster​ Recycle plastic at The Expo Friday and Saturday How to know when trees and shrubs need to go Dear Monty: Is your real estate agent a secret agent? Health Community blog: Finding My Roots Dr. Jeff Hersh: Controversy over breast cancer screening Dr. Murray Feingold: Choose a diet best for you Community blog: The Crowd And The Win - Better Health Joan Endyke: The importance of a healthy diet when pregnant Hiking Biking Faith Religion Briefs Religion Briefs Religion Briefs Religion Briefs Milestones and Achievements Engagement Wedding: Potter-Hazel Wedding: Martin-Berg Wedding: Hale-Lombardi Wedding: Henderson-Carroll Columnist for a Day Rogue Healthy Aging Tempo Latest stories Patty Griffin plays the Historic Ashland Armory Puss 'N' Boots Costume Ball and Auction Southern Oregon Repertory Singers present harmonious voices, dissonant notes Beekeepers Ball is one sweet soiree Scottish music duo plays highland magic Theater Review: Funny 'Lion in Winter' roars to life at Camelot Theatre Camelot presents 'The Lion in Winter' 'Carnage' is short, smart, darkly funny Music Patty Griffin plays the Historic Ashland Armory Live Music in Local Clubs Southern Oregon Repertory Singers present harmonious voices, dissonant notes Beekeepers Ball is one sweet soiree Scottish music duo plays highland magic Community Events Puss 'N' Boots Costume Ball and Auction Theater's haunted house not for faint of heart Third Fridays in downtown Medford Works in progress Southern Oregon Pride Festival celebrates diversity Dining Back Porch Bar & Grill Yu's Yummy Yan's offers great take-out Agave offers tasty tacos Asian cuisine for all seasons at Misoya Bistro Tempo Videos Classifieds Jobs Autos Real Estate FEATURED » Obituaries Blogs TV Listings Movie Listings Oregon Outdoors Oregon Healthy Living Magazines & Special Sections NEWS NOW Shots fired into Medford home ... Wind pushes tree over onto Grants Pass woman's car ... Our View: Cost is a poor excuse for local pot tax ... Shots fired into Medford home ... Wind pushes tree over onto Grants Pass woman's car ... Our View: Cost is a poor excuse for local pot tax ... A familiar road, in the dark I can't say for sure that I ever crossed paths with Karen Greenstein, but I'm fairly certain I knew the sound of her voice. By Robert Galvin MailTribune.com By Robert Galvin Posted Mar. 30, 2014 @ 12:01 am By Robert Galvin Posted Mar. 30, 2014 @ 12:01 am » Social News I can't say for sure that I ever crossed paths with Karen Greenstein, but I'm fairly certain I knew the sound of her voice. It's the sort of relationship that develops between those who work in newsrooms and those who toil anonymously in the public sector — the clerical staffs, the receptionists, those behind the counter at fast-food restaurants who hand newsroom types a bag of dinner a few nights a week. We talk to them on the phone, or through the speaker at a drive-thru. Sometimes, you hear them enough, you can tell when they're having a bad day, or are aggravated or have a cold. Deal with them long enough over the years, and the formality in their voice drops and you create what passes for going from “contact” to “acquaintance” to (sometimes) something close to being a “friend.” It's like friending someone clear across the country on Facebook — only with actual human interaction. Karen Greenstein's voice came into the lives of those of us here at the Mail Tribune through her work as an emergency dispatcher for Emergency Communications of Southern Oregon — the sound in the background alerting first responders of critical moments that needed their attention, and reporters, photographers and editors of possible stories to cover. We get to know these voices in the newsroom. And because most of them — dispatchers and responders alike — are with us every night, we tend to incorporate them in the flow of our evening, into the pulse of our week. And for those of us who — like Karen — pull late-night duty, we establish a connection by osmosis. That someone else out there is sitting in a different cubicle, behind a different desk, on the wrong side of midnight. The night Karen Greenstein died on Interstate 5 in the vicinity of milepost 25, I had driven that same stretch of southbound highway roughly two hours earlier — like her, on my way home to Ashland. I've been making that drive for nearly 15 years at some point between midnight and 2 a.m. — watching for the small group of deer that feed just off the shoulder, noting the semis that have pulled into the rest area or parked to grab a bite at the Iron Skillet. We're most likely by ourselves at that hour, returning from work, with perhaps the radio or a favorite CD to keep us company — and awake. A few times a month, a glorious moon decides to light our way … and we feel for a fleeting instant that we are alone in the world. At that time of night, that time of morning, every section of stillness along the asphalt is at once familiar and terrifying. Regulars who know the drive know what to do when there's a threat of snow, when long-haulers need to get over the Siskiyou Summit. We know to watch for construction crews, the occasional hitchhiker, the way traffic slows in the fog as someone up ahead is navigating their way to the exit for Phoenix or Talent. What Karen Greenstein couldn't have known — shouldn't have had to know — was that at about 3 a.m., her ride home would end when a driver approached her on Interstate 5 going the wrong way. Those of us who have to make that drive — knowing the dangers that could await are often related to the poor recreational choices of others — find no solace in this “There but for the grace of God” moment. Her family's tragedy is no one else's good fortune, no matter how familiar we are with the road Karen Greenstein traveled. Or, for that matter, if we know we could have been in the other car. I've traveled that particular road, too. Tuesday marks the 25th symbolic anniversary of my sobriety. Symbolic, because while I know what time of year the choice was made, the exact date remains fuzzy in my memory — like so many other events of the years that came before it. April 1 stands for the day I decided to stop fooling myself. It is not a milestone to be celebrated. I'd much rather have had no reason to mark it at all. That I've purposely missed generations in the evolution of alcohol — craft beers, boxed wines, Zima — is a choice filled with regret, occasional envy and moments of strained personal fortitude. There are now smartphone apps designed for alcoholics in recovery, or in denial, that provide courage, diversion or assistance in times of weakness. April itself is National Alcohol Awareness Month. Be a friend ... to someone you know or to yourself. A life after drinking is a whirlpool of emotions, slowed by moments such as Thursday morning, finding out about the crash on I-5 that took one life, left another hanging in the balance, and affected dozens more as the ripples of personal interaction spread out. We read stories about a nightmare such as this, we stop in traffic as emergency personnel do their duty, we hear the details in casual conversation ... and still it has the ability to strike in a place deeper than when we hear of tragedies larger in scope. We find a reason to relate, a moment to reflect. We find ourselves asking the same questions that come to mind the last time this set of circumstances led to this same result. It's not a question of “why?” but a question of “why again?” And, more than likely, “why the next time?” The voices of those we have lost are stilled, but we hear them. Mail Tribune news editor Robert Galvin can be reached at [email protected] By Robert Galvin MailTribune.com By Robert Galvin Posted Mar. 30, 2014 @ 12:01 am » Comment or view comments Reader Reaction » 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 MailTribune.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 Announcements Obituaries Story ideas Since you asked 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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