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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 10 things to know for Wednesday The big what-if: Drilling under Rogue River comes with risks Donations still needed for ACCESS Food for Hope Get Up & Go: Dec. 31 Emergency services Crime, Courts and Emergency Services Emergency services Fire reported twice at Eastwood home; second call was real thing No one injured as fire torches patio at Medford apartment OSP traffic stop nets 14 pounds of methamphetamine UPDATED: More vehicles stolen from Medford driveways as they idle Politics and Elections State certifies recount showing failure of GMO-labeling measure Time running out for O&C funds GMO vote recount still shows little change GMO labeling votes recounted under careful watch in Jackson County Kent Bush: First Amendment doesn’t mean what you think it means Education Traveling artist sets the stage for Ruch School amphitheater Ruch school class focuses on the natural environment Bethel Church helps families at McLoughlin Middle School Logos may offer students 'fifth year' at RCC or SOU St. Mary's plays host to youth robotics tournament Environment Monument expansion expected to increase tourism, protect resources Biologist resigns over LNG reporting failure Bird flu discovered in Winston backyard flock Jackson County holds back on enforcing GMO ban for now No fish, no funding for problem dams State News Dam problems force early fish transfer into Willamette Valley lakes Portland mattress stowaway cat back home Oregon missionary deported back to U.S. faces molestation charges Poverty rate in Oregon schools jumps since 2007 Northwest poultry producers fear bird flu outbreak may hurt exports Nation - World Obama makes Maduro’s ‘insolent Yankees’ line harder to sell Obituaries Leonard Lyle Roberts Death Notices Sidney A. 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Sports Latest Stories South drops tourney finale to Chaminade Aldridge comes back strong in Blazers win Balanced Beavers knock off Santa Barbara Stanford dominates Maryland in Foster Farm Bryant's triple-double carries Lakers Varsity 541 College Sports Balanced Beavers knock off Santa Barbara Stanford dominates Maryland in Foster Farm Gutches places sixth at Midlands No. 3 Virginia pulls away from Davidson Rousing reception for Harbaugh in Michigan return Pro Sports Aldridge comes back strong in Blazers win Bryant's triple-double carries Lakers Lions’ Suh cleared top play Sunday Giants' Bumgarner chosen top male athlete Plumlee leads Nets past Kings Community Sports Business Latest Stories Rising prices bear fruit for local pear growers Dear Monty: Best start for 1st-time homebuyers Milken economist headlines Southern Oregon Business Conference Ride & Drive: 2015 Volkswagen Jetta TDI Silvio Calabi: Infiniti Q50 offers business-class driving Real Estate News Dear Monty: Best start for 1st-time homebuyers Rental owners group reports 2.48 percent vacancy rate More sales, but no change in residential housing median price People In Business People in Business, Dec. 3 Transportation Falling gas prices help spur travel at Medford airport Agriculture Rising prices bear fruit for local pear growers K-BAR ignites agriculture boom beneath Table Rocks Opinion Latest Granlund cartoon: Resolutions redux Matthew T. Mangino: Judges lament ‘Prosecution by PowerPoint’ Jim Brock: You don't have to take it anymore Our View: Caves expansion worth the wait Letters to the Editor, Dec. 31 Editorials Our View: Caves expansion worth the wait Other Views: Oregon incomes still lag behind Our View: Council is barking up the right tree Other Views: Roseburg VA director sets the right goals Our View: Thanks to four departing leaders Letters to the Editor Letters to the Editor, Dec. 31 Letters to the Editor, Dec. 30 Letters to the Editor, Dec. 29 Letters to the Editor, Dec. 28 Letters to the Editor, Dec. 26 Guest Opinions Guest Opinion: Loved one chose death with dignity in Oregon Guest Opinion: Forest thinning means water for the future Guest Opinion: Suit threatens family farms and democratic vote Guest Opinion: SOU pool decision short-sighted Guest Opinion: It's time for biologists to let OR-7 go dark Lifestyle Latest stories Dear Monty: Best start for 1st-time homebuyers Community blog: Ring in new flavors with year's last appetizers Community blog: We Don't Have To Conspire Against Good Health Mark L. Hopkins: New Year’s resolutions and more HealthStyle: New year, new you Food Community blog: Ring in new flavors with year's last appetizers Food for Thought: Tips for cooking when you have food allergies Food for Thought: Wintertime wining and dining Kitchen Call: The comfort of creamy soups Community blog: Baking contest finalists combine cookies, candies Home and Garden Dear Monty: Best start for 1st-time homebuyers Dear Monty: Can a rookie real estate agent be a good choice? Bathtub or shower: What’s best for you? Home Help: Home safety tips for a safe and happy winter season How NOT to install drywall Health Community blog: We Don't Have To Conspire Against Good Health HealthStyle: New year, new you Health Watch: Build up your glutes in the off-season Dr. Jeff Hersh: What's a monoclonal antibody? Dr. Murray Feingold: Have a happy and stress-free holiday Hiking Biking Faith (No heading) Churches, synagogs host seasonal events Bethel Church helps families at McLoughlin Middle School Milestones and Achievements Local landowners see no public good in proposed pipeline Pear Blossom queen has open heart surgery Hundreds enjoy Christmas dinner, gifts at St. Vincent de Paul SinceYou Asked: SBA would work with Mt. Ashland Ski Area about loan Fans, friends and family welcome home victorious SOU team at airport Columnist for a Day Rogue Healthy Aging Tempo Latest stories New Schneider Museum exhibits highlight First Friday Camelot's 'Fiddler' is a charmer Top 10 CDs of 2014 Ring in 2015 at a New Year's celebration near you Dobra Tea menu offers hundreds of brews Theater Camelot's 'Fiddler' is a charmer ACT presents reading of 'The Quality of Life' Meet the real Jacob Marley This Nutcracker ballet will have a superhero twist Plumbing the depths of meaning Music The Farr Side: Top 10 album count-up for 2014 Top 10 CDs of 2014 A tribute to Joe Cocker Ring in 2015 at a New Year's celebration near you SugarBeats headline an all-ages dance party at Historic Ashland Armory Community Events New Schneider Museum exhibits highlight First Friday Celebrate winter solstice with the Bad Film Society Tomaseen Foley's "A Celtic Christmas" returns to the Craterian Theater Stefan Baumann and Eugene Bennett highlight Third Fridays Dancing People Company celebrates the solstice Dining Dobra Tea menu offers hundreds of brews Food for Thought: Wintertime wining and dining Coffee shops roll out holiday-inspired drinks Over Easy serves 'pop-up' brunch Sundays Ooblies Artisan Waffle Sandwiches Tempo Videos Classifieds Jobs Autos Real Estate FEATURED » Obituaries Blogs TV Listings Movie Listings Oregon Outdoors Oregon Healthy Living Magazines & Special Sections NEWS NOW The big what-if: Drilling under Rogue River comes with risks ... Our View: Caves expansion worth the wait ... Fire reported twice at Eastwood home; second call was real thing ... The big what-if: Drilling under Rogue River comes with risks ... Our View: Caves expansion worth the wait ... Fire reported twice at Eastwood home; second call was real thing ... MEDFORD Couple's creativity and hard work fuel Kid Time! preschool expansion Comment By Buffy Pollock for the Mail Tribune MailTribune.com By Buffy Pollock for the Mail Tribune Posted Dec. 28, 2014 @ 12:01 am Updated Dec 28, 2014 at 12:16 AM By Buffy Pollock for the Mail Tribune Posted Dec. 28, 2014 @ 12:01 am Updated Dec 28, 2014 at 12:16 AM » Social News A retired couple who moved to Medford from New Jersey to be near their grandchildren have poured countless hours into expanding Kid Time! Discovery Experience, more than doubling its preschool space and increasing its enrollment in less than a year. Jim and Celeste Hammell say their love of children and desire to contribute to their new city has fueled their work at the children's museum and activity center at Sixth Street and Riverside Avenue in Medford. Jim, a mechanical engineer, and Celeste, a teacher of secondary and special education, helped plan and construct the new preschool, which moved from an upstairs alcove to the spacious downstairs at the former J.C. Penney building. Kid Time! coordinators say the larger preschool could move the facility closer to financial stability after struggling last year to increase funding or face closure. Kid Time! opened in 2005 in a former civic building on Ross Lane with a handful of exhibits, such as a grocery store, theater, play area and a water table. In 2011, it moved to its present home at 106 N. Central Ave., which is next door to the Southern Oregon Historical Society's research library. A preschool to help increase attendance and raise revenue was high on the list of the board's goals. Realizing the upstairs space was too small to gain approval as an accredited preschool, the Hammells and museum volunteers set out to transform a much larger downstairs area into a full-time school. On a recent morning, after stopping to admire two preschoolers' crafted "reindeer food," the Hammells brimmed with excitement about their newfound passion. Celeste, who was hired as preschool director after hundreds of volunteer hours, said she never imagined being part of such a facility. "Our children set up lives on the West Coast, so we found ourselves moving here but never anticipating getting involved in something like this," she said. "We started to get involved and I got really excited when I realized the potential here. When I decided to help, I went home and, since Jim is very talented in woodworking, I decided to ask for ... a little help." "She asked if I wanted to make a few stools," Jim says with a laugh. He built countless tiny chairs, learning stations, little tables and other attractions for the space and is now focused on rebuilding a large grocery store addition. Within weeks, Timber Products donated and delivered a load of wood. "They showed up with a flatbed truck and 8,000 pounds of plywood in our driveway," Jim says. While the couple says they're simply a small piece of a larger effort, museum supporter Anne Batzer credits the pair with moving things along and having vision for the preschool. Spaces have been redesigned and expanded as donations trickled in. "They've just been there every step of the way and we could not have done it without them," Batzer said. When opening a full-time preschool required an outdoor play space, volunteers set to work, collecting donations and lobbying the city to allow sacrifice of six prime parking spaces. Once space was dedicated, Batzer said, the Hammells helped design and outfit it with rubber tires, gravel, Tonka trucks and — another creation by Jim — a giant Flintstone car. "They've given so much to KidTime that they're getting approached by other preschools asking how they have done this and that, and, 'Hey, will you build this stuff for us, too?' " Batzer said. "They just burst with creativity. We've gotten several awards and it's all been because of Celeste. We feel very fortunate to have them on our side. I don't know many other couples who have given so much to a community, especially having just moved here." "Celeste is an amazing gift to the children of our community," said museum Director Sunny Spicer. "She not only has the skills and knowledge to make a tremendous difference with these kids, but truly cares about them, too." Celeste said she feels lucky just to be involved with the growing facility. "We are just two of many people who are involved and we feel very lucky to be a part of it," she said. "There are a lot of very dedicated and very talented people here, and there are even bigger cities that don't have a facility like Kid Time! Medford should be very proud of what's being created here." For more about Kid Time! visit http://kid-time.snappages.com.  Buffy Pollock is a freelance writer living in Medford. E-mail her at [email protected] . By Buffy Pollock for the Mail Tribune MailTribune.com By Buffy Pollock for the Mail Tribune Posted Dec. 28, 2014 @ 12:01 am Updated Dec 28, 2014 at 12:16 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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