November’s jobless numbers are in and the Oregon Employment Department is reporting a drop from October’s seasonally adjusted 9.5 percent to 9.1 percent. The biggest job gains last month were reported in public employment sectors including retail and education. People leaving the work force for retirement, self – employment, and the frustrated unemployed who have stopped job hunting are also considered factors in the lower rate. Lane County’s unemployed falls from 19,705 in November of 2010 to 15,003 last month. The county’s November unemployment rate matches the statewide rate of 9.1 percent, but is above the national rate of 8.6 percent and is the county’s lowest rate since October 2008 of 8.4 percent according to the employment department.
One in four American women said their husband or boyfriend sexually assaulted them, according to a new study published by the Centers for Disease Control. The numbers are disturbing, but even more so when see that the highest number of victims live in the Northwest. Oregon ranks second behind only Alaska. The report shows that about 27-percent of women in Oregon say they’ve been raped or faced attempted rape at some point in their lives. 56-percent said they have experience sexual violence other than rape. Debbie Fox with the Oregon Coalition Against Domestic and Sexual Violence says it’s hard to tell why Oregon’s numbers are so high. But, she adds, progress is being made. More attention is being paid to the matter with an increasing number of women stepping forward to tell their stories. That, she adds, shows growing awareness and could ultimately reduce the numbers.
Satisfying that sweet tooth can be a very good way to also satisfy that need for holiday gift-giving. But, says Alicia Spooner, if you want the Florence Kiwanis Club to help you with that, you might want to act in the next couple of days. Spooner supervises the Florence Kiwanis See’s Candy Sale currently going on at the local Sears store. She says sales are going well and she estimates that they’ll be closing up shop well before Christmas. Already some of the more popular selections have sold out. The candy sales can be a major source of revenue for the club which uses all of the proceeds to fund programs in the community. Candy sales hours are between ten AM and five PM daily until they run out.
