Local News: County Commission in Florence; Relay for Life; Dunes Fatality; Rock and Roll Hall of Famer

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Board of Commissioners to meet twice in Florence tomorrow

The fifth reading and continued public hearing on a proposal to amend Florence’s Comprehensive Plan as recognized by Lane County will be held tomorrow afternoon in Florence.  Two years ago the Lane County version of the comp plan diverged from the Florence version when Commissioners at the time tried to allay fears of residents living within the Urban Growth Boundary.

They limited methods that could be used to annex property into the City of Florence, but inadvertently violated state statute in the process.  A proposal was drafted earlier this year to rectify the situation and has already been the subject of four hearings.  A fifth hearing will be held in two parts tomorrow afternoon and evening at the Florence Events Center.

The Board of Commissioners will meet at the FEC at 1:30; then reconvene again at the center at five to take additional testimony and presumably make a final decision.

Fatality on the Oregon Dunes

A 16-year old Port Angeles, Washington boy was killed Thursday evening in a crash on the Oregon Dunes National Recreation Area just south of Winchester Bay.  Douglas County Sheriff’s spokesperson Dwes Hutson said Mason Zigler was killed when the motorcycle he was riding collided in mid-air with an ATV operated by a 45-year old Springfield man.  Christopher Cowen suffered minor injuries but did not need medical attention.  His 22-year old daughter, Amy, was treated at Lower Umpqua Hospital and released.

Relay Wraps Up

39 teams of walkers, hundreds of participants and volunteers and a goal of $87-thousand dollars came together at Miller Park in Florence between Friday noon and Saturday.  Going into the weekend; teams had already collected nearly $60-thousand towards the goal.  By Saturday morning the total was just under 80-thousand.  Organizers are still tabulating the results but say they’re confident they’ll meet or even exceed their target by the time books close later this month.  The team of walkers from Oregon Pacific Bank took top collection honors again with a fund-raising total of more than $86-hundred dollars.

Southside Smith River

A member of the American Rock and Roll Hall of Fame will be one of several headliners this Saturday during the Southside Smith River Music Festival near Reedsport.  Nokie Edwards’ work with the Ventures, an instrumental quartet founded in Tacoma, Washington in 1958; along with his session and solo work over the years landed him in the hall in 2008.  Edwards will be one of several acts on stage at the Deer Haven Ranch, five miles northeast of Reedsport on Smith River Road.  The festival begins at noon.  Edwards and his band “Surf’s Up” will be taking the stage at 7:05 PM.  Proceeds from the festival will go towards meeting the special transportation needs of the Santana family in Reedsport.