November 28, 2012
Write In Tally Released
5 ½ pages of names written in on the ballots for the Florence City Council in the November 6th general election were released this week. A total of 622 votes were cast for 156 different candidates.
The list included 21 votes for “miscellaneous”.
Most went to the three candidates who publicly sought votes; 186 to Joe Henry, who won the slot; 143 to Clarence Lysdale; and 27 to Jane Nieborsky.
Gary L. Larson was among those written in multiple times. It’s not clear if all ten votes were for the Oklahoma radiologist, the Oregon State University Scientist, the cartoonist, or an area resident.
Florence mayors, current, previous and future, were represented on the list including Nola Xavier, Phil Brubaker, Roger McCorkle, Wilbur Ternyik and Alan Burns. Several members of Burns’ family also got in on the action including his daughter Kourtney and his son in law Sam Reid. No votes, though, for his wife Karen.
There were dozens of people with one or two votes apiece… including at least one fictional character. Phil Dunphy, the neurotic father on the hit ABC comedy Modern Family.
The complete listing is available here: Councilor Write-Ins Tally
More Jail Bed Closures
Lane County Sheriff Tom Turner will be closing another 35 beds at the jail tomorrow morning and when he does a higher number of prisoners than what has become usual will be let go before they’ve served their sentences.
The closure, forced by financial shortfalls, leaves 205 beds available at the jail, but not all of those will be for the Sheriff’s department. 60 are rented to other agencies and that leaves just 135 spaces available for county prisoners either awaiting trial or serving sentences of one year or less.
On a “per-capita” basis, says Turner, that’s only 20-percent of the space available in other Oregon counties.
Gas prices well below last year
A two month decline in gas prices across the country has slowed down according to Triple-A; but in Oregon and locally prices continue to fall. The national average, as measured by Triple-A actually increased by a half-cent this week to $3.42 while Oregon’s average fell by four cents to $3.48.
In Florence, the average fell by a nickel a gallon to $3.46.
Oregon’s current average price is 13-cents less than it was a year ago… Florence drivers are paying, on average, 19-cents a gallon less than they were last Thanksgiving.
Strings of Compassion
A gift to the community this Saturday afternoon will give area residents a chance to experience a soothing therapy that is used to ease the suffering of people who are terminally ill.
The Strings of Compassion benefit concert will feature “Music Thanatology”, a musical/clinical field that unites music and medicine. It’s used for palliative and end-of-life care.
The two PM concert at the Presbyterian Church of the Siuslaw will feature harp and voice. It’s free to the community and there will be a reception following the hour-long concert.
