Local News – New Council – Crab Season Open – Wharf Rehab – Whales

Coast Radio News
Local News

Two Councils to meet tomorrow…

When the gavel falls on the first city council meeting tomorrow, it will be the last for Florence Mayor Phil Brubaker. Brubaker will preside over his final meeting tomorrow night just long enough to take care of some loose ends and hear any final comments from outgoing councilor Paul Holman.

It will be the first of two meetings for the council. After adjourning for a brief reception, the Incoming council, headed by Mayor-elect Nola Xavier will convene to take care of a brief bit of business before adjournment.

The new council will begin work in earnest next week interviews for committee applicants on the 9th and 10th; then an all day ‘goal-setting’ session at the Florence Events Center on Saturday the 12th.

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Fresh Dungeness crab is on the table today, following yesterday’s official opening of the season. Crabbers were a month late in setting their pots because of a low meat-to-shell ratio in some areas on the southern Oregon and Northern California coast. The delay did allow processors and fishers plenty of time to negotiate the initial wholesale price of $2.30. Crabbing is still closed in Northern California as meat contents remain low.

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Work on the Siuslaw Wharf rehab project is progressing well according to Port of Siuslaw manager Bob Forsythe. Already, ten of the 41 pilings to be driven in the project have been set. Forsythe said the ones closest to the shore under Mo’s Restaurant have been set. The crane used to drive the piles will be transferred to a barge this week to provide access to the channel-side. Forsythe said crews will be working to install stringers beneath both ICM and Mo’s in the coming weeks. The project is expected to be completed in March. Both restaurants will remain open through the process.

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An estimated 18-thousand gray whales migrate south along the Oregon Coast from the Gulf of Alaska to breeding grounds near Baja California between mid-December and mid-January. Organized efforts to track the whales officially ended Sunday with the conclusion of the ‘Whale Watching Spoken Here” program operated by the Oregon Parks and Recreation Dept. Officials say the whales will continue to run for the next two to three weeks. They’ll return in mid-March.