21 January 2013
Minor Incident Prompts Precautions at Schools
Siuslaw schools went into a ‘modified lock-in’ Friday morning as a precaution after a disgruntled student left the high school. Siuslaw High School Principal Matt Henry said no threats were made. But the student, who had just gone through a disciplinary action, became angry and verbal. Henry said the incident came just prior to a planned lock-down drill at the high school so he opted to institute safety precautions that included locking all outside doors.
Henry said he followed protocol and notified the other school buildings along on Oak Street. At the Middle School, students were kept inside at lunch time and PE classes were all held inside the gym as a precaution. Both the Middle School and Elementary schools are already locked during the day anyway, with the only entrance allowed through the main offices.
By midday the restrictions at the high school had been lifted and students were free to leave campus for lunch.
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Mayor asks to fire Budget Committee member
Florence Mayor Nola Xavier is seeking approval from the City Council to formally remove a member of the city’s Budget Committee. Joseph Wise resigned from the Planning Commission last year after a disagreement with then-mayor Phil Brubaker over what was called a “perceived bias”. Xavier said it appeared in Wise’s resignation letter that he was also stepping down from the Budget Committee.
That didn’t turn out to be the case and during a conversation with Wise, Xavier asked if he would consider doing so. He told her he would at her request, but refused to put it in writing. Unable to proceed with simply a verbal resignation, Xavier will ask the city council tomorrow night for formal approval to remove Wise from the panel.
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Phonies wanted
Some phonies are being sought to help raise money for the Boys and Girls Club of Western Lane County. The Third annual Fraudville Lip Sync competition is coming up February 23rd and organizers are looking for groups or individuals to perform a ‘lip sync’ version of their favorite song. Jean Murphey says there is a $100 entry fee and that money goes directly to the club. She also says a panel of – quote – “corruptible judges” will evaluate all the entries and award a traveling trophy to the top act.
Judging will be based on originality, audience response, entertainment value and costumes. She says there are a limited number of spaces available.
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