6 November 2013
New Fire Boss Set to Start Later This Month
The new fire chief at Siuslaw Valley Fire and Rescue will officially start on the job November 18th. Jim Langborg was in town this week scoping out housing… and getting a feel for the community… as well as the agency itself.
Jim Langborg – “A very well run, well organized organization. I mean, for the size of the community, they’ve really done a good job. I mean, all your infrastructure is in place. It looks like you have management, a lot of your facilities, and recently the apparatus, so. It’s a nice fire department; I mean it’s great to come into this.”
The 47-year old Salt Lake City, Utah native spent several years in the U.S. Air Force. He then settled in the Vancouver, Washington area after his tour ended and spent several years with Clark County Fire and Rescue.
Jim Langborg – “My entire career has been with combination fire departments. So, all the way from the volunteer supplemented with career staff to Clark County Fire and Rescue which was really career staff supplemented with volunteer; so the full spectrum.”
Langborg most recently served as fire chief in Socorro, Texas, near El Paso. He says he’s thrilled to be back in the Northwest.
The outgoing chief, John Buchanan, will stay on until December.
Community Christmas Basket Fund Raising
Fund Raising efforts for the annual Community Christmas Basket project are underway. Florence Soroptimist President Carol Bennett says it’s a community tradition that goes back more than 30-years. Organizers are planning on distributing toys and ingredients for a holiday meal to families and households in need. According to Bennett that will take more than $20-thousand. Soroptimist members are making the rounds seeking donations right now.
Carol Bennett – “They can send their checks to Soroptimist International of Florence. You can just make the check out to SI-Florence, that’s just fine; to PO Box 1209. And they can also drop donations off at Hoberg’s Auto Repair.”
The distribution date is set for Saturday, December 21st. Bennett said the exact location will be determined later this month.
Gas Prices Tumble
The average cash price for a gallon of regular gasoline in Florence tumbled nine cents in the past week. Last week’s average was $3.33 a gallon. At $3.24 it’s just a penny higher than the national average as measured by Triple-A.
According to that organization, the Oregon average price fell by a nickel this past week; down from $3.43 to $3.38 a gallon.
Our Town – Senior Issues and End of Life
This afternoon’s Our Town on KCST will a primarily “senior themed” program with an in depth conversation about hospice and end of life care. Peace Harbor Hospice manager Kathy Haberly will be in the anchor position. She, along with volunteer coordinator Donna Becker and long-time volunteer and board member Eunice Tevlin will talk about how their program can provide care and assistance to individuals and families during a very high stress time.
Pat Riley, a trust officer with Oregon Pacific Bank, and Jane Hanawalt, a local attorney specializing in senior issues; will also be on the program. They will talk about how making some early decisions can ease stress..
Also on the program: Michael Cox with Cover.Oregon. He will talk about how Oregonians can submit applications for health care insurance in advance of the January 1st deadline. Carol Bennett with the Florence Soroptimist club will also be on hand to talk about Community Christmas Baskets.
