Siuslaw Awards Close to a Sellout
If you don’t already have your tickets to this evening’s Siuslaw Awards you may be out of luck.
As of this morning there were only five tickets remaining.
The Florence Area Chamber of Commerce will announce the winner of the annual Stu Johnston Business of the Year award tonight. There are two nominees… Siuslaw Bank and Oregon Pacific Bank.
Three other business awards… Community Caring; Curb Appeal and Excellence in Customer Service… along with a special Non-Profit Achievement award will be announced. There are a total of 11 businesses and four non-profits nominated.
In addition, two previously announced awards will be presented. Eric Tanikawa will receive the 2013 First Citizen; Siuslaw High School senior Kylie Brandt will be honored as the Future First Citizen.
The evening ceremonies at the Florence Events Center begin at 6:30.
Coos Count Beach Cleanup
A cleanup is underway on the beach in Coos County. A dock washed up on shore near the Cape Arago Lighthouse last week; then broke apart over the weekend… spreading hundreds of thousands of tiny pellets of plastic foam.
The pieces are so small that the only way to get most of them will be by using a vacuum.
Biologists say they’re concerned about birds eating the pellets and dying. A state spokesman said so far there have been no reports of that occurring.
The dock, privately owned, drifted out to sea from Charleston before washing ashore. Since it has broken up there is no chance of hauling it back to sea and towing it to harbor.
Oregon State Parks crews began loading plastic onto trucks Monday. The dock owner and other organizations are aiding in the cleanup.
The Price of Driving
If you’re buying gas in Florence… and you’re paying cash… you’ll pay about 20-cents a gallon less than you did last year at this time… but a penny more than you did last month.
This morning’s average cash price is $3.16 a gallon.
That’s 15-cents a gallon below the national average price, and 17-cents less than Oregon’s average… both measured by Triple-A.
Looking at other areas in the state, drivers are consistently paying more than they do in Florence. In Eugene and Springfield the average is $3.37; in Salem it’s $3.28; and in Medford the average price is $3.38 a gallon.