17 February 2014
More of the same on the way…
Forecasters say there’ll be plenty more wind and rain over the next few days to go along with what we’ve already experienced in the past week.
Yesterday offered a brief respite from the rain, but winds kicked up again in the afternoon.
Saturday afternoon and early evening the winds were the highest with gusts in excess of 60 miles an hour in many locations.
That caused several trees to lean dangerously or fall across Highway 101 just north of Gardiner. Officials closed the roadway completely for about an hour and it has remained open on a limited basis since then because of the amount of debris.
Motorists should expect 20 minute delays through tonight.
The heaviest winds are expected on the north coast today, and will begin to subside, but more rain and heavy winds are expected to come ashore again tomorrow morning.
Early Jail Releases Continue Decline
Since voters approved a special tax levy last spring to fund additional staffing at the Lane County Jail, the number of early releases has fallen dramatically.
In fact, for the first two weeks of 2014 there were no early releases at all; with only 26 let out early during the month of January.
Sergeant David Bones said there were 14 pre-trial releases in the second half of January. An additional 12 prisoners who had only served part of their sentences but were deemed to be “low-risk” were released in the same time period.
That compares to almost 400 early releases in January 2013.
Recycling… Can I get an Amen
Master Recyclers in Lane County are a proselytizing bunch… they’re always looking to convert others to their view of reducing, reusing and recycling.
That message will be brought to Florence in April.
The Master Recycler class is a total of 35 hours of instruction… presented over nine class sessions on Tuesday evenings, plus two field trips.
There’s no cost to attend, but there is a requirement that successful students devote a minimum of 30 hours of their time spreading the message to others.
This is the second Master Recycling class to be held in Florence. Applications will be accepted on a first-come-first-served basis. Click on the master recycler’s link at the Lane County website.
Community Health Fair Expands
The annual Community Health Fair sponsored by the Seventh Day Adventist Church will expand to three days this year.
Organizer Linda Lydick says in addition to the 30 exhibitors offering information and products aimed at helping you to live a healthy lifestyle, there will be two free lunches; CPR classes and a five kilometer fun run and walk.
The Annual Community Health Fair is set for April 4th, 5th; it wraps up with the run on Sunday the 6th.
