Grants to Fund SOS Renovation

11 March 2014

Coast Radio News
Local News

SOS Fund Drive Gets Another Boost

An effort to raise money to pay for building renovations at Siuslaw Outreach Services is getting closer to completion.  S.O.S. Executive Director David Wiegan announced this week the agency will get $20-thousand from the Collins Foundation.  That brings the total raised so far to $101-thousand.

David Wiegan – “We’ve got a $140-thousand project underway and we’re hoping to have the rest of that over the next few months.”

 

The building that houses the Agency is more than 60-years old

David Wiegan – “We’ve got an older building.  Ours was built in the 40s.”

Wiegan says the roof leaks, it’s not energy efficient and there is a lot of wasted space.  The latest grant brings them close enough to their goal that they’ll begin renovation this summer and hopefully have the final $40-thousand in hand by the time the work is completed.

Alley Bows Out Before He Begins

Former Oregon Republican Party Chairman Allen Alley says he won’t be running for governor or any other elected office this year.

Alley announced his decision on Twitter Monday and confirmed in a telephone call.

He says he’s “not going away,” but it’s not the right time for him to run for office. He says a run would make it impossible for him to follow through on promises to help the management teams of companies he’s invested in.

Alley ran for governor in 2010 but lost the GOP primary to Chris Dudley. He had publicly mulled another run this year to challenge Democrat John Kitzhaber.

His decision not to run leaves state Representative Dennis Richardson of Central Point as the front-runner for the Republican nomination.

State Filling Law Enforcement Gap

Oregon state troopers are filling the law enforcement gap in rural Josephine County since voters refused to raise taxes to pay for sheriff’s patrols.

The Grants Pass Daily Courier reports that State Police detectives investigated nearly 800 cases in Josephine County last year, 86 percent of them referred from the sheriff’s office.

The sheriff’s office has slashed its staff as the federal government cut timber subsidies and voters rejected higher taxes. After the cuts, investigations handled by troopers went from 5 to 10 cases a month to 50 to 85 cases.

The State Police are sending more personnel to Josephine County to handle the extra work. Five of the 10 new troopers approved by the Legislature for 2015 will be based in Josephine County.

Earthquake Downgraded

An earthquake that struck offshore and rattled the Northern California coast has been downgraded to a magnitude-6.8.

The quake about 50 miles west of Eureka on Sunday night was initially reported as a magnitude-6.9. It was felt widely across the region and across the Oregon border, but there were no reports of injuries or damage.

The quake had produced 20 aftershocks of magnitude-3.5 or larger by late Monday morning, and more were expected over the coming days.