3 December 2014
Police Pursue Suspected Driver Under the Influence
A Florence man was arrested late Monday night after leading police on a high speed chase. Lieutenant John Pitcher said a patrol officer spotted a small truck driving erratically.
John Pitcher – “all over the road, hitting curbs, going into the bike lane. Go to stop it and when the lights go on the vehicle takes a u-turn and goes the other way.”
The Toyota pickup went through Old Town; then north on Highway 101 reaching speeds of up to 80 miles an hour. Pitcher said pursuing officers considered the risk.
John Pitcher – “And it’s one of those if we don’t chase him, he’s still going to drive all over the road and might hit somebody. You’ve got to make that call… you know… is he worse with me warning people behind him? Or is he worse if I leave him alone?”
The driver nearly missed the turn from 101 onto Munsel Lake Road, striking a stop sign. That’s when a passenger in the vehicle opted to ‘bail out’. Pitcher said he narrowly escaped injury. Officers continued the pursuit to Highway 126, then again south on 101 to Clear Lake Road near the Boy Scout Camp. The driver reversed direction again and headed north on 101; leaving the road at Lakeshore Drive when a tire came off.
John Pitcher – “We charged him with DUII, reckless driving, attempt to elude, hit and run property and reckless endangerment.”
50-year old Richard Lawrence Ricksecker was taken into custody… Pitcher says it turns out the pickup was borrowed.
More Flo Grow
Since earlier this fall none of the solid waste recovered from Florence’s Waste Water Treatment Facility has gone into the landfill. It’s all been reused in one of two ways.
About two-thirds of the sludge is hauled to Heard Farms near Roseburg where they use it for fertilizer. The rest is mixed with ground yard debris, covered and left to compost.
That final mixture is called “Flo-Grow” a rich soil amendment. Two months ago, the city gave away about 40 cubic yards of it on a first come-first served basis. Public Works Director Mike Miller knew it would be popular.
Mike Miller – “It was overwhelming because we were out of material within, in less than two hours. We advertised that we would start giving it out at nine am and we had folks lining up at eight.”
Another pile of Flo-Grow will be given away next week. Miller says this time they have about 100 cubic yards. It will be given away on a ‘first come-first served’ basis at the Wastewater Treatment Plant on Rhododendron Drive Wednesday, December tenth.
Crash on Forest Road Claims Three Lives
Three people died when a pickup rolled 300 feet down a steep ravine in a heavy fog yesterday morning.
Oregon State Police say five men were on their way to work in a Ford F350 pickup on Siuslaw River Road near Lorane when the truck veered into the canyon. The driver and two passengers were killed, two others climbed out and flagged down help.
Investigators are still trying to determine the cause of the crash and they have not released any names while they try to notify family members.
Cat on the Prowl in Florence
A large cougar was sighted in Florence on Rhododendron Drive near 35th street early this morning.
The cat was spotted by a “seasoned hunter” who immediately recognized it as likely being a mature female. It had a tail about four feet long with a black tip.
The cougar was standing on the east side of Rhody Drive between 35th and the Coast Guard Station just before six AM. It then moved across to the west side of the roadway before moving on.
The Cost of Driving Continues Slide
The average price for a gallon of regular gasoline dropped slightly in Florence this week, while nationwide it fell a nickel a gallon to $2.76. The Oregon average, as measured by Triple-A fell by three cents, but remains above the three-dollar mark at $3.01.
In Florence, the average price went down two-cents and is at $2.89 a gallon.
Long time MD retiring from OPB Board
A.J. Brauer says he remembers someone once said “go west young man”, so that’s what he did. It was 1948 and Brauer was in his first year of college in Nebraska. He convinced his parents to let him transfer to the University of Oregon where he went to medical school. Following his residency and a brief stint in the service, Brauer and his wife bought a private practice in Florence.
He didn’t restrict his efforts to just medical services.
Over the past 56 years in Florence he’s been instrumental in several charitable efforts… and in 1979 was one of the organizers and founders of Oregon Pacific Bank.
Brauer will talk about his life and OPB this afternoon on KCST’s Our Town.
