23 December 2014
Heceta Slide To Restrict Travel
Travelers headed north from Florence on Highway 101 will be facing delays of up to 20-minutes just north of Heceta Head due to damage caused by heavy rains over last weekend.
Rick Little – “It’s probably going to be one lane of flagged travel for a month and a half. Maybe even longer.”
Oregon Department of Transportation spokesman Rick Little says the slide area 12-miles north of Florence, caused complete closure of the highway over the weekend. It was the target of a repair project earlier this fall. Last week, they noticed bulging of the hillside due to buildup of water in the soil beneath the roadway. Steps were quickly taken to prevent further damage but Friday and Saturday’s rain proved too much. That’s when ODOT pulled the crew out and closed the highway.
Rick Little – “Once we can relieve that water pressure, why the stability can be maintained. Then we’ll design a fix, and we’ll construct whatever we design. Right now the main thing is keeping the road safe and keeping it open to at least one lane of travel.”
Flaggers and a pilot car began guiding traffic through the area Monday morning and will continue to do so until repairs are complete.
Former Florence Residents Singled Out For Lifesaving Effort
Two Douglas County Sheriff’s Deputies received lifesaving awards last week from the Oregon State Sheriff’s Association. Kody Reavis and Michael Pitcher, both Siuslaw High School alums, were investigating a reported theft in the Brandy Bar area, about 8 miles east of Reedsport one day last January. They spotted a man clinging to a capsized boat in the Umpqua River. The Marine Patrol was too far away and the Coast Guard was unable to respond immediately. According to Sergeant Jeff Frieze the two then took matters into their own hands.
Sgt. Jeff Frieze – “Both of these young deputies risked their own life to go out and save someone in the river in the winter time and when the river was swollen and was a very dangerous move on their part and they could have lost their own lives.”
A boat had washed up on the bank near where they were, so they used it to reach Donny Ray Mullanix and pull him from the water.
Sgt. Jeff Frieze – “And it just so happened, both of the boats, the one that was capsized that the male was floating on, was stolen and the one that had washed up to shore that our deputies commandeered basically to go rescue him was stolen. There’s currently charges that have been submitted to the DA’s office for theft and burglary from the residence where we believe the suspect was coming from.”
Mullinex has no permanent address, but has been spending time in the Douglas County Jail on unrelated charges. He’s facing several possible theft charges for a string of burglaries east of Reedsport.
Give the Gift of Safety
They’re popular gifts every Christmas season… handguns. Troy Ronning says if you’re a first time gun owner, or you’re giving a handgun to a novice, you need to take it one step further and provide some basic safety training.
Troy Ronning – “The starting level for handgun safety. It is the kindergarten class. It’s where everybody should start.”
The safety class, offered at the Siuslaw Rod and Gun Club once each month between January and September is only $15 per person and includes four hours of classroom instruction.
Troy Ronning – “Then everybody rallies at the live fire line to qualify. And they have to demonstrate with 50 rounds of ammunition that they have a level of safety, competency and accuracy with the handgun before we issue a certificate.”
Ronning says this class is a requirement before a gun owner can even apply for a concealed carry permit. For more information about the classes you can call Ronning at 997-7667.
Reward Reminder Issued
Arson investigators looking into the cause of an early morning fire earlier this month in Florence are reminding residents about a reward of up to $5-thousand for information leading to the arrest and conviction of whoever is responsible.
The fire destroyed the building housing Emergence Treatment Center and the law offices of Ron Gerber and Scott Bailey December 7th. Oregon State Arson Detective Joe Feland (FEE-lund) said the reward is offered by the Oregon Chapter of the International Association of Arson Investigators and the Northwest Insurance Council. Tips can be phoned in to the arson hotline… 800-452-7888.
Gas Prices Continue Free-Fall
The cost of driving continues to go down.
The average cash price for regular gas in Florence fell ten cents a gallon in the past week to $2.60.
That’s a 30-cent drop in three weeks and is the lowest average price in Florence since 2009.
This week’s fall contrasts with a 15-cent drop on the national and Oregon statewide averages. The Oregon average, according to Triple-A, is $2.63 while the national average price is $2.38.
