4 February 2015
More suspicious calls to local residents reported
A number of local residents are reporting they’ve received phone calls telling them they missed jury duty and they have an arrest warrant. But the resident can settle that warrant by paying a fine over the phone.
Florence Police Chief Lynn Lamm says it’s a scam and your best response is to simply hang up.
In the cases reported locally, the caller instructs the potential victim to buy a prepaid debit card and then provide the caller with redemption information over the phone to settle the debt. Often the caller may use scare tactics or pressure you to make the payment quickly.
Lamm says calls asking for payment using untraceable methods like the Green Dot prepaid card are probably a scam.
Police officers, he adds, will sometimes call residents as part of an investigation, but not to collect fines over the phone and they typically don’t alert someone over the phone about an arrest warrant.
Small ports zeroed out of President’s budget
The President sent his proposed budget to lawmakers this week. A close examination of public works projects shows President Obama has not provided any money for the Army Corps of Engineers to maintain the Siuslaw River entrance and navigation channel.
Bob Forsythe – “It never does. And so what happens is, we’ll go back there and we’ll be stomping around.”
Port of Siuslaw Manager Bob Forsythe said he and other members of a delegation from small ports on the Oregon Coast will be in D.C. later this month to lobby lawmakers. The annual trips have paid off. In the current year’s budget, they wound up convincing congress to allocate nearly $900-thousand for local dredging.
Bob Forsythe – “I’m thinking that this should get us somewhere around seven or eight days of dredging. So depending on how the weather has affected the bar, what has to be removed there, our hopes is that we’ll get them up the river further than what they did last year.”
Forsythe said dredging will take place sometime this spring or summer.
Gas prices tick upward
After steadily declining every week since Labor Day, the average cash price for a gallon of regular gas in Florence increased this week. It’s up a penny a gallon to $1.86; 21-cents less than the national average as measured by Triple A. That price is up three cents in the last week to $2.07 a gallon.
Oregon’s statewide average according to Triple-A is $2.13… a penny less than last week.
C.R.O.W seeks a nest
After four years in Florence, Melanie Heard is seeking a nest for her Children’s Repertory of Oregon Workshop.
Also known as CROW, the group has provided children’s theatrical classes and several youth productions in the area.
But, they’ve had to rehearse in borrowed or rented spaces and their costumes and props are stored at several different locations throughout the community.
Heard has begin a fund drive to help pay for a commercial building that will become their permanent home. It would also become an center for arts education she says.
Heard will be on KCST’s Our Town this afternoon to talk about the effort. Joining her will be 10-year old Nyah Vollmer. She’s set to sing the National Anthem later this month at an Oregon Basketball game in Eugene. Vollmer will perform during today’s program.
Our Town will air from 3:30 to 5:30 this afternoon on 106.9 FM.
Sandpines management to change
A company that manages 56 golf courses across the country will be adding number 57 to the mix February 15th.
That’s when OB Sports will take over golf, as well as food and beverage operations at Sandpines Golf in Florence.
Michael Pearson, who along with his wife Nancy, owned Sandpines for the past six years, sold the course to a Portland based investment company last year. Michael Pearson remained with the company to manage Sandpines during the transition.
He says he and Nancy see the move as a “true blessing” that will provide them time for other “pursuits and passions”.
