The Grinch Strikes Early
Someone is stealing holiday lights in Old Town Florence. In advance of the holiday season Port of Siuslaw employees decorated with strings of white LED lights.
“We purchased ten strings, one for each lamp post. And we put them up on Saturday, and on Sunday we found 36 bulbs missing.”
Interim Port Manger, Dina McClure said she saw “the lights after dark on Saturday and they looked awesome!” The port ordered replacement bulbs, but before they could be installed they found 17 more missing.
“So this is not going to work out. And it’s really too bad that we are spending taxpayer money to make holiday enjoyment for the public and people are stealing them.
McClure said the lights are being taken down. The Florence Area Chamber of Commerce has their own holiday lights displays and maybe be buying the remaining Port lights. McClure said she hopes whoever is doing this gets coal in their stocking.
Community Thanksgiving Dinner – Thursday
Transportation to and from the Florence Elks Lodge for people unable to drive will be provided today from locations inside Florence for the annual Kiwanis Foundation Community Thanksgiving Dinner.
The dinner is free and open to anyone. Donations of non-perishable food items collected today will be shared with Florence and Mapleton Food Shares. The dinner is from noon until two.
Oregon State Police Holiday Traffic Patrols
The Oregon State Police is urging motorists to travel safely during this holiday weekend. OSP is adding extra patrols over the next several days to target certain driving behaviors that lead to serious injury crashes and deaths. These behaviors include speed, occupant safety, lane usage, impaired driving and distracted driving. OSP is also urging those traveling in the Willamette Valley on Friday to be prepared for heavy traffic due to post Thanksgiving shopping and the Civil War game in Eugene. Motorists are asked to check travel conditions prior to their trip. The Oregon Department of Transportation’s page www.tripcheck.com is a valuable tool in planning any road trip.
Toxin delays Commercial Crab Season
Despite the delay of the Commercial Crab season in Oregon, Washington, and California Crab will still get to market this holiday season. Tribal fishermen in Washington are fishing in areas tested and proven safe and delivering crab to shore. The good news is that all crab for sale in markets and restaurants is safe. Meanwhile, fishermen and processors continue working with state wildlife and health agencies to perform ongoing testing for domoic acid, the same rigorous testing they do every year. It’s all to ensure crab for sale is safe for public consumption. Domoic acid is a naturally occurring toxin that dissipates over time. Crab must be free of elevated levels of domoic acid for two tests conducted at least seven days apart, according to Food and Drug Administration guidelines. The silver lining, Oregon and Washington crab are in great shape. This winter, Dungeness are chock full of meat.