One candidate withdraws, another does not respond
There are four names on the ballot for the Lane County Justice of the Peace, but only two candidates are actively seeking the spot. Guy Rosinbaum backed out too late to have his name removed and Joshua Rogers has not responded to repeated information requests and does not appear to be actively campaigning.
That leaves two… Florence resident and grocery owner Woody Woodbury, who says it’s a half-time position… But:
Woody Woodbury – “To me the position is a full time position, it’s a 24-7 responsibility where if law enforcement needs a warrant in the middle of the night or whatever I’m accessible. If something comes up in the middle of the night I will be there.”
He has a law enforcement and investigations background and says he won’t have any problem meeting the job requirements. Rick Brissendon, meanwhile, is an established attorney with more than 30 years experience. He has been Florence Municipal Judge for 18 of those years.
Rick Brissendon – “This is what I do. I’m a judge and that’s the kind of work I like to do. In Municipal Court I’ve done primarily criminal cases. Justice Court is an opportunity for me to expand into the civil arena as well. I practice both criminal and civil law as a lawyer and so I like that opportunity.”
The court is based in Florence, but it’s the only Justice Court in Lane County. It can hear cases from anwhere in the county except Eugene. Ballots must be returned no later than May 17th.
Jail levy could be reduced this year
Lane County property owners could pay less for jail operations next year under a proposal to reduce the amount collected under a special voter approved jail operation levy. Sheriff Byron Trapp and County Administrator Steve Mokrohiskey (mo-kro-HI-skee) announced this week that money saved in the first two years of the 5-year levy; along with unanticipated revenues from the general fund and outside sources; will reduce the need to collect the full 55-cents-per-thousand tax.
Neither specified how much of a reduction might be made. That will be left to the Budget Committee itself.
Trapp said the community “put a great deal of faith” in administrators when they approved the levy in 2013. He made the suggestion to Mokrohiskey to lower the levy rate.
A press release listed increased revenues from state corrections and property taxes; along with payroll savings because of the length of the hiring process to fill all the vacancies at the jail for the reduction.
The Budget Committee will meet next week to discuss the proposal.
Sea star populations appear to be recovering
After a mass die-off along the Oregon Coast two years ago, scientists are noting what they call an “unprecedented” number of juvenile sea stars in the past few months.
But, according to the team of Oregon State University researchers that have spent more than three decades studying inter-tidal areas, the number of young stars does not mean the threat of Sea Star Wasting Disease is over.
They say another outbreak could be disastrous to the purple ochre and other sea stars, some of which are considered “keystone” species in marine habitats. According to Bruce Menge, the creatures are vital to keeping a balance of life in tide pools. They feed on barnacles and mussels, allowing algae and other small creatures to prosper.
The unexplained resurgence has been because of “an extraordinary survival rate” of sea star larvae according to Menge, who added the next crucial stage will be whether or not all of the juveniles can make it into adulthood.
Scientists have not been able to determine a specific cause for the 2014 die-off. They found evidence of “densovirus” in the dead stars, but could not determine why it was so lethal.
Habitat restoration efforts garner award
The Siuslaw Watershed Council has received yet another award for work to help reestablish natural salmon habitat in area lakes and streams.
The Northwest Chapter of the Society for Ecological Restoration presented the local group with the “Restoration Project of the Year” award last month in Portland.
The recognition was based on the council’s “comprehensive watershed approach” to restoration. One project on Tahkenitch Lake was cited: it occurred on the Five Mile and Bell arms of the lake and included road decommissioning, native plant restoration and “intensive wood placement” in habitats.
Community involvement with the Knowles Creek sub-watershed was also noted in the award.
Fuel prices rise, still below previous years
Gas prices in Oregon and Florence have increased in the past two weeks, but they are still at their cheapest for early May since 2009.
The local cash average price this week in Florence is $2.33… that’s up sharply from two weeks ago when the local average was $2.07. But, it’s about 50-cents a gallon less than it was a year ago and a dollar-and-a-half less than it was in May 2014.
Marie Dodds with Triple-A said Oregon’s statewide average increased 11 cents a gallon in the past week and is at $2.35 while the national average went up eight cents to $2.22.
Dodds added seasonal demand for gasoline continues to break records as people are driving more. The surge in demand and higher crude oil prices are pushing retail prices higher.
Western Senators demand timber payment restorations
A bi-partisan group of U.S. Senators from western states are demanding the reauthorization of payments to rural counties in lieu of profits from reduced timber harvests on federal lands.
Under the leadership of Oregon’s Ron Wyden, the group sent a letter to Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell and Minority Leader Harry Reid pushing for reauthorization of the Secure Rural Schools Act.
Many western states have federal land that has been used for timber production. As compensation for not being able to levy taxes on that land to help pay for services, local jurisdictions have shared in the revenues derived from logging.
Wyden called the S-R-S program a “critical safety net” for forest counties. The act was enacted in 2000. It was initially slated to only last four years but has been extended several times, but the revenues provided under those extensions have been reduced.
Lane and Douglas Counties, along with several others in Western Oregon, have faced severe service cutbacks because of the reductions.
