Local elections won’t offer alternatives
Florence and Dunes City voters won’t have any choices to make on the November 8th ballot; at least not when it comes to mayor and city council races.
The deadline for filing paperwork to get on the ballot has come and gone. In Florence, two incumbent councilors… Ron Preisler and Joshua Greene… are seeking reelection, along with Mayor Joe Henry.
In Dunes City, Mayor Rebecca Ruede is looking for another term; Thom Mallon will ask voters to elect him to the position he was appointed to earlier this year.
But, two other council spots there have gone wanting though. Incumbents Maury Sanders and Ed Scarberry are not seeking reelection. No other candidates have come forward.
Candidates do have time to mount a write-in campaign if they’re interested. If nobody is elected to either spot, the remaining council is responsible for appointing replacements.
Heat watch in effect for Friday
The dog days of summer may finally be descending on most of Western Oregon over the next few days.
The Oregon Coast could be the only relative cool spot as forecasters are saying temperatures could exceed 100 degrees over the next three days in the Portland area. Temperatures in the upper Willamette and Umpqua Valleys are expected to hover near that triple-digit mark beginning tomorrow. Along the coast, an excessive heat watch will go into effect Friday. Highs in Florence could reach the mid 80s to 90s before heading back down by late Saturday.
The heat, along with possible east winds, are also cause for concern for firefighters. They say danger could be at the highest point of the season so far.
Gas prices steady… still lowest in decade
Retail gas prices continue to hold fairly steady as the summer driving season winds down. They’re at the lowest point in mid-august for more than a decade.
Locally, the average posted cash price in Florence held steady at $2.31 a gallon… that’s 18-cents higher than the national average price as measured by Triple-A… but 12-cents less than the Oregon average. That price fell by two cents in the past week.
Health Care town hall Thursday in Florence
Peace Health officials will be talk about their efforts to recruit and retain primary care physicians tomorrow at the Florence Events Center.
PeaceHealth medical director Dr. Ron Shearer called the departure of four doctors earlier this year a – quote – “perfect storm” that disrupted health care in the area.
The departures came at a time when local doctors’ offices were already understaffed. Peace Health administrators have doubled down on their efforts to recruit additional care providers. One additional physician arrived last month; two are under contract to begin practicing in the area by the end of this year. A fourth will arrive by June 2017 and they even have a fifth scheduled to arrive the following year.
Thursday’s Town Hall at the FEC will run from 12:30 to 1:30. It will begin with an overview of the situation, then will close with a question and answer period.
Historic military jeep on display in Florence
A new display at the Oregon Coast Military Museum this month will feature a rare early production model of the “G-P-W”.
It’s more commonly known as the “jeep” and many historians credit the substantial contributions of the vehicle for winning World War II.
Museum Director Cal Applebee says this particular model was manufactured in early 1942 by Ford Motor Company and is owned by a museum supporter in Albany. The unit on display in Florence spent its military life at Camp Young, a desert training camp in California. It has been completely and faithfully restored to its original condition, according to Applebee.
The jeep will be on display at the museum on Kingwood Street during regular hours of Thursday through Saturday between ten am and four pm. It will also be on display this Thursday evening during a special Chamber of Commerce Business-After-Hours reception.
Grants to support the arts available this fall
Last year the Lane County Cultural Coalition contributed $35-thousand to groups in Lane County for a varied mix of cultural projects. They’re on track to do that again this fall and they’re reaching out to individuals and groups to help them prepare grant applications.
Meg Spencer, the Director of the Siuslaw Public Library, will co-host a grant writing workshop Tuesday, August 30th from four to five p.m.
Spencer says the LCCI is interested in helping to fund any activity in Lane County that “provides, expands, or stimulates access, education and-or awareness in the areas of arts, heritage, or humanities”.
The August 30th workshop at the library is free and there is no need to pre-register.