Wet and wild… and more to come
There was plenty of wind, but the biggest storm impact overnight came in the form of lots of rain. 3.8 inches was recorded in Tillamook, 3.3 inches in North Bend, and a whopping 4.9 inches recorded in Brookings. That’s according to the National Weather Service. 2.1 inches were recorded at Sea Lion Caves.
Even with that, there was plenty of wind with gusts reaching 103 miles an hour at Cape Meares in Tillamook County.
Locally, gusts were steep, but not as high. The highest recorded in area reporting stations was near 40 miles an hour, but some gusts were considerably higher in specific locations.
No major damage was reported.
Things will be relatively calm today… there’ll still be gusty winds and rain showers, but a hurricane force wind watch is in effect tomorrow morning through early afternoon. Very strong winds are expected with gusts in town nearing 55 miles an hour… 70 knot gusts expected along the beach.
County officials to get pay raise
Lane County Commissioners will get their first pay raise since 2008 after a 3-2 vote this week. An independent committee evaluates pay rates for the top elected officials in Lane County. Earlier this year the group recommended a 13.7-percent hike… from $74,298 to $84,457, for the five member commission. Commissioners Sid Leiken, Faye Stewart, and Pete Sorenson voted for the increase while Pat Farr and Jay Bozievich voted no.
The commission also approved a 3.7-percent pay hike for the Sheriff… from $130,899 to $135,860. But the biggest increase of all is going to the Justice of the Peace. There is now just one Justice for Lane County. That position had been officially half-time and paid $25,469 a year. As of July 1st, 2017 it will carry a pay rate of $46,606.
Two County Commissioners: Pete Sorenson and Pat Farr; are running unopposed for reelection, as is Sheriff Byron Trapp. There are two candidates in a runoff for the Justice of the Peace Position; Rick Brissendon and Woody Woodbury.
Register to Vote
That brings up a reminder from the Oregon Secretary of State’s office that potential voters who have not yet registered have until midnight Tuesday to do so.
Jeanne Atkins says unlike ballots, post marks do count if you are mailing in a voter registration form. The deadline is midnight, Tuesday, October 18th.
Atkins encouraged all voters to go online and double check their registration status. The website is www-dot-oregonvotes-dot-gov. If you already have a valid Oregon Drivers License or ID card, Atkins said you can complete the online registration form and submit it electronically.
If not, you’ll need to complete the form, print it out and mail it in with the required ID.
Or, you can take it to any county elections department.
Oregon’s Motor Voter law took effect in January of this year. That automatically registers eligible voters any time they obtain or make a change to their drivers’ license.
Ballots are set to be mailed October 20th.
Bras for a Cause
The Florence Chapter of Soroptimist International puts together several programs every year. Most of them are aimed at bettering the condition of women and girls through scholarships. One program they have sponsored in the past is a conference on human trafficking.
Soroptimist members in Florence also organize the annual Community Christmas Baskets.
One way of funding all of those programs is through raising money in the community and they have an innovative way coming up Saturday night.
It’s the first ever “Bras for a Cause” in Florence.
Several different bras have been decorated and specially designed by area women. They’ll be auctioned off to the highest bidders.
There are also several silent auction items.
There are still a few tickets left for the Dinner… they are $50 each and can be purchased at the door at the Florence Events Center beginning at six pm Saturday evening.
Fire-Ambulance cooperation reaching peak
The final links in a cooperative management agreement between Siuslaw Valley Fire and Rescue and Western Lane Ambulance District have been locked into place.
The second of two key emergency response positions has been filled.
Long time Western Lane Paramedic Matt House will assume the position of Operations Manager with the ambulance November 2nd. Ambulance board president Mike Webb said the selection of House, a long time paramedic and supervisor, will help assure the ambulance district continues to fill the mission of “providing quick, efficient, professional emergency medical services”.
Webb also said House will be a “key leadership asset” to Siuslaw Valley Chief Jim Langborg to effectively lead both districts.
Earlier this week the fire district announced the hiring of Jim Dickerson who will take a similar role, managing operations for the fire department.