Slide restricts access to several homes in Dunes City
A slide on an street that provides access to several homes in the Westlake area of Dunes City has not cut off that access, but it has prompted an advisory from Dunes City Administrator Jaime Mills.
Jaime Mills – “Lake Boulevard on the other side of the bridge collapsed right on the curve. The street is still up but we don’t recommend people use the lane closest to the edge of the cliff because a lot of that is down the hill now.”
Lake Boulevard is actually a Lane County right of way. That agency is dealing with the slide. It’s not the only thing they’re working on in the Westlake area. Mills said the county boat launch at Westlake is also restricted.
Jaime Mills – “And part of the dock started floating out into the lake and so Lane County had to dash over and grab it and strap it down with caution tape. So, it’s been a hectic storm this time in the Dunes City area.”
The Florence area saw nearly four inches of rain in a 24 hour period Sunday. That caused several slides and low level flooding throughout the area.
Florence man arrested after allegedly firing gun in restaurant
Police in Eugene say it was a Florence man who fired a single gunshot inside a bar during the Super Bowl Sunday evening.
Donald Princeton Bolden, 63, is facing charges of unlawful use of a weapon and attempted first-degree assault; both felonies.
Bolden was inside BJ’s at Valley River Center around 6:30 pm Sunday when police say he became irate with another customer watching the Super Bowl.
Police Sgt. Bill Solesbee described it as – quote – “a one-sided argument”.
There were several other customers and servers in the bar when Bolden allegedly pulled out a semi-automatic handgun and fired one round.
Nobody was struck, but one server suffered some hearing loss from the gunfire.
An off-duty Eugene police sergeant was inside the restaurant at the time and intervened to keep the shooter contained until uniformed officers could arrive. The approximately 250 people inside were all evacuated.
Florence police to follow Oregon statute when it comes to immigration law
Florence police officers have not and will not enforce federal immigration laws; and the agency does not participate in routine immigration investigation and enforcement activities.
That’s the Florence Police Department’s official policy. A city spokeperson issued a statement reiterating that policy over the weekend following several inquiries in the past weeks.
The statement said Florence police officers will follow state statute. That prohibits any law enforcement agency in the state
“from using agency money, equipment or personnel for the purpose of detecting or apprehending persons whose only violation of law” is that they are in the United States in violation of federal immigration law.
The police department’s policy manual also states they will not pursue immigration investigation and enforcement activities.
Florence man injured when his car strikes a tree
A 37-year old Florence man was seriously injured when his eastbound vehicle struck a fallen tree on Highway 38 just east of Reedsport last week. Oregon State Police Sergeant Jeff Proulx (PROOL) said Johnathan Meier suffered a skull fracture and was initially transported to Lower Umpqua Hospital in Reedsport before being airlifted to Riverbend in Springfield.
Wildlife on the Dunes
A Florence author and dunes enthusiast will present the “Wildlife of the Oregon Dunes” this weekend during a special presentation at the Cape Perpetua Visitor Center.
There are more than 400 species of wildlife in the Oregon Dunes and Dina Pavlis (PAVV-liss) says “many of them are downright amazing”. During her afternoon talk she will talk about many of those species and their habitat… and why some of them are threatened.
The Oregon Dunes National Recreation Area is more than 40 miles long, stretching from the Siuslaw River to Coos Bay. It attracts more than one-million visitors each year.
Saturday’s presentation is at two pm at the Cape Perpetua Visitor Center. It is free, but there is a $5 day-use fee to visit the facility.
Radio auction offers listeners bargains
Coast Radio listeners are expected to save nearly $15-thousand later this week in the semi-annual radio auction. Sponsors on KCST and KCFM have bartered merchandise and services for advertising, then the locally owned community stations are putting them up for sale on the air.
This year’s auction is Friday and Saturday. Just after nine a.m. both days the music format will be set aside and the 150 items will be sold to the highest bidder.
Station General Manager Jon Thompson says it is not a charity auction. Listeners who buy will likely save nearly 50-percent on average. That’s based on previous year’s results.
A complete list of the items can be found at the station’s website: www.kcst.com; It will also be published in Wednesday’s edition of the Siuslaw News.