Push For Top 5, State of the City; Crash May Be Linked to Florence

Florence Hopes to Make Top 5

We are just over a week away from finding out if Florence will be in the top 5 for the Small Business Revolution and the push is on to increase our chances.  Information released by the city says that the season two winner received around 350 thousand votes out of a million votes cast.  And with Florence being one of two cities represented by the west coast, organizer Ellen Huntington says it would be a great opportunity for Florence to represent rural towns across America all of whom face similar challenges.  The final announcement will be on Tuesday, February 13th.  Huntington is encouraging all residents to get the word out to friends and family.  People are encouraged to share what they like about Florence on social media by posting it and using the #MyFlorence and tagging @smbizrevolution.

State of the City Presentation

This evening, during the City Council Meeting, Mayor Joe Henry will be delivering the State of the City Address which is sure to include information about the efforts to bring in the small business revolution, but will also highlight the past years accomplishments and the status of all of the projects that have begun or are completed.  The fence around the city hall has been erected as that project gets underway and other infrastructure, like new water lines prior to the Revision Florence Streetscape construction and the completion of the Rhododendron Drive project.  Florence’s financial picture will also be included in the address.

Vehicle Death Has Florence Connection

A man has died in a crash near Stillwater, California after the car he was driving went off the road into a water collection pond.  The man was reportedly from Manton, California in the northern part of the state, but the vehicle was registered in Florence, Oregon.  The name of the victim has not been released pending notification of next of kin.  The vehicle is described as a gold 1999 Chrysler Concord.  It was not immediately known what caused the crash, but California Highway Patrol is looking at the possibility that the driver fell asleep.