Secretary of State Health Update
Oregon secretary of State Dennis Richardson says the treatment he is receiving for a small cancerous brain tumor has not kept him down and though he states that some days are difficult he continues to serve the state. Richardson says the biggest issue with the treatment is the fluency of his speech pattern:
“Some days my speech feels unaffected and other days I feel difficult to articulate the words even though I am still thinking clearly.”
Richardson half heartedly joked that he was glad that it wasn’t the other way around. He says that over the last three MRI’s there was no growth in the tumor and he expects that will be so in the next round of tests. Richardson has been Oregons secretary of state for the past 2 years.
OPB Holding Fundraiser for Florence Food Share
Oregon Pacific Bank has announced that they will be holding an event to benefit the Florence Food share on Friday, December 21st. the bank will be featuring photos with santa for $5 dollars or the equivalent in food donations. The bank staff did this for staff this past week and the success prompted them to reach out to the community in order to help people that may not have enough food for the holidays and beyond. Ellen Huntington says the event will be from 2-4 pm and everyone in the community is invited to participate.
“So we do have a barrel that will be brought by by food share so if people want to come and bring extra food, that would be great, but basically it’s just a chance to raise money and have a little fun as well.”
Huntington says families and groups of all sizes are welcome to come make a lasting memory with Santa.
Hospice Team Looking For Volunteers
The hospice team at PeaceHealth Peace Harbor hospital is looking for caring men and women volunteers to assist in their bereavement programs both at care facilities and in a home setting. Anyone interested in participating can come to an informational meeting that will be held on Tuesday January 15th at Lane Community College from 1-3 pm. That meeting will be followed by training in March of 2019. Registration for the meeting can be made by contacting Kathy Murphey with Peace Harbor Hospice. The phone number will be posted on the coast radio website and facebook page. (541-902-6060)
Email Threats Close to Home
An international threat that focused on schools and businesses is also believed to have hit Lane County as well. the Register Guard reports that schools and businesses f rom coburg to junction city received emails threatening to explode bombs unless they paid Bitcoin, a digital form of currency, the threats were widespread through the U.S. Canada and New Zealand. There were no reports of similar emails in the Florence area.