School Keeping Students Engaged
They are calling it supplemental education. That’s what the lessons going home to the hundreds of students in the Siuslaw school district are receiving during the break from classes due to COVID-19. According to the Siuslaw school superintendent, Andy Grzeskowiak the lessons are intended to keep the student engaged during the forced recess and are not intended to have a negative or positive effect on grades. Part of the reason is that there are many variables when it comes to access to information for students with some having little or no internet support. The school did pass out 125 chromebooks for students that have home internet, but not a reliable device to connect. Those students without access were mailed their materials. Currently school is dismissed until the end of April and will continue to operate in accordance with Governor Brown’s executive order.
COVID-19 Numbers from OHA
The death toll in Oregon in relation to the coronavirus is now at 11. The latest was a 69 year old woman in Washington County who had underlying health conditions. The number of positive cases continues to rise in Oregon with the latest number being 316 on the OHA website. But Coast Radio News has learned that late yesterday after the Oregon Health Authority released its numbers a new case in Lane County was reported bringing the county’s number to 8 cases. The latest case is a woman in her 50’s from the Eugene/Springfield area and is resting at home. The number of tests being administered is rising too, but at a slow pace. Currently there have been 7269 tests completed and just under 7000 negative results. There are still 13 rural counties in Oregon that have not had a case of COVID-19. Partly because of the limited number of tests available and partly because of the smaller populations.
Pump Still High in Oregon
Crude oil prices are taking a beating on the stock Market with oil closing at 22.66 a barrel yesterday, and that has had some effect on gasoline prices across the state. Marie Dodds with AAA Oregon says the average price for a gallon of regular gas has dropped .11 cents across the state to $2.80 a gallon. Florence is a little below that at $2.62 a gallon, but prices are not falling as rapidly as other states.
Library Online
The Siuslaw Public Library may be closed, but if you are shut in and tired of binge watching television, you can take advantage of tens of thousands of books available online and through downloads at the library. Even if you do not have a current library card you can apply for a temporary one online at siuslawlibrary.org. and if you have young ones, they are offering Storytime with Ms. Gayle every Tuesday and Friday on Facebook Live at 10:30 am.
