Rescue on the Rocks
The U.S. Coast Guard was called in to assist Oregon State Police in the rescue of 4 people stranded on the rocks at Heceta Lighthouse yesterday. Members of Siuslaw Valley Fire and Rescue and Western Lane Ambulance were already on scene when their motor lifeboat arrived. 3 of the 4 people were rescued prior to their arrival leaving one person still needing assistance. U.S. Coast Guard Chief Bosuns mate Jay Nilles was on the scene and said rescuers were able to get the 3 across the beach and up the cliff trail, but the fourth member of the party had health conditions that made it impossible to get him up the trail.
“Due to his health conditions and medical issues he was not able to walk himself, there was not way that rescue personal were going to be able to carry him off of that rock and then up that cliff.”
A decision was made to contact the U.S. Coast Guard North Bend Sector requesting air assistance. When the helicopter arrived a rescue swimmer was lowered into the water and made contact with the remaining individual. A basket hoist was deployed and the remaining person was transferred to the beach for assessment by paramedics. He was treated and released at the scene.
Domestic Violence Amid Pandemic
The COVID-19 Pandemic is providing many challenges for families. School closings, Business furloughs and job losses has brought families together under very stressful circumstances, which at times can cause problems at home. Bob Teter with Siuslaw Outreach Services said the first several weeks they saw a spike in the need for services and counseling. Teter says the instances of domestic violence did see an increase early on. He says the common misconception about domestic violence is that it has to be physical, but sometimes it is about control.
“Its very easy to start lashing out and find some way to control the situation in an unhealthy way.”
Teter says services are available through SOS and are confidential and free of charge. He also says that they have collected about $100,000 dollars in assistance that is available for those affected by the COVID-19 pandemic, whether through a loss of a job or reduced hours.
WLCF Scholarships
The Western Lane Community Foundation is ready to release 14 scholarships totaling $16,500 for their 6th annual Continuing Education Scholarships program. The money is available to community members in the Florence, Mapleton, Deadwood, and Dunes City area that have graduated in 2019 or earlier. The scholarships are available for traditional 4 year universities, colleges, community colleges and accredited trade schools. June 30th is the deadline to apply for these scholarships and information is available at wlcfonline.org.
71 New COVID-19 Cases
71 new cases of COVID-19 were added by the Oregon Health Authority which brings the state total to 4,038. None of the new cases were reported in Lane County, with the majority of the cases being centered around the Portland area in Multnomah county with 41 cases. For the third straight day there have been no deaths reported in association with the coronavirus. Lane county numbers remain at 67 total cases with 9,849 tests having been conducted.
