Citizens Clean Vandalized Rocks; New Cases Over the Weekend; Out of State Campers to Pay More; Payne Takes Permanent Post

Citizens Clean Vandalized Rocks

Sometime early last week vandals spray painted BLM and other messages on the three rocks that are at the entrance to the beach on the north jetty.  Anti-Trump messages as well as support for gay rights and the words Don’t Judge were painted in red on many of the giant rock surfaces.  On Saturday a group of local citizens organized by local businessman Dan Lofy met at the rocks to try and clean the surfaces.  After several hours the attempts left many of the words illegible, but the paint would not completely come off of the rocks.  Oregon Park’s representatives said that they are planning on painting the rocks sometime in the next week.  It is not known if it was an individual or several individuals responsible for the act, and it is unlikely that authorities will be able to determine exactly when the vandalism occurred.  Mayor Joe Henry and his wife Pam were among the individuals that participated in the clean-up.  There were about a dozen people that showed up to help.

New Cases Over the Weekend

The volume of new coronavirus cases across the state continues to be high.  Since Friday there have been 1,062 new cases around the state.  33 of those cases were reported in Lane County.  There have also been 17 additional deaths added to the states toll.  There are now 589 cases in Lane County and 3 hospitalizations.  18 is still the total number of cases recognized for the 97439 zip code.

Out of State Campers to Pay More

The state is trying to make up for some financial deficits by increasing the prices for camping in Oregon State Parks.  The new 30% surcharge goes into effect today, but does not apply to in state tourism.  Out of State visitors will have to pay the additional amount with hopes of bringing in an additional $500,000 dollars to the state economy by the end of the calendar year.  OPRD hopes that not only will this bring in more revenue, but also encourage local residents to use the parks for in state recreation.  Oregon’s economy has suffered with rising unemployment and decreased revenue from recreational activities as well as losses from the Oregon Lottery.

Payne Takes Permanent Post

The PeaceHealth Medical group in Florence has announced that Cheri Payne will accept the role of Director of Operations for PeaceHealth Medical Group at Peace Harbor Medical Center.  Payne has been with PeaceHealth for the past 24 years and since January has been in the interim position.  Payne has also served as senior clinic manager for specialties in Florence for the last 15 years.