Vehicle Drives Into River Off Rhododendron (update)
An indication that yesterday’s accident involving a Jeep Wrangler may have been the result of a medical emergency. A Witness called 911 after seeing the vehicle suddenly veer right as it was heading southbound on Rhododendron Drive near New Hope road at about 3:10 pm. The witness also said that they saw no evidence that someone had escaped the vehicle. Florence Police Commander Jon Pitcher issued a press release that stated evidence of a pre-existing medical condition had been found. The driver, 91 year old Parker Kendall of Florence was located still in the drivers seat and was seat belted in according to Police. Police and Siuslaw Valley Fire and Rescue along with the Sheriff’s Department Dive Team and the U.S. Coast Guard assisted in efforts to retrieve the vehicle and Mr. Kendall. First responders were on scene for 5 hours for search and recovery. The Police release also indicated that there was no evidence of criminal activity.
Candidates Visit Florence
On Saturday candidates for several offices around the region and in the state gathered to speak at the Florence Events Center. The event featured republican candidates for State house and state senate as well as the district 4 congressional race and the U.S. Senate race. The event was scheduled from 2-4, but due to attendance numbers limited by COVID-19 restrictions people had to be turned away and a second event was scheduled from 4-6. In total, just under 200 people attended the events. There were also non-partisan candidates running for the Florence City Council and Mayoral positions. Candidate for U.S. Senate JoRae Perkins spoke to coast radio on Saturday and said her desire was to see term limits enacted for both the senate and congress. She said extended time in office can contribute to corruption.
“It was never meant to be a career, and we’ve seen what happens when people are there years and years and years, a lot of corruption can creep in and I think that we need to put a stop to it.”
Alek Skarlatos, republican candidate for district 4 congressional seat also spoke. He told Coast Radio that he believed it was time to bring the parties to the table and find common ground.
“We can’t continue down this road of thinking republicans are the enemy or democrats are the enemy we need to figure out what we can actually find common ground on and what we agree on and move the needle on those issues.”
The election is just 36 days away.
COVID-19 Counts Continue To Rise In Lane County
The number of new coronavirus cases for Lane County continues to grow. Over the weekend there were 118 new cases 50 on Friday alone. There are also now more than 200 cases reported to be infectious in the area and that number is expected to continue to rise. There was also one new death reported in Lane County, that of a 76 year old man with underlying health conditions, location has yet to be released. The weekend also saw large increases across the state with 976 new cases being reported and 8 total deaths. Statewide there are now 32,820 cases reported and in Lane County there have been 1224 cases. No new cases were reported for the Florence Area.
