Ballots Mail Out Tomorrow
“Lane County Election ballots to all eligible voters will be deposited at the post office on Thursday October 15th.”
It is a point that needs reiteration according to Lane County Clerk of Court Cheryl Betschart. She says over the past two days the clerks office has been inundated with calls, primarily from the Florence area. Betschart says this is not the typical response from people, but this election year has an increased intensity that is being felt around the country and even around the state of Oregon. She says this is the normal time period for mailing out the ballots and that people can expect them shortly. When asked about the concerns being raised about the post office being able to handle the load, she says their over 20 year relationship has shown a preparedness by the U.S. Postal Service and that they have discussed the issues on people’s minds.
“We have already met and discussed what’s happening for this particular election. I’m very confident that things are going as expected with the Post Office.”
Ballots should begin arriving in the mail by Friday and Saturday at the latest. For those who do receive their ballots, drop boxes will be open beginning tomorrow.
Current COVID-19 Numbers
People currently considered infectious with COVID-19 in Lane County has decreased by 23. There are now 210 cases currently. New cases for the county increased by 39 yesterday, but no new cases for the Florence Area. The death total for the state has now exceeded 600 individuals. 6 more deaths reported yesterday bring the total to 605. There were also an additional 321 total cases reported in the state yesterday as Oregon climbs close to the 40,000 mark. While the new cases across the state and in Lane County are beginning to reflect a younger age group, it is the elderly that are most affected when it comes to succumbing to the virus.
Younger Age Group Affected by COVID-19
Peace Harbor Medical Director, Dr. Heather McArthur says the latest coronavirus numbers are skewing much younger than August and September.
“That age group, 11-20, have been the biggest group that have been exposed and contracted the virus in the last 2 weeks for Lane County.”
She says that because this is the group that is currently spreading the virus it is important to scale back for the upcoming Halloween holiday. She says there are plenty of good ideas out there…
“Within your own family carve a pumpkin, decorate your house, do a scavenger hunt maybe as a family within your house, watch a scary movie.”
There are more tips on how to safely enjoy the holiday on the Oregon.gov website.
Gas Prices
It has been a busy hurricane season in the Gulf of Mexico, but that hasn’t had much effect on Oregon’s gas prices. Marie Dodds with AAA Oregon in her weekly report says Oregon prices are steady and even dipping slightly. Here in Florence we saw a brief spike last week, but by Saturday the 6 cent jump in prices went back down to return to an average price of $2.38 a gallon.
