Old Town Break-in
Shelly Medeiros owner of Artefacts in old town says the man who broke in to her store Tuesday morning at 3:30 broke glass cabinets and stole articles of jewelry from out of the store. Medeiros says she was notified by Florence Police who were on the scene. Commander John Pitcher with the Florence Police Department says they were notified by a citizen who observed the broken glass to the outside door that adjoins Artefacts and Books and bears. Florence police has video of the break-in and the investigation is ongoing at this point. The Artefacts space is shared by FTS computers and Medeiros says no items were taken from there.
Community Celebration of Service
Monday Morning at 11 am Siuslaw Valley fire and Rescue will hold a community get together at the main station on Highway 101 to celebrate the service of Captain Liz Iabichello. Iabichello recently announced her retirement from SVFR but will continue on with WLAD and Peace Harbor Hospital. The event will be from 11-3 and refreshments will be provided.
New 97439 Cases
The Florence community has recorded another 3 cases of COVID-19. Lane County’s report yesterday included the numbers along with 150 new cases for all of Lane County. While numbers have been declining recently they are still strong and are similar to numbers from the late July surge that began to impact the community. There are 52 individuals in Lane County hospitals at this time with 17 individuals in ICU and 9 on ventilators. Lane County Public Health is reporting just under 80 percent of infected individuals are unvaccinated. Breakthrough cases account for about 21 percent of cases.
Cases Lower, Deaths Higher
The Oregon Health Authority is reporting that week over week new infections continue to decrease along with hospitalizations, but the death toll continues to rise. There were 114 more deaths associated with COVID-19 last week than the previous week, accounting for some of the hospital decreases. There were 1278 new cases reported yesterday and 33 new COVID related deaths. The OHA is reporting vaccinations are being given at a rate of 10 thousand per day, the increase due mainly to booster shots.
Chamber Recognition
At an upcoming Florence City council meeting the City of Florence will recognize the Florence area Chamber of Commerce for its service to the businesses of Florence and the community. A proclamation will recognize the Chamber and the City’s partnership in tourism marketing and for its many contributions in growing the local economy. Local tourism is responsible for more than $147 million dollars in the area and helps to employ almost 2000 individuals.
Kennel Cough Prevalent
There is apparently an outbreak of kennel cough in the Florence area. Dr. Mark Felton with Lower Umpqua Veterinary Clinic in Reedsport says he has seen a rise in dogs with the mysterious cough over the past month. Felton says it has even been in dogs that have been vaccinated against the bordetello virus. He says that pets are likely picking it up from pet daycare centers or possibly dog parks. According to Felton the cough will generally not wane on its own and should be treated.
