Air Advisory Not Effecting Florence
The National Weather Service has issued an air stagnation advisory for Lane County and is cautioning against outdoor burning, but according to the Lane Regional Air Protection agency the diminished air quality is not occurring in Western Lane County. For the time being the Eugene/Springfield area is still in a good range with an AQI of 20. Florence fairs even better with an AQI of 14. There has been no outdoor burning advisory for any of Lane County but it is important to remember to check with Siuslaw Valley Fire and Rescue before starting an outdoor burn in the county and request a burn permit, free of charge. Another reminder is that outdoor burning is never permitted within the city limits of Florence.
Florence Approaches 800
Florence and the 97439 zip code is closing in on its 800th case of COVID-19. There were 4 more cases reported yesterday by Lane County Public Health bringing the total to 799. It is not known how many of the recent cases are in unvaccinated individuals or how many are breakthrough cases since the county only breaks down total cases countywide. Florence continues to be a leader in vaccinations around the county but numbers continue to rise. Individuals that have not been vaccinated, but wish to receive on can contact Peace Harbor hospital. They continue to offer vaccinations on Wednesdays.
Vaccination Milestone
The Oregon Health Authority has reported that it has now confirmed over 6 million eligible individuals have been vaccinated for COVID-10. Dr. Dean Sidelinger says this represents a major public health milestone. He also says that tribal communities are closing in on their target of 80% vaccinations. It has been accomplished in under a year.
Festival of Trees
The auctioning of decorated Christmas trees for the Florence Festival of Trees is upcoming. The live and online event will occur of Friday and will be at the Oregon Coast Military Museum. Individuals that wish to peruse the selection before the event can do so by dropping by the museum today and tomorrow between 11am and 7pm. The live/online auction will begin at 6pm. According to one event organizer, Kurt Van der Bogart the live auction at the museum will feature an online bidding process so that online only individuals have an equal opportunity to bid on their tree of choice. Bids within the facility will be placed online in real time. This is the museum’s biggest fundraiser of the year and Van der Bogart says they have a goal of $30,000.
DeFazio Get 27 Million for Health Care Providers
Congressman Peter DeFazio’s office has released numbers regarding allocated monies for rural health providers. DeFazio has secured almost 27 million dollars to assist providers who have suffered loses during the Pandemic. The Florence area will benefit from almost 2.2 million dollars, the lion’s share going to Peace Harbor hospital with 191,000 going to regency. The balance is being distributed to 3 other providers.
