City to Open Election Window
June 1st signifies the beginning the City of Florence election process for city council and Mayor. Three positions are coming up in the November election and include seats currently held by Woody Woodbury and newly appointed Rob Ward as well as the Mayor’s seat currently held by Joe Henry. Henry has decided not to seek another term. Interested parties have from tomorrow until the 15th of August to fill the requirements for the positions. Qualified persons must be a qualified elector under the laws and constitution of the state of Oregon and a registered voter in the city of Florence as well as a resident who has continuously resided in the city for at least 12 months. Mayor and councilor positions are non-partisan, volunteer and all terms will begin on January 1, of 2023. Woody Woodbury has also said that he would not be seeking another term and new appointee Rob Ward has expressed a desire to seek the mayoral seat.
Evening of Excellence
Siuslaw High School celebrating an “Evening of Excellence” After two years of not being able to celebrate in person, students at Siuslaw High School will be gathering this evening at the Florence Events Center to celebrate academic, artistic and athletic successes for the year. Principal Mike Harklerode says students and staff are ready to celebrate. “A number of them earning honors diplomas, many of them earning accolades from their colleagues and from their teachers. It’s really a positive development for them.” Harklerode says doing it at the Events Center makes it extra special. It’s the second gathering in the last 5 days held at the FEC… last Thursday more than $314-thousand in scholarship money was awarded to local graduates during a special program. This evening’s awards will be presented on-stage in the Events Center theater beginning at 6:30.
COVID-19
New COVID-19 numbers for the state are due to be updated today. State offices on the Oregon Health Authority resume work today after the long holiday weekend. Cases are expected to be heavy from the break. The OHA is reporting that the dominant strain continues to be the Omicron BA.2 variant with little to no signs of the delta variant. Testing rates continue to decline as well according to the OHA website and vaccinations are slowing. Currently there are almost 1.2 million Oregonians that are eligible for the booster dose but have not yet received one.
Flu Numbers
While numbers are not yet current for the coronavirus, the state of Oregon has released its weekly report of flu numbers. They are currently climbing. At a time when numbers are normally leveling off and on the downturn, the flu is getting a slight push upwards. The state is only tracking the previous two years of pandemic numbers so it is not clear if the levels are normal for pre-pandemic times, but there were 308 new cases reported with the majority of cases centered in the central part of the state with the Portland metro area showing the next highest number of cases.
Port Funding for Coos Bay
Funding from the infrastructure measure Congress passed last year could benefit the struggling rural community of Coos Bay. Lawmakers in the state have requested part of the one-point-two-trillion-dollar Infrastructure Investment and Jobs Act go to modernizing the port there.. Over the years the region has seen a decline in timber harvest. Supporters say a thriving port could bring jobs back, which also could benefit the local school system. Teri Jones, an elementary-school librarian, says kids growing up in Coos Bay typically have to move away after they graduate, but an upgraded port could change that.
“Whether they’re going to school or another occupation, they’re probably going to have to start out somewhere else, because there are no jobs here. And this is a really exciting opportunity.”
Both Democratic and Republican lawmakers have asked the Biden administration to make funds available for the Coos Bay port. Earlier this month, the administration developed a plan to reduce red tape and accelerate federal permitting and environmental reviews for projects.
