Student Contest
Across the state there has a contest introduced aimed at High School Students. The Department of Consumer and Business Services is conducting a contest to increase awareness about worker safety for young workers. They are looking for students who want to show off their video or graphic design skills. Students can submit a 30 to 90 second video or craft a design piece that hits on the topic of worker safety. Each category has a top prize of $500.00 but the top three in each category will receive a cash prize. Deadline for submissions is February 17th of 2023. Students can go to youngemployeesafety.org/contest to get more details.
Open Enrollment
Open enrollment for health coverage began yesterday. It is the time for anyone who is not covered by a job or public program like the Oregon Health Plan or Medicare to receive coverage through the Oregon Health insurance Marketplace. Financial assistance is also available. According to the Oregon Health Authority almost 80% of individuals that applied for assistance received it for the 2022 period. The average amount of assistance was $483 per month . the OHA says eligibility rules have changed this year and that will make thousands more Oregonians eligible. Information is available at oregonhealthcare.org.
Second HIP Open House Planned
The City of Florence will hold a second open hour for the Florence Housing Implementation Plan Project. The event will be on Thursday November 10th at 5:45 at the Florence Events Center. The team will be sharing the first results of the recent survey with the public.
New Species of Rhododendron
An international plant explorer and one of the foremost international authorities on the taxonomy of Rhododendrons will be in the City of Rhododendrons next week to talk about new Rhododendron species introductions in what he calls the “second golden age of plant explorations”. Steve Hootman is the Executive Director and Curator of the Rhododendron Species Botanical Garden in Federal Way, Washington. His presentation will be during the November 15th meeting of the Siuslaw Chapter of the American Rhododendron Society. The meeting, at the Presbyterian Church of the Siuslaw, begins at seven PM. Visitors are encouraged to arrive at 6:30.
Gas Prices
Gas prices continue their decline across the state and in Florence as another 11 cents per gallon drops off. The state now has an average price of regular gas at $4.95 a gallon whilst the city price in Florence is averaging $4.75 a gallon. Marie Dodds with AAA Oregon says with crude prices hovering around $90 a barrel is it the tepid demand for gas that is driving the price down. She says it is a little too soon to know what will happen during the Thanksgiving holiday, but she does not expect major changes.